Nirmal 'Nims' Purja has climbed all 14 of the world's 8,000-metre-high mountains in a record-breaking 189 days. The Nepalese former British army soldier completed the last of his 14 climbs, to the summit of Shishapangma in China, at 8.58am local time on Tuesday. The previous record was held by Kim Chang-ho, of South Korea, who took seven years, 11 months and 14 days
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The Climbers review – stirring tribute to China’s mountaineering hero
Bombastic and unsubtle this paean to Fang Wuzhou may be, but its vertiginous set-pieces put many US blockbusters to shame
Produced by celebrated spectacle-peddler Tsui Hark for co-writer/director Daniel Lee, this is the latest in a run of preposterously patriotic yet enjoyable Chinese event movies. It pays stirring tribute to Fang Wuzhou, a humble, Mallory-worshipping mountaineer who led a successful ascent of Everest in May 1960, declaring “the whole world will remember this day”.
Nobody really does, unfortunately. No doubt this is down to the loss of the expedition’s camera equipment during an avalanche, with the consequent shortfall in photographic evidence prompting some in the climbing community to have their doubts. The film compounds his nightmare by having Fang (Wu Jing) return to base camp to learn his beloved Ying (Zhang Ziyi) is departing to study meteorology in the Soviet Union.
Continue reading...Theresa May: I would rather write Alpine whodunnit than memoir
Ex-PM says she would like to write novel based on ill-fated 19th century ascent of Matterhorn
He was the British mountaineer who led the first ascent of one of the most formidable mountains in the Alps. She was the prime minister who is likely to go down in history for ultimately failing to reach the summit of her own personal Matterhorn.
Yet in her first public interview since leaving Downing Street – at a book festival in where she was asked about what book she might now find the time to write – Theresa May revealed that it was the dark rumours surrounding how four of Edward Whymper’s climbing party fell to their doom that most appealed to her.
Continue reading...Nepal sets new rules for Everest climbers after deadly season
Permit will depend on climbers having ascended at least one 6,500-metre Nepalese peak
All climbers seeking a permit for Everest must have prior high altitude mountaineering experience and demonstrable training, a high-level commission for the Nepalese government has ruled.
The recommendation was issued by the body charged with looking at the issue of high-altitude safety after one of the deadliest seasons in recent years on Everest, which was blamed on inexperience and crowding near the summit.
Continue reading...Death, carnage and chaos: a climber on his recent ascent of Everest – podcast
On 23 May, an image taken by the climber Nirmal Pujra went viral. It showed a long queue of climbers waiting to reach the summit of Everest. Elia Saikaly, a film-maker, was on that climb. He describes the ascent, while the Guardian’s Michael Safi discusses why the number of people seeking to scale Everest has exploded. Plus: Helsinki’s radical solution to homelessness
May and June are the only months where weather conditions make it possible for climbers to reach the summit of Everest. This year, a record number of permits were issued by the Nepalese government, which, along with a rule that every climber has to be accompanied by a sherpa, led to there being more than 820 people trying to reach the summit. Eleven people died on the mountain, leading to questions about whether better regulation is needed.
The film-maker Elia Saikaly tells India Rakusen about his ascent on 23 May, a climb he has described as “Death. Carnage. Chaos. Lineups. Dead bodies on the route and in tents at Camp 4. People who I tried to turn back who ended up dying. People being dragged down. Walking over bodies. Everything you read in the sensational headlines all played out on our summit night.” The Guardian’s South Asia correspondent, Michael Safi, looks at the history of climbing Everest and whether this year’s events might prompt better regulation.
Continue reading...Climbers missing in Himalayas unlikely to be found, officials say
Group of eight including four Britons were attempting to summit Nanda Devi mountain
Eight climbers missing after avalanches in the Himalayas have not been found during initial helicopter searches, and hopes that they will be discovered are slim.
Two Indian air force helicopters have been searching the region around the Nanda Devi mountain, India’s second highest peak, which the group were attempting to summit on a previously unclimbed route.
Continue reading...Three British climbers among group of eight missing in Himalayas
Indian search team sent to find climbers, including Americans and Australian, on Nanda Devi amid signs of avalanche
At least three people from the UK, as well as two from the US and an Australian woman, are reported to be among a group of eight climbers who have gone missing in the Himalayas after a heavy avalanche.
It is believed the climbers, including an Indian guide, failed to return to base camp after their attempt to reach the summit of Nanda Devi, India’s second-highest mountain at 7,434 metres, on a previously unclimbed route.
Continue reading...‘Walking over bodies’: mountaineers describe carnage on Everest
Death toll grows on world’s highest summit as climbers face challenging conditions
An experienced mountaineer has described the “death, carnage and chaos” at the top of Mount Everest as climbers pushed past bodies to reach the world’s highest summit.
The death toll on the mountain grew to 11 in the past day after an American doctor was killed while descending from the peak. It emerged also that an Australian climber was discovered unconscious but had survived after being transported downhill on the back of a yak.
