Imagine you take the time to train, gather equipment and then shell out the $11,000 for a permit to climb Mt. Everest. Then, you fly to Nepal and start the climb. And find this: 10 people have died so far this year on the mountain. It seems insanity to me.
Have some friends who went to base camp a year or so ago. This is one of those things i’d love to be able to say I did, but wouldn’t care to actually do it
Pictures like that just go to prove that it’s not really an accomplishment any more... just a bucket list checkoff for rich folks who want to brag at the next Burning Man or Kentucky Derby...
I don’t think that’s accurate. The queue formed because there has been bad weather this climbing season. So when it clears a built up group surges to the summit to try to hit the window. Over a handful of people have already died this season - most from altitude sickness. And these folks are as far as I can tell trained and many accomplished climbers. I don’t know how elite you need to be, but sure seems like an accomplishment.
You dump right there. The whole mountain top is contaminated with human waste, trash, and even bodies. The Nepalese government now requires you not to just hike out with all of your waste, but some extra waste in an effort to improve conditions. Nothing rots up there. It just stays frozen all year, making its way down at a glacial pace-- and contaminating water when/if it does make it to an altitude with melt temperatures.
A guy I met who has done it seems to think some of the folks up there haven't trained or accomplished nearly enough to reasonably attempt it and are a big hazard on their guides and fellow climbers. The other issue is the ad hoc nature of it, where the expectation is "get me to the summit or else" with having spent 10's of thousands to be there. So ya, when there is predictably unpredictable weather and a limited number of windows, these dangerous situations are inevitable. Either this continues to get more deadly or the Nepalese government needs to better regulate the number of permits and the quality of those receiving them.
I say, you want to go up there and lose a couple of fingers, your nose, and part of your ears, go for it.