Mountain Project Logo

The call to close down Everest for a while

Original Post
M Mobley · · Bar Harbor, ME · Joined Mar 2006 · Points: 911

"“I have suggested to the Nepal government that they should stop giving permission and give the mountain a rest for a few years,” Hillary said in 2003 on the 50th anniversary of his accomplishment.

Now that Mount Everest has been swept by a fatal avalanche following Nepal’s disastrous earthquake, the arguments of those who wonder how the mountain can handle hundreds of ascents per year are thrown into the spotlight. The mountain is crowded, dirty, tense and, in the past two years, has killed more people than ever before."

washingtonpost.com/news/mor…

I hear there are still a bunch of climbers stuck up there right now, they better not wait for a helicopter ride and start establishing new routes to get back is my guess.

Ryan Maitland · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2014 · Points: 10

I'm really surprised to hear the AAI team leader saying they're completely stuck and waiting solely for helicopter rescue. Obviously an arm chair quarterback here but given the resource allocation in that region right now I would think they need to plan self rescue at this point. Those resources may not be available for a long time.

Sending positive thoughts that they are able to make it down safely, and soon.

Ben Gleason · · Durango, CO · Joined Oct 2013 · Points: 61

Adventure consultants has stated this morning that their whole team has been evacuated by helicopter from camps 1 and 2 and are back at base camp.

Michael Spiesbach · · Boulder, CO · Joined May 2014 · Points: 105

With the potential for aftershocks to send down avalanches into the icefall and the fact that the whole route through the Khumbu icefall has been wiped out you really don't have much choice about descending. Descending would require new route finding... and all sorts of other hazards through a zone that is covered in seracs and prone to afternoon avalanches... If another safer route existed they would use it. The Icefall is the only real path to the Western CWM and the camps above.

They have food and supplies at camp 1 which acts as a second base camp. The smartest move to get that many people down is to hang tight and evacuate them.

Also the trails from base camp back to the valley are probably destroyed from the quake as well. It's easy to say they should get themselves out but this was not bad judgment that affected them. An event out of there control has put them in a position to no longer be self reliant safely.

Pete Spri · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2009 · Points: 347

Too much money involved to shut climbing Everest down.

Mark E Dixon · · Possunt, nec posse videntur · Joined Nov 2007 · Points: 974
Flailin' wrote: Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't a big part of mountaineering found in self-reliance?
Mountaineers shouldn't be rescued because they are supposed to be self-reliant? That will certainly free up some time for the folks on Rocky Mountain Rescue.

Flailin' wrote: I think its time the gov't of Nepal shut down the commercial operations.
Because your romantic notions about Everest are more important than the economic opportunities the local people desire?
Andrew Mertens · · Fort Collins · Joined Feb 2010 · Points: 136
Flailin' wrote: Then perhaps there it something fundamentally wrong with the whole Everest industry. Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't a big part of mountaineering found in self-reliance? I think its time the gov't of Nepal shut down the commercial operations.
The Nepalese government is hugely reliant on Everest, and other Himalaya, tourism for revenues. On top of that, Sherpa wages are higher than most other available jobs.

Nepal won't shut down the mountain, and unqualified "climbers" won't stop paying huge sums of money to be dragged up the mountain. And, because of the economic benefit, one could argue that they shouldn't. I think Everest needs to be looked at as the world's highest via ferrata whose safety record needs some serious improving. I'm not sure the best way to do that, though.

http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/outdoor-activities/climbing/mt-everest-tourism1.htm
bearbreeder · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Mar 2009 · Points: 3,065
Flailin' wrote: Then perhaps there it something fundamentally wrong with the whole Everest industry. Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't a big part of mountaineering found in self-reliance? I think its time the gov't of Nepal shut down the commercial operations.
if the same magnitude of accident happened in any major mountaineering/climbing area, you would likely have the same issue ... any crowded area/climbs would likely get smoked ...

