On any given day, people all over the world can spend a day hiking and climbing trails to enjoy the fresh mountain air for little to no money. However, for some that is just not enough. For over a century now, mountaineers have been taking on the colossus of all mountains, Mount Everest. Yet, climbing to the one of the highest point on Earth comes with many costs, including over $70,000 and the risk of death, therefore, the question a mountaineer must ask themselves is, is the trek worth all the costs and risks? Along with the risk of death and the thousands of dollars, the amount of time spent preparing for the adventure, becoming a professional climber, and the seven plus weeks of time it takes to make it to the summit are all factors mountaineers must take into consideration.

The greatest peak of the Himalayan Mountain range standing at 29,029 feet above sea level and growing about 4 millimeters a year, was named the highest peak in the world in 1852. However, the peak named after a British general of India, Sir George Everest, is not in fact the tallest mountain in the world, but, the topmost above sea level. The summit was first reached by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in May of 1953, and today more than 4,000 mountaineers have attempted the climb, yet, only 660 have accomplished the journey to the top. There are more than eighteen routes that take you to the top of the pinnacle and some have never been attempted. The most popular trek is the South Col trail, which is the route that Hillary and Norgay first accomplished and led the way for many mountaineers that have followed in their footsteps. The second most common route is the Northeast ridge, it is not as crowded as the South Col trail which makes it more attractive to climbers, nonetheless, it is supposedly more difficult and dangerous. “Tibettravel.org’s guide to Everest suggests that the best time to travel to see Mount Everest’s staggering snow-capped peaks is during spring and autumn, from April to May and from September to November” (Rowland). On average, a climber will spend two months on the expedition round trip if they climb during the warmest times of the year which are listed in the quote above.  

In the last six decades since Mount Everest’s summit has been reached, the conquest of achieving such an incredible task has turn into adventure tourism. The climb has become a dare, who can do it the fastest, without oxygen, or without ropes. Sherpas, the Everest guides, risk their lives every day for tourists to complete a personal bucket list item. But at the end of the day, many of these Sherpas have a lot of ancestral history on the mountain and therefore tourists and other extremely privileged people need to take other people’s lives into consideration. Other than the Sherpa’s and their ancestral history, the climb has many other reasons showing why mountaineers should keep their distance, including the temperature that never gets above -2 degrees, the amount of littered trash that covers the summit, and the 200 plus human corpses that are left on the trek that cannot be recovered. The extremely risky outdoor activity comes with many possibilities of injury or death, like; a slip of a sheer face, falling into a crevice, burial in an avalanche, or a slow death from altitude sickness. On top of the frigid temperatures and unknown possibilities of death, in recent years the mountain has been described to be overcrowded with trekkers and climbers. Due to the amount of congestion of inexperienced trekkers taking on the adventure, many professional climbers have concern about the impact on the safety of mountaineers and guides. Therefore, the question that comes back up is if it is worth putting yourself at such a large risk of death and what is so intriguing about the climb. 

 In the article “Why is Everest So Deadly?”, Taylor Kubota claims that in 2008, researches from the British Medical Journal did a study on the deaths on Everest in the years of 1921 to 2006, finding that “profound fatigue and late times in reaching the summit are early features associated with subsequent death" (Kubota QTD. BMJ). The dangers of altitude sickness, avalanches, and other strange terrains are all unknown factors that climbers cannot train for. Altitude sickness is a mix of different conditions that occur when the body does not have enough time to adapt to the lower air pressure and lower oxygen level at high altitudes. If symptoms of the sickness become too severe they will require medical attention. However, medical improvements have become very helpful and in fact save many lives on the peak. Expeditions can now carry oxygen devices that keep track of how much the climber is getting as well as the large bag called a portable hyperbaric chamber. The bag replicates a high pressure, low-altitude environment that the mountaineer can be put inside of if they are suffering the symptoms of altitude sickness.

