Mountain climbing | Autumn is the wrong time to go to the Himalayas, says climbing legend Veikka Gustafsson

from the Himalayas in a short time, there have been two reports of climbers killed in avalanches. First, last week, a well-known mountaineer Hilaree Knight got caught in an avalanche. Today, Wednesday, the news reported that an avalanche had hit a group of climbers, from which ten members died and 18 are missing.

Former mountaineer Veikka Gustafsson is critical to going to the Himalayas in October at all. Climbers have two seasons to choose from. Either in the spring before the monsoon rains or in the fall after the monsoon rains.

“Myself, after a few experiences, I have preferred spring, before the monsoon. During the monsoon season, the Himalayas receive ungodly amounts of snow. The autumn season is more dangerous because of avalanches,” says Gustafsson.

In Gustafsson’s opinion, autumn can be suitable for hiking, but the risks increase when climbing big mountains. At the time of the interview, Gustafsson had not heard the exact information about the recent news of the accident, but he was able to make a correct guess that it was an avalanche.

“A gang like that doesn’t lose anyway,” says Gustafsson.

On Wednesday, the group of climbers caught in an avalanche included mountaineer trainees. Gustafsson says the training itself has improved a lot since he started climbing in the mid-80s.

“Back then, there was no training, it was a do-it-yourself thing. There was no system.”

Gustafsson is the first Finn to conquer Mount Everest. He has also climbed all peaks higher than eight kilometers.

The Himalayas are a popular climbing destination. Gustafsson is critical of the matter.

“In a way, the problem with climbing the entire Himalaya is that it is related to a wider development. Globally, people’s understanding of where it is safe to be in the natural environment is drowning. When the relationship with nature deteriorates, more situations arise that we go to places where we really shouldn’t be.”