Mount Everest has claimed hundreds of lives despite thousands of successful summits. Beyond well-known threats like oxygen loss and avalanches, the Khumbu Icefall is uniquely dangerous: a shifting glacier maze of seracs and hidden crevasses that spans roughly 2,000 vertical feet and must be crossed twice. Teams, experienced guides and Sherpas place ropes and ladders to mitigate risk, while tighter permit rules in Nepal aim to improve safety. Above 26,200 ft the route enters the so-called "death zone," where the thin air further increases peril.
The Khumbu Icefall: Mount Everest’s Most Surprising — and Deadly — Hazard
Mount Everest has claimed hundreds of lives despite thousands of successful summits. Beyond well-known threats like oxygen loss and avalanches, the Khumbu Icefall is uniquely dangerous: a shifting glacier maze of seracs and hidden crevasses that spans roughly 2,000 vertical feet and must be crossed twice. Teams, experienced guides and Sherpas place ropes and ladders to mitigate risk, while tighter permit rules in Nepal aim to improve safety. Above 26,200 ft the route enters the so-called "death zone," where the thin air further increases peril.
05:24 PM, 11/11/2025Lifestyle
The Khumbu Icefall: When the Ground Becomes the Threat
Mount Everest is legendary for its altitude dangers, but one of the most unpredictable and lethal hazards isn't the thin air — it's the ground beneath climbers' feet. Since Sir Edmund Hillary's first documented summit in 1953, more than 7,000 people have reached Everest's peak, while over 300 have died attempting the climb.
Familiar risks at extreme altitude include oxygen deprivation, which can cause disorientation and poor decision-making, as well as potentially fatal conditions such as high-altitude cerebral edema (brain swelling) and blood clots. Avalanches, storms, dehydration, frostbite, falls and seismic events (such as the 2015 earthquake) also threaten expeditions. Even Base Camp sits at roughly 17,600 ft (about 5,360 m), higher than any peak in the contiguous United States, and most approaches require flying into precarious airfields in the Himalaya.
Why the Khumbu Icefall Is So Dangerous
The Khumbu Icefall, born of the massive Khumbu Glacier, behaves like a moving river of ice. It is an ever-shifting maze of towering ice blocks called seracs, collapsing ridges and hidden crevasses. Sections that appear flat can be covered by a deceptively thin crust; beneath it may lie deep voids into which even experienced climbers can plunge.
For roughly 2,000 vertical feet climbers must thread carefully through this chaotic zone. Teams clip into fixed ropes and belay systems, walk across aluminum ladders spanning yawning crevasses, and follow routes continually maintained by highly experienced Sherpas. Because the glacier constantly shifts, the route through Khumbu must be negotiated on both the ascent and the descent — increasing exposure to the icefall's dangers when climbers are most exhausted.
Mitigation and Teamwork
Climbing Everest is almost never a solo endeavor. Teams, guides and high-altitude support staff (including Sherpas and porters) work together to fix ropes, place ladders and ferry equipment. Climbers who can afford the expedition typically train extensively for glacier travel, and porters and guides carry critical gear such as ropes, harnesses and ladders to reduce risk. Nepal has tightened regulations in recent years to improve safety and accountability, including requirements tied to permits and licensed guide services.
"The Khumbu Icefall is a reminder that Everest’s deadliest hazards are often the ones you can’t predict."
Above the icefall the route continues toward the so-called "death zone" (around 26,200 ft / ~8,000 m), where the atmosphere is too thin to sustain human physiology for long. After reaching the summit climbers must descend and re-cross these same perilous sections, compounding fatigue and risk. Despite the many hazards, Everest remains one of the world's most compelling — and unforgiving — mountaineering challenges.