{"id":22030,"date":"2016-03-08T12:30:35","date_gmt":"2016-03-08T19:30:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/?p=22030"},"modified":"2016-03-30T21:25:44","modified_gmt":"2016-03-31T03:25:44","slug":"everest-2016-changing-mountain-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/2016\/03\/08\/everest-2016-changing-mountain-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Everest 2016: A Changing Mountain &#8211; Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_22032\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-22032\" style=\"width: 225px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/2016\/03\/08\/everest-2016-changing-mountain-part-2\/img_1266-3\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-22032\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-thumbnail wp-image-22032\" src=\"http:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/IMG_1266-225x169.jpg\" alt=\"Climbing in the Khumbu Icefall in 2015\" width=\"225\" height=\"169\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-22032\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Climbing in the Khumbu Icefall in 2015<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cHow can I get on\u00a0a team to climb Everest?\u201d This is the second most asked question on my blog other than \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/2015\/12\/21\/everest-2016-how-much-does-cost-to-climb-mount-everest\/\">How much does it cost to climb Everest?<\/a>\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The short answer on how to get on a team is <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>money<\/strong><\/span>. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">S<\/span><span class=\"s1\">adly,   these days most anyone can join an Everest team if they have the cash. As for how much cash,  \u00a0a\u00a0standard climb from Tibet (north side) should run around $32,000 and from Nepal (south side) $42,000.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Nepal Climber Requirements<\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">In mid 2015, the Nepal Ministry of Tourism floated several new requirement for any person applying for an Everest permit:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Climbers must be between 18 and 75 years of age<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Permits will only be given to those who can prove they have already scaled mountains that are higher than 6,500 meters (21,325 feet)<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Disabled or visually impaired people need someone to carry them. Only those who can go on their own will be given permission.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">You can read my full analysis at this <a href=\"http:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/2015\/09\/29\/nepal-to-limit-everest-climbers-through-new-rules-again\/\">link<\/a> but as we approach the time when permits are being issued, it appears none of these requirements\u00a0are being implemented. This is normal in Nepal as the thought of turning away business is unacceptable. In 2010, Tibet set\u00a0age restrictions of under 18 and over\u00a060 not allowed on a permit, but even that has exceptions as demonstrated by the oldest American\u00a0to summit in 2014, Bill Burke at age 72.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The reality is that if you can find a local climbing agency to submit your name on an individual or a group permit, most likely you will be approved. However, not all operators act this way.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Western Commercial Guide Requirements<\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Long time Everest guides have learned the hard way that experience matters and usually tries to qualify a potential member through a questionnaire and a phone interview. Many will prefer, if not insist, that a prospective Everest member climb with their company on a lower mountain\u00a0such as Denali, Aconcagua and sometimes the 8000 meter mountains\u00a0Cho Oyu or Manaslu.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mountainguides.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">International Mountain Guide<\/a>\u2019s Eric Simonson believes his company is not taking unqualified climbers:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cI think the average experience level of the IMG team has increased over the years.\u00a0This may not be true for the Everest community as a whole, but IMG continues to find plenty of qualified customers.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">And he goes on to sum up their philosophy<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span>this way:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cIt is not in anyone\u2019s interest to take people to Everest on a program for which they are not qualified.\u00a0It does IMG no good to get someone over there who blows up or has a big problem.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">An individual may need a higher level of guidance or support to be able to climb safely, but sometimes it just is not possible for them to make a reasonable attempt with their experience and fitness.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">I have no problem turning away members when we do not think they would be a good \u201cfit\u201d for our team. And sometimes, there are factors beyond experience that we take into consideration. Not all experience is equal. I have seen climbers who have been on relatively few climbs but who are able to take responsibility for their own safety and preparedness. Others may go on 10 expeditions and never really assume much control over their own destiny. People vary and it\u2019s part of what makes this business so interesting to me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Phil Crampton of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.altitudejunkies.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Altitude Junkies<\/a> believes there is a decrease in experienced climbers in Nepal and on Everest specifically:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cI had the unfortunate experience of overhearing a conversation between a British female member of a well-known Nepal company and her Sherpa. She explained to the Sherpa that she had never worn crampons before, but the Sherpa reassured her that he would teach her how to use them on Lobuche before they attempted to summit Everest. This is what it has become I am afraid. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">I just had the experience of watching similar qualified people on Ama\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"s1\">Dablam falling all over the place and luckily they were connected to the fixed ropes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">And Dawa Stephen Sherpa of Nepali operator <a href=\"http:\/\/www.asian-trekking.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Asian Trekking<\/a> adds:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cThere is certainly a large number of inexperienced climbers on the mountain and I have also accepted a few inexperienced climbers on my expeditions, on the condition that they have a strong sporting background. However, I do not really see a drastic increase in inexperienced climbers in the last eight years that I have been leading expedition to Everest.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">In looking at Everest 2016 climbers, an 18 year-old from India looking to summit is quoted in <a href=\"http:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/city\/dehradun\/Uttarakhand-school-girl-set-to-scale-Mount-Everest\/articleshow\/51000468.cms\">The Times of India<\/a>:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">&#8220;I never heard of Mt Everest. I never saw glaciers. It was only when I went to Darjeeling for a training in glacier, I saw how glaciers are. I came to know from my NCC (National Cadet Corps) senior that Mt Everest is the world&#8217;s highest peak. Yes, I am going to climb the Mt Everest and it will take two months to climb Everest. The approximate date for flag-in at the summit of Mt. Everest is June 15.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The article goes on to say <\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cPooja will leave for Delhi on March 1, where all the ten cadets will be given physical training for one month. From there, they will head to Nepal on March 28. The Uttarakhand girl said that she was hopeful of climbing the peak on her first attempt.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">This is not unusual these days. In my own observation and experience on the mountain as recent as 2015, I have spoken with many, mostly very young people, saying their only\u00a0climbing experience is on 6000 meter peaks or perhaps a summit Kilimanjaro. They are usually with extremely low costs outfits paying as low as $18,000, including the $11,000 permit.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Willie Benegas of <a href=\"http:\/\/benegasbrothers.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Benegas Brothers Expeditions<\/a> notes the inexperience on Everest thru the many rescues he and his brother, Damien, have participated in:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cIn 2010 during our summit push, I found a climber at the balcony, on all fours, asking me for his Sherpa. First I asked him the name of his expedition, then told him that he needed to go down immediately, and I made it quite clear to him that he was getting me, and my team, in danger!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">For our descent of the South Summit Rock Steps after summiting, I normally bring an extra 70m of rope to rappel left of the rocks and facilitate travel for my team, and avoid the traffic jam that normally happens in this area. This day, during our descent, I was called by radio by another guide requesting help. Upon arriving at the scene, I found the very same climber I had seen earlier that morning still hanging from the fix ropes and creating a big traffic jam, but this time unconscious. We spent what felt like endless hours bringing him down to the South Col, putting our whole crew\u2019s life in danger from fatigue and high altitude exposure. We later discovered that this member had previously been black-listed by another company. The bottom line here is that some companies will take any member in the name of profit, and they are the kind of climbers that can cause danger to everyone up there.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">More expensive companies have much better resources: teams of well trained staff, and Sherpas and guides who are able to deal with members with a lack of experience, or special needs for example, such as being blind! I don\u2019t believe that climbing Everest should be reserved for expert mountaineers only. We live in a moment in time that is all about instant gratification: people from all levels of our society may wake up one morning and say I want to climb Everest! With their morning coffee in one hand, mouse in the other, google and endless websites\u00a0and resources to learn about climbing Everest, they later book a trip and  all their gear online. Any company advertising an Everest climb will present a fantastic image of how good there are, maybe offering a simple training program, but many outfitters offer absolutely\u00a0nothing prior to departure! A member can arrive in Nepal with the\u00a0false idea that the Sherpa with be carrying him or her down the mountain should there be a problem!\u00a0They will get a crash course on navigating fix ropes in base camp, a guide (an uncertified Sherpa) that despite having climbed Everest few times does not actually know anything about safety, or medicine, and off you go!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Stated Requirements<\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">A quick review of what companies place on their websites as prerequisites for an Everest climb is revealing. Most operators make vague statements about experience with most not listing any kind of specific\u00a0requirements but rather promoting their services and the experience of their guides.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Altitude Junkies stands out with this clear statement:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cClimbers on our Everest expedition need to have previously climbed on a 7,000-meter or 8,000-meter Himalayan peak to qualify for our expedition. We do not consider a climb of Aconcagua by its normal route or false traverse as suitable experience to climb Everest with the Junkies.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Sadly, the lack of clear requirements encourages inexperienced applicants and operators, when tempted by an extra member, profit motivation often surpasses common sense in who makes up the team.