Everest is IN TROUBLE - CONTENTIOUS New Regulations for 2024  

One big problem with the human waste and rubbish issue is that that glacier is a MAJOR source of fresh water for communities living downstream from it. The water from that glacier must be so polluted. I’m guessing that local people get sick and have to use brought in water to avoid it. Disgusting Imho

Thank you for this!!!! Nepal needs to do more to keep the environment pristine in such a tourism intensive area. I think every climber who is issued a permit every year should pