| The Khumbu Icefall is located just above Base Camp | | | | safety and also to stop the climber from wondering |
| at approximately 18,000 feet on the south side of | | | | off from the route that has been marked out. There |
| Mount Everest in Nepal. The icefall is regarded as one | | | | are many deep dark crevasses that will need crossing |
| of the most dangerous stages of the South Col | | | | by the means of aluminum ladders. Sometimes, there |
| route that takes you to the summit of Mount | | | | are two or even three ladders lashed together which |
| Everest. | | | | makes it very shaky to cross. Ladders are also used |
| The best time to travel through the Icefall is very | | | | to climb up and over large ice boulders that cannot |
| early in the morning while it is still dark, once the sun | | | | be walked around. |
| is up it can become extremely hot and very | | | | Climbers have to endure the nightmare of going |
| dehydrating for the climber, also making it an even | | | | through the icefall on many occasions to help with |
| more dangerous place to be. The whole glacier is | | | | the aid of their acclimatization. |
| extremely unstable and it is a place that you do not | | | | Accidents do happen in the icefall and very often |
| want to hang around in. It will take the average | | | | result in death, usually by falling into a crevasses or |
| climber between 4 and 6 hours to ascend the 2,000 | | | | being hit by falling towers of ice. More lives have |
| foot to the top and into the Western Cwm, which is | | | | been lost here in the icefall than any other part of |
| where Camp 1 is placed. | | | | the South East Ridge route to the summit. If the |
| Climbing through the icefall can be an extremely | | | | body is out of reach for rescuing then it will stay |
| dangerous adventure. The icefall is continually moving, | | | | where it lies. |
| sometimes as much as two to three feet in an hour, | | | | During the climbing season on Mount Everest the |
| and it open ups many crevasses without any | | | | Icefall is kept open by the Ice Doctors. The ice |
| warning, some that are exposed to the climber while | | | | doctors are a team of highly skilled Sherpas who are |
| others are hidden. Other dangers are from the huge | | | | employed to find, fix and maintain a route through |
| blocks of ice that can range from the size of a car | | | | the jumbled mass of blocks of ice. They are there all |
| to a large house, when these start to move, large | | | | season doing the same job day by day. Without the |
| pieces can break off and tumble down through the | | | | skill and dedication from these ice doctors hardly |
| icefall creating a maze of smaller pieces for the | | | | anyone would venture into the icefall and reach their |
| climber to navigate through. | | | | goal by standing on the summit of the highest |
| The entire route through the Khumbu Icefall requires | | | | mountain in the world. |
| the climber to attach themselves to a fixed line for | | | | |