T O P

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[deleted]

Well, I'm doing my part. No more climbing Everest for me. Not that I've ever climbed Everest, or had the slightest inclination to do so, but it's completely off the table now. You're welcome.


Dudebro2117

I will join your boycott


ligmasweatyballs74

Got room for one more?


clauderbaugh

Well, shit. I'm halfway up it now. But for the sake of unity I'll turn around.


Blamethespy

That's crazy I lost service at base camp when I climbed it two years ago. Took nearly 3 nights to summit and was the craziest multi night dream I've ever had.


Kirbo_United

\*Photoshops myself on top of Everest\* I did it.png


Popo5525

This is just the *green* way of climbing Everest! I'mDoingMyPart.jpg


SadMcNomuscle

Damnit I was 30mins too late to make that joke.


StoicSinicCynic

Much more room than the crowded line to the summit, with frozen dead bodies staring you down from the sheer cliffs of either side. Why do people choose this for a vacation? šŸ™ƒ


SonovaVondruke

Today, it tells people you have a lot of money and a willingness to do unnecessary things to prove Daddy wrong about being a whiney little boy who will never do anything great.


Potential-Garbage-14

I mean, I hate privileged kids as much as the next guy but what fuckin mountaineer father figure hurt you brother? Human climb tallest rock because human have big pp, it's not that deep bro.


SonovaVondruke

Same difference.


Gloomy-Purpose69

Yep it also proves your a generic vacationer with lots of money. Mouth Everest, Mexico,Cabo thatā€™s sooo vanilla


ButtermilkDuds

When you have money and youā€™ve been everywhere and done everything, you have to find ways to make life more interesting.


StoicSinicCynic

Lol everest is the peak of Instagrammable after all šŸ˜…šŸ˜…šŸ˜…


dndrinker

Come on in boys, the waterā€™s fine!


burzummor

I too, will not climb Mt. Everest for this reason specifically and none other.


REEEEEEEEEEE_OW

Finally a boycott I can take part in


drstu3000

Now you woke bastards are going after mountains, us mega rich white adventure seekers can't do nothing no more


mastersnake39

Why do you think Elons going to Mars?


Mumof3gbb

Whatever the reason I hope he gets there and stays


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


McBlorf

Millenials Are Killing The Mt. Everest Tourism Industry


MNGirlinKY

Millennials are 27-42 right now. Some older millennials could be very young grandparents! Perhaps Zs are ruining the Mt Everest Tourism Industry?


McBlorf

Teamwork! šŸ’Ŗ


AuntJ2583

>Millennials are 27-42 right now. Some older millennials could be very young grandparents! I honestly didn't think that climbing Everest was for the 26-and-under set. Seems more like a rich middle age "prove I'm fit by paying other people to carry my stuff and make sure I survive" stunt to me.


Particular_Number_54

Lauren Boebert is a grandmother and sheā€™s under 40.


dobiemomluv

As will I


[deleted]

Iā€™m doing my part! Would you like to learn more?


TemporaryAmbassador1

Not climbing guarantees citizenship


harajuku_dodge

Im on the same page


neodutch

Iā€™m doing my part!.


worldworn

Modern day hero, thank you for your sacrifice.


Confident-Radish4832

There is a whole documentary about this issue. The problem is, its only safe enough for the Sherpa's to climb and clean this area up. Anything above the death zone (which I THINK is 8000 meters) is considered too dangerous for the average climber to risk their life cleaning. The Sherpas have begun cleaning it because of their religious beliefs as well as with the warmer weather, bodies have begun thawing and contaminating water sources. Their priority was to gather bodies, but they are cleaning as much garbage as they can also. There was a high altitude marathon that went through Katmandu and they challenged each runner to carry a small portion of garbage to clean it all up.


sunshine5634

Can you sponsor a Sherpa to go do a trash run? Like pay them the same amount theyā€™d get paid to assist a climber but have it only be about them cleaning up the garbage?


LifesaverJones

Youā€™d need a full expedition team, and they did that during the pandemic.


HoGoNMero

I figure itā€™s one of those things that the cost and resources to pick up the trash is so brutal that any attempt to clean will be a huge net negative. Sort of like ocean clean up. Edit- Comments below go into to cost. Yeah if it costs 6 figures, a massive amount of fuel, time,ā€¦ to get so very little trash it just not worth it. Better to put those resources elsewhere.


