Everest: why do people risk their lives?

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

In May 2019, 11 people died while climbing Mount Everest and descending from the top of the mountain. Among them are climbers from India, Ireland, Nepal, Austria, USA and Great Britain. Some died a few minutes after reaching the height - as a result of exhaustion and altitude sickness.

This article proposes to understand why this is happening and what makes people, who are queuing in hundreds in the death zone, climb thousands of meters up.

For 12 hours, people stood in a long line to climb, and all this in the so-called death zone - at an altitude of over 8000 meters. Long stay in this area, even if there is enough oxygen, can have fatal consequences. Why did people continue to stand despite the danger? What was the main cause of the tragedy? Was it possible to avoid so many deaths? We have tried to answer these questions.

7 facts about climbing Mount Everest

1. There are two classic routes to the summit of Everest: the northern one, which starts in Tibet, and the southern one - from the side of Nepal. There are about 17 routes in total, but only the two listed are considered suitable for commercial mountaineering. Nine of the dead climbers climbed Everest on the southern side from the Nepal side, two more on the Tibetan side.
2. In mountaineering there is such a term as "weather window" - these are the days when good weather sets in before the impending monsoons and climbing the mountain becomes possible in principle. On Everest, the "weather window" happens twice a year - in mid-May and in November. Therefore, it is incorrect to associate tragic deaths with bad weather - experts interviewed by Esquire claim that the weather was normal, otherwise no one would have come out on the ascent.
3. For all the time, 9159 ascents were made to Everest. Of those who climbed for the first time - 5294 people, the rest are repeated (data from the Himalayan database as of December 2018).
4. The Nepalese side is more popular: for all the time, 5888 ascents have been climbed from the south to the top, 3271 ascents have been recorded from the Tibetan side.
5. During the expeditions to Everest, 308 people died. The main causes of death are avalanches, falls and fall injuries, altitude sickness, frostbite, sun exposure and other health problems caused by the peculiarities of being at such an altitude. Not all bodies of the victims have been found.
6. A permit to climb in Nepal costs $ 11 thousand. The state does not regulate in any way the number of people who want to climb. In 2019, a record 381 permits were issued. China limits the number of permits issued to 300 per year.
7. In 2019, 15 people went on an expedition to Everest from Russia, and 25 in 2018. The average cost of a trip for one person from Moscow is $ 50-70 thousand, taking into account all the necessary equipment.

Everest routes

On May 23-24, 2019, a group of tourists from Russia, led by the famous Russian climber Alexander Abramov, successfully climbed Everest from the Tibetan side, for whom it was the tenth anniversary ascent (in total, he participated in 17 expeditions). Abramov is also known as the first Russian to complete the Seven Summits program twice - climbing the highest peaks in six parts of the world.

Abramov told Esquire that the Tibetan side is less popular because climbing this route is more expensive. “The Nepalese side is cheaper, poorly controlled, as a result of which people go on poorly organized and poorly provided expeditions: they climb Everest without oxygen, without Sherpas (as they call professional guides from among the local residents) and guides. Sometimes even without the necessary equipment - tents, burners, sleeping bags, apparently hoping to spend the night in other people's tents, set up on the slope by other expeditions.

On the Tibetan side, this is impossible, the authorities are carefully monitoring the situation. For example, you can't get permission to climb here if you don't have your own Sherpa."

Due to the growing popularity of mountaineering and the number of those wishing to conquer Everest, China has introduced a limit of 300 permits for climbing. Moreover, due to the large amount of rubbish, the authorities banned tourists from visiting the base camp, located at an altitude of 5150 meters above sea level.

The Nepalese route is more dangerous due to a possible avalanche, says the international master of sports, board member of the Russian Mountaineering Federation Sergei Kovalev. For example, on the southern slopes of Everest is the Khumbu Icefall, which is considered the most dangerous part of the ascent route. On April 18, 2014, an avalanche occurred there, as a result of which 16 people died. “There is a narrow ridge and steep ice, and it is impossible to move there without a fixed rope.

You can't just overtake people. You have to stand in this stupid line with no way to go down, because you are actually tied to a rope. Well, we saw the photos themselves. There, everyone breathes down the back of each other's head. On the northern side, there is still an opportunity to get around,”comments Kovalev.

Why then do people keep going to Nepal if it is not safe? Because there is such a thing as organizational issues and the human factor, Kovalev replies: “Some companies quarreled with the Chinese climbing club or refused to work with the Chinese side for some reason of their own. And don't forget: people travel with guides and companies they trust. If they have already ascended Elbrus with one specific company, then with a high degree of probability they will go on an expedition with them from Nepal."

What caused the death of people?

The tragic deaths were caused by a combination of two circumstances: a small "weather window" and a record number of issued climbing permits - 381 permits. As a result, more than 700 people climbed to the top (guides and sherpas accompanying the climbers do not need permission), a queue formed - people had to spend up to 12 hours in it.

“It's like traffic jams in the city. Everyone is on the avenues. In recent years, it is a common practice, since there are only two to seven days suitable for climbing a year. The rest of the days, strong winds rage or snow falls during the monsoon period. Everyone wants to fit into this “weather window,” explains Abramov.

As a rule, all climbers climb Mount Everest wearing oxygen masks. Since 1978, when the Italian Reinhold Messner and the German Peter Habeler reached the peak, just over 200 people have been able to climb the summit without oxygen.

“At this altitude, the partial pressure of oxygen is almost four times less than at the surface of the earth, and is 45 millimeters of mercury instead of 150 at sea level. Less oxygen is supplied to the body, which leads to oxygen starvation, which manifests itself as heaviness in the head, drowsiness, nausea and inadequacy of actions,”explains Anna Piunova, editor-in-chief of the Mountain. RU Internet portal.

