'The mountain has the last say:' Sherpas reopen blocked Mount Everest route

A group of Sherpa climbers have opened the route to Mount Everest that had been blocked for two weeks by chunks of ice and a giant serac, allowing mountaineers to make attempts to reach the summit, officials said on Tuesday (April 28).

The annual climbing season for the 8,849‑m (29,032‑ft) peak runs from April to May, months which offer the best weather conditions in which to reach the windswept summit.

But a massive 100‑ft (30‑m) serac, or column of ice, had blocked the path above base camp this month. Parts of it have now melted and broken away, allowing Sherpa climbers, called the icefall doctors, to fix ropes, place ladders and carve a safe route through the treacherous Khumbu icefall to Camp I located at 6,060 metres (19,880 ft).

Hundreds of mountaineers from different countries have been stranded at the Everest base camp for more than two weeks ahead of making summit attempts next month.

Production: Purnima Shrestha, Yubaraj Shrestha, Daniel Lim/Reuters