The world's tallest mountain isn't the only obstacle between a Canadian team of climbers and their goal -- the Chinese government has banned them from leaving the Mount Everest base camp until the Olympic torch has reached the summit.
The climbers are with the Nelson, B.C. expedition group Peak Freak Expeditions.
"They're at base camp waiting for the Chinese to put the torch on top of Mt. Everest," Becky Rippel, of Peak Freaks, told CTV's Canada AM.
"They're not allowed to go past camp until that time comes, so they're just working in between Camp One and Camp Two and Base Camp, back and forth, putting in time waiting."
The team of nine climbers and 18 Sherpas set out on April 1, hoping to summit by the end of May under the leadership of Becky's husband Tim Rippel.
With the unexpected delay, their month-long summit window has now been reduced to roughly two weeks. With unpredictable weather and a queue of other groups also waiting to make the ascent, their chances of reaching the summit are dwindling rapidly, Rippel said.
"There is quite a compromise here because there's a very small window for summiting," Rippel said.
"They're held back, not able to fix camp three and four before their summit and yet be off the mountain by the end of May when the icefall melts and it becomes too dangerous for anyone to be on the mountain."
The group is on the Nepalese side of the mountain, while the Chinese torch team is climbing from the Tibetan side.
Nepal agreed to a request from China to close its route from Camp 2 and up, until May 10. The request came as part of China's efforts to prevent any would-be protesters from placing pro-Tibet banners on the mountain.
In addition, the group's communications equipment, such as laptops, satellite phones, and camera equipment, have all been seized. As a result, the climbers have been out of contact since May 15.
"That was very frustrating because naturally there are families all over the world wanting to keep an eye on and listen in to what their loved ones are doing and if they're safe and where they are on the mountain," Rippel said, adding that the climbers can't understand the heavy limitations.
"They think it's ridiculous because it's not like at 29,000 feet someone's going to go up there and duke it out at the top of the mountain or take a torch away from anyone, so it just seems a bit ridiculous that they've gone to these extremes."
Rippel said the situation reminds her of the early expeditions her husband led to Everest, 18 years ago. At that time there was no way of maintaining contact during the expedition, and she would often go two months before she received word that he was ok.
Peak Freaks has led about 40 expeditions to destinations all over the Himalayas.
Their Everest trip typically costs US$30,000 per person and includes three months of travelling and climbing.
