There is a big jam in the "dead zone" above 8000 meters on the south slope of Mount Everest in Nepal. Ru Zhigang, a native of Anhui Province, successfully ascended the summit and returned safely. He said: climbing Mount Everest in Nepal does not require any qualification certification. You can get on it with money; At the most congested time, there is no one to direct the traffic, so we can only let fate decide; I once witnessed an Indian girl slip down and die after climbing to the top.
This is the scene of spring mountaineering season on the south slope of Mt. Everest in May 2019. According to the statistics of the Nepalese government, 14 people have died and three others are missing during this climbing season. On May 26, Sura Wang Ping, leader of the Sichuan Tibet Mountaineering Team, told the West China Metropolis Daily and cover news reporters that they were the first team to climb Mount Everest in 2019. The 'traffic jam' incident occurred after they went down the mountain. The main reason was that the cyclone in the bay of Bengal caused strong wind and heavy snow on Mount Everest, which shortened the window period for climbing. Dozens of teams concentrated on climbing on May 22. Over 8500 meters, especially the Hillary steps, there is only a narrow road and a rope up and down the mountain, so more than 200 people are "stuck in traffic" here, and some people are killed.
Personal experience
Half an hour and a half on the ice
Female climber killed in slide
On May 26, Ru Zhigang, the Chinese leader of the kaitu mountaineering team, told reporters that he had returned to Kathmandu safely on May 25.
This is Ru Zhigang's first time to climb Mount Everest, and it is also an experience that he will never forget. In the process of climbing, he saw someone suffering from snow blindness, and the helicopter lifted him down.
Ru Zhigang said that at about 7 pm on May 21, all the teams waiting for the "top rush" set out. The best predicted time for the "top rush" was only three days from May 21 to 23, and the "No. 4 camp" had already started to set out; Traffic jams & quot
After an all night hike, at 5 a.m. on May 22, Ru Zhigang arrived at the foot of the 8700 meter Hillary steps. "This is a small mountain peak. Everyone walks on the ridge line. It's a one-way road. You pass up and down here."
When Ru Zhigang arrived here, he was blocked for an hour and a half, and then he climbed the 8800 meter steps. This distance is only 7-8 minutes on the flat ground. " Because the first group of climbers were coming down, people at both ends were blocked on the steps. The people who went down the mountain were blocked for more than three hours. It was very cold at that time and it was difficult to move on the scene. "
At 7:26 a.m. on the 22nd, Ru Zhigang stopped for half an hour after climbing to the top. When he went down the hill to Hillary's steps, there was another 'traffic jam'. After waiting for an hour and a half, the crowd moved slowly and said, "when we got to the middle of Hillary's steps, there was a traffic jam again."
This time in a traffic jam, everyone squatted on an ice wall and couldn't stand up on a slope. " Half squatting for an hour and a half, my legs are numb. " Ru Zhigang said that at this time, everyone hoped that experienced guides would come forward and clear up the traffic like traffic police.
"At last, someone stood up and asked the climbers to get off first." Ru Zhigang said that at this time, the situation of people going down the mountain was constant, and the situation of lack of oxygen and physical exhaustion appeared. A female team member had exhausted her physical strength at 8700 meters and was talking nonsense.
When Ru Zhigang passed the female player and went down 100 meters, suddenly a man in front of him called out "wow." I saw a black object rolling towards me. ' Ru Zhigang said that he jumped up with both legs and the black object rolled under his feet. Only then did he find that it was the female player.
'I'm on the same rope with her. She's stopped by the knot. I'm also tripped by the rope. My down jacket is pierced by her claws. I'm fine.' Ru Zhigang said that on May 23, during a rest in Camp No. 2, he learned that the female team member had been killed.
Why traffic jam
Short window period of cyclone pressure in Bangladesh
There are people who can break down and keep the road open
Sura Wang Ping, leader of the Sichuan Tibet Mountaineering Team, said that every year when climbing Mount Qomolangma, there will be queues, but this year it is more concentrated, which has nothing to do with the number of climbers
According to figures released by the government of Nepal, a total of 381 climbers have obtained climbing permits during this climbing season. Considering that each climber employs at least one climbing guide, it is estimated that as many as 1000 people will climb Mount Everest.
