Will Everest's Climbing Circus Slow Down After Disasters?
Avalanches and earthquakes prompted the cancellation of two seasons—and more soul searching about the ethics of climbing the world's tallest peak.
For the first time in 41 years, no one will climb Mount Everest this year.
The dubious milestone comes after deadly avalanches closed down commercial expeditions to the roof of the world for the second time in two years.
“It’s hard to think right now of what’s exciting and fun about Everest," says Dave Hahn, a guide who was stranded high on the mountain with seven others in his group after Nepal's April 25 earthquake set off an avalanche. “Right now, it’s starting to be a place of sadness and death.”
The magnitude-7.8 quake and Tuesday’s 7.3 aftershock have killed more than 8,000 people in Nepal, including at least 19 expedition members—10 of them Sherpas—at the Everest Base Camp. A
