Furtenbach expeditions put their first group of Flash climbers atop Everest this morning at dawn.
They were the first team to summit on the North today, eschewing the crowds and conga-lines which have become an inevitability on Everest’s south side for many expeditions.
Rumours have 500 climbers at the South Col? Or maybe 300? All rumors – and as ever, some will just roll over and go back to bed when the time comes. You don’t hear too much about those climbers.
And often the more experienced guides will wait, pulling weather info. from the most best forecasters in the world for the Himalaya, then slot themselves in after the large teams surge forward.
Waiting on Everest though may just be about one of the hardest waits in the world, with others coming down successful and the full bulk of Everest towering over your tent, your thoughts and your dreams.
However, at the start of the season, it was so good to see Mitch Hutchcraft get up the mountain so quickly and without any climbing fanfare.
Although he did arrive rather well trained it seems, after his start from the U.K., swimming 34 kilometers across the English Channel, then cycling 11,930 kilometers across Europe and Asian into India. Then he put on the running shoes and ran the 900 kilometers to Kathmandu,Nepal, before trekking the final 360 kilometers to Everest base camp, arriving, 16 April. As Fleetwood Mac sing and should you remember: “Heroes are Hard to Find.”
There are a host of other teams on Everest’s north side in 2025, from Alpenglow to Climalaya, who both had successful climbs last year.
Should you want an hours first hand account of climbing the North Ridge, below is the interview with Scott Cutlan who battled the odds last year and summited on the North Ridge – a riveting listen and approach to braving the odds and reaching the top of the world.
An hours listening to this will take you from Nepal, up Ama Dablam (just for a bit of acclimitasation) and into Tibet for a rapid ascent up the North Ridge of Everest with climber Scott Cutlan.
This is a unique perspective, with Scott’s strong and unedited take on everything from the theme park of Everest’s South Side, to climbers walking out of Base Camp on oxygen, to a very lonely and special climb up the North Ridge of Everest.
In a year (2024) when 9 out of 12 teams trying to get into China and climb Everest didn’t even reach Base Camp, Scott Cutlan managed to jump the hurdles multiple time to access Tibet and travel around to the North Side of Everest. He had previously attempted the South Side, and returned disappointed with the experience and the circus atmosphere, but still wanted to climb the peak, in a style he felt comfortable with.
Climbing with his lone Sherpa Pemba, and using the services of a local Nepali operator Climbalaya, he finally reached Tibet, and with his recent acclimitasation climb up Ama Dablam, moved rapidly up the mountain, summiting in May, 2024.
It was a far from certain outcome, with permits, visas, travel and sickness all requiring a level of perseverance and as Scott points out, the ability to pivot. And not only to pivot, but to pivot in the right direction, stick to the goal, modify the plan, and finally stand on the top of the world.
Which as he points out in his interview, wasn’t even the best part.
