A pivotal step on their ascent

There is a yawning crevasse at the top of the Khumbu glacier called a bergschrund. Crossing the ladders onto the Lhotse face is a pivotal step in every expedition’s ascent. The climbers will test their will against a steep wall of solid ice and packed snow. Climbers need to be clipped into fixed lines as they ascend over 2500 feet from camp 2 to camp 3. Much of that time is spent on 50-60 degree ice of the Lhotse face. The HAEX team plans to ascend this face on Friday and spend a night at camp 3 to help them acclimatize before returning to basecamp the following day.