if an earthquake hits the PNW and serious rockfall happens in squamish, ie the split pillar on a busy summer ... folks are going to die

its very lucky that the recent rock fall up here last week was not during the summer and not on a busier part of the chief

youtube.com/watch?v=1Dc91-R…

self reliance is all nice and good as a theory ... but when you have a good number of folks get wiped out by an avalanche and infrastructure damaged by a major catastrophic event ... its no surprise that the emergency response is taking some time
Michael Spiesbach · · Boulder, CO · Joined May 2014 · Points: 105
Flailin' wrote: Then perhaps there it something fundamentally wrong with the whole Everest industry. Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't a big part of mountaineering found in self-reliance? I think its time the gov't of Nepal shut down the commercial operations.
Yes it is a big part of mountaineering. In fact it's one of the things that brings me the most joy. You would not catch me on a guided climb at that circus of a mountain. However, when a 7.9 magnitude earthquake hits nearby it's no longer really about the mountaineering challenges. That's not something that anyone could be reasonably expected to plan for.
Mark E Dixon · · Possunt, nec posse videntur · Joined Nov 2007 · Points: 974
Flailin' wrote:Yeah, I guess its just annoying to see people pay so much to get dragged up a mountain and then the massive rescues that have to take place when something goes wrong. Expeditions used to be limited to four per year. I've never been there, but from what I've read there are people who basically live at the higher camps for the entire season to cater to "climbing teams". Just curious, why do we not hear much about teams climbing from the Chinese side?
Not sure why it's so annoying to people.

The folks getting "dragged up" Everest are probably pretty fit, although some lack mountain experience. I don't know you, flail, maybe you're another Ueli Steck, but I'll bet many of those complaining about Everest clients would have a hard time on the peak themselves.
Spending $60,000 would get me to the gym regularly to prepare!

Catering to climbers in high camps- sure sounds like a European hut to me. Or an AAC campground.

As for North side vs South, my impression is that guiding the South Col is easier due to better sherpa support and an easier summit day. So the guided groups will gravitate there. Also, China will unpredictably hinder N side access whenever the Tibetan situation flares up.
Mike Grainger · · Waterloo, ON Canada · Joined Aug 2008 · Points: 286

Yes, I always have to question the actual high altitude experience of the posters who talk about people being "dragged up" Everest. There may be some psychological "dragging" in the sense that the relatively inexperienced climbers do not have to concern themselves with route finding or placing the fixed ropes, or setting up camps or preparing meals, or carrying loads or any of those logistics. And no, they don't need to have great technical skills.

However, they still have to put one foot in front of the other all the way to the top and back down - there is no physical dragging going on. They need a significant level of fitness to do this, and a pretty good level of determination and mental toughness. You also have to guard your health against the threats of altitude sickness, gastrointestinal illness, respiratory infection and general fatigue.

Then there are all the objective dangers - storms, avalanches - to throw into the mix. The accomplishment is not worthy of the derision that a lot of rock jocks like to heap on it.

I think there may be a bit of envy behind this, as a lot of people who have the skills needed (or think they do) can't leap the financial barrier. Personally, I was in the Khumbu to climb Ama Dablam and came to the conclusion that skills and fitness wise I probably had what it took to climb Everest but didn't have the burning desire necessary to commit that much money to it. But I haven't felt a need to denigrate those who have that desire and have made the commitment.

Are there problems and abuses with the Everest set-up? Sure, but given human nature they are bound to arise around any high stakes venture like this. Blaming the climbers for being there when this major disaster has struck and for needing assistance just seems like either ignorance or trolling to me.

Christian RodaoBack · · Tucson, AZ · Joined Jul 2005 · Points: 1,486

Yep, I'm sure a country w a GDP per capita = 4% of the US's (and will only drop lower over the next few years w the earthquake) will be rushing to shut down Everest to satisfy the moral sensibilities of a few Westerners spouting about self-reliance.