Continue reading...American climber dies on descent from summit of Mount Everest
This brings to nine the number of dead or missing climbers on the Nepali side of the world’s highest mountain in this climbing season
An American climber died on the descent from the summit of Mount Everest on Monday, a Nepalese official said, and an Australian climber has been rescued by Tibetan alpine specialists after being found unconscious on the northern slopes of the peak.
The American’s death took the number of dead or missing mountaineers on the Nepali side of the world’s highest mountain in the current climbing season to nine.
Continue reading...Why I won’t be joining the queue at the top of Everest
A startling picture of overcrowding near the summit shows the peril of turning the mountain into a form of adventure tourism
Mountaineering is a physical pursuit demanding an affinity for suffering. Where it is cerebral is in its requirement of good judgment, most importantly in extreme situations when the mind is most clouded and consequences of bad decision-making tend to multiply.
Considering risks requires being honest with yourself. At what climbers call the objective level, that involves assessing dangers you may encounter – weather, avalanches, poor rock, even whether there will be overcrowding on your route.
Continue reading...British climber latest to die on Everest amid overcrowding
Several climbers have died after enduring long waits to reach summit
A British climber has been named as the latest fatality on Everest, in a season marred by poor weather and overcrowding on the world’s highest mountain.
The death of Robin Fisher, who reportedly collapsed while returning from the summit, was announced by Mira Acharya, the director at the Nepalese Department of Tourism, which details fatalities on the mountain.
Continue reading...At least four more die on Everest amid overcrowding concerns
Latest deaths, including an Irish climber, come as others report ‘insane’ delays at the peak
Four more deaths have been reported on Everest as concerns grow about the risks posed by the severe overcrowding on the world’s highest mountain this year.
Kevin Hynes, 56, from Ireland, died in his tent at 7,000 metres early on Friday, having turned back before reaching the summit. The father of two was part of a group from the UK-based 360 Expeditions.
Continue reading...Three mountaineers killed in avalanche in Canada
Parks service says no chance of finding David Lama, Hansjörg Auer and Jess Roskelley alive
Three of the world’s most accomplished and well known mountaineers have been killed after an avalanche in the Canadian Rockies.
The two Austrian climbers, David Lama and Hansjörg Auer, and the American Jess Roskelley, had been missing since going to attempt a climb on a remote face of Mount Howse in Alberta’s Banff national park earlier this week.
Continue reading...Ben Nevis avalanche kills two people
Police say two others injured in snowslip at No 5 Gully on UK’s highest mountain
Two climbers have been killed and two others injured after being caught in an avalanche on Ben Nevis.
The incident happened in an area of the UK’s highest mountain called No 5 Gully shortly before midday on Tuesday. Members of the Lochaber and Glencoe mountain rescue teams were at the scene.
Continue reading...Bodies of Tom Ballard and Daniele Nardi found in Himalayas
Men went missing almost a fortnight ago while ascending mountain in Pakistan
The bodies of Tom Ballard and Daniele Nardi, the British and Italian climbers who went missing a fortnight ago, have been found on the mountain Nanga Parbat in Pakistan.
Italy’s ambassador to Pakistan, Stefano Pontecorvo, said on Saturday that the search team had confirmed that silhouettes spotted on the mountain “through telescope and pics beyond reasonable doubt” were the bodies of the two men.
Continue reading...Search called off for missing Himalayan climbers
Briton Tom Ballard and Italian Daniele Nardi disappeared on Nanga Parbat
A search for the missing British climber Tom Ballard and his Italian climbing partner, Daniele Nardi, who disappeared on the Himalayan peak Nanga Parbat, has been called off.
The decision involved Pakistani and Spanish climbers from nearby K2, a Pakistani mountaineering official told the Associated Press.
Continue reading...Bad weather delays search for missing climber Tom Ballard
British mountaineer and his climbing partner are missing on Nanga Parbat in Pakistan
The search for a British climber who went missing on the world’s ninth-highest mountain in Pakistan is facing further delays due to bad weather.
Tom Ballard, who is originally from Derbyshire but lives in Scotland, was reported missing on Nanga Parbat mountain in the western Himalayas earlier this week with his Italian climbing partner Daniele Nardi after losing contact last Sunday as they went above 6,300 metres. They had been climbing the 8,126 metre (26,660ft) peak, also known as Killer Mountain.
Continue reading...Tributes to ‘incredible mountaineer’ who died during Ben Hope climb
Andy Nisbet named as one of two men killed on most northerly munro in Scotland
Andy Nisbet, one of Scotland’s most revered mountaineers, has been named as one of the two men who died during a climb on Ben Hope in Sutherland earlier this week.
Leading Scottish climbers paid tribute to Nisbet, 65, and his climbing partner Steve Perry, 47, after police confirmed rescue teams had recovered both men’s bodies from the snow and ice-covered mountain, the most northerly munro (a mountain with a height of more than 3,000ft) in Scotland.
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