Everest Traffic Jam: The Truth Behind Summit Season Crowds

You must have heard traffic jam on roads but traffic jam on Everest?

Everest traffic jam is an issue that has been faced by many climbers. It’s an interesting topic because most people don’t think of traffic jam on the mountain.

Climbers choose a specific time because only during that time is the summit possible, but different factors cause the traffic jam. We will know what are those things that cause such deadly traffic jams on Everest.

Everest is the highest mountain in the world, located in Province 1, inside Solukhumbu district in Nepal. Almost everyone in the world knows about this mountain. To summit Everest is the dream of every climber in the world.  

Traffic above 8000 meters sounds unreal, but it actually happens. It’s fascinating topic. Let’s find out more about this.

What is Everest Traffic Jam?

Around 600-800 climbers attempt to summit Mount Everest each year, but only in specific seasons. The peak time for the Everest summit is during Spring and Autumn. On top of that, there is a narrow window of good weather.

Everest traffic jams refer to the long queues of climbers waiting near the summit of Mount Everest. Often lasting hours on narrow and icy ridges at extreme altitude.

The traffic jam happens mainly in two upper sections of the mountain, which are the Hillary Step and South Summit Ridge.

It is because the route narrows and only one climber can pass at a time, while others wait in extreme cold and low oxygen conditions.

The main cause of this traffic jam is the limited good weather window. It makes hundreds of climbers start their final push on the same day.

Another place of traffic is the Khumbu icefall, where shifting ice and crevasses make it hard to navigate so overcrowding happens.

On top of that, in Everest’s harsh and changeable weather zones like the South Summit Ridge and Khumbu Icefall, we see very unpredictable weather.

At times, strong winds blow through the narrow passes, which is a challenge for climbers to maintain balance.

Temperatures drop below freezing point, and at times, snowstorms will reduce visibility to almost zero. In the Khumbu Icefall, there is the issue of ice towers and crevasses, which in peak day’s sun melt and thus present more danger.

Also, at the South Summit Ridge, the air is thin, cold, and dry, and there the issue is that a short delay may mean the difference between life and death, what with the cold wind and low oxygen.

What Should Climbers Pay Attention To During a Traffic Jam?

Getting stuck in that extreme cold can be life-threatening. Climbers have to pay attention to the following things.

Frostbite: Climbers spend extended periods of time in extreme cold, which increases the risk of frostbite.

Altitude Sickness: Being delayed for hours in the death zone can increase the risk of altitude sickness.

Low Oxygen: Spending too much time waiting makes you run out of your limited oxygen tank.

Exhaustion: Standing in line for a longer period tires your body, which makes descent more dangerous.

Role of the expedition guide during a traffic jam

Expedition guides have a big role, which includes the following.

• Control the pace and timing during ascent to avoid peak crowding.
• Ensure the safety of the team by monitoring climber’s health, oxygen levels, and signs of exhaustion and frostbite.
• Coordinate communication by staying in contact with other teams, rescue teams, and Everest Base Camp to share updates about route conditions.

Why does the Everest Traffic Jam happen?

The Everest traffic jam happens in every climbing season as climbers around the world attempt to summit. It happens mostly because of the following reasons. 

Short Weather Window: There are a small number of days in the climbing season when winds are minimal, and temperatures are bearable. Thus, almost all groups seek to summit during this short period, and this causes the jam.

Growth of Climbing Permits: Nepal has been granting more and more climbing permits annually to raise tourism earnings. As a result, several hundred climbers and Sherpas are all on the same route simultaneously, which leads to overcrowding.

Mixed Level of Experiences: The mountain is appealing to a number of seasoned mountaineers and first-time mountaineers. When the first-time mountaineers move too slowly or have trouble with their gear, they delay other people who are following them and create a traffic jam.

Small Traffic Flow on Summit Route: Narrow and steep paths, such as the Hillary step, south summit ridge, and Khumbu Icefall sections, can only have one group of climbers at a time, and overtaking is almost impossible, thus making many people wait in the cold, even though it may take hours.

Why are Traffic Jams Dangerous?

Although this is the dream of every climber to reach the summit of the world, on the upper slopes of Everest, the situation is usually a nightmare with hundreds lining up to the summit at the same time.

Long queues in exceptionally high altitudes not only slow the process down, but also endanger lives seriously. The Everest traffic jam is one of the most life-threatening issues in modern mountaineering.

Low Oxygen

Above 8,000 meters, the quantity of oxygen is incredibly low, and being congested in a queue compels the climbers to spend more time in the so-called death zone, where the body’s health condition deteriorates very fast.

Longer Exposure Time

Delays cause climbers to be exposed to cold temperatures and strong winds over several hours, exposing the climber to the risk of frostbite, hypothermia, and exhaustion.

Oxygen Cylinder Depletion

When climbers are stuck too long, the oxygen in their bottles is depleted before they can ascend to its peak or safely descend, causing life-endangering situations.

Difficulty in Rescue

When there is congestion in the routes, it becomes almost impossible to rescue a sick or injured climber, as there is no space or energy for the other climbers to move, and in most cases, it leads to death.

Role of Sherpas

The Sherpas have an important role to play in traffic jams since they direct the climbers to bottlenecks, provide oxygen, attend to those in distress. facilitate the movement in order to minimize delays and safeguard lives on the mountain.

Everest Traffic Jam Deaths

In 2019, Everest had one of its deadliest seasons, which was blamed on traffic jams that caused at least four climber deaths, and a few went missing on the Nepal side.

Multiple reports say the death toll may have been as high as eleven. Most of the deaths took place in the “death zone” near the summit. It was attributed to exhaustion, altitude sickness, and oxygen depletion from long delays in the queue.

Climbers were stuck for hours on the narrow ridge with no room to move or descend. While officials later said traffic jams weren’t the only cause of the disaster. The overcrowding clearly played a large role in the severity of the situation.

What plans is the Nepalese government laying out to reduce the Everest Traffic?

The government of Nepal is also placing stricter regulations and improving its management strategies to ensure that the Everest climbing is more controlled and safer to avoid overcrowding and the death of clients on the mountain.

Tighter Climbing Policies: Nepal will include only climbers reaching a summit in one of the 7,000-meter Nepalese peaks previously and have a valid medical fitness certificate, so that only fit and experienced climbers will be on Everest.

Increased Permit Fee: Everest permit fees have already been increased to between $11,000 and $15,000 by the government to reduce overcrowding and use the revenue to fund improved management and safety issues.

Permit Control and Route Control: Plans include limiting the number of climbing permits and installing double ropes or alternate routes at bottleneck areas to ease congestion on the upper slopes.

Promoting Other Peaks: Nepal seeks to lure the climbers to the less-visited mountains by waiving or lowering fees for 97 other mountains, and this will balance Himalayan tourism.

Clean Mountain and Safety Strategy: A new “Clean Mountain Strategy” will enhance waste management, impose GPS control, and enhance the surveillance of the expedition to enhance safety and minimize delays that lead to traffic jams.