28 May SummitClimb Dispatch: Challenging Weather + Team Dynamics

Storm intensifies; all 20 of us remain pinned down in basecamp by driving wind blowing horizontal curtains of blasted snow chunks/flakes, steady drumroll of whipping prayer flags + flapping nylon. We may feel nervous here in bc, but can you imagine whats happening in the camps above us? We say our prayers for them as we listen to roaring low base notes of 1 million tons fresh heavy wet snow peeling off rock and ice face above us, avalanche boiling down onto moraine beside our tents, stopping there...For now. Today a Sherpa tells us Camp 3 was pulverised by an avalanche sweeping the Lhotse Face. All other teams take note: If you need it, we are here to help. Our team is dividing into 4 groups: 1) those who want to walk down now 2) those who want to wait and helicopter 3) those who want climb up and retrieve our gear 4) those who want to wait for yaks on 31 May.

Source: SummitClimb