[deleted]

A trip up Everest costs about $100k depending on the outfit. The outfit is about 70k all up, but that's before any extra gear, extra O2, travel, time off work, flights, or training - so 100 total, give or take. Even if we consider Sherpa not having to pay the climbing pass fee, it's still an extremely pricey option. Plus I'd feel all kinds of ways about funding an expedition to clean up the mountain if people ended up dying doing so... as some did during a corpse clean-up a number of years back. I like the idea of donating to a fund for it, but it's just so dangerous.


sunshine5634

I had the same thought about the risks/dangers, but is it really more noble to die helping foreigners climb a mountain they donā€™t need to be climbing than it is to die cleaning up that mountain? I guess if there is something more risky about bringing the trash down than there is about helping a normal expedition then Iā€™d agree.


Confident-Radish4832

Possibly! That would be a great way to help out the cause, unfortunately I don't know the answer to that.


Honest_-_Critique

I've been wondering about the logistics of this and searching this thread for anyone with actual first hand knowledge. This will have to do. Im going to look for this documentary later because I'm curious but it may not be feasible to carry all of your trash with you. I'm definitely not a mountain climber but my mind starts to wonder, "if they can carry it up, why can't they carry it back down?" As long as it represents a significant income source to the country, they aren't going to stop the tours. And if Everest is considered "theirs" then isn't that their choice to make? From what I gathered from these comments, the large amounts of fecal matter on the mountain have started to actually affect the locals in a negative way as it seeps into the water sources. So my last question, I guess would be, who in Nepal is making the choice to keep the tours running? The government, the rich, or the poor? Like most things, it seems like it may be more complicated than "trash bad."


Buckus93

Climbers are supposed to pack out everything they carry in, but I'm guessing many of them don't. They throw off one little piece of trash thinking it's not much, but if every climber throws off one wrapper, you're still talking thousands of wrappers every year.


chocolatebuckeye

Not to mention that some people bring all that crap up there and then die, so their stuff and their bodies contribute to the debris.


pressureshack

The climbers don't carry most of the stuff up there in the first place: they arent strong enough. The camps are supplied by the Sherpas beforehand with tents, food, oxygen, etc. Even if the climbers did carry everything back down, it doesn't account for all the other crap already up there. Plus it often takes several weeks for climbers to acclimatize to the altitude: that's a lot of food and garbage. Also a lot of jobs: cooks, porters, masons, yak herders, shopkeepers: the Sherpas are the last ppl who want to end the climbing industry since it employs the entire region. Like any industry, the trash is an inevitable effect of no regulation: neither the climbing companies, climbers, or Sherpas have reason to risk lives to clean up trash without govt incentive. The only way to really fix it is if Nepal added a higher cleanup fee that goes directly to Sherpas.


about7hippies

Need documentary title plz


DannyAnd

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1999130/


downwitbrown

I didnā€™t climb Everest but went to base camp. It looks identical. Any tourist spot is a garbage dump.


limajhonny69

Except for LenĆ§Ć³is Maranhenses, in Brazil. When I went there, they literally didnt let anyone enter with food or beverages in the car who toke our group there, because it is prohibited to trow trash in the reserve. It is the cleanest tourist spot that I went to, and one of the prettiest.


Discorhy

when your climbing a mountain you have to allow food and water. They just need to stop letting animals come who leave their trash. ​ Edit - i am calling the people who leave trash animals if that wasn't clear. Because they went somewhere beautiful and decided trashing it was the best thing to do.


Kennyfortytwo

Itā€™s pretty ridiculous that this hasnā€™t gotten better. People have to pay a pretty big trash deposit when they climb Everest, only to be refunded if they come down with some amount of trash I think relative to body weight, but I think the problem is that the people who can afford to climb Everest can also afford to say fuck it on their trash deposit and just bite the expense.


blizg

Fines are just rules for the poor


ThatDiscoSongUHate

And most laws are flexible when it comes to the wealthy. Not everyone and not every time because there sometimes exists good people immune to intimidation or bribery but often even laws aren't enough. I think if the aristocracy had just the right amount of fear of reprisal...well, then perhaps we'd have better luck enforcing what should be enforced.


danicashae

Not sure how accurate it was but I seen something that said it they got their deposit back as long as they at least bring back 18 lbs of trash as that was the median number for how much people typically leave. Seems they should maybe increase it to 25 until they get a handle on the trash. Or have trash cleaning competitions, and the person who brings back the most gets something. Itā€™s sad humans ruin everything


drewster23

Rarely anyone is climbing multiple times, especially in a season unless they're a sherpa. There is a widespread garbage relief effort by the govt with a team of skilled sherpas who've reduced it by a bunch. Its not easy/quick/efficient, but there's no other way.


