AMATEURS ON MT. EVEREST
Not everyone on Mt. Everest should be there. Mountaineer Ed Viestrus, who summited Mt. Everest five times, told the New York Times in 1998, "You go up there now, there are 18 other expeditions, and half of them shouldn't be up there." There are slow climbers who slow down everyone behind them, dangerously so, and careless climbers who make mistakes that could be fatal to others. [Source: Timothy Egan The New York Times, April 16, 1998]
Things are worse now. In May, 2019, a photograph showed a “traffic jam” of more than 200 people at the Hillary Step, a rocky outcrop just before the summit,. That year, there was a high number of deaths this season and the Nepalese government was criticized for prioritising revenue over safety. [Source: Omkar Khandekar, South China Morning Post, June 16, 2019]
One Nepalese government official told the New York Times, "There are too many rich people who want to come to the Himalayas, climb a high mountain, and spend the rest of their lives talking about it. If everything is perfect, they succeed. If not they fail, and the result is disaster."
Mountain Madness and Alpine Ascents International, both based in Seattle, are two climbing companies that advertised in mountaineering magazines in the 1990s that they would take amateur climbers to the summit of Mt. Everest for around US$65,000 (plus airfare). A third company, Adventure Consultants ran ads that claimed "100 percent success" despite the fact that one of its confounders had died of altitude sickness and its 1995 expedition failed to get a single client to the summit. Its other founder Bob Hall died in the May, 1996 disaster. Mountain Madness's founder Scott Fischer also died in that disaster but the company has continued going under different leaders.
Commercialization of Climbing Everest
Megan Gambino wrote in smithsonian.com: “The number of Everest ascents ballooned from 200 in 1988 to 1,200 by 2003. Multiple ascents per day became common, and it was reported that nearly 90 people were successful on a single day in May 2001. The growing numbers irk traditionalists. A high-profile disaster in 1996 in which several teams descended in a harrowing storm roused the commercialism debate. Eight men died, and climber Jon Krakauer survived to write his 1997 bestseller Into Thin Air, which publicized that some wealthy amateur climbers paid as much as US$65,000 to participate, putting themselves and their guides in serious jeopardy. [Source: Megan Gambino, smithsonian.com, March 1, 2008]
Robert D. McFadden wrote in New York Times: Over the years, some veteran climbers have criticized the “commercialism” and “circus atmosphere” surrounding Everest climbing. Sir Edmund added his voice to the lament in 2003 as crowds gathered for the 50th anniversary celebrations in Katmandu, Nepal. “I’m not very happy about the future of Everest,” he said in an interview. “Yesterday there were 1,000 people there and some 500 tents. There was a booze place for drinks. Sitting around in a big base camp and knocking back cans of beer — I do not particularly view that as mountaineering.”
Zimba Zangbu, the sherpa president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association who has climbed Everest four times, told The Times of London the change in the Everest climbing scene began in the 1990s. “Expeditions became very commercial and they started issuing a lot of permits,” he said, adding that the Nepalese Government now charged US$10,000 in royalty per person. “More expeditions means more royalty and more revenue for the Government. Because expeditions have become so commercial, there is much less stress on training. Poorly trained climbers without enough exposure to the climate are going up who have no idea about the need to acclimatise to the oxygen levels and hardships.” [Source: Robin Pagnamenta, The Times, June 2, 2012]
Mark Jenkins wrote in National Geographic: “Today roughly 90 percent of the climbers on Everest are guided clients, many without basic climbing skills. Having paid US$30,000 to US$120,000 to be on the mountain, too many callowly expect to reach the summit. A significant number do, but under appalling conditions. The two standard routes, the Northeast Ridge and the Southeast Ridge, are not only dangerously crowded but also disgustingly polluted, with garbage leaking out of the glaciers and pyramids of human excrement befouling the high camps. And then there are the deaths. Besides the four climbers who perished on the Southeast Ridge, six others lost their lives in 2012, including three Sherpas.” [Source: Mark Jenkins, National Geographic, June, 2013]
Calling from Everest: 'OMG! We're Halfway Up!'
The Internet has really changed expedition climbing. The first major Everest news story to break on the Internet was the climbing accidents on Everest in 1996. Today, almost all expeditions have their own website and you can call anyone on a smart phones from Everest Base Camp and far up the mountain. Satellite phones are a thing of the past, unless you want a back up if the Internet goes down.
Binaj Gurubacharya and George Tibbits of Associated Press wrote: “You can't get away from a cell phone call, even at the top of the world. Thanks to 3G towers newly installed near Mt. Everest's base camp, explorers can surf the Web, tweet and post Facebook updates without worrying that their signals will disappear into thin air. The new high-speed service, announced by Ncell, a subsidiary of Swedish telecom company TeliaSonera, will allow mountaineers setting off to the summit of the world's tallest mountain to access wireless Internet and make video calls to family, friends and supporters. “You know, I think it's kind of good and kind of bad, but to me it's kind of inevitable," said renowned climber Ed Viesturs, frequently described as the strongest U.S. high-altitude mountaineer. [Source: Binaj Gurubacharya and George Tibbits , Associated Press, October 29, 2010]
“The 51-year-old veteran of seven climbs to Everest's 29,035-foot summit said the new technology is not for him. “I'm kind of old school," said Viesturs, who has climbed all 14 of the world's highest peaks. "But you can imagine the newer generation saying, 'No, bring it on. The more the better.'" Every year, thousands of trekkers from all over the world walk to Everest's base camp at 17,000 feet, and hundreds of mountaineers take on the arduous and dangerous route to the summit. Until now, they were forced to carry heavy — and expensive — satellite equipment to transmit information and images from base camp. On the climb, mountaineers carry handheld VHF radios to talk with base camp, though an expedition might also carry a satellite phone to contact sponsors and family.
