Scaling Mount Everest was a dream few realized before Nepal opened its side of the mountain to commercial climbing a half-century ago.
This year, the government issued a record number of permits, leading to traffic jams on the worldB次元官网网址檚 highest peak that likely contributed to the greatest death toll in four years.
READ MORE:
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.
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 B次元官网网址渇or both pleasure and fame,B次元官网网址� said Mohan Krishna Sapkota, secretary at the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation.
Nepal, one of the worldB次元官网网址檚 poorest countries, relies on the climbing industry to bring in $300 million each year. It doesnB次元官网网址檛 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 conditions whenever they come, leading to pileups near the peak.
On May 22, a climber snapped a photo from a line with dozens of hikers in colorful winter gear that snaked into the sky.
Climbers were crammed crampon-to-crampon along a sharp-edged ridge above South Col, with a 7,000-foot (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.
B次元官网网址淭here were more people on Everest than there should be,B次元官网网址� said Kul Bahadur Gurung, general secretary of the Nepal Mountaineering Association, an umbrella group of all expedition operators in Nepal. B次元官网网址淲e lack the rules and regulations that say how many people can actually go up and when.B次元官网网址�
The death toll this season is the highest since 2015. Most of those who died are believed to have suffered from altitude sickness, which is caused by low amounts of oxygen at high elevation and can cause headaches, vomiting, shortness of breath and mental confusion.
Once only accessible to well-heeled elite mountaineers, NepalB次元官网网址檚 booming climbing market has driven down the cost of an expedition, opening Everest up to hobbyists and adventure-seekers. Nepal requires climbers to have a doctorsB次元官网网址� note deeming them physically fit, but not to prove their stamina at such extreme heights.
Because of the altitude, climbers have just hours to reach the top before they are at risk of a pulmonary edema, when the lungs fill with liquid. From Camp Four at 8,000 metres (26,240 feet) to the 8,850-meter (29,035-foot) peak, the final push on Everest is known as the B次元官网网址渄eath zone.B次元官网网址�
The conditions are so intense at such times that when a person dies, no one can afford to expend energy on carrying the body down from the mountain.
B次元官网网址淓very minute counts there,B次元官网网址� said Eric Murphy, a mountain guide from Bellingham, Washington, who climbed Everest for a third time on May 23. He 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 B次元官网网址渆nough to have a profound effect.B次元官网网址�
The Associated Press
Like us on and follow us on
