Somehow Everest is not what it used to be...


Picture from
http://thegoat.backcountry.com/?q=0
The story is about a 13 year old kid attempting the climb.
Franco

Crowding is getting ridiculous.

You should see the queue to the toilet block. By the time you get there there is no more hot water.

On a serious note, there is a "cleaning up" expedition about to start. As part of it they will take some of the ashes of Sir Edmond Hillary to the top and scatter them there. Nice gesture.
Sir Ed is a semi-God in Nepal. Great man.
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_14836822
Franco

A few of my photos from basecamp in Spring 2009, a part of over a month of trekking in the Himalaya.



Video on my website.

Edited by Found on 04/07/2010 22:06:22 MDT.

Where are all of the tunnel tents? ;)

From my recent reading one of the biggest clean-up efforts will be around all the empty oxygen canisters that are lying around the place at the higher altitudes. Shame really.

Cheers

They figured out how to take care of the depleted oxygen bottle problem. They put a $2 deposit value on each bottle. So, when each expedition prepares to clear the mountain, either they pick up and transport their own bottles down the mountain, or else the local Sherpas will go up there and take them out. If a local carried out five or ten empties on each trip, that is some good cash for the local economy.
--B.G.--

I knew there was some reward for it, just didnt know the value, seriousely $2 ? But I guess like you say its good for them

Cheers

"Where are all of the tunnel tents? ;)"

Dunno. Higher up the mountain probably. ;-)

The Blue ridge tent in the middle looks nicely pitched.

Mark, $2 was the last figure that I heard for empty bottles.

You know, Sherpas are incredibly strong for their size, and it would not shock me a bit to see some guy waddling along the trail from Everest Base Camp heading down, and carrying about twenty empty bottles. His family will live for a couple of months on that much reward money.

--B.G.--

Wow that is impressive.

Sounds dangerous to me. A lot of those bottles will be perched in awkward spots near big drops.

Edited by tallbloke on 04/08/2010 01:42:53 MDT.

Everybody has their own price!

For people like you, Rog or Mark, you would pick up the empty and carry it down if somebody paid you (let's say) $1000. Well, the Sherpa people have a lower standard of income, and they will pick them up for $2, even if there is some reasonable risk involved.

Once they get the empties down low enough, they can haul them out on a yak. But yaks don't operate well when they get onto solid snow, because they have to graze on grass.

If a yak hauls two man-loads down, the yak owner gets paid the equivalent of two human porters. It's kind of a different economy. No plastic. No ATM.

--B.G.--

At altitude, bringing things down is hideously easy compared to carting them up. Especially as they are full on the way up and empty on the way down. I'd bring mine down for a lot less than $1000, but then, I'm cheap. ;-)

> Where are all of the tunnel tents? ;)
If you can use a square green beach tent as a loo, and a patrol tent as the local bakery/kiosk, then you don't need a tunnel tent!
Some of those domes look as though you could just about stand up inside them! Huge!

Cheers

Note that the porters that will carry the bottles out of the wilderness will probably be paid daily standard rates. Many will work for three dollars a day or less in the local economy even if they're carrying twenty o2 bottles.

I don't think its a bad thing that everest is crowded now, or other backpacking areas for that matter. Anything that gets people away from the "blue glow box" is great for society in my opinion, especially with all the overweight people. Im glad to see people enjoying the great outdoors.

"I don't think its a bad thing that everest is crowded now, or other backpacking areas for that matter."

Disagree big time.

"Disagree big time."

+1

Besides, if more people keep living longer, my taxes are going to go up. I encourage people to eat lots of junk food and watch lots of TV. Keeps 'em off the trails and out of my way!

Nice one Doug :)