Everest's traffic jam

"Human life is far more important than just getting to the top of a mountain" - Sir Edmund Hillary

Ever since Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay’s first confirmed ascent to the top of Mt Everest, more than 4500 mountaineers have conquered the top of the world. To many, completing this feat is a dream come true and a testament to their capabilities while to others, it is their only way of bringing food to the table. Hence, it is not surprising that summiting the Mt Everest remains popular up till today. However, the journey up remains a treacherous and unforgiving one (after all, humans are not meant to live 8848m above sea level) and unfortunately, just within May 2019 itself, 11 had died summiting Mt Everest (as compared to 5 in the whole of 2018), making this year one of the deadliest years for the venture to the peak.

A short history

While Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing were the first people to successfully summit the mountain, they were definitely not the first ones to attempt the feat. In 1922, a group of British mountaineers (including Hillary himself) attempted to summit Mt Everest, making it the first recorded attempt to reach the top. This came along with experiments on the use of bottled oxygen. However, with 3 failed attempts, including one that ended due to an avalanche that killed 7, the expedition team was unable to reach the top. Following that, many attempts were made to reach the top but none were successful due to either bad weather or sickness or both. The successful attempt finally came on 29 May 1953 when Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing finally reached the top, 31 years after the first ever attempt.

So, what makes it dangerous?

1. The altitude & terrain

Climbing Mt Everest is not an easy task. The altitude is among the first things many have to overcome during their climb. The higher one goes, the lower oxygen level drops. Towards the peak, every breath only brings in a third the amount of oxygen into your body as compared to a breath at sea level. Without proper acclimatisation, the human body can only live in these conditions for minutes before experiencing symptoms of altitude sickness which could lead to death.

The path to the peak is equally dangerous. Firstly, one has to look out for crevasses (deep open cracks on the mountains). While some may be easy to spot, those under ice bridges may not be and falling into one almost always never ends well, especially with the sub-zero conditions alongside injuries that could be sustained from such a fall. The most dangerous of crevasses on Mt Everest is the Khumbu Icefall. Located 5486m above sea level on the slopes, the icefall remains a treacherous section on the way up to the top despite ladders set up to aid crossing due to the uncertainty that comes with this crevasse - as the glacier shifts, the Khumbu Icefall grows wider and hence, there is always a high chance that the next step one takes would lead to the bottom of the icefall.

Secondly, one has to look out for rockfalls which can happen as a result of melting glaciers leading to loosening of rocks on the mountains.

Lastly, avalanches remain one of the top killers. Avalanches can be triggered naturally, when fresh snow build up on old snow which can cause them to loosen, or artificially by climbers. Due to the rapid nature of avalanches, climbers generally do not have a lot of time to react upon seeing an avalanche forming and hence the high rates of death. This is especially due to the fact that after 2 hours of being buried under snow, the chances of surviving are close to 0.

2. Overzealousness

The danger of summiting the tallest mountain in the world also lies in the climbers themselves. Overzealousness refers to the strong desire of climbers to reach the top without taking into account their physical condition. While climbers experiencing mild discomfort can continue with the journey up, those experiencing severe sickness have to descend rapidly to seek help but many a time, this is not the case as some climbers choose to summit nonetheless. While “mind over body” is a good mindset when facing challenges, this should only be limited to non-life threatening challenges. This problem is exacerbated by the number of inexperienced climbers attempting to summit Mt Everest during this climbing season. Some may not even have the knowledge of symptoms of sicknesses they could face at such conditions.

3. “Traffic jam”

Now, addressing the “hot” term of this year’s climbing season - traffic jam. What exactly is happening on Mt Everest? As a result of the high numbers of permits issued out to climbers this year, a “traffic jam” has formed on the “death zone” of Mt Everest. The “death zone” is an area on the Mt Everest generally noted to be 8000m above sea level and above where oxygen levels are too low for humans to stay for long and where most of the deaths on Mt Everest had occurred. As mentioned earlier, the problem of inexperienced climbers and also additionally the varied quality of services provided by the local expedition companies (and some can even be said to be dubious) have resulted in a long queue to the peak which seriously endangers the lives of the climbers especially inexperienced ones or those already feeling unwell. For a poor country like Nepal, the flow of money (US$ 11 000 per summit) is extremely attractive but this is no excuse for the government’s lack of oversight on the climbing season, both on the local operators and abilities of climbers.

Now what?

With an increasing focus on the Nepal government’s lack of oversight, it is expected that the government will set higher standards for climbers and lower the number of permits issued, despite defending its actions this year and pushing the blame of the 11 deaths away from the “traffic jam” earlier. However, many are doubting that this would happen as in 2014 and 2015, the government had promised to set up more ropes and personnel respectively yet, neither was set up. Seemingly, the profitability of the business has in the mind of the government superseded the safety of climbers and the reputation of the tallest peak in the world.

On the other hand, climbers need to take more safety precautions as well. While conquering the tallest peak in the world is probably one of the most fulfilling journey out there, living to tell the story is definitely more worthwhile. If your body starts showing signs of breaking down, it would be good to think twice about your decision to reach the top and perhaps consider descending. The tallest peak is only for the experienced and should not be taken lightly. Train hard and wait for the perfect opportunity to attempt this feat.

So, should it still be climbed? Definitely. Yes, the danger is always there and there seems to be no increase in ease of climb in the coming years. However, to quote George Mallory on why we should climb Mt Everest, the answer is simply - “Because it’s there”.

(Cover photo by Ananya Bilimale)

By Eugene Goh

Vetted by Jordan Ang