“For 25-year-old Leif Whittaker, who summited Everest for the first time in May — calling his mother on the descent, using a satellite phone — the advantage comes down to being able to easily phone home. “Just being able to communicate with your family and friends would make it a lot easier to spend two months in a tent away from home," said Whittaker, whose father, Jim Whittaker, was the first American to summit Everest. But there is a risk that it could be a dangerous distraction, the Port Townsend, Washington, resident said. When attempting the summit, "you need to stay focused in the moment."
“Dave Hahn, who has climbed Everest 12 times, more than any other American, noted that the north side base camp in Tibet has had cell service for several years, but not the south side in Nepal. The 48-year-old from Taos, N.M., said that when he first climbed Everest in 1991, he had equipment that allowed him to transmit lines of Telex. "That was pretty high-tech in 1991." And in 1999, when Hahn was on the expedition that found the body of legendary English mountaineer George Mallory, who died on Everest in 1924: "I remember sitting up all night figuring out how to send the photos out in big enough resolution."
“That will be a thing of the past now. But might Facebook, Twitter and the high-pitched sound of dozens of cell phones ringing cheapen the experience? “I hear that all the time," Hahn said. "And what can you say? Things change that way. And those of us who've beamed home pictures and stories from the place, well, we've accelerated that change." Gordon Janow, who helps set up base camps for expeditions led by Alpine Ascents International of Seattle, agreed. Trekkers in the lower elevations of the Himalayas also use cell phones, and "I don't know if it's good or bad," he said. "It was one of the few places you could go and lose yourself from the world."
Commercial Expedition on Everest
According to mounteverest.net: “Rob Hall started arranging commercial expeditions on Everest in the early '90s. This skilled and responsible climber was, in our opinion, also an impressive organizer. The birth of commercial expeditions was a major breakthrough for climbers and adventurers from around the world. Commercial organizers made the Himalayas far more accessible....People like Rob proved to dreamers that climbing Everest or other Himalayan giants did not have to remain just a dream — these veteran climbers made the mountains accessible to everyone. [Source: Tom Sjogren, mounteverest.net]
“To organize an expedition is like running a not so small business. There are around 10 climbers to care for and a staff of about 25 sherpas to manage. The budget is around half a million US. If you are a commercial leader, you need to market yourself, sell the spaces, organize and lead some 40 people including staff in Kathmandu and at home.
“The expedition leadership must be performed under serious conditions. You have to motivate everyone, deal with differences within the group, be responsible for all the gear at all the camps for all those people, deal with frustrations and failures — all that while climbing the mountain yourself! Because if you don't, you can't really know what is awaiting those that you make decisions for...
“You take upon you a serious responsibility for people's lives. And if in the end you are lucky enough to make — let's say a 20 percent profit from it all — it's really a question if you couldn't make the money much easily somewhere else. It is a hard, sad and scary fact that from the 5 commercial expedition leaders that we knew in 1996 when we first climbed Everest, only one is still alive today.”
“Because to every good thing there is a downside. Right behind the responsible, good expedition leaders in the early nineties — came the gold diggers. Those guys watched the fees paid by clients and figured that this was an easy way to profits. Soon enough, they found the big bucks somehow disappearing from them. Yet the fame, honor and free lifestyle of being an expedition leader still lured them to return. Such expedition leaders come and go. And they are not at all unusual. Even worse; they are hard to detect. Usually excellent smooth talkers, they seem very nice, skilled and have many friends. They are promoted by climbing websites in exchange for exclusive news and other favors. They will promote their own services as the only ones of value, anything to force you into their bag of commerce.”
Himalayan Experience: the Largest Everest Agency
Himalayan Experience is the largest and most sophisticated guiding operation on Everest. According to its website in 2021, it had led 59 trips on botg the Nepal and Tibet sides with 575 clients, recording 296 summits and 0 casulties. The company, known as Himex for short, was founded in 1996 by Russell Brice, who has been climbing in the Himalayas since 1974.
Mark Jenkins wrote in National Geographic: “Brice, a Kiwi transplanted to Chamonix, France, is famous for running a tight ship. Every climber and Sherpa on a Himex team is issued a radio and is required to check in every day. Each is also required to wear an avalanche transceiver, a helmet, a harness, and crampons and to attach themselves to safety lines. (During the spring 2012 season a Sherpa from another team failed to clip the safety lines and fell to his death in a crevasse.) To avoid getting into trouble, clients must keep pace or turn around. [Source: Mark Jenkins, National Geographic, June, 2013]
“Despite the relatively large size of Brice’s teams — as many as 30 clients matched with 30 Sherpas — they leave a small footprint on the mountain, removing all of their excrement and rubbish, a practice not followed by most teams. Cleanup efforts by the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee, a sort of Everest city council, have improved conditions at Base Camp (human waste goes into barrels that are later removed), but they haven’t had much impact higher on the mountain. Camp II, at 21,240 feet, is particularly disgusting. Camp IV is little better, the tattered skeletons of abandoned tents snapping in the wind. “We can manage the numbers if all the operators talk to each other,” Brice insists. “It’s all about good communication.”