Like the portable hyperbaric chamber, advancements in technology and tools have made the death rate decrease immensely, however, still today there is a 5% chance of mortality. In Sanjay Nepal’s article, “Mountaineering, commodifications, and risk perceptions in Nepal’s Mt. Everest region”, the geography and environmental management professor states, “It is reasonable to assume increases in the number and rate fatalities in recent years as there are more expeditions now than before, but data shows that the overall death to summit ratio has been declining in recent years” (Nepal 253). In Dorian Benkoil’s article, “Tech Advances Help Mountain Climbers”, readers are given an explanation of why Nepal is correct in his article, Benkoil states, “Everything from clothes, to food to communication gear, ropes and ice axes have vastly improved, letting people pack more in lighter, smaller packs, getting farther, faster, with less exertion” (Benkoil). The climb has become something that does not take a great deal of technical expertise and therefore, gives less-experienced climbers a shot of making it to the top with the most modern gear. In Benkoil’s article, he interviews Joe Lentini, a EMS Climbing School director, who says, “In the mountains, speed adds to safety, it’s not safe, but it’s safer” (Benkoil QTD. Lentini). Lentini’s words insist that on any given day any mountain can be unreliable and cause you problems. Therefore, it is important to be safe and cautious about your situation because at any moment your life can be over.

 In Emily Sohn’s article, “Mt. Everest: Why Do People Keep Climbing It?”, Sohn talks about why people have the urge to take on the crowded and deadly trek. She explains, “The answer likely differs for each climber, and studies suggest that people who take risks tend to perceive them differently from people who avoid the same behaviors. But for adventurers who are drawn to Everest, the mountain’s top is a lifelong dream that inspires intense preparation and a deep sense of reverence” (Sohn). Most climbers seek for a self-discovery and meaning through climbing and view the risks of climbing Mt. Everest as a payoff. People love and need to have accomplished the next best challenge in life. Therefore, for the past 150 years since Mount Everest was announced as the highest mountain, climbers had to be the first to get to the top. Sohn interviews Andreas Wilke, a psychologist at Clarkson University, who holds a theory that “risk taking behavior can be advantageous, particularly in men, because it signals strength and fitness to members of the opposite sex. In line with that theory, a successful Everest climb can convey status and prestige.” (Sohn QTD. Wilke). The title of being an Everest veteran comes with a countless amount of bragging rights and therefore, could explain why climbers like Alan Arnette, a mountaineer and Everest veteran believes, “I think Everest is a magical mountain with magnetic qualities,” he added. “It’s like a light to bugs that attracts people once they hear about it” (Sohn QTD. Arnette). In the same article, Maurice Isserman explains, “There are more interesting mountains to climb. There are more beautiful mountains. There are more challenging mountains that are a better experience. But it’s a trophy. It’s the biggest” (Sohn QTD. Isserman). However, people that pursue risk taking behavior and “live on the edge” do not consider what they are doing to be dangerous because in their minds the benefits of the risk they are taking outweigh the fear that most people would feel.  

For many, the experience of completing such an incredible task that few can say they have done is worth far more than any amount of money. In Nicole Pesce’s article, “Dying to climb Mount Everest? Read this first” she interviews Dr. Kenneth Kalmer who is a six-time veteran Everest climber. Kalmer states, “A mountain like Everest is a huge challenge, and climbing it reduces life to its essentials. You concentrate on staying warm, on having shelter, on getting food and water. It gives you a sense of being one with nature. So, when you do that, and then you come back to the rest of the world, you don’t worry so much about deadlines or being late for meetings. You realize what’s really important in your life, so it’s very rewarding” (Pesce QTD. Kalmer). Kalmer’s adventures up to the summit are a prime example of how beneficial making such a courageous journey can have on a person and their outlook on life. 

