Explained: Why this season has been so dangerous for Everest climbers

Scaling Mount Everest was never an easy task but this season has turned out to be the deadliest. Organisers of the expeditions say that a combination of severe weather conditions, compromises in safety measures, and the presence of inexperienced and impatient foreign climbers is to blame. This climbing season, the number of fatalities on Mount Everest has risen to 12, with an additional five people reported missing. The growing dangers of climbing the mountain have been worsened by the impacts of climate change. The high number of deaths has also renewed focus on overcrowding after a record number of climbing permits were issued in Nepal. We take a closer look. ‘Carelessness at play’ As the last search and rescue teams hang up their boots and the tent city at base camp packs up for the year, expert climbers say several of the 17 people killed or missing and presumed dead this season could have avoided disaster. “This season was very bad overall,” said expedition organiser Mingma Gyalje Sherpa, of Imagine Nepal Trek and Expedition, whose team was responsible for opening the route to the summit. “The main reason is that the weather was extremely cold… but there was also carelessness.” [caption id=“attachment_12732192” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The deadliest season was in 2015 when at least 18 people died in an earthquake that also killed nearly 9,000 people across Nepal. File image/AFP[/caption] Higher death numbers were recorded in past seasons, but those tolls included several killed in single large-scale disasters. In 2014, 16 Nepali guides were killed by an avalanche, with climbing closed for the season thereafter. The deadliest season was in 2015 when at least 18 people died in an earthquake that also killed nearly 9,000 people across Nepal. This season, 12 people died and five others are missing. Ten of them were foreigners, the highest such toll on record, as well as seven Nepalis: guides, mountain workers and a climber. Among those who lost their lives climbing Everest this year were Jason Kennison, a 40-year-old mechanic from Australia who had overcome spinal injuries to climb to the top but could not make it back down, a Canadian doctor, Pieter Swart, and three Nepalese sherpas who died in an avalanche in April. At least 322 people have died on Mount Everest in total. This is based on records held by The Himalayan Database dating back to 1922. Around five climbers die each year on the oxygen-starved paths to the 8,849-metre (29,032-foot) icy peak. **Also Read: Explained: Why Nepal's famed Sherpas are leaving Mount Everest behind** At the same time, the mountain has gotten more crowded. Nepal issued a record number of permits this season, and local guides complain that too many of those go to inexperienced climbers who can afford to pay tens of thousands of dollars for licences, oxygen, equipment and skilled guides, but may lack the skills they need to climb the world’s highest peak and make it back down safely. Nepal handed out 478 permits for foreign clients this season, with around 600 climbers and guides reaching the top, prompting some to suggest there is a need to cut numbers. Temperature added to the dangers The tough guides say the mountain was the coldest they have ever experienced, with freezing temperatures far lower than usual adding to the danger. “It should already have been warm, around minus 28 degrees Celsius (-18.4 degrees Fahrenheit),” said Mingma Gyalje Sherpa. “This year it was even down to minus 40 degrees.” Climate change is dramatically altering weather patterns and causing extreme fluctuations in temperature, but scientists caution against linking individual events directly to global heating without evidence. Three of Mingma Gyalje Sherpa’s route-opening team — Dawa Tseri, Pemba Tenzing and Lakpa Rita Sherpa — died after dropping off ropes at Camp 2 when a serac ice block fell and buried them in the Khumbu icefall. [caption id=“attachment_12732082” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Around five climbers die each year on the oxygen-starved paths to the 8,849-metre icy peak. Pixabay[/caption] As the season progressed, more climbers died or were reported missing in the icy heights. Several others suffered frostbite and infections related to high-altitude pulmonary edema, when liquid accumulates in air spaces of the lungs. Mingma Gyalje Sherpa said the freezing weather and high winds meant many Nepali guides and porters suffered frostbite early in the season. That had a knock-on impact, especially for equipping higher altitude camps. “It meant that Camp 4 was not prepared enough and not all supplies reached there… but clients were impatient and climbing began,” he said. “I think some of the casualties could have been prevented if all the supplies were there.” **Also Read: ‘Highest Ever’: 900 climbers to attempt Everest Summit in 2023** The rapid growth of the climbing industry has created fierce competition among companies for business, also raising fears that some are cutting corners on safety. Lukas Furtenbach, of Austria-based Furtenbach Adventures, said that a majority of the deaths could have been avoided “with mandatory safety standards”. “These accidents do all have a similar pattern,” Furtenbach said. “This, in combination with the fact that oxygen cylinders have been stolen from several teams, including ours, shows one of the main problems this season — oxygen logistics and safety standards.” Exhausted Sherpas Many climbers dropped out this season, even after paying a non-refundable $11,000 (Rs 9.05 lakh) for a permit and at least $30,000 (Rs 24.71 lakh) more for the expedition. “It shook people’s confidence. When you keep seeing people getting sick, having to be rescued, or bodies being brought down, even the fittest climber has doubts,” said Dawa Steven Sherpa of expedition organiser Asian Trekking. [caption id=“attachment_12732092” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The rapid growth of the climbing industry has created fierce competition among companies for business, also raising fears that some are cutting corners on safety. File image/AFP[/caption] But the season took a heavier toll on Nepali guides, usually ethnic Sherpas from the valleys around Everest, who are considered the backbone of the climbing industry and bear huge risks to carry equipment and food, fix ropes and repair ladders. The increased need for rescues also demanded more staffing. Mountain guide Gelje Sherpa, 30, made headlines after he abandoned his client’s Everest bid to rescue a Malaysian climber from the “death zone” above 8,000 metres, carrying him down on his back when he couldn’t be dragged. “It has been an emotionally and physically draining year for the Sherpas,” Dawa Steven Sherpa said. “Some left, many were injured, which meant that those still on the mountain were overworked. Everyone was exhausted.” With inputs from AFP Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.