# Everest: Just Don't Do It **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 22, 2016, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397 "2016-05-22T21:31:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 14
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2019, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/261 "2019-06-03T06:21:56Z")
A really great book about K2 is _Buried in the Sky_ by Peter Zuckerman and Amanda Padoan. You really don’t want to try to climb K2. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2019, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/262 "2019-06-03T13:33:08Z")
> [@Biotop](#): > > You really don’t want to try to climb K2. On the main route, you have to traverse in front of [a sheer ice wall that towers over you](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bottleneck_(K2)). It’s intimidating, but people learned to suppress their fear, because it has held and never fell for decades. [Until it did.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_K2_disaster) ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2019, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/263 "2019-06-03T14:03:50Z")
> [@Biotop](#): > > You really don’t want to try to climb K2. But it’s there! ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2019, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/264 "2019-06-03T18:16:19Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > On the main route, you have to traverse in front of [a sheer ice wall that towers over you](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bottleneck_(K2)). It’s intimidating, but people learned to suppress their fear, because it has held and never fell for decades. > > [Until it did.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_K2_disaster) Repeatedly, it looks like. I’ve thought this video of the Bottleneck showed both how incredibly dangerous K2 is, as well as how unimaginably beautiful the view can be. [https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ou3m2Ic4gFE](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ou3m2Ic4gFE) Along with the other video posted on K2 in the thread, it gives you an idea of how monstrously steep the climbing routes are on that mountain. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2019, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/265 "2019-06-03T18:53:37Z")
[This isn’t at Everest, but _man_ are they ever resting](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2019/06/03/missing-climbers-himalayas-bodies-found-indian-air-force-pilots/1328205001/)! ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2019, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/266 "2019-06-05T05:04:46Z")
OK, here’s my plan. For the next five or six years we require everyone going up Everest to bring down all the junk that has been tossed on the approaches. We keep doing this until the place is clean again. I hope I can count on your support in 2020. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2019, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/267 "2019-06-05T16:26:01Z")
Paul, first we should require them to bring down the bodies. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2019, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/268 "2019-06-05T17:03:29Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > Paul, first we should require them to bring down the bodies. They paid their money, they took their chances. I say, leave them there. Trash first, then bodies. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2019, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/269 "2019-06-05T19:36:20Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Trash first, then bodies. Your flesh ain’t nuthin’ but trash . . . ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2019, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/270 "2019-06-05T20:41:34Z")
Here you go, Nepal picks up four bodies, 11 tonnes of garbage in Everest clean-up [http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/nepal-picks-up-four-bodies--11-tonnes-of-garbage-in-everest-clean-up-11599614](http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/nepal-picks-up-four-bodies--11-tonnes-of-garbage-in-everest-clean-up-11599614) (They have been attempting to clear garbage, ongoing over a few years now, FYI) ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2019, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/271 "2019-08-15T09:38:16Z")
The [proposal](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-49348071) seems to be along the lines of requiring one 6500+m peak in Nepal, a certificate of physical fitness, experienced guides, and $35000. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2019, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/272 "2019-08-15T11:21:01Z")
Sounds like a good idea. I hope it nets them a ton of money and a lot fewer deaths ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2019, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/273 "2019-08-15T15:19:18Z")
Seems like a reasonable move to me, let’s see how it plays out over the next few years. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2019, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/274 "2019-08-15T16:50:16Z")
I’ve been to 5500 meters in Nepal and while I was certainly moving slowly due to lack of oxygen it doesn’t really stress the body a huge amount. There a bunch of “trekking peaks” between 6000 and 6500 meters that are popular and get significant traffic, but none are really good preparation for Everest. It will be interesting to see if this makes a significant difference, since some of the peaks in question are glorified walk ups while still providing some limited altitude experience. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2019, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/275 "2019-08-15T19:34:39Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > The [proposal](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-49348071) seems to be along the lines of requiring one 6500+m peak in Nepal, a certificate of physical fitness, experienced guides, and $35000. They should force you to bring cash to pay the sherpas, but I guess that isn’t something which would help the government, so it won’t get done. (In fact, money going directly to sherpas is money _not_ going to the government, which means it _certainly_ won’t get done.) ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2019, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/276 "2019-08-15T19:40:38Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > They should force you to bring cash to pay the sherpas, but I guess that isn’t something which would help the government, so it won’t get done. > > (In fact, money going directly to sherpas is money _not_ going to the government, which means it _certainly_ won’t get done.) I assume the requisite “experienced guides” are mostly Sherpas, and that they don’t work for free. The government will already be getting $35000 per climber, up from the $11k or $12k they are getting now. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2019, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/277 "2019-08-15T19:41:03Z")
My understanding is that what you pay the sherpas is separate from what you pay the government for a climbing permit. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2019, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/278 "2019-08-15T20:05:18Z")
It cost (or did a few years ago) $50-60K to climb Everest, the permit fees are a significant but not dominant part of it. Looks like now it will be the single biggest cost. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2021, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/279 "2021-05-10T16:21:55Z")
> **[Covid fears are spreading on Mount Everest, as climbers risk infection to...](https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/mount-everest-covid-cases-scli-intl/index.html)** > > Climbers rejoiced when Nepal decided to reopen its side of Mount Everest this year, but reports suggest even the world's highest peak isn't safe from the spread of Covid-19. Last year no one climbed Everest and no one died. The first year on Everest since 1977 without a death. Covid + Everest seems a poor mix. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2021, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/280 "2021-05-10T20:12:05Z")
Talk about the worst place to catch Covid. Plus the moral dilemma mentioned in the article - all those hospitalized in India and Nepal without oxygen while these climbers use up so many oxygen cannisters. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397.md?page=13) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397.md?page=15)