2023-05-30 21:45:39
DISPATCH — It has become a chestnut tree: Everest is ransacked by the waste left behind by climbers. This year even more than the previous ones, in particular because Nepal delivers more and more permits, the roof of the world is struggling to be cleaned.
On Twitter, videos showing the extent of the damage are circulating:
???????? Abandoned gas bottles, torn tents and rubbish by the thousands… Last week, Everest camp 4 (alt 8050m) was transformed into a giant waste disposal center after the passage of expeditions. Simply terrifying and distressing (credit: Tenzi Sherpa) #Nepal pic.twitter.com/wCxQslA1Pb
— the_8000m (@8000mThe) May 29, 2023
Camp IV is located at just over 7,900m above sea level and is the last stop before the final assault on the summit (8,800m). Not everyone achieves it.
35 tonnes of waste on the mountains
This year, no less than 463 candidates for the summit are trying to achieve this. That’s 55 more than in 2021, and 138 more than last year. An increase due to the decisions of the Nepalese government, which wants to make up for the shortfall caused by the Covid-19 crisis by distributing more permits. As reported by the site Outside, this gives between 30 and 40 teams of mountaineers, which vary “from two to more than a hundred people, to which are added several dozen guides and logistics teams”. For eight to three weeks, all these little people must “feed, lodge and climb, for the vast majority with oxygen supplementation”.
As a result, the waste is piling up, and the Sherpas who are hired every year to clean up are struggling to accomplish their heavy task. In 2019, on Everest base camp alone, 14 of them collected 10,386 kg of waste. Two years later, it’s “43 Nepalese soldiers accompanied by experienced Sherpas were tasked with removing as much garbage as possible on Everest, but also on Lhotse, Pumori, Ama Dablam, Makalu and the Dhaulagiri.” Of all these mountains, four of which constitute the “8,000m club”, 35 tonnes of waste had to be descended. More than half were only on the base camps.
Difficult solutions
Unsurprisingly, it is more and more complicated for the country to keep these mountains clean up to their summit. The government is nevertheless looking for solutions, in particular by trying to put climbers to work. Since 2014, climbers have been required to deposit $4,000 per group of climbers, which is refunded if everyone brings back at least eight kilos of waste from their expedition.
Despite this, and the existence of other poorly respected taxes, climbers still seem to put selfies ahead of litter pick-up. The same is true for the “tour operators”, who continue to chain the climbs.
However, the growing media coverage of Everest is not close to solving the problem. Last February, it was the young 21-year-old Youtuber “Inox tag” which revealed his wish to climb the roof of the world in 2024. If he is currently focusing the story on his physical preparation, will he also put the spotlight behind the scenes?
#Everest #welcomes #climbers #awash #waste