Photo by @renan_ozturk @khumbuclimbingcenter // Oxygen tanks, heavy loads, and precarious steps on Everest. Three years ago today, the day after this picture was taken, a 30-million-pound block of ice collapsed above the treacherous icefall on the standard climbing route. It killed 16 Nepalese high-altitude workers. ~ This is what it looks like for a lot of these workers inside the the Khumbu icefall. While most Westerners only go through the icefall a few times a season, these guys do countless rotations up and down to stock the upper camps. The icefall, a necessary hazard of climbing the south side of Everest, is a maze of giant ice towers and crevasses that can, and do, collapse without warning. These rickety ladders must be continuously re-jiggered throughout the season. In base camp after the avalanche tragedy, we saw the size of the loads some of the Sherpas were carrying that day. They were so huge it made it near impossible to run away from the falling ice blocks. These are the hazards that everyone faces though—Sherpas, Western guides, and climbers together. ~ I was there as part of a film project to document the Sherpas perspective on Everest over the years—this was the breaking point for the high-altitude workforce and a chance to portray the state of affairs and lack of government support. This accident did not slow down the international desire to stand on top of the world. But it did shift the way in which these workers are compensated and insured. The season was canceled, and it became clear to the world that to summit Everest requires the support of these Nepalese people. ~ #russianrulette #dangerousjobs #NepaliLoveYou #SherpaFilm #HeroesOfTheHimalya @conrad_anker @jenniloweanker
A post shared by National Geographic (@natgeo) on
