Met office alert proves lifesaver for Everest team

A short weather prediction message was wired to the Army team on May 18 from the Noida-based National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF) when it reached Camp-3. At 27,390 feet, it was the team’s final camp before the Everest summit.

The short and simple message said bad weather lay ahead, adding there was a “good weather window” between June 1-3. Team leader Major S.S. Shekhawat said: “It was the best piece of information made available to us. We decided to follow it, so we pitched camp at the junction of the North and North-East Ridge and decided to wait till June 1 to make our attempt.”

The mood was sombre at Camp-3 as the team waited for good weather. As the members put it: “This is the area where many legendary mountaineers including George Mallory and Irvine Andrew are resting in their eternal sleep.”

Shekhawat said a low cloud engulfed the slopes of Everest and wind speeds rose to 100 km per hour on the morning of May 31 although NCMRWF had said the winds would die down by noon.

Just before midnight on June 1, a team of four Army women and five men began their bid. The first group reached the top on June 2 at dawn amid “surprisingly calm weather”. A few hours later, the others joined them.