Problems with Commercial Expedition on Everest
There are many unfortunate issues affecting commercial climbing on Everest and climbing in general there. Mark Jenkins wrote in National Geographic: One, ironically, is improved weather forecasting. Lack of information once led expeditions to attempt the summit whenever their team members were ready. Today, with hyper-accurate satellite forecasts, all teams know exactly when a weather window will open up, and they often go for the top on the same days. [Source: Mark Jenkins, National Geographic, June, 2013]
“Another factor: Low-budget outfitters don’t always have the staff, knowledge, or proper equipment to keep their clients safe if something goes wrong. The cheaper operators often employ fewer Sherpas, and those they do hire sometimes lack experience. “All of the clients who died on Everest this past year went with low-budget, less experienced operators,” says Willie Benegas, 44, an Argentine-American high-altitude guide and co-owner, with his brother Damian, of Benegas Brothers Expeditions, which has led 11 trips to Everest. Besides holding Nepalese outfitters to the same standards as international ones, the brothers say, Nepal’s Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, which regulates climbing on Everest, should promote better education for Sherpas so they can perform their duties as well as international guides.
Some novice climbers hardly know what they are doing. Pradeep Bashyal and Annie Gowen wrote in the Washington Post: British mountaineer Tim Mosedale was descending Mt. Everest’s treacherous Khumbu Icefall after a recent acclimatization run when he came across a large group of inexperienced climbers struggling with their gear. One even had his crampons on the wrong feet. Such big groups, along with climbers trying to work without supplemental oxygen, are creating a potential “toxic mix” on the world’s highest peak this year, Mosedale, who has ascended Everest five times, wrote in a Facebook post. [Source: Pradeep Bashyal and Annie Gowen, Washington Post, May 3, 2017]
“Meanwhile, Everest Base Camp — the tent city where climbers live for several weeks to acclimatize themselves to the altitude — has continued to grow, with more trekkers and tourists flying in by helicopter for day trips, and some even indulging in champagne breakfasts with a view. Safety is a constant topic in the gossip and rumors of the camp, which is home to more than 1,500 volunteer medics, staff members and mountaineers. “We are of course worried about the high numbers,” said Mingma Tenzi Sherpa, a Nepali guide who has reached the summit of Everest six times and is now leading a team. He spoke by telephone. “Our discussions around base camp are often focused on the same issue: what to do if traffic-related problems occur.” In 2016, year, he said, he and his clients were delayed four hours on their way to the summit — including an hour waiting at the bottom of the famous “Hillary Step,” the nearly vertical wall of rock and ice named after Sir Edmund Hillary where climbers ascend on fixed ropes, one of the final challenges of the ascent.
“Dan Richards, the chief executive of Global Rescue, a travel risk management firm, said the number of rescues his travel risk management firm has handled this year involving climbers suffering acute mountain sickness has increased by more than 50 percent — 35 total, compared with 20 at the same time last year. He thinks climbers rushing to beat the crowds before they are acclimatized may be exacerbating the problem. At higher altitudes, the body receives less oxygen with each breath, so all physical tasks become harder. Symptoms of altitude sickness include confusion, impaired judgment, headaches, nausea and poor balance.
“The heavy traffic on Everest is more than an annoyance; the waiting can actually be dangerous, said Kuntal Joisher, an Indian climber who reached the peak in 2016. “Since you are moving slow and spending a lot of time waiting and standing still, there is a good chance that your body and its extremities would become cold and susceptible to frostbite,” he said. “The other problem is every minute spent waiting and walking behind extremely slow-moving traffic means your precious bottled oxygen is getting wasted.” Concern over safety issues and environmental damage caused by growing crowds on Everest reached a crescendo in 2012, when a photo by a German mountaineer of a “human snake” of some of the 600 climbers trudging toward the summit on one day attracted worldwide attention. Eleven people died on the mountain that year, including three Nepali guides.
But twin tragedies — the death of 16 sherpas from falling ice in 2014, followed by the earthquake-triggered avalanche in 2015 that killed 18 people — dealt a blow to the industry, which is a huge part of Nepal’s tourism economy. Everest permits alone are bringing in an estimated US$4.5 million, with additional income to hotels, guides, porters and transportation companies, said Alan Arnette, a Colorado climber and Everest blogger. In 2015, the government proposed measures to make climbing safer, including requiring climbers to qualify first on a “smaller,” 21,000-foot mountain, and banning those younger than 18 and older than 75. But these have to be approved by cabinet vote or by amending existing laws, and that has yet to happen. “Today, a lot people across the world think that anyone with no skills and experience can climb Everest — that it’s become a walk in the park,” Joisher said.
Participating in a Commercial Expedition on Everest
According to mounteverest.net: “ As there are considerable advantages in joining a commercial expedition, you might be tempted to do just that. You will then need to take some serious precautions in order not to fall prey to a bad leader's lousy judgments and even upcoming life threatening situations. You will find commercial expeditions advertised in various climbing magazines. When you approach them, you will usually be advised to climb another mountain with them (Cho Oyo, Amadablam, Aconcaqua and the like) if you are a novice to climbing. Those preparation climbs are usually scheduled for autumn. Already the following spring you will be considered ready for Everest. [Source: Tom Sjogren, mounteverest.net]
“By then, you will know a little about gear and altitude, yet not much about anything else. You will have to put your life in somebody else's hands. You will be promised guides. The reality is often that guides sometimes are not so experienced themselves, too often just regular climbers joining the expedition on a lower fee in exchange for "looking after" the others. The guides are also not always made clear on the responsibility expected of them by the leader. The leaders are simply vague on that due to competition over guides from other organizers. Therefore, the guides sometimes end up primarily interested in summiting themselves, since they actually pay for it just like you do.
“You will be promised sherpas. The sherpas will be led by the leader and not by you. The consequence is that if the leaders organizational and leadership skills are not so great, the sherpa services will be likewise. This means that you might very easily end up deprived of fuel, food and/or very important gear in crucial situations. We have watched many desperate climbers of commercial expeditions ending up without food, fuel, sleeping bags, axes, oxygen ' even tents on their climbs.
