One would imagine that a trip to the high Himalayas is about being 'far from the maddin crowd'. But, recent photographs from Mount Everest has been breaking the internet for its ridiculousness. The higher ridges on the tallest mountain in the world are seen crowded with lines of climbers waiting to summit. This has also proved fatal for climbers, with casualties hitting 11 death—the highest since a 7.8-magnitude earthquake triggered avalanches on the mountain in 2015.
Global mountaineering community is speaking up against the Nepal government for giving out so many climbing permits. The country has issued a record number of 381 permits this season.
Many climbers had to wait for hours for the route to clear to begin their descent, including Indian Ameesha Chauhan who suffered frostbites. While in treatment, she had mentioned that their team had encountered many climbers who lacked basic skills and put the lives of others at risk.
Canadian adventurer and filmmaker Elia Saikaly, who summited the mountain for the third time this season while making a documentary with a group of Arab women athletes, has put up various Instagram posts about the crisis on Everest.
He says that even though the narrow weather window and the excessive number of permits did cause trouble, what must be examined is the experience of the climbers and also the logistics providers.
"I write this with the utmost respect for those that lost their lives and their loved ones, but it needs to be said: PLEASE remember, economizing on Everest puts you, your teammates, your Sherpa support system and everyone else on the mountain in danger. When you cut corners someone is paying for it. Not only are you risking your own life, but the lives of the great Sherpa people and other tribes who work on Everest. So much of this could easily have been avoided," Elia wrote in an Instagram post.