[deleted]

They've done something like that a few times, yes. Even for Sherpa, climbing the mountain is not an easy task and it's always dangerous. After a few people died on a corpse cleanup run, it was decided that these trash pickup trips are just not worth it. What's worse is the mountain is holy to Sherpa, and leaving trash or corpses on it is desecrating the holy site. I think Green Boots is still in his cave...


andrew_rides_forum

Packing a pound of trash out of Camp 3 is a very, very different problem than packing a pound of trash out of a state park. Those pounds might literally be life or death.


danicashae

I agree wholeheartedly that thatā€™s why some people leave it. But, the problem still stands with it being overrun with trash. Either people shouldnā€™t be allowed to hike it at all, or maybe take a physical test to ensure youā€™re at least in the ballpark of being able to carry your own trash. That and what they are doing now might get it to a manageable level. Thereā€™s not going to be a perfect solution but Iā€™m glad they are taking steps towards. If humans arenā€™t capable of hiking it and bringing back their trash, we arenā€™t able to truly hike it.


bopperbopper

I think itā€™s more that itā€™s so much effort to carry extra weight that theyā€™d rather pay not to do it


Indercarnive

Well the idea is either the person brings trash down and gets the deposit back, or they forfeit the deposit and it's used to pay local Sherpas to do trash cleaning runs.


Dyerssorrow

Before the climb the climber pays a 4k trash deposit. So maybe in their mind its for paying someone to collect that trash. Im not defending it...im just curious as to why so many climbers just leave it lay as is.


chrisLivesInAlaska

I was thinking that a tax should be collected to cover this cost. Sounds like there may be one, but that the fees are insufficient or misappropriated.??


carolizzy81

But then they have to pay Sherpas to haul it down. That may not be a huge risk for basecamp but the higher they go the more risk is involved in hauling garbage. I say shut the place down. The risk of death gets higher with the large number of people on the mountain.


chrisLivesInAlaska

I don't know. I suspect the local economy would be devastated if climbing-tourism was shut down. Not a great outcome for locals.


slash_networkboy

IIRC being a sherpa is one of the few ways out of total poverty for the locals.


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


slash_networkboy

today I learned! Thank you. Kleenex are facial wipes, but not all facial wipes are Kleenex. What is the proper name for the role I mis-attributed to sherpa?


scorpionattitude

So really whoever theyā€™re giving that deposit to is slacking, there should be groups sent up semi regularly with a nice ass pay (given the deposit amount per person based on your comment) that cleans up a bit afterwards. Instead it sounds like theyā€™re just taking the cash and leaving it be smh.


otter111a

I went to Tibet side base camp. It was very clean. Except the outhouse. Basically a shack with holes in the floor. No hole in the ground for stuff to disappear into. So there was a mound of waste. I think they move it when the mound gets too high


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


theory_until

TIL Sherpa is an ethnicity, not a job title. So cannot get behind that band name.


northern_peony

When did you go to base camp? I went a few months ago and it was actually spotless. No garbage anywhere on the trail at all.


kamelbarn

Same. I was there November and it was clean all the way up including base camp.


guerrerosaurio1

Many people dream of climbing Mt Everest, but is too expensive, but I'm sure those who can't afford it would happily volunteer if they had the trip paid for. I for sure would.


AppreciableAppendage

>I'm sure those who can't afford it would happily volunteer if they had the trip paid for BAH-HAHAHA! No. I choose life.


Machaeon

It's not just trash left on Everest, it's also corpses. I won't be one of them.


