Week After Everest Horror, 150 Begin Final Ascent

The deaths of four people in a Mount Everest "traffic jam" last weekend haven't stopped a new crowd from pushing toward the peak. More than 150 people plan to attempt to reach the top this weekend, and already today, a number of climbers have made it, an official tells the AP. The AP notes that there have been no reports of trouble thus far, and weather conditions continue to be favorable.

"This is the last chance for climbers to attempt to reach the summit. If they can't, then there is not going to be another opportunity this season," the official notes. The climbing season normally runs from late March to the first week in June, but this year the season's first clear conditions were only last weekend. (More Mount Everest stories.)