Not only does the climb make trekkers feel more selfless and passionate about life, but it also is a huge industry that the Sherpa and other locals depend on. Sherpa have become so intertwined in the mountaineering work that their name, Sherpa, is now used to represent guides all around the world. In Sanjay Nepal’s journal, he states “For many, Sherpa from poor households, working for climbing expeditions has become their passport to prosperity” (Nepal 260). Sherpa’s risk their entire lives on the mountain and because of that they must ignore discomforts or injuries they encounter because it could affect their earnings. In past decades, Sherpa did not want to work as guides on the mountain because of their spiritual and ancestral values. However today, the tables have shifted and younger Sherpa are finding money a larger priority. Nepal explains that they are, “less concerned with the spiritual side of the mountain and many are lured by money hoping to make a quick ascent at the mountain and never return to face its wrath next year. They are lured again when the money runs out” (Nepal 261). Thence, is another reason taking on the topmost point above sea level is a healthy decision. 

The mountain is a test of a person’s true grit and determination. It has the power to expose what is the best in us and what we hold deep in our emotions that we might not even know we retain. “Alternately, it is a grand proscenium that reveals all that is worst in us—the vanity and hubris; the decades of shameless, selfish trophy bagging” (Heil). Therefore, whether you believe that the climb is the greatest thing a human can participate in or it is in fact just a big hunk of rock, the mountain over the past century has been home to many eminent events. There have been many horrific accidents, like, the worst season in Everest history for mankind, 1996, when eight climbers died in a single storm, including a guide and two expedition leaders; making a total of twelve for the entire season. Nonetheless, there has been many triumphant expeditions as well, like Reinhold Messener, who took on the climb by himself without supplement oxygen in the season of 1980, setting the golden standard for mountaineers around the globe. 

“Fear nothing except fear itself. Still, there are some if's and but's to this golden rule” (Climbers). On the website, MountEverest.net, the authors are all veteran climbers. They made the website for people all over the world that are interested in the expedition. They include basically everything you need to know about the climb to better yourself on a chance of survival. Of course, reading the website will not ensure you your life but, it is very helpful. Websites like these are examples of how mountaineers are trying to better educate climbers on the risks that come with the mountain. However, they are also encouraging trekkers to be courageous and take on the risk, as long as they can retain their safety.

In 2015, The Nepali government announced that they were taking consideration into creating restrictions on the mountain for the 2016 season, including; age, ability, and experience, to create a safer environment for all the climbers and guides. In Anna Callaghan’s article, “What the Everest Restrictions Really Mean”, she claims, “The proposed measures would require a previous 6,500-meter summit by each climber, ban disabled climbers who can’t climb on their own, and forbid those younger than 18 and older than 75” (Callaghan). Accordingly, climbers also need to have experience in high altitude environments and are encouraged to have made it to the summit of another severe mountain, like Mt. Kilimanjaro. The Nepali government and the adventure tourism behind the climb, are determined to assure that the trek is becoming safer and accessible for its tourists and mountaineers around the world. 

Many people go through life waiting for something to happen, however, they are not aware of the adventure they can make for themselves if they just go out and do something. Of course, it does not need to be something as major as climbing Mount Everest but like Dr. Kalmer says, “You need to take on a challenge that seems impossible, because you’ll find strength within yourself that you would never have discovered if you didn’t push yourself to the limit. Even if you don’t succeed, you’ll be a better person for having tried it” (Kalmer). Life is too short to not take risks and for many mountaineers around the world risking their lives to see the top of the globe is worth every second and dollar spent. Mount Everest, is a rock that most of us will only ever see in photos. “The side of a mountain is one of the wildest places we have left in the world: exposed to the elements, hard to reach, and not at all a place you can just sit down and call a taxicab if you decide you're not having that much fun” (Leonard). In our world today, there are not many places that you can go to that you can go out explore the terrain and your own limits. “People don't set out on a climb believing they will die doing it, just as no one who dies in an automobile accident on the way to work does. You control the variables you can, and in your mind, you make peace with the risks” (Leonard). Whether its climbing Mount Everest, riding a bull for 8 seconds, or racing a motorcycle on a back road, we all have different ways of rationalizing our behaviors, we take our costs and risks into consideration and do what we want with them because it is what we believe is best for us. 
