Everest 2016: A Changing Mountain – Part 1
The Everest 2016 season is now only six weeks away and it looks to be a critical year in terms of commercial guiding. This is part one of a multi-part series I will run looking at the changing commercial landscape on the world’s highest mountain. And why for some operators 2016 is their last year guiding Everest. There are […]
Everest 2016: Expedition Communication Gear – Updated June 2018
Updated June 2018 As the Everest 2016 season approaches, many climbers are researching how to stay in touch with loved ones back home. This post takes a brief look at the options. While staying in touch is mandatory and part of an expedition for me, some people want to get away from it all and escape […]
Movie Review: Everest – As Close to Being There Yourself
If you want to climb Mt. Everest, s take two hours to see the new Hollywood version of the 1996 disaster, but don’t take your spouse – you won’t be allowed to go! Everest has been hyped for several months now as “based on true story” yet not following any specific book or version of what […]
Top 10 Everest Myths
Hollywood and independent filmmakers have found that a well crafted climbing movie, ask especially one about Everest, makes money. The film, Everest, complete with movie stars, green screen special effects and stunning footage taken on Everest, will open in theaters in September. On a much smaller scale, Sherpa, has already made it’s debut at film festivals […]
Everest 2015: Season Summary – Summits Don’t Matter
Over 9, 000 people died in April 2015 from a 7.8 magnitude earthquake near Kathmandu. And no one summited Everest – from either side, from any camp. Summits don’t matter. As has been my custom since 2002, I will summarize the season but this time from my first hand experience as I was climbing Lhotse […]
Everest 2015: The Cost to Climb Everest
This post was first created in December 2014 anticipating the Everest 2105 spring season. I will updated it in late 2015 for the 2016 season, but you can be assured prices are increasing dramatically from what is covered in this article! Many climbers will be in for sticker shock as prices have dramatically increased for 2015. […]
Everest 2014: What’s More Important: Mental or Physical Toughness?
Some people say climbing Everest is mostly mental not physical but I beg to differ. Climbing Everest is about ands. The first time I attempted Everest, I was not ready, physically or mentally. The second time, only a year after the first, was a sad repeat. And the third? Well physically, I was better but […]
Getting in Everest Shape
Believe it or not climbers attempting Everest in the spring of 2014 leave home in only 171 days, a little under 6 months. By now they have paid their deposits, are finalizing gear s but most importantly should be in the throes of training. By the way, the definition of throes is “intense or violent […]
Everest 2013: Ladder on the Hillary Step? A Bad Idea
At the end of each Everest season, operators and officials review the results. They look mostly at the number of summits, deaths, and the issue of congestion at the bottlenecks. There were over 600 summits this year and Everest took nine lives in 2013, ten in 2012. For 2013, this process has begun with gusto […]
Everest 2013: What is the Easiest Route on Everest?
A trick question, I know! In all seriousness there are no “easy” routes up Everest, search just degrees of difficulty. The so-called normal or standard routes are along the Southeast and Northeast Ridges via their respective Cols (click on the map to see the ridges). These are considered the most straightforward climbs that present the least […]