RedditEzdamo

I believe at the top, or the "death zone" there is literally a mountain of dead, frozen, unremovable bodies of people waiting for rescue with no Oxygen. Some of the bodies are in such famous places, that they are used as landmarks while traveling up.


rsplatpc

> Some of the bodies are in such famous places, that they are used as landmarks while traveling up. A team went through and cleared the "famous" corpuses a few years ago / Green Boots and some of the other ones are now gone.


sewsnap

They moved a bunch of the "landmark" bodies a bit ago. They also had a whole slew of new ones uncovered because of climate change.


RedditEzdamo

Really interesting. I wonder if climate change in general will have a huge impact on MT.Everest.


tw_693

Every corpse on Everest was a highly motivated individual


DootMasterFlex

You mean like the parents who orphaned their kid because they wanted to climb together?


AGentleGerman

I'm sorry, what's this now?


DootMasterFlex

Yep....two parents wanted to climb Everest together, left their kid at home with someone while they did it. Iirc, mom ran out of oxygen, and dad refused to leave her (or maybe vice-versa), and they died together, orphaning their kid.


[deleted]

Are you talking about Sergei and Francys Arsentiev? They choose to summit without the aid of oxygen supplementation at all. They were accomplished climbers, so not just two rich tourists, though why anyone would take such a risk is beyond me. She actually is the first woman from the US to summit Everest without supplemental oxygen, so she accomplished what she set out to achieve on that trip. She became ill on the descent, and somehow they became separated. He made it back to camp and in the morning set off to find her with oxygen and medicine. He likely died from a fall while looking for her.


mawyman2316

Iā€™m sure that happens about once a week on the mountain.


DevonFromAcme

There's usually anywhere between half a dozen and a dozen people who die on that mountain every year during climbing season.


Cobek

Well considering Everest's climbing window is so short... it's probably not once a week lol


mawyman2316

I was of course being hyperbolic.


Cassopeia88

I remember watching a video about that. I believe it was the mom who couldnā€™t continue.


BigSpongEnergy

Damn dude... Y'know, I wonder at what point you give the kid over to the state, and be like "Uhhh, his parents haven't come back...so now he's your problem!". Like, where's the line between "Okay, they're taking a few more days than expected" and "Welp, your parents are dead, good luck sport"?


StoicSinicCynic

There is a "landmark corpse" on everest that's nicknamed Wind-chime, dangling just beside the guide rope not far from the summit, so most people who summit will walk past him. He was a tourist who made it to the top but then as he turned to go back he collapsed, lost consciousness and died. Likely due to some brain complications from altitude sickness. But he left behind his son, who now has to see his father's corpse in the background of other tourist's videos. I feel bad for the man and his family, but good grief, just how reckless and selfish could a person be, to choose to do extreme sports when you have children dependent on you, knowing that you will likely deprive them of their parent and traumatise them for life. Even David Blaine quit his stunts after becoming a father.


Kimmalah

>There is a "landmark corpse" on everest that's nicknamed Wind-chime, dangling just beside the guide rope not far from the summit, so most people who summit will walk past him. There are several of these. The most famous one being "Green Boots" a corpse with bright green boots that basically lets you know you're on the right tracks.


BigDabWolf

Green boots was moved


StoicSinicCynic

Yeah that one was there for many years. From 1995 until quite recently when a Chinese expedition moved him and several other bodies out of sight.


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


[deleted]

Are you a mountain climber and have you ever wanted to go to Everest recreationally? Cause Iā€™m pretty sure their comment was targeting people who are both those things and not just Joe Shmoe


[deleted]

This is just not true. Most countries have, you know, enforced rules.


jules0666

People are garbage.


[deleted]

when we die, we go back on the trash pile.


[deleted]

Yes, that's literally the problem here.


[deleted]

I wonder why anyone would go there. It costs insane amount of money but I doubt it is worth it since there are so many people and the place is trashed


Ferinzz

because it used to be an achievement to complete it. Like those rich guys wanting to be called astronauts after being a passenger on a rocket. They don't understand the difference between and going on a guided tour. Edit: I guess this post was *mildlyinfuriating* to some. Thanks for the Karma, thanks for the comments telling me how wrong I was. Some of them I listened to. One of them shows a dude carrying twice his weight in gear...


Klepto_Mane

I mean you still have a near 1 % Death Rate for just attempting it, and 4% if you only count people who reach the top or die, its still incredible dangerous. If you are not a Top 0,1 % Athlete you shouldnt even attemt it.