“Most important when joining a commercial expedition is to be as clear as possible before the expedition on what you will require from it — preferably in writing. Leaders can have a nasty habit of getting quite rabid, dominant and manipulative once you are on the mountain and dependent on them. Don't let them scare you. Be fair but firm. Things turns ugly, you complain, but — in their desperation ' the other clients jump you instead, in that gaining favor from the leader. The leader fuels their behavior, in order to keep his power and get rid of the criticism.Sometimes, the psychological situation in the expedition can turn similar to the one in the novel "Lord of the Flies".
“Finally, in really life threatening situations — everyone will mostly see to their own safety first. It is not very common that expedition leaders die with their clients like Rob Hall did. It is far more common that sherpas, guides and leaders just head down as fast they can, leaving you behind.”
Nepalese High Mountain Operators Lower Costs and Become Bigger Players
Binaj Gurubacharya of Associated Press, “Once relegated to support staff, Nepalese climbers famous for their skills on the world's highest peaks are emerging out of the shadows of their Western peers. They now dominate the lucrative industry in the Himalayan nation. Sherpa-owned companies have lowered the cost of expeditions, leading to record numbers on the peaks but also a higher death toll. [Source: Binaj Gurubacharya, Associated Press, January 21, 2020]
“Since climbers began attempting to reach Mt. Everest a century ago, the industry has been controlled by Western companies relying upon Sherpas as guides and porters. Mountaineering expert Ang Tshering's great-grandfather was among the workers who were part of the 1924 George Mallory and Andrew Irvine team that attempted to scale Everest from the Tibetan side. In recent years, however, the tide has changed: Sherpa guides are now more educated, and have traveled farther than their predecessors, picking up business acumen and corporate endorsements. As a result, there are more Nepal-based companies globally, not just in Nepal, but also in China, India and Pakistan, which collectively boast the world's 14 highest peaks. “Nepalese are leading in the mountaineering and adventure tourism in the region now," Tshering said. “Nepalese operators have made a leap in mountaineering sector because they are less expensive, more experienced, have collected equipment and gears over the years they can use and have to pay less for a climbing permit.”
Local guides must pay US$650 for a climbing permit, compared to US$11,000 for foreigners, said Surendra Thapa, official at the Department of Tourism. There are now 47 Nepalese companies that handle expeditions to the world's highest peaks compared to about a dozen foreign companies, according to Krishna Aryal of Expedition Operators Association of Nepal. “Western climber guides and operators are no competition for Nepalese,” said Apa Sherpa, who climbed Everest 21 times before retiring. "They used to serve the foreigners but now are mostly working for themselves." Nepalis' rise to the top of the mountaineering industry has spread the wealth more broadly among native communities.
“The trekking paths to Everest and other peaks are lined with hotels and restaurants and shops owned by the Sherpas. For the first time, most children in the region have been educated in schools and families have permanent houses. Some of them have even begun to expand their investments to hotels, trade and even developing hydropower projects, Aryal said. With the number of Nepalese operators increasing and the price dropping, there has been increase in number of Everest climbers.
“Kathmandu-based Seven Summit Treks, which has been in operation since 2010, had the highest number of clients last year. Owner Mingma Sherpa said they offer the lowest rate for those attempting to scale Everest starting at US$30,000. Western companies are known to charge twice that. “I charge very little because I know how it feels to have a dream and not able to achieve it, so I decided that I will help people achieve their dream of climbing the highest mountain," Sherpa said, adding that his clients receive the same services like food, guide support, transportation and lodging as clients of Western operators.
“The dramatic difference in price, he says, is owing to the fact that Sherpas are happy with thinner profit margins. “Now people who do not have too much money are also able to achieve their dream of climbing Everest or any tall peaks," he said. He said Nepali operators don't skimp on safety — climbers use the same rope fixed by their Sherpas to reach the top, the same aluminum ladder paths Sherpas set up to cross Everest's infamous icy crevasse as well as camps on the same sites as everyone else. John All is a professor of environmental science at Western Washington University who visited Everest on a research expedition in 2019. “Adding a Western operator just adds someone to the top of that structure that needs to be paid," All said. “The Western operators are best for rich people who are uncertain about their abilities and need someone to baby them a bit. More experienced climbers can use Nepali organizers.”
Low-Budget Expedition in 2016
John Branch wrote in the New York Times: Goutam Ghosh, Subhas Paul, Paresh Nath and Sunita Hazra did not know one another well, but formed a ragtag group of modestly accomplished climbers, joined by their individual desires to summit Everest and their common need for a low-budget expedition. All had spent 10 years or more saving, borrowing and raising money for an Everest expedition. They found a company popular with West Bengali climbers that charged them each about US$30,000, cheaper than other outfitters but still a daunting sum, far more than any of them dreamed of making in a year. [Source: John Branch, New York Times, December 19, 2017]
“Adding to their desperation was that it was their third attempt in three years. Their 2014 quest was scuttled by an avalanche that killed 16 Sherpas, ending the season just as it was about to start. The 2015 season was canceled after an earthquake rocked Nepal in late April, killing nearly 9,000 people. It caused an avalanche that roared into Everest Base Camp, killing 18.
“The four Indian climbers, from a vibrant climbing culture in West Bengal, were like so many others attempting Everest. They saw the mountain as the ultimate conquest, a bucket-list item that would bring personal satisfaction and prestige. They dreamed of it for years and made it the focus of their training. As motivation, they surrounded themselves with photographs of the mountain, from their Facebook pages to the walls of their homes.
