23,500'
This is by far the most dangerous camp on the climb. Pitched on narrow ice-ledges of the steep Lhotse Face, Camp III is exposed to the whims of weather and objective dangers such as avalanches. In 1996, one climber slid down the face and into a crevasse when he stepped out of his tent without thinking to put on crampons. Todd Burlseon says that the sherpas on his team never stay at this camp. Strong enough to keep climbing, they prefer to push on to the South Col rather than spend a night on the Lhotse Face. Most low-landers though are struggling with the altitude by this point and welcome the rest.