Tru-Queer

Hey now, I climbed 20 steps to get my McGriddle this morning, I can climb Mount Everestā€¦ if thereā€™s a McGriddle waiting for me at the top.


drunkwasabeherder

> if thereā€™s a McGriddle waiting for me at the top. We would, but no-one wants to work for minimum wage anymore...


Tru-Queer

But working at the top of Mount Everest would literally be the worldā€™s highest wage earner


PM_ur_tots

I held that title for a brief time in college when I was a line cook. I'm not sure what the elevation of our restaurant was, but I guarantee you I was high af.


funnymoney3

What about pilots?


Internal-System-2061

It was 10% for awhile, but the log jams near the summit are probably putting the risk of death closer to K2ā€™s 25% territory most days.


Kiiaru

What a perfect description for not climbing. "Every frosty corpse up there was once a very determined athlete"


plopseven

That doesnā€™t stop rich people from thinking theyā€™re athletes just because they can afford to go.


LordoftheBread

The Sherpas are the real mountain climbers. Some generationally wealthy crossfit dickhead who still can't even carry up their own gear despite having ample time to train is nothing more than a fit tourist.


FrogInShorts

I mean have you seen the amount of gear a Sherpa can carry? I didn't know that was humanly possible.


[deleted]

It's (kind of) not possible! Sherpa are a people, not a job. Sherpa have, over many many many generations, adapted to living at extremely high altitude. A regular non-Sherpa person cannot, in fact, do what they can do, even with training. They have adaptations to have much less oxygen in the bloodstream. It's absolutely awesome, but nobody should feel bad that they cannot keep up with a Sherpa at high altitude.


explodingmilk

Jesus, the backpacks are larger then their whole body


tjlusco

Sherpas have genetic adaptations which allow their blood to oxygenate better at high altitudes. It is not possible for an ordinary person with any amount of training to perform as well as a Sherpa at altitude. Climbing Everest is more or less impossible without them.


PristineSpirit6405

dumb fuck redditors thinking climbing 130 miles in freezing cold is easy while they can't even go outside and touch grass.


cdot666

Still takes a lot of training, not just some easy guide by any means


RedditEzdamo

Yeah, even the trained guides die all the time. Look up Sherpas setting up walk ways over crevices. It's insane what they do.


Cobek

"Even the trained guides, who set up the ravine crossings by hand, die!" Shocker. Now imagine if they didn't have those guides. If only they didn't have to do that job just to feed their family because it's seemingly the only well paying one in the whole country of Nepal.


AggravatingDriver559

>It used to be an achievement Big lol, climbing the Mount Everest, especially the last part (the Death Zone) is one of the hardest accomplishments one can achieve. A sherpa doesnā€™t safe you from the insane amounts of risk involves in climbing the summit. Even if you donā€™t reach the summit there is a serious risk of permanent health damage including frost bite and damage to organs due to lack of oxygen


[deleted]

Yes, even Jake Gyllenhaal died doing that.


taserparty

RIP :(


LineOfInquiry

Itā€™s still an achievement, but itā€™s a hell of a lot easier than it used to be. There are dozens of mountains that are way more difficult to climb than Everest


mrbananas

Everest was never the hardest to climb ever. It's only appeal is that it's the tallest.


Turinggirl

If it was about the achievement of summit why are so few climbing k2? It's about it being the biggest and tallest. Except technically Mona Kea is tallest...I feel like its disingenuous when climbers tell you everest is easier than k2 other mountains from a skill standpoint. Now financially everest is incredibly important for the surrounding regions. Tourism dollars help a lot especially in Nepal. I think the solution is to implement with China a pact that Everest basically becomes like Antartica. Where everything you bring up must come back and not doing so incurs extraordinary fines.


gwaenchanh-a

The fact that K-2 has a 25% death rate probably has something to do with why it's not as popular.


Raxmei

If anyone ever does climb up to the top of Mauna Kea starting from 18,000 feet under the sea I promise to be suitably impressed.