“In other ways, however, they were different. Climbing Everest is an expensive endeavor, something to be both bought and earned. Many climbers are middle-aged Westerners — doctors, lawyers and other professionals — with the kind of wealth that the group from India could not fathom. Some spend US$100,000 to ensure the best guides, service and safety. These four climbers measured monthly salaries in the hundreds of dollars. They borrowed money and sold off possessions simply for a chance. They cut costs and corners, because otherwise Everest was completely out of reach.
“Ghosh shared an apartment with eight members of his extended family. Paresh Nath, 58, was a one-handed tailor who barely scraped by with his wife and young son. Subhas Paul, 44, drove a small-goods truck and used his father’s pension to pay for his Everest attempt. Hazra was a nurse, married and raising a son. They knew one another from the climbing circles of West Bengal, connected more by their common mission than strong friendships.”
Crowds on Everest in 2012
Robin Pagnamenta wrote in The Times: “Even at the best of times, Everest can only be climbed during a brief window in mid to late May, before stormy weather arrives with the monsoon in early June. This year, crowds were bigger than ever because there were only four days when the weather cleared sufficiently to make a summit attempt possible. [Source: Robin Pagnamenta, The Times, June 2, 2012]
“Alan Arnette, a blogger who monitored the Everest climbing season, said that 548 people climbed over a four-day period this year, or an average of 137 people per day. That was 52 per cent more crowded than 2007, the next busiest season on record when 633 people climbed over seven days, or 90 per day. “Experienced climbers can make their own way and get away from the crowds,” said Mr Jenkins, who has called for stricter rules on issuing permits to limit the numbers. “But for those that have to stay on the fixed lines [ropes put up by sherpas at the start of the season], everyone has to move at the speed of the slowest person.”
What it was like climbing in 2012, Mark Jenkins wrote in National Geographic: “Trudging nose to butt up the ropes that had been fixed to the steep slope, Panuru and I were wedged between strangers above us and below us. The day before, at Camp III, our team had been part of a small group. But when we woke up this morning, we were stunned to see an endless line of climbers passing near our tents. [Source: Mark Jenkins, National Geographic, June, 2013]
“Now, bumper to bumper at 27,000 feet, we were forced to move at exactly the same speed as everyone else, regardless of strength or ability. In the swirling darkness before midnight, I gazed up at the string of lights, climbers’ headlamps, rising into the black sky. Above me were more than a hundred slow-moving climbers. In one rocky section at least 20 people were attached to a single ratty rope anchored by a single badly bent picket pounded into the ice. If the picket popped, the rope or carabiner would instantly snap from the weight of two dozen falling climbers, and they would all cartwheel down the face to their death.
“Panuru, the lead Sherpa of our team, and I unclipped from the lines, swerved out into open ice, and began soloing — for experienced mountaineers, a safer option. Twenty minutes later, another corpse. Still attached to the line of ropes, he was sitting in the snow, frozen solid as stone, his face black, his eyes wide open.
“Unlike in 1963, when only six people reached the top, in the spring of 2012 more than 500 mobbed the summit. When I arrived at the apex on May 25, it was so crowded I couldn’t find a place to stand. Meanwhile, down below at the Hillary Step the lines were so long that some people going up waited more than two hours, shivering, growing weak — this even though the weather was excellent. If these throngs of climbers had been caught in a storm, as others were in 1996, the death toll could have been staggering.”
Super Traffic Jam at Death on Step in 2019
Hillary Step is the last challenging bit of the Everest climb. In 2019, Associated Press reported: “On May 22, a climber snapped a photo from a line with dozens of hikers in colourful winter gear that snaked into the sky. Climbers were crammed crampon-to-crampon along a sharp-edged ridge above South Col, with a 2,000-meter drop on either side, all clipped onto a single line of rope, trudging toward the top of the world and risking death as each minute ticked by. “There were more people on Everest than there should be,” said Kul Bahadur Gurung, general secretary of the Nepal Mountaineering Association, an umbrella group of all expedition operators in Nepal. “We lack the rules and regulations that say how many people can actually go up and when.” [Source: Associated Press, May 29, 2019]
“Eric Murphy, a mountain guide from Bellingham, Washington, who climbed Everest for a third time on May 23, said what should have taken 12 hours took 17 hours because of struggling climbers who were clearly exhausted but had no one to guide or help them. Just a handful of inexperienced climbers, he said, is “enough to have a profound effect”.
“Instead of the overcrowding, Mohan Krishna Sapkota, secretary at the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation, blamed the weather, equipment and inadequate supplemental oxygen for this year’s deaths. “There has been concern about the number of climbers on Mt. Everest but it is not because of the traffic jam that there were casualties,” Sapkota said in Namche, the town that serves as the staging area for Everest trips. Still, he said, “in the next season we will work to have double rope in the area below the summit so there is better management of the flow of climbers.”
Mirza Ali, a Pakistani mountaineer and tour company owner who reached Everest’s peak for the first time this month, on his fourth attempt, said such an approach was flawed. “Everybody wants to stand on top of the world” but tourists unprepared for the extremes of Everest endanger the entire industry, he said. “There is not a sufficient check on issuing the permits,” Ali said. “The more people come, the more permits, more business. But on the other side it is a lot of risk because it is costing lives.”
“Indian climber Ameesha Chauhan, soaking her frostbitten toes in medicine at a hospital in Kathmandu, described the agony of turning away from the peak when she realised her supplemental oxygen supply was low. Two of her team members died on the May 16 ascent. She returned and scaled the peak a week later. “If you look at it, the inexperienced climbers do not even know how to tie on the oxygen masks around their face,” she said. “Many climbers are too focused on reaching the summit.”