'it's about that number every year.' Wang Ping of Sura said that according to previous experience, the window period for the summit was around May 15. However, this year, a cyclone from the bay of Bengal suddenly passed through the Himalayas, resulting in a particularly strong wind on Mount Everest. "The whole window period for the summit was compressed to after May 22.".
Sura Wang Ping's team is the first one to reach the summit in 2019. On May 15, they reached the summit and then went down the mountain. " Our personnel are well prepared, not only with the help of local Sherpas, but also with our own guides. " Wang Ping of Sura said that they began to climb the summit on May 12, but the other 40 or 50 teams could not start to organize the summit so early because the materials were still in transit.
"Like last year, it was fine weather for more than 10 days in a row, so you can get to the top at the wrong time." Sura Wang Ping said that this year's mountaineering team has been waiting for more than 50 days, and the window period after May 22 is only about five days. Everyone doesn't want to miss the last window period of this year, otherwise all previous achievements will be wasted. "More than 200 people can't stagger, and there will be queues."
Sura Wang Ping said, "the traffic jam happened on Hillary's steps, which is the only way to the top. Moreover, on the ridge, some people can collapse and others can't get through if they can't make way." there are two people because & lsquo; Traffic jam & quot; It's probably because there's not enough oxygen. Before we left the base camp, two people had been killed, one was Russian, and then another was Indian. "
Traffic accident?
"What's mountaineering called when it's sunny?"
Safety of low price team is hard to guarantee
China's first women's mountaineering team led by Mai Zi has successfully climbed to the top of Mount Everest this time.
Referring to the 'traffic jam' incident, Mai Zi said that she saw someone shooting at the scene, "I know it will be exaggerated and make a sensation in the world."
The team led by Mai Zi, like other mountaineers, began to climb to the top on May 22. At 6 a.m., the traffic jam began to appear. Five hours later, it gradually dispersed at 11 a.m.
'There's a lot of videos on the Internet, and there's a long line. ' Mai Zi said that if you are familiar with mountaineering, it's the same situation every year. "We can't use plain thinking to consider mountaineering. There is uncertainty in mountaineering."
On April 18, 2014, Mai Zi and his team were preparing to climb Mount Qomolangma. They encountered an avalanche accident in Khumbu glacier on Nepal's side, and failed to climb that year.
On April 25, 2015, an earthquake with a magnitude of 8.1 occurred in Nepal. The earthquake wave caused the shaking of Mount Qomolangma. An avalanche swept through the base camp of Mount Qomolangma, killing at least 19 people. The camp of the women's mountaineering team led by Mai Zi is located in the middle of the Everest base camp, and the impact is the most direct. Five mountaineers were injured. The summit failed again.
"If everything is calm and sunny, it's called mountaineering. There's no spirit of exploration." Mai Zi said that there are some exaggerations on the Internet. Some people even laugh after seeing the photos on the Internet. " Mountaineering is a short window period once or twice a year; Traffic jam & quot; It's not surprising that it's part of mountaineering. " Maizi said, "the death rate of climbing Mount Everest is 4-6% every year, so it's normal to say that several people die every year." There are 14 people announced this year, which is also within control.
"The increase in the number of people killed this year is mostly due to human factors." Maizi said that the highest cost of climbing on the southern slope of Mt. Everest is $80000, but the lowest is less than $30000. " As you can imagine, this service is absolutely different. " 80000 US dollars means that there is a strong Sherpas team and good logistics support. "If the team is low-cost, the cost of weather forecast will be saved, and the oxygen tanks will not be enough. Do you think there is life support?"
A senior media reporter said that in 2003, when he reached the top of Mount Everest from the north slope, he had to queue up, mainly on the second step.
According to this reporter, every mountaineering season, due to the good weather, the window is only a few days, so all teams scramble to climb. The liaison officer on the northern slope of Mt. Everest will communicate with the teams in advance to arrange the departure time as reasonably as possible, so the traffic jam will not be very serious. " I think the problem of casualties caused by traffic jams should be treated objectively. Now the equipment and oxygen preparation should be able to cope with it; Traffic jam & quot; situation. Because the oxygen consumption is lower in traffic jams, turn down the oxygen valve, control the flow, and adjust your mood to survive the traffic jams. "