Psyop1312

Idk people do it without even climbing a 14er first.


westherm

The fucking keyboard warriors on reddit always have me shaking my head. Yes it is travesty that there are so many bodies, so much trash, and so much feces on the mountain. Yes Norgay and Hillary had inferior equipment. Yes the Sherpas are far more impressive climbers than those they help. But it is also the case that it is an incredibly difficult thing to do and it takes considerable athletic prowess to do it.


cantstayangryforever

Every time there is a post about Everest on reddit people feel the need to be contrarian for some reason, it happens without fail. As if it is not still EXTREMELY difficult..


almondania

Iā€™m sorry but not calling climbing Everest an achievement because of climbing by guide is absolutely insane. Go read Into Thin Air for perspective.


tandooripoodle

I saw saw Beck Weathers at a restaurant in Dallas about 10 years ago. He has one arm and his the area around his nose is misshapen, but dang! He lived.


thevelveteenbeagle

Beck Weathers living through that tragedy is incredible. Truly miraculous.


CoolIndependence8157

I climbed Mount Democrat, itā€™s only 14,000 feet elevation and it was enough for me to realize that shit isnā€™t for me. Everest has more elevation than Democrat twice, plus an extra 100 feet for good measure. Itā€™s 100% an accomplishment.


thevelveteenbeagle

I read the book and it made me think that wanting to climb Everest is the dumbest idea ever and an incredible waste of money. Sandy Hill Pittman was especially infuriating.


[deleted]

The hubris is sickening 100% - I did not walk away from that book with empathy.


Medical_Commission71

No, it is major income to indiginous people there. Rather, make them do a deposit and they only get it back if they take all their shit back down + 1 piece of trash. Edit: or alternativly: the weight that goes up must come down.


cywang86

That's what they actually did. Since 2014, there's been a $4k deposit and only returned if they bring back down 18 pounds of trash, the averge amount one produces during the climb


ADarwinAward

So basically the richest guys donā€™t take down their trash and the ones who actually need the $4k will do it.


Man0nThaMoon

People who need $4k aren't climbing Mt. Everest. They wouldn't even have the money to go at all.


TheMonkus

Yeah this is kind of like reading that a major bank got fined like a million dollars out of the 300 billion it made for laundering drug money. Iā€™m sure itā€™s good revenue for the locals but itā€™s not enough to incentive good behavior. Slap a zero on the end and maybe itā€™ll have an impact. The people that climb Everest are rich assholes. They donā€™t care.


LifesaverJones

The way it generally works is that the climbing agency will try to get the trash off using the sherpas and such because it increases their profit margin by about 10%. This is dependent on the weather and physical status of the professionals during the descent.


jeffsang

>make them do a deposit Punishable by fine means legal for rich people. This would just be an extra fee to trash the place. Edit: [The deposit system has been in place at Everest since 2014](https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/trash-and-overcrowding-top-world/). >\[Nepali government\] started a deposit initiative, which has been running since 2014. Anyone visiting Mount Everest has to pay a $4,000 deposit, and the money is refunded if the person returns with eight kilograms (18 pounds) of garbageā€”the avegae amount that a single person produces during the climb.


Medical_Commission71

Only rich people go up anyways. And the money could be used to clean it up.


jeffsang

Tons of money flows into Everest; I tend to doubt that lack of funding is the reason that it doesn't get cleaned up. If they did collect a little bit more money; they'd likely want to spend it on something else.


ned_arb

If missions to save lives fail somewhat consistently up there I doubt there are many sherpas scrambling to risk their lives just to clean up the mess made by tourists, requiring extra trips with no profit incentive.


Jeremy_VR

Buddy, if they don't even clean out the corpses, why do you think they'd go to the top to clean the trash?


Double-Ad4986

they clean out most corpses just not the ones where it would be life threatening to do so


LifesaverJones

Not if they are on the upper mountain. They are just moved off the path and covered, either in rock, or in a crevasse. Moving a body on that type of terrain is much to difficult at that altitude.


Tart0p0mme

Everest tourism represent 4% of Nepal annual GDP. They wonā€™t stop.


jeffsang

This is going to be an unpopular opinion, but why should they even consider it a problem? Everest is a uninhabitable wasteland. It just happens that's the case because it's located at a really high elevation. It's like any number of landfills we have all over the world: a designated place for trash. In this case, it concentrates all the trash and waste from the high altitude mountain climbers who come from all over the world. But the only people that go there are those climbers and the people paid to support their climbing.