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">On Mountain Support<\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Almost\u00a0all\u00a0guides depend on Sherpa support to keep their members safe, even the ones lead by Western guides. The  companies have worked wth the same Sherpa teams for many years, if not decades. But with the high growth of new, inexperienced climbers to support, finding qualified Sherpas is becoming a serious issue.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Dawa Steven Sherpa notes:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cI am more concerned about the huge number of unqualified Sherpas who go with inexperienced members. It has also been my experience that novice climbers with experienced Sherpas or guides are not the ones that get in trouble on the mountain, mainly because they have good guidance and because they listen to instructions due to their own inexperience.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The people who regularly get in trouble on the mountain are normally climbers who either go without Sherpa support or with a cheap companies.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">I would say that there is dangerous lack of qualified sherpas on the mountain, especially on the cheaper outfits. By paying inexperienced sherpas very little, this is how the cheap companies can push the prices to rock bottom. Asian Trekking has a core Sherpa and support team of 96 staff, who draw monthly Salaries and work exclusively for us.\u00a0\u00a0On top of that, our Sherpas are also paid wages and bonuses that are well above market rates.That makes Asian Trekking the biggest operator and\u00a0unavoidably makes me an expensive company, but it also makes me reliable, safe and professional.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">And Phil Crampton sees something similar:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">There are some fantastic Sherpas working on Everest, especially the UIAGM certified ones. I am very lucky as I have been using the same bunch of guys for years. The newer generation are heading to Everest, some with\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"s1\">very little experience as the local Nepal companies can hire them for a fraction of what it costs to hire the experienced Sherpas with many summits. Again, it&#8217;s the lowest price that the local operators want to offer to their members.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Willie Benegas comments of training programs by local operators:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cProfessional and well-trained Sherpas are employed by higher end companies. For example four Sherpas who work with BBE are fully IFGMA certified, and we invest heavily in their education. In the winter of 2015 our provider in Nepal, High Altitude Dreams, ran an Everest specific training program with 30 young Sherpas hoping to work with us as expedition support, and just 6 passed the exam. We employed 4 for this past season. If a well-trained Sherpa cannot find a job at Everest he will likely end up guiding on either trekking peaks, or trekking, as it is not worth it doing an Everest climb for a low budget expedition with poor wages.\u00a0 Sherpas who have never received any form of training or have never been on the mountain are being contracted by low end companies, so yes, here, sadly, we find the real cheap labor and exploitation! But it must be understood that it is not across the board.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Only around 30 Sherpas are fully trained and certified by the IFMGA, and another percentage by the NMA (Nepali Mountaineering Association). This, however, is only a tiny percentage of the total Sherpa workforce who are misunderstood by some to all Sherpas are GUIDES on Everest.\u00a0How fair is it for a young Sherpa, with extremely limited mountaineering experience, to be given the responsibility of guiding and keeping alive someone with potentially very dangerous summit fever?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Since 2003, the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.alexlowe.org\/p\/projects\/item\/1\/the-khumbu-climbing-center.htm\"><span class=\"s2\">Khumbu Climbing Center<\/span><\/a> based in Phortse and run by the Alex Lowe Foundation with Conrad Anker, Pete Athens and others trains Sherpas in basic climbing skills, mountain safety, rescue and wilderness first aid. This has been valuable in increasing the skills of many Sherpas.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"p1\">Summary<\/h3>\n<p class=\"p1\">Everest has become more accessible thru known routes, improved gear and weather forecasting, more supplemental oxygen plus over the top support. This has resulted\u00a0in summits rates twice that of\u00a0several decades ago thus along with slick marketing by operators promising you never carry more than a day pack, people with minimal climbing skills are now regularly seen on both sides of Everest; and many account for the staggering death rates we&#8217;ve seen in recent years &#8211; excluding the avalanches and earthquakes related deaths of the past two years.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">While this may appear to be one more reason not to climb Everest, my personal experience is that Everest will always be a credible challenge for the person who goes there with the experience, skills and attitude for a life-time experience. Just be careful of who you choose\u00a0to climb with, their experience\u00a0and who you want on your rope in case of an emergency.<\/p>\n<p>Climb On!<br \/>\nAlan<br \/>\nMemories are Everything<\/p>\n<p>PS For what it is worth,\u00a0before my first Everest climb, I had climbs on Mont Blanc (4897m &#8211; 3 summits), Cho Oyu (reached 8000 meters), Ama Dablam (6856 meters, summited) and Denali (reached 5500m) &#8211; and I did not summit Everest in 2002.<\/p>\n<p>Read\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/2016\/02\/19\/everest-2016-is-this-the-last-year-for-western-guides\/\">part 1<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/2016\/03\/08\/everest-2016-changing-mountain-part-2\/\">part 2 <\/a>\u00a0and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.alanarnette.com\/blog\/2016\/03\/15\/changing_mountain_part_3\/\">part 3<\/a> of this series.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cHow can I get on\u00a0a team to climb Everest?\u201d This is the second most asked question on my blog other than \u201cHow [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Is Everest filled with amateur climbers? 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