This is an excellent article on some of the dangers associated with climbing the word’s highest mountain.
Mid May usually marks the start of the climbing window for Everest, and this year the government of Nepal has issued climbing permits to 373 climbers, the most since 1953 in a single season.
I especially like the government’s suggestions to solve some of the traffic issues on the mountain (yes, even on Everest there are traffic jams!), save lives, and boost the mountaineering industry of the country as a whole by weeding out inexperienced climbers. The suggestion to make it mandatory for climbers to ascend either two 6,000 meter summits or one 7,000 meter summit in Nepal before initiating an Everest climb seems entirely sensible to me.
Find the full article here, and best of luck to all 800 climbers, including Sherpas, who are currently siting at BC waiting for the window to climb Everest.
Tim Myatt 