The popularity of Mount Everest has continued to climb, which means that the mountain is getting a bit too crowded for its own good. The Nepalese government issued 371 climbing permits for this year which is the most it ever has. That might not sound a lot, but when you add in guides and sherpas that means around 800 people will be climbing.
The problem is that there is only a small window of time in may when the weather is nice and many people try to make their trip during that time. This isn’t just for convenience sake, the climb is extremely dangerous and frequently deadly so poor weather is to be avoided.
The last time a traffic jam took place on the mountain people lost toes from standing around in the cold too much. Also the longer you’re on the mountain, the more quickly you’re going through your oxygen tanks. The mountain is so treacherous that when people die up there, they’re bodies are left on the trails since it’s not worth it to try and move them.
Ang Tshering Sherpa, the president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association explained.
“On average, every climbing season there are about three to four good days with appropriate weather conditions to allow a safe summit climb.”