Climber Caught Hiding in a Cave to Avoid Paying US$11,000 to Climb Everest
In 2017, South African climber Ryan Sean Davy was caught hiding in a cave at 6,400 meters (21,000 feet) to avoid paying US$11,000 fee necessary to climb Everest.“I saw him alone near base camp so I approached him and he ran away,” Gyanendra Shresth, the government liason officer at base camp told AFP. “I followed him with my friend and found him hiding in a cave nearby. He had set up camp in an isolated place to avoid government officials.” “On Facebook, Davy wrote: “This news is probably going to make a lot of people upset with me and I really hope you’ll all forgive me.” [Source: Anthony Pearce,Yahoo News UK, May 10, 2017]
Yahoo News UK reported: “He admitted that his Everest expedition had “taken a very bad turn”. “I am going to be honest in saying that when I arrived at Base Camp it became evident that I didn’t have nearly enough money for a solo permit because of hidden costs and even if I did they would have declined it because I had no previous mountaineering experience on record,” he wrote. “I was ashamed that I couldn’t afford the permit after all the help, preparation and what everybody had done for me during my training, it would have been a total embarrassment to turn around and accept defeat because of a piece of paper. “I took a chance and spent the little money I had on more gear to climb and practice on the surrounding peaks for acclimatising in preparing for a stealth entry onto Everest.” “Unfortunately the system caught up with me and I was eventually captured by the mountain Orks after two entries into the Ice Falls and managing an ascent of 24,000ft. Expedition companies have no time for wanna be Everesters with no money so someone turned me in.
“He added: “My passport has been confiscated and I am being sent to Katmandu where I will face penalties, apparently I’m in for jail time. I am so sorry that I have let all my supporters down and those who had faith in me, but please believe me when I say I will find the means to finish what I started.” Davy could be banned from Nepal for five years or face a 10-year ban on climbing in the country. He will also be fined US$22,000 — double the cost of the permit.
“Davy told officials that he didn’t have enough money to buy a flight from the Everest region to Kathmandu to collect his passport. Since then, a friend has posted on his Facebook wall asking for others to help. “Ryan is looking at a US$22000 fine,” Michele Whitehead wrote. “Mohan a friend in Nepal suggested we contact the Consulate in Nepal. “Ryan will probably [be] jailed till everything is sorted. We need to start the funding. I will find out about the funding today. If any one of his American friends can also contact me regarding a funding page.”
Nepal Refuses to Restrict Everest Permits Despite Traffic Jams and 11 Deaths
In 2019, the Nepal government said it would not restrict Everest permits even though there were big traffic jams on the slops and 11 deaths. Associated Press reported: “Scaling Mt. Everest was a dream few realised before Nepal opened its side of the mountain to commercial climbing. This year the government issued a record number of permits, contributing to traffic jams on the world’s highest peak that may have caused the greatest death toll in four years. But after 11 people died this year, Nepal tourism officials have no intention of restricting the number of permits issued, instead encouraging even more tourists and climbers to come “for both pleasure and fame”, said Mohan Krishna Sapkota, secretary at the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation. [Source: Associated Press, May 29, 2019]
“As the allure of Everest grows, so have the crowds, with inexperienced climbers faltering on the narrow passageway to the peak and causing deadly delays, veteran climbers said.Nepal, one of the world’s poorest countries, relies on the climbing industry to bring in US$300 million each year. It doesn’t cap the number of permits it issues or control the pace or timing of the expeditions, leaving that to tour operators and guides who take advantage of brief clear weather whenever they come, leading to pileups near the peak.
“Nepal doesn’t have any regulations to determine how many permits should be issued, so anyone with a doctor’s note can obtain one for an US$11,000 fee, Sapkota said. In 2019 permits were issued to 381 people in 44 teams, the highest number ever, according to the government. They were accompanied by an equal number of Sherpas. Some climbers were originally issued permits in 2014 that were revoked midseason when 16 Sherpa guides died in an avalanche and other Sherpas, whose support as guides and porters is essential, effectively went on strike.
Another factor was China’s limit on the number of permits it issued this year for routes in its territory on the north side of Everest for a clean-up. Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation secretary says they will have two ropes near the summit, so climbers can ascend and descend separately
Nepal Says Everest Rules Might Change After Crazy 2019 Climbing Season
At the end of the disastrous climbing season in 2019, Nepalese officials said they were considering changing rules about who was allowed to climb Everest. Bhadra Sharma and Jeffrey Gettleman wrote in the New York Times: After human traffic jams at the top of Mt. Everest and an aggressive, unruly atmosphere that has been likened to “a zoo,” Nepalese officials said that they were considering changing the rules about who was allowed up the world’s highest mountain. “It’s time to review all the old laws,” said Yagya Raj Sunuwar, a member of Parliament. Until now, just about anyone could get a permit to climb Mt. Everest. But this year has been marred by pileups at the top and a surge of inexperienced climbers. [Source: Bhadra Sharma and Jeffrey Gettleman, New York Times, May 29, 2019]
“Several government officials in Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital, said that they were analyzing what had happened and leaning toward requiring all climbers to submit proof of mountaineering experience and a verifiable certificate of good health. “Certainly there will be some change in the expedition sector,” said Mira Acharya, a senior official with Nepal’s tourism department. “We are discussing reforming some issues, including setting criteria for every Everest hopeful.’’ At a recent meeting, she said, “We raised the issue of inexperienced climbers.” China also runs expeditions to the top, but on the Chinese side it appears to be less of a free-for-all. There have been two deaths this year on the Chinese side out of about 300 climbers, compared with nine in Nepal, though almost 800 people climbed from the Nepal side.
