It has been confirmed by Mountaineers that the famous feature of Mount Everest, Hillary Step, has collapsed. It is believed that Hillary Step may have fallen victim to Nepal’s devastating 2015 earthquake.
The near-vertical 12m (39ft) rocky outcrop was known as the most technically difficult part of the typical Nepal-side Everest climb. Climbing the Hillary Step had the danger of a 10,000 ft (3,048 m) drop on the right (when going up) and an 8,000 ft (2,438 m) drop on the left. The loss of the Step could potentially make the world’s highest peak even more dangerous to climbers.
British mountaineer Tim Mosedale confirmed the news of the Step’s demise on Facebook after reaching the summit on 16 May.
“It’s official – The Hillary Step is no more. Not sure what’s going to happen when the snow ridge doesn’t form because there’s some huge blocks randomly perched hither and thither which will be quite tricky to negotiate.” – Everest Expedition
Mountaineers claim the snow-covered slope will be much easier to climb than the notorious rock-face, but have warned that it could create a bottleneck. Getting stuck near the summit could be fatal.