Overwhelming Number Of Climbers On Everest

Despite concerns about the weather and, particularly, high winds over the summit, climbers appear to be taking advantage of a window of better conditions to summit Everest.

Information is somewhat disjointed, but it seems that at least seven climbers climbed the mountain yesterday (Tuesday) from two different expeditions. The first team to summit was a Japanese expedition with one Japanese climber, a French guide and three Sherpas making the summit.

Meanwhile two Sherpas from the IMG expedition also reached the top, fixing rope on the summit ridge along the way.

There are still worries about the numbers of climbers attempting the summit. One despatch on the excellent Everest News site describes the volume as 'overwhelming' and leading to fears of 'a huge traffic jam right below the summit'. Those attempts will be going on right now.

The nightmare scenario is a repeat of the 1996 disaster when a combination of slow-moving inexperienced climbers, a bottleneck below the Hillary Step and a savage storm, killed eight climbers in one day. The positive news is that weather forecasts for both today and tomorrow are apparently good.

If you want to know what's happening on the mountain, check out the Everestnews.com site for the latest info and updates from various expeditions.