The Everest Marathon

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The High Point

21.11.2003

Lobuche is only a couple of miles from the world’s highest mountain, but you can’t see it! Everest is hidden behind Nuptse, and even further up the glacier at Gorak Shep (the start line), its still not in sight. The best views are from the small summit of Kala Pattar, just above Gorak Shep. Well, it’s 18,450 feet high, but round here its an insignificant pimple – until you try to climb it.

Tonight’s camp is still at Lobouche, so if the weather is good those who have the strength make a day return trip up Kala Pattar. Some will decide it might jeopardise their race, others will have mild altitude sickness and won’t go, but for most it’s one of the highlights of the trip.

The Trek

Across the frozen stream below the town the trail rounds a shoulder and it’s the start of a hard day, mostly spent in boulder fields and rough trails. Its not too bad to start with, passing through a trough in the moraine, climbing gradually. Off to one side is a futuristic pyramid, built by the Italians as an altitude research station. Sometimes snow cocks are seen in this area.

Soon its time to climb again, up across the moraine of a side glacier, and the trail here is very rough and broken as it picks a way through the ice and rubble. Parts are boulder fields and this is the most difficult section of the marathon route. The ice and crevasses on the glacier are now visible below and its vast scale more apparent. The peak of Pumori, and other summits around the head of the glacier come into view, and just below Pumori is a ‘little’ hillock – Kala Pattar, which means Black Rock.

From the moraine the track drops into Gorak Shep (5184m/17,000 feet), a few huts beside a dried up and very dusty lake bed, set alongside some huge boulders. Drinks and food are available from the lodges, but at very high prices. (Everything on sale has had to be carried in.) From here there is the option to pick a way through the glacier to Everest Base Camp, but there are no views there and it’s a long walk.

Everest View

The way to the top of Kala Pattar lies across the lake bed, then it’s a matter of climbing up steadily on a maze of trails. It’s an unattractive peak, with no outstanding features and the climb at this altitude seems never ending. The pace is at most a slow plod, gasping for breath and stopping every few steps to lean over and recover, but it’s the view from the top which counts.See All Event Posts