The Overcrowding of Everest
People dying on Mount Everest is nothing new. As the highest point on Earth, sitting at over 29 thousand feet above sea level, most people can only survive for a few minutes without an additional supply of supplemental oxygen. However, while hundreds of people have died on top of the mountain over the years, this climbing season looks to be the deadliest on record for the summit with 11 deaths so far. But the death toll this time around is different from previous years. Whereas previous high death tolls were the result of natural disasters, like earthquakes and avalanches, the deaths this time around come as a result of something completely preventable by humans - overcrowding.
The current overcrowding on Everest comes as a result of many things, but the main cause is the fact that more people than ever are climbing the mountain. This year, the Nepali government has issued permits to climb the mountain to a record 381 people this year, most of whom were accompanied by a Sherpa guide, effectively doubling the already-record breaking amount of people climbing the mountain.
One reason so many people were issued permits this year was because of the Nepali government’s lowered standards on background checks for issuing the permits. Applicants for permits are now required to have a doctor’s note deeming them physically fit, but do not have to prove their stamina to survive the harsh conditions, resulting in many unqualified climbers.
According to Mirza Ali, a Pakistani mountaineer who has climbed Everest 4 times, the reason for this is simple: money. “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,” he says.
The issue of too many climbers was only exacerbated by the poor weather conditions throughout the season, which prevented people from climbing to the summit on most days. As a result, when the weather cleared for a five-day window last week, there was a mad scramble to reach the summit, creating long lines in various bottlenecks of the "Death Zone", the area on the mountain surrounding the summit.
Rahul Inamdar, an Indian climber who successfully climbed the peak after waiting in line for hours, recounted his experience, saying: “It was like hold, move, hold. It took us an extra 2 to 3 hours to descend. Almost 21 hours after we left, we came back to Camp IV” (Camp IV is the camp nearest to the summit). With people stuck in line for almost a day in a climate that is deadly after mere minutes, the chances of survival can be slim, especially if, like many of the newer climbers, they have not built up the proper stamina to withstand the harsh conditions.
Despite the high death toll, the Nepali government does not seem interested in limiting the number of climbers anytime soon. Mohan Krishna Sapkota, secretary at the Nepali government’s Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation, said in an interview: “There has been concern about the number of climbers on Mount Everest but it is not because of the traffic jam that there were casualties.” before going on to blame other factors, like weather, equipment, and an inadequate supply of supplemental oxygen for the deaths. Sapkota finished by saying how, instead of limiting the number of climbers, the Nepali government will continue to encourage even more climbers in the future to come for both “pleasure and fame”.
Sapkota’s statement has drawn criticism from several climbers, including veteran Everest climber David Morton, who said in an interview with CNN: "I think when you have a lot of inexperienced operators as well as inexperienced climbers along with, particularly, the Nepal government not putting some limitations on the numbers of people, you have a prime recipe for these sorts of situations happening."
By placing profits first and continuing to hand out permits to whoever wants it, the Nepali government will only allow the situation on Everest to get worse. Instead, it needs to limit the permits it distributes and create stricter requirements for receiving a permit, lest the death toll continue to rise in years to come.
The current overcrowding on Everest comes as a result of many things, but the main cause is the fact that more people than ever are climbing the mountain. This year, the Nepali government has issued permits to climb the mountain to a record 381 people this year, most of whom were accompanied by a Sherpa guide, effectively doubling the already-record breaking amount of people climbing the mountain.
One reason so many people were issued permits this year was because of the Nepali government’s lowered standards on background checks for issuing the permits. Applicants for permits are now required to have a doctor’s note deeming them physically fit, but do not have to prove their stamina to survive the harsh conditions, resulting in many unqualified climbers.
According to Mirza Ali, a Pakistani mountaineer who has climbed Everest 4 times, the reason for this is simple: money. “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,” he says.
The issue of too many climbers was only exacerbated by the poor weather conditions throughout the season, which prevented people from climbing to the summit on most days. As a result, when the weather cleared for a five-day window last week, there was a mad scramble to reach the summit, creating long lines in various bottlenecks of the "Death Zone", the area on the mountain surrounding the summit.
Despite the high death toll, the Nepali government does not seem interested in limiting the number of climbers anytime soon. Mohan Krishna Sapkota, secretary at the Nepali government’s Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation, said in an interview: “There has been concern about the number of climbers on Mount Everest but it is not because of the traffic jam that there were casualties.” before going on to blame other factors, like weather, equipment, and an inadequate supply of supplemental oxygen for the deaths. Sapkota finished by saying how, instead of limiting the number of climbers, the Nepali government will continue to encourage even more climbers in the future to come for both “pleasure and fame”.
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