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posted by martyb on Thursday June 20 2019, @06:27AM   Printer-friendly
from the how-many-people-would-climb-it-if-it-was-safe-and-easy? dept.

Everest summits smash records amid deadly bottlenecks

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

A record 885 people climbed Everest in May this year, figures showed Tuesday, capping a deadly traffic-clogged season that also saw 11 climbers die on the world's highest mountain.

The number smashed last year's record of 807 summits despite a short weather window that resulted in fatal bottlenecks on the peak.

[...]A traffic jam forced teams to wait for hours in freezing temperatures to reach Everest's 8,848-metre (29,029-foot) summit and then descend, increasing the risk of frostbite, altitude sickness and exhaustion from depleted oxygen levels.

Experts said too many of the new wave of mountaineer tourists were ill-prepared and inexperienced. Others have called for a cut in the number of climbing permits, or tougher standards for guides.

[...]A government team re-measuring the height of Everest also reached the top.

 
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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 20 2019, @06:07PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 20 2019, @06:07PM (#858102)

    I'm still waiting for the day when these overly-wealthy attention seekers will actually start climbing the world's tallest mountain.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauna_Kea [wikipedia.org]

    I mean, we have the bathyscaphe technology to reach the Pacific sea floor, and the last little bit of the hike has the advantage of breathable air and available restroom facilities. I say, get the hard part out of the way first and enjoy the end of the trip. Not to mention there is a chance for some actual, you know, worthwhile scientific discovery by going to a place not yet regularly visited by humans.