Summitting Mount Everest

Who goes and why?

From the moment it was identified as the world’s tallest mountain, Everest became a ‘third pole’ with climbers desperate to be the first to reach its peak. Now that we know how dangerous the climb is – at least seven people a year have died on Everest during the 21st century – why do people still continue to flock to it?

George Mallory, who died on the mountain in 1924, famously said he wanted to climb it, ‘because it’s there’. For today’s climbers, reaching the summit is often a lifelong dream that inspires a deep sense or reverence, as well as demanding intense preparation and incredible physical and mental toughness. Each climber will possess a good quantity of risk-taking genes, too, as this climb involves both the risk of death and the risk that you’ll bag a great story but no summit. In fact, only half of all climbers make it to the top, and some of these will be Sherpas, professional climbers and guides, as well as paying clients.

A competitive nature is probably a common trait amongst climbers, too. After all, if you’ve reached the top of the highest peak on the planet, that’s a very undeniable achievement. Summitting Everest is as big as it gets, so while it might not be on the bucket list of the many, for a daredevil few, it’s the trophy to bag!

Among those who have made it to the top is Yuichiro Miura, the first man to ski down Everest from the South Col in May 1970 (although he did sustain horrible injuries). He then went on to become the oldest person to summit in 2003 at age 70 and again in 2013 at the age of 80. American Jordan Romero was the youngest person to summit aged 13 years 10 months in 2010. While Apa Sherpa and Phurba Tashi Sherpa have each summitted 21 times.

Costs

Bagging the biggest peak on Earth isn’t something you can do over a weekend, with National Trust membership and a picnic. It’s a big expedition with a massive price tag. A company based in the West, which still relies on local high-altitude support climbers, will charge around £45,000 to £50,000. Local expeditions charge less, around £27,000 for a well-run, properly supported climb, but in recent years, new operators on the ground have offered Everest for much less, raising concerns about correct pay for Sherpas as well as safety standards.

There are certain fixed fees that explain this hefty price tag. All expeditions must pay for helicopter insurance for their staff as well as life insurance. Government taxes account for another chunk. Each climber must pay $11,000 (around £7,600) to the Nepali government for a permit, while the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee claims another $600 towards its ‘ice-fall doctors’, who fix the route through the Khumbu Glacier into the Western Cwm.

The overall fee also includes everything from the wages for guides and Sherpas to the food, climbing kit, tents and transfers. Operators usually supply some training once you arrive in Nepal, too, in climbing techniques, glacier travel, rope fixing, ascending, descending and safety techniques, and you’ll also be taught how to use medical and communications equipment, and even how to cook at high altitude! Crucially, though, the price cannot guarantee you’ll make it to the summit – only 50 percent of people who shoot for the top, make the top.