In 2016, the American climber and National Geographic photographer Corey Richards climbed Everest without oxygen, and his friend Adrian Bollinger turned back 248 meters from the summit - and, most likely, thus saved his life. “I had several difficult nights before climbing the summit at 7800 and 8300 meters. I didn’t manage to get warm - my body temperature was too low. When we started to climb further, I realized that I do not feel 100%. Contrary to weather forecasts, a light breeze started. I started to get chills, I became less talkative, then I started to shiver and lost my basic skills,”said Bollinger.

Not all ambitious climbers listen to their own bodies and the guides accompanying them, Piunova says. “Many people do not understand exactly how the body reacts to altitude, do not understand that an ordinary cough can be a symptom of rapidly developing pulmonary and cerebral edema. At such an altitude, your well-being directly depends on how much oxygen your guide turns on for you."

Usually Sherpas do not expect to spend so much time in the death zone, 12-hour queues are a kind of record, the client consumes more oxygen, and there are not enough cylinders. In such cases, the Sherpa reduces the flow to him or gives his balloon if he sees that the client is completely bad. Sometimes clients don't listen to the guides when they say it's time to start the descent. Sometimes it is enough to drop a few hundred meters to stay alive,”Piunova says.

Queues for Everest are a common thing lately

Queues to the summit of Everest are not a new phenomenon. This photo of a line of people was taken at the end of May 2012 by experienced German climber Ralf Duzmowitz. Then four people died on Everest over the weekend.

Duzmovitz was then unable to reach the summit and returned to base camp. “I was at 7900 and saw this snake of people walking side by side. At the same time, 39 expeditions took place, and in total more than 600 people climbed to the top at the same time. I've never seen so many people on Everest,”he told The Guardian.

Another important problem in this context is the lack of experience among tourists who come to see nature, have fun or, what good, show off to friends. “Now you don't need special skills to climb Everest the way modern tourists do. In the last ten years, oxygen is being used already at the base camp level (it is located at an altitude of about 5300 meters), although earlier everyone started using it after the 8000 meters mark. Now they “drink” it like it’s water,”says Duzmowitz.

“Despite the fact that Everest is the highest point of the planet, the two classic routes that are currently being climbed are quite simple and do not require the ability to climb vertical rocks or climb vertical ice. Therefore, Everest turned out to be unexpectedly available for, let's say, amateurs with an average level of training,”comments Kovalev.

Is it possible to avoid the repetition of such tragedies?

If some kind of patrol was organized at the height of Everest, which monitors the weather conditions and regulates the number of ascending people, it is possible that many deaths could have been avoided. But in the current conditions, the decision remains with the companies organizing the tours. Experienced climbers say that many small firms have opened in the capital of Nepal, Kathmandu, offering expeditions at a lower cost, while larger companies have stopped paying much attention to organizational issues and safety.

So, one of the climbers (he was on Everest on tragic dates) told The New York Times that he was diagnosed with cardiac pathology, but he lied to the organizers that he was absolutely healthy.

“To participate in the Ironman (a series of triathlon competitions), you need to pass standards. At the same time, standards are not needed to climb the highest mountain on the planet. What's wrong with it? - asks one of the experienced climbers.

Expedition members also complain about poor equipment - to the extent that oxygen cylinders leak, explode or are filled with low-quality oxygen on the black market.

“This is a lucrative business for Nepal. For Sherpas, this is the only way to make money. Therefore, there is no need to expect an improvement in the situation in the near future,”says Anna Piunova.

According to Anna Piunova, there is nothing wrong with commercial mountaineering, the main problem is the number of expedition groups. “Only Nepal can solve this problem. Several options are possible: you can again greatly increase the price of a permit, you can introduce a lottery, as in the New York marathon, or you can simply limit the number of permits issued. And you can also convey to people a rather simple idea that mountains are not only Everest."

Direct bans are an excessive measure, says Sergei Kovalev: “Theoretically, the Nepalese authorities can impose restrictions, but then there will be a certain excitement, there will be big financial losses both for the country and for the merchants who are engaged in this business. The state should regulate this area, but only in the matter of control over the organizers of expeditions - it is necessary to monitor the quality of training of guides and the competence of companies”.

Why do people keep climbing Everest?

“What we see on Everest these days has nothing to do with classical mountaineering. Everest is called the third pole of the earth, people are ready to pay big money to put another flag on their world map.

After the release of the film Everest, based on Krakauer's bestseller In Thin Air, about the 1996 tragedy (on May 11, 1996, eight climbers died while climbing Everest), interest in the mountain only intensified. This is not to say that all these people who hire Sherpas are driven solely by vanity and ambition. All different. Someone just wants to see the world from a different angle. Someone wants to get out of their comfort zone, to test themselves,”says Anna Piunova.

Serey Kovalev agrees with her: “First of all, people climb Everest because it exists. This is a challenge to myself: even though thousands of people have already visited the summit, it is still such a personal achievement. Everest has not become one meter lower in these 50 years. Each step to the top is a victory over oneself. For this, people go to the highest point. Why Everest? This is in its purest form the magic of numbers, this is the highest peak on the planet."

Alexander Abramov calls climbing Everest the meaning of life: “I have been mountaineering since I was 17 and have completed nearly 500 ascents of varying difficulty and height. I have developed a peculiar relationship with Everest.

The first four ascents were unsuccessful - I was not a shore of power, I was poorly prepared (on the first trips we did not use Sherpas and we had little oxygen), there was poor food and cheap equipment. This is probably why I continue to storm it every year. And already ten times climbed to the top. Each time this is a difficult and dangerous event, without which I no longer see my life. And of course, this is my job - the job of a mountain guide. I love my job and I find the meaning of my life in climbing."