Yellow Band in Mount Everest is an ever-hearing story in the mountaineering industry. It lies below Geneva Spur, which is very challenging to climb, requiring high-level technical skills and abilities. Yellow Band is a location with sedimentary limestone and low-grade metasedimentary rocks. It sits above Camp III and below Geneva Spur, making it one of the most challenging terrains to pass through. This year [2023], Everest registered the fifth death, which occurred in Yellow Band. A Sherpa Guide named Phurba Sherpa lost his life while descending from the summit of Mount Everest.
Phurba Sherpa was a part of the Nepal Army’s Everest Clean-Up Campaign. The campaign was led by Lt Colonel Kishor Adhikari and reached the summit on May 15, 2023. However, the summit excitement did not last long, as one of the crew members from the campaign lost his life on the way to base camp. The cause of the death of Phurba Sherpa was not known.
Reports claimed that Phurba Sherpa died near Yellow Band above Camp III. He and the campaign crews were on the verge of returning to Everest Base Camp. They had already descended through the Camp IV, and Geneva Spur, and was reaching Camp III, however, Phurba Sherpa suffered from illness. Eventually, he lost his life in the mountain.
On the same expedition campaign, Nepali Army Captain Dipendra Singh Khatri also had gone with some health hazards, sources mentioned. He was above 8000 meters while he fell ill but was rescued immediately to the lower elevation. A group of Sherpas rescued Khatri after he could not move below the South Summit while returning from the top of Mount Everest. He was later airlifted to Kathmandu following the submission of successful clean-up campaign in Mount Everest.
On the other hand, the dead body of Phurba Sherpa was attempted to rescue by the rescue teams.
This marks in row fifth deaths of Mount Everest this year. Previously, three Sherpa guides after being buried into crevasses by an avalanche. Similarly, Jonathan Sugarman, a retired doctor from Seattle, United States lost his life at Camp II due to altitude sickness. There have been so many turn ons in the fatalities this year compared to previous ones. The extreme weathers are to blame to these tragic mishaps.
Why Is Yellow Band So Dangerous?
Yellow Band, located below Geneva Spur is built with limestone and sedimentary rock. It features slippery and sloppy landscapes, posing high risks and dangers while climbing Mount Everest. After mountaineers pass through Camp III, they will get exposed to this region at 25,000 feet. Here are several reasons why Yellow Band can be dangerous to climbers:
Yellow Band is a steep and sloppy section in Mount Everest with a mix of rocky outcrops and snow/ice slopes. Since it lies at an altitude of 25,000 Feet above sea level, climbers have to navigate through it with the effects of sloppy landscapes, high altitude, and much exhaustion.
Moreover, factors like rockfall, bottlenecks, weather, an avalanche risks are prone in this region. Mountaineers should be well prepared with the safety measures, oxygen supplements, and other essentials to pass through this risky section on Mount Everest.
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