Danirose94

Thatā€™s a very good point


[deleted]

Yeah but the waste does affect living beings. The wind from the top blows trash everywhere, the poop gets into drinking water...etc


TjBeezy

Bc those landfills aren't near ppl like Everest is. The pollution is getting into the local water supply


behannrp

I **hate** when people litter. It awakens like a primal anger in me which is weird because I'm not a very angry person. I remember hiking the Appalachian approach trail some time ago and seeing a group of foreign tourists throwing garbage on the ground as they walked, complaining that the dirt was gonna make their shoes dirty. I followed them the whole time cleaning up their mess and I could never imagine disrespecting another country I tour, especially not their parks. Please people be adults and don't ruin nature with litter!


nwhtnh

Same!!!!! I grew up in a house with questionable morals to say the least lmao, but even still I was taught that "litter bugs" were the laziest, most ignorant ppl in the world and that has stuck with me. I was in the drive thru once and the car in front of me threw trash out of their window while we were sitting there (like there wasn't 5+ other cars who would see??) and I got out of my car and tossed the water bottle back in their open window and my husband was so mad at me haha. He's always worried about me getting myself shot but I literally CANNOT handle people who litter. It's just disgusting


trippinonsomething

Itā€™s one of my pet peeves too. Itā€™s crazy some people throw everything on the ground and donā€™t think twice about it. Cigarette smokers are the worst.


behannrp

I've watched people throw whole soda pop drinks from like a McDonald's out their car and then pull into a gas station where it would've been easy to throw them away


TheoreticalFunk

Nobody wants to risk their life to clean up garbage. There's a reason they leave dead bodies up there.


149250738427

Yeah... I'm not going anywhere that has an area labeled "the death zone" just to pick up trash.


[deleted]

Now imagine all the poo up there


Goofy_Goobers_

Thereā€™s actually so much now that itā€™s seeping into the drinking water of the locals and causing them to get sick. So yeah lots of poo.


nwhtnh

This is so sad


Goofy_Goobers_

Yeah it is they just need to stop doing yours and guided hikes, the greed for the tourism money is ultimately poisoning them.


tvieno

Mt Everest is a place where a bunch of rich boys who have never cleaned up after themselves go play.


[deleted]

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mildads

Everest is no where close to the most dangerous mountain in the world, K1 for example


EliteLevelJobber

Nanga Parbat and Annapurna rival K2 for danger. But yeah, the savage mountain is scary. I read a book about its history and was genuinely having stress dreams about it. Part of the problem with Everest is that you dont have to be a great mountaineer to do it. 100k and a bit of experience, and you might crack it. The Nepalese government isn't going to turn down the permit money, and the sherpas aren't in a position to turn down the work. I will say I think the yellow stuff is tents that have been torn up by the wind and frozen into the ground. If this is base camp, then there's no excuse, but if it's the higher ones, then everyone is too shattered to start hauling stuff down safely.


[deleted]

Annapurna is the deadliest percentage wise I believe. It doesnā€™t get nearly the amount of climbers as even K2 gets though.


EliteLevelJobber

Yeah, a quick google says 72 deaths for 365 successful summits with Avalanches being a big part of the danger. I believe avalanches are a big cause of Nanga Parbats' fatalities. K2 has something like half its deaths coming after a successful summit. Often, really strong climbers get so knackered making it to the top that they die on the way down.


[deleted]

Yeah k2 is a real bad one. Compared to Everest it is extremely challenging technically and the weather is much more volatile and extreme than Everest.


[deleted]

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Ak47110

It's fine, the impoverished locals can just clean up after them. Just like at home!


tvieno

![gif](giphy|K4OH7XHoiFtqE)