Shane Zentner · · Colorado · Joined Nov 2001 · Points: 205

Actually, short roping clients on Himalayan trade routes is a fairly common practice. So, yes, clients do get dragged up the mountain by Sherpa support.

Talk about self reliant Westerner's...

Brendan Magee · · Parker, CO · Joined Jun 2013 · Points: 0
Shane Zentner wrote:Actually, short roping clients on Himalayan trade routes is a fairly common practice. So, yes, clients do get dragged up the mountain by Sherpa support. Talk about self reliant Westerner's...
Short roping does not equate to dragging clients up the mountain. Guides use it to navigate sections from Class 3 to low Class 5 where it would be very time consuming to pitch it out. The guide keeps the rope tight on the client, but in no way are are they "dragging" the client up.
Xam · · Boulder, Co · Joined Dec 2011 · Points: 76
Shane Zentner wrote:Actually, short roping clients on Himalayan trade routes is a fairly common practice. So, yes, clients do get dragged up the mountain by Sherpa support. Talk about self reliant Westerner's...
I am curious about this. When you where over there, could you give a rough estimate of how much this was occurring? Was it 50% of the western clients? More? Less?
Gunkiemike · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2009 · Points: 3,492

Is anyone thankful that there's only one Himalayan peak with this sort of "circus"? Think of all the other pure mountaineering challenges out there that have not been tainted by Western tourist-climbers..

It's like where folks come to the Gunks and bitch about having to wait an hour to get on High E, and then they were stuck behind a bunch of gumbies. The standard reply to this is - there's hundreds of other routes you could climb.

DesertRat · · Flagstaff, AZ · Joined Jul 2010 · Points: 196
Ryan Maitland wrote:I'm really surprised to hear the AAI team leader saying they're completely stuck and waiting solely for helicopter rescue. Obviously an arm chair quarterback here but given the resource allocation in that region right now I would think they need to plan self rescue at this point. Those resources may not be available for a long time. Sending positive thoughts that they are able to make it down safely, and soon.
Initially there were teams that were sent to try and reestablish a route through the icefall, so that the climbers at the upper camps could descend. Yesterday, 3 more Sherpa were killed in the icefall while making this attempt. That is when the helicopter rescues from camp 1 became the preferred method.
James Sweeney · · Roselle Park, NJ · Joined Oct 2013 · Points: 30

Saphael Slawinski and team are making an attempt from the north east face
Black Diamond Blog

This interview gives you an idea of their route.
From this angle it looks a tad steeper than the Ridge Route.

Ryan Maitland · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2014 · Points: 10

By DesertRat
32 mins ago
Ryan Maitland wrote:
I'm really surprised to hear the AAI team leader saying they're completely stuck and waiting solely for helicopter rescue. Obviously an arm chair quarterback here but given the resource allocation in that region right now I would think they need to plan self rescue at this point. Those resources may not be available for a long time. Sending positive thoughts that they are able to make it down safely, and soon.

Initially there were teams that were sent to try and reestablish a route through the icefall, so that the climbers at the upper camps could descend. Yesterday, 3 more Sherpa were killed in the icefall while making this attempt. That is when the helicopter rescues from camp 1 became the preferred method.

---------

Thanks for the context on this - should've known that this would be the case but was hoping otherwise. What a devastating couple of years for the Nepali people and families of the Sherpas lost.

M Mobley · · Bar Harbor, ME · Joined Mar 2006 · Points: 911

I wonder who gets to make the decision to bail out the rich western climbers over airlifting supplies to desperate families in dire need of supplies.

J Q · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Mar 2012 · Points: 50

I do. No supplies to families, only to rich westerners: free market system.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

General Climbing
Post a Reply to "The call to close down Everest for a while"

Log In to Reply

Join the Community

Create your FREE account today!
Already have an account? Login to close this notice.

Get Started.