“Amit Chowdhury, the president of the safety commission at the International Mountaineering Federation, said that the rules on some other mountains empowered guides to stop a climber from ascending if the guide felt the climber might not make it or was behaving badly. But, he said, “at Everest, it is not the same — you can hire a Sherpa on the streets of Kathmandu, or your travel agent says, ‘Here is your Sherpa,’ that’s it.” “There is no way to know whether that Sherpa can judge and determine the capability of the person who is climbing,” he added.
Under Nepal’s current rules, all climbers must submit a copy of their passport, limited biographical data and a certificate showing they are healthy enough to make it to the top. But Nepali officials admitted they did not have a way of verifying health information before granting permits. Foreigners pay US$11,000 for the permits alone, and the total cost of guides, equipment, food and lodging for the six-week expedition can easily surpass US$50,000. Nepali climbers pay about US$700 for a permit.
Different mountains have different rules. To scale Aconcagua in Argentina, climbers are asked to provide details of winter ascents they have made in the past. Similar experience is recommended for climbing Denali in Alaska and Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. For other peaks, such as Vinson in Antarctica or Elbrus in Russia, it seems there are fewer restrictions.
Suggestions to Improve the Everest Climbing Situation
Bhadra Sharma and Jeffrey Gettleman wrote in the New York Times: “Many veteran climbers attribute Everest’s problems to the proliferation of cheaper expedition companies that have popped up across Kathmandu in the past five to 10 years. These companies are hungry for climbing dollars, veterans say, and not nearly as discriminating. Adrian Ballinger, a mountaineer and head guide of Alpenglow Expeditions, said his company required all prospective Everest clients to be evaluated by a doctor if they had any health issues that could interfere with climbing the mountain. His company, he said, turns away 70 percent of applicants. “The problem is that so many of those people we denied for our teams, they probably just find a cheaper operator that is willing to take them,” he said. [Source: Bhadra Sharma and Jeffrey Gettleman, New York Times, May 29, 2019]
“His suggestion? Nepal should mandate that anyone wanting to climb Everest, whose height is 29,029 feet or 8,848 meters, show proof of having scaled at least one other 8,000-meter peak. Since Nepal has several other peaks that high, getting climbers to work their way up to Everest could bring Nepal more money. “People would go to other mountains in Nepal before coming to Everest,” Mr. Ballinger said, “and you’d end up with people on Everest with much more experience.”
“Mr. Chowdhury had another suggestion: Set up an Everest nomination committee of international climbing organizations that would scrutinize an applicant’s statement of purpose and recommendations from guides on previous climbs. His biggest criticism of the Everest scene is that an increasing number of climbers are untrained and rely on guides to do all the work for them, like carrying oxygen cylinders. “If you look at the way Everest is climbed at the moment, it’s nothing but a guided trip up the mountain,” he said. “It is like you see people rafting in Colorado, or the Ganges in India — it’s the guide who does the rafting, the rest of the people are just passengers who are sitting there.’’
“Sherpas expressed concern about the unseasoned climbers but also complained about the Nepali government, saying it had failed to properly police the country’s most important mountain. Government officers sent to Everest base camp often come down with altitude sickness and desert their posts, the Sherpas said, leaving the expedition companies to monitor the flow of traffic themselves. “It would be great if inexperienced climbers were not allowed to climb Everest,” said Lakpa Dendi Sherpa, an experienced Nepali guide. “But who will do this? The government? I don’t think so. They can’t even remove the garbage from Everest. They do nothing other than collect revenue.”“
Does Lowering Climbing Fees Make Everest More Crowded?
In 2014, Nepal's Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil lowered the fee for climbing Everest during the spring season from US$25,000 to US$11,000 per climber. Mark Jenkins wrote for National Geographic: “Though still not cheap, the new fee structure would appear to make an Everest expedition somewhat more affordable and thereby available to more climbers. But veteran Himalayan guides say a closer look at the numbers tells a different story and raises old questions about safety and the economic health of the area surrounding the world's tallest mountain. [Source: Mark Jenkins, National Geographic, February 20, 2014]
“However, critics of the plan say the pricing structure might encourage less experienced climbers to form small teams as well and could add to further crowding on the mountain. "If it increases the number of camps at Base Camp, subsequently increasing the need for services, from rescue helicopters to support staff, the overall impact to the upper Khumbu region will be negative," says Conrad Anker, who has summited Everest three times and co-founded the Khumbu Climbing Center, which trains Sherpas in technical mountaineering skills and safety. "Every place on Earth has a carrying capacity, and Everest is already over its limit."
“To increase the mountain's carrying capacity would require significant investment in infrastructure and government services. Although the Nepalese government collects more than US$3 million in Everest climbing fees every year, little of this cash returns to the region for conservation, regulation, or resource management. “This increase in price will have little effect on the commercial guiding operations on Everest," says Russell Brice, owner and operator of Himalayan Experience, which has put more clients on the summit than any other guide service. "Frankly, an increase of US$1,000 is overdue, given that inflation in Nepal is running at 17 percent. Of course, we wish that this money would go back to the Khumbu, but it won't. The government is simply too corrupt."
“While one intended effect of the new climbing fees is to reduce the number of climbers on Everest during the popular spring season by significantly reducing the fees for climbing in the less popular fall and summer seasons, Brice is skeptical this will make any difference. “The chances of summiting Everest in the fall, with deep snow, colder temperatures, and shorter days, is significantly less than in the spring," he says. "Climbing in the summer or winter is even worse. No one will want to decrease their chances of success."