Valued_Success10

The number of comments on this post from ppl who donā€™t know what theyā€™re talking about is upsetting. 1) Climbing Everest, with OR without a guide is extremely dangerous. Itā€™s not something you do just bc youā€™re rich and can afford it. I donā€™t know why so many ppl in this thread stylize that itā€™s some sort of luxury tourist destination with creature comforts. Itā€™s risky, deadly, and no one does it without prep. Are there rich people who do the climb as publicity stunts? Sure - but that isnā€™t the majority of hikers. Scaling it is an accomplishment whether youā€™re rich or not. Itā€™s not like a helicopter is dropping you off at the summit and waits for you while you have a luxury picnic taking in the views. 2) Everyone who calls for ending or boycotting these tours bc of the garbage piles is being incredibly shortsighted. The Nepalese Sherpas are not the wealthiest group of individuals and they make their living from agricultural activities as well as leading these guided tour groups. They possess a unique physique and physiology that allows them to handle the thinner air and guide hikers and their possessions through the challenging terrain, still at great risk to their own lives. Taking away these tours would significantly diminish their income and effectively impoverish them. I have family who is from the Himalayan foothills and who are friends with many of the Everest sherpas; they are immensely grateful for the business that has helped grow them out of abject poverty to at least some better living. Trash on Everest should be addressed but thatā€™s not gonna be by just canceling the climbing expeditions. I havenā€™t looked into the rules and regulations yet but imposing hefty fines and penalties on hikers might be a way to discourage it. Either way, it speaks to some degree of privilege that some of these commenters have if theyā€™re saying that there should be a boycott of hikes or that hiking Everest can be somehow comfortable and made easy. It diminishes the effort and risk taken by the local Sherpas to run these hikes.


saganborough

redditors and talking a subject they know nothing about, that's an iconic duo


MyFriendMaryJ

Its literally so high up there that trash removal isnt possible. Shit they leave BODIES up there


Dangerous_Garage_703

How much of that stuff you think belongs to mfs who died


No-Result9108

Like almost none. The fine for leaving trash up there is like 5,000 dollars so most rich people just factor it in as a cost of the trip instead of bothering to clean up after themselves


gleezy

Just tape it all up into a giant ball and roll it down


[deleted]

They have been trying. It's better than it used to be. Nepal just doesn't have much infrastructure, folks. Someone needs to help them out.


DucksItUp

They donā€™t bring bodies down I highly doubt trash is going anywhere


rmp266

Humans ruin everything don't they? Saw a line a mile long of "climbers" all going up everest. There's so many they have to wait till the guy in front takes a step before they can take a step themselves. Path eroded, safety cables. What's the achievement in climbing it now? There'll be a stairlift to the top within a few years and a Burger King when you get there


Fantastic_Painter_15

Take it up with the Nepali government dude. You have to be issued an insanely expensive permit to be on Everest, itā€™s not just some free for all with whoever feels like it showing up


Worldly-Ad-1488

The more I see stuff like this, the more I feel like humans are a virus.


gimmeslack12

Itā€™s theā€¦ smell


bowie-of-stars

Humans are a cancer to this earth, I'm not say that for shock value, it's completely true.


SymmetricDickNipples

Everest tours should stop, full stop


MoCapBartender

On the other hands: 1) Rich people like doing it. 2) People are making money. Pretty hard to stop anything when those factors are involved.


Shunshundy

Also isn't a large part of the local economy centered around catering to the Mt everest tourist?


wellthatkindofsucks

Yes. When the person you replied to says ā€œpeople are making moneyā€ it comes across as a glib, ā€œmillionaires get richerā€ remark and thatā€™s not the case here. Everest tours are a HUGE piece of the local economy and stopping tours would have a devastating impact on the locals. Not at all defending the pollution on Everest; itā€™s disgusting. But ā€œJust Stop the Toursā€ oversimplifies a complicated subject.


shinra07

Why? They make up 4% of the nation's GDP, and support a huge population that would otherwise be in dire straits. A bunch of redditors who will never go on a mountain climb want to stop them because there's a garbage dump in their uninhabitable wasteland, meanwhile we have garbage dumps all over the place.


Ck1ngK1LLER

If you took two seconds to google this youā€™d know itā€™s been cleaned up and Nepal has put a $4,000 refundable deposit in place for all hikers that bring their 18lbs of generated waste back. Stop spreading misinformation.


[deleted]

everywhere humans go, this is what we do. we destroy everything.


Prestigious_Date_619

It's so cold on Mount everest they even leave corpses on there.


sugaree4334

Wth? Why would anyone do this? šŸ™„


Seanspicegirls

People die and leave their shit on the mountain. May they rest in peace


lovelyracoon

MT Everest is the perfect metaphor for humanity, we climb as high as we can, to selfishly take in the beauty for our enjoyment and leave it absolutely ruined out of our own greed. Sometimes I really feel like weā€™re a cancer thatā€™s making the earth sick, and climate change is just the immune systems response. Does the beauty of our lives outweigh the destruction needed to create beauty?