# How long to level Mt Everest? (I have unlimited funds) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 16, 2019, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-to-level-mt-everest-i-have-unlimited-funds/834078 "2019-05-16T20:35:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 4
**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:** [May 20, 2019, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-to-level-mt-everest-i-have-unlimited-funds/834078/61 "2019-05-20T23:29:23Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Just convince Vladimir Putin that Everest is valuable and he’ll steal it. Putin, or [Zhu](https://www.news24.com/World/News/highway-robbery-chinese-man-steals-and-sells-off-road-20180202). ---
**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2019, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-to-level-mt-everest-i-have-unlimited-funds/834078/62 "2019-05-20T23:37:29Z")
If funds are unlimited, how about boosting NASA’s funding, setting up some mass drivers, and bombarding it from orbit? It’s the only way to be sure. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2019, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-to-level-mt-everest-i-have-unlimited-funds/834078/63 "2019-05-21T01:34:36Z")
“Manny, I don’t think we should hit that mountain again.” “Why not, Mike?” “Because it’s not there any more.” ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2019, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-to-level-mt-everest-i-have-unlimited-funds/834078/64 "2019-05-21T01:36:00Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > “Manny, I don’t think we should hit that mountain again.” > “Why not, Mike?” > “Because it’s not there any more.” One of my favorites. ---
**Author:** ![MarvinKitFox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ba0ec/32.png) [@MarvinKitFox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MarvinKitFox)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2019, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-to-level-mt-everest-i-have-unlimited-funds/834078/65 "2019-05-21T06:06:13Z")
Unlimited funds, and you want to level “Mt. Everest”? . With enough bribes, we can have international renaming of one mountain, and one salt flat. Should take less than a month. Then Mt. Everest can be used for land speed records, and climbers can ascend the Bonneville Flats. ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2019, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-to-level-mt-everest-i-have-unlimited-funds/834078/66 "2019-05-21T18:48:37Z")
Based on the average size of the Escondida Copper Mine, Chuquicamata Copper Mine, Hull-Rust-Mahoning Mine and Kalgoorlie Super Pit. It looks like we can make a 1.54 cubic mile open pit mine in about 100 years. The estimate I saw for Mt Everest was 365 cubic miles so we would need to open 236 of the largest open pit mine operations and give them 100 years. I saw a report on the Bingham Canyon Mine that it had an annual revenue of 1.8 billion, and it’s based in the U.S and so follows U.S. safety standards. I figure between 10 and 20% of the 1.8 billion is profit so an annual operating cost of 1.5 billion for a large open pit mining operation seems reasonable. So 236 mining operations, 100 years at 1.5 billion per year is 35.4 trillion. That’s just moving rock, the biggest of the already huge assumptions is that the efficiencies in operation and new technology would cancel the harsh operational and environmental issues. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2019, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-to-level-mt-everest-i-have-unlimited-funds/834078/67 "2019-05-22T14:52:22Z")
This is a Lex Luthor plot (“Superman”): the OP is secretly buying up the other Himalayans in the vicinity, then–when Chomolungma is gone–will have the monopoly on hikers needing peaks to climb. “Otisberg?” “Miss Teschmacher… she’s got her own place.” [indicates “Teschmacher Peaks”] “Otisberg?” “It’s a little bitty place.” “OTISBERG?” “Okay, I’ll just wipe it off.” ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2019, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-to-level-mt-everest-i-have-unlimited-funds/834078/68 "2019-05-22T14:59:38Z")
What about posting a sign that reads, “NEED FILL? TAKE THIS HILL.” ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2019, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-to-level-mt-everest-i-have-unlimited-funds/834078/69 "2019-05-22T15:01:02Z")
> [@sitchensis](#): > > You don’t take it from the top down and you don’t remove it from the bottom up and you don’t drop bombs on it. You drill and shoot controlled explosions to create multiple huge networks of [terraces and ramps](https://www.konigi.org/chuquicamata-chile/). Boooooooooooooring! \*\*I … WANT … BOMBSIES!! \*\* ---
**Author:** ![Dana\_Scully](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5daacb/32.png) [@Dana\_Scully](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dana_Scully)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2019, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-to-level-mt-everest-i-have-unlimited-funds/834078/70 "2019-05-22T15:08:46Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Well I guess it’s fortunate for us that Everest sits on the border between Nepal and China. I was just thinking the same thing; Everest is on the other side of the world and OSHA has no authority there. ---
**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:** [May 22, 2019, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-to-level-mt-everest-i-have-unlimited-funds/834078/71 "2019-05-22T15:59:19Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > Boooooooooooooring! > > \*\*I … WANT … BOMBSIES!! \*\* Sigh. Fine Mr President. Isn’t it time for … Fox and Friends? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2019, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-to-level-mt-everest-i-have-unlimited-funds/834078/72 "2019-05-22T16:05:15Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Sigh. Fine Mr President. Isn’t it time for … Fox and Friends? > > 🙂 Oooooh! Thanks for reminding me! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2019, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-to-level-mt-everest-i-have-unlimited-funds/834078/73 "2019-05-22T16:44:38Z")
**[Moderating]** **Just Asking Questions** , this is not a political thread (if it were, it’d be in Great Debates or one of the other political forums). I’m going to charitably assume that your response to **Jasmine** ’s post was a pop culture reference of some sort, and thus stop just short of a Warning. But it still wasn’t appropriate for this forum. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2019, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-to-level-mt-everest-i-have-unlimited-funds/834078/74 "2019-05-22T17:22:42Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Bringing the mountain down is a trivial exercise: just bore holes and load them with nukes. That would be so awesome. I really, really need to see a realistic CGI depiction of this. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2019, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-to-level-mt-everest-i-have-unlimited-funds/834078/75 "2019-05-22T21:55:59Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Putin, or [Zhu](https://www.news24.com/World/News/highway-robbery-chinese-man-steals-and-sells-off-road-20180202). Convince them that Mt Everest is an aphrodisiac, and it will be gone within a year. I propose a more efficient solution - we simply Photoshop Mt Everest out of the picture, and replace it with a nice flat field. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-to-level-mt-everest-i-have-unlimited-funds/834078.md?page=3)