Crossing a crevasse in the Icefall
Carefully holding on to two parallel guide-lines with both his hands, Chip crosses a deep crevasse. A metal ladder is anchored into both sides of the crevasse and climbers must slowly make their way across. (Learn more)
previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 next
Learn more
Chip and his fellow climbers woke early in the morning to climb the notorious Khumbu Icefall because they wanted to return before the sun hit the ice. Not only do the sun’s rays make it very hot, but they also cause the ice to melt and run into the crevasses, where it freezes and then widens the gap in the ice.
Wearing their crampons, the climbers went off to the surreal world of ice, which is both beautiful and dangerous. They crossed crevasses on ladders and scaled up ice walls to the top of what is called “the popcorn” because from afar the blocks of ice look like a bowl of popcorn. Some of the crevasses are so wide that three or four ladders are tied together to make the crossing. Because the ladders move with the glacier, highly experienced sherpas known as “”Icefall Doctors”” work every night to maintain the ladders — tightening them or moving them to a better position. As a result, the route through the Icefall changes almost daily.
As they were coming back to Base Camp, a serac collapsed 200 feet away and they could feel the glacier crack under their feet. They quickened their pace to get back to camp.
Learn more about Khumbu glacier, crevasses, glaciers, icefalls, and mountain climbing.
Photographs and text by Ciprian Popviciu
The text of this page is copyright ©2009. All Rights Reserved. Images and other media may be licensed separately; see captions for more information and read the fine print. | Cover | Glossary | Thumbnails | About the photograph
Share
