Weather delays Olympic Torch reaching Everest by Rob McElwee
Poor weather has held up the Olympic torch’s ascent to Everest summit, as last weekend two days of high winds and heavy snow destroyed some of the roped paths and camps. The upper slopes of the world’s highest mountain have been sealed off to private expeditions as China attempts to take the Olympic flame to the peak. However by Wednesday, the penultimate camp at 7790 metres (25 558 feet) was renovated and the climbers braced for the final push.
The weather of the Himalaya region is controlled by the Indian monsoon regime, which sets in around June. From October to May the winds come from the west with gales and blizzards on the peaks. These winds decrease markedly in late May and create a gap for the main climbing season. However everyday climbers are currently waiting on the Nepalese side of the mountain for the area near the summit to be reopened. Their weather window is limited and most expeditions usually summit between the 17th and 25th of May.
Climbing on Everest is always subject to shifts in the weather, high winds, heavy snow and avalanche danger. Such was the case in 1996 when a sudden storm on May 10th temporarily stranded climbers near the summit and eight died.
The team made it to the top on Thursday morning and held the Olympic flag and pennant just shy of the peak in strong winds and temperatures of minus 30 Celsius (-22F).
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