“Brice does commend other measures that the Nepalese government is implementing this year. In the past, the government liaison officers typically made perfunctory appearances at Base Camp to check in with their assigned teams before returning to their offices in the lowlands. This spring, nine liaison officers will be stationed at Base Camp, presumably to help monitor waste management, garbage collection, and traffic along the route — vexing issues that Everest watchers complain have long been ignored by the government. Brice and Anker are hopeful that this contingent could form the basis of a ranger system, something they and other veteran climbers have long called for.
Ladders and Fix Ropes Set Up on Everest to Relieve Congestion
In 2019, Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation secretary announced there would be two ropes near the summit, so climbers can ascend and descend separately. Before that ladders it was suggested installing ladders at key points to ease congestion. Jason Burke wrote in The Guardian: It was the final obstacle, the 40 feet of technical climbing up a near vertical rock face that pushed Sir Edmund Hillary to the limit. Once climbed, the way to the summit of Mt. Everest lay open.” In the early 2010s there were “to install a ladder on the famous Hillary Step, as the crucial pitch at nearly 29,000ft has been known since it was first ascended. The aim is to ease congestion. “We are now discussing putting a ladder on the Hillary Step but it is obviously controversial," said Dawa Steven Sherpa, who runs commercial expeditions on Everest and is a senior member of the Expedition Operators Association in Nepal. [Source: Jason Burke in Khumjung, The Guardian., May 27, 2013]
In 2013, 520 climbers have reached the summit of Everest. On 19 May, around 150 climbed the last 3,000ft of the peak from Camp IV within hours of each other, causing lengthy delays as mountaineers queued to descend or ascend harder sections. “Most of the traffic jams are at the Hillary Step because only one person can go up or down. If you have people waiting two, three or even four hours that means lots of exposure [to risk]. To make the climbing easier, that would be wrong. But this is a safety feature," said Sherpa.
“The plan has received some support from the world's mountaineering authorities. Frits Vrijlandt, the president of the International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (UIAA), said the ladder could be a solution to the increasing numbers of climbers on the mountain. “It's for the way down, so it won't change the climb," Vrijlandt told the Guardian. It is unlikely, however, that tired ascending climbers close to their ultimate goal will spurn such an obvious aid at such an altitude.
There are also plans to introduce more rigorous traffic controls on the so-called fixed ropes, which run almost from base camp to the summit and are fixed by specialist sherpas. One rope for climbers on the way up and one for those descending are to be installed. But though such innovations are anathema to many purist climbers, they are welcomed by some sherpas. Paid around US$7,000 for guiding a client to the summit, the sherpas, almost all from local villages, are regular casualties on the mountain. Nine people have died on Everest this year, including two veteran sherpas. A brawl involving western climbers and sherpas at over 20,000ft on the peak made headlines.
Apa Sherpa, who climbed Everest a record 21 times before retiring in 2011, described the Hillary Step as "very hard" and said a ladder was a good idea. Pertemba Sherpa, who played a key role in the British expedition led by Sir Chris Bonington, which climbed Everest's south-west face for the first time in 1975, said that the security of the sherpas working on the mountain should be paramount. “The route is changing, there is more rock, less ice and snow. it's very dangerous. For [the] safety of sherpas, this is good," the 65-year-old said.
Many Sherpas and other Nepalis want to develop the industry of guiding clients to the top with minimal risk to all involved, while many mountaineers want to preserve Everest as a climbing challenge that demands a significant level of experience, technical competence and acceptance of risk. “The mountain has become a commodity, to be bought and sold like any other," Stephen Venables, the first Briton to climb Everest without oxygen, told the Guardian. One further suggestion is for the Nepali authorities to vet climbers to ensure they have a basic level of competence. “We must be inclusive but Mt. Everest is not a place for training people who only know ice as cubes in a glass in how to use an ice axe and crampons," said Vrijlandt, the UIAA president.
Improving the Situation on Everest
Sir Edmund Hillary, the first to summit Everest along with Tenzing Norgay, favored limited the number of people allowed to climb Mt. Everest each year. The Nepalese government did not heed the advise as it desperately needs all the income that mountaineering and trekking brings in.
Mark Jenkins wrote in National Geographic: “ “Modern technology, which is already ubiquitous on Everest — everyone at Base Camp has access to a cell phone or the Internet — could also make the mountain safer. In a meeting with the ministry last summer Anker proposed something new: identification cards issued with every climbing permit. “The Everest ID would contain data that could save the life of a climber or Sherpa,” Anker explains. It would have the climber’s photo, of course, but more important, a QR code — a type of bar code. “Scanned with a smartphone by an Everest climbing ranger, the QR code would reveal all pertinent information — age, experience, health history, allergies, insurance, family, emergency phone numbers, everything.” Anker said the Kathmandu bureaucrats sat there looking at him with blank faces. “I even got out my phone and showed them how it would work,” he says. “It’s 2012. This isn’t difficult. It’s just like a ski pass.” [Source: Mark Jenkins, National Geographic, June, 2013]
Jenkins suggests: 1) Fewer permits To limit the total number of climbers and Sherpas on the mountain. 2) “Smaller teams To reduce dangerous traffic jams on the standard Southeast Ridge route. 3) Certify outfitters To make sure that they meet acceptable standards of safety and mountain knowledge. 4) Require experience To ensure that climbers and Sherpas are prepared for high-altitude challenges. 5) Leave no trace To remove human waste and garbage from the mountain, with penalties for noncompliance. 6) Remove bodies To show respect not only for the dead but also for the living, who encounter corpses on main routes
Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons
Text Sources: New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Lonely Planet Guides, Library of Congress, Nepal Tourism Board (ntb.gov.np), Nepal Government National Portal (nepal.gov.np), The Guardian, National Geographic, Smithsonian magazine, The New Yorker, Time, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, Wikipedia and various books, websites and other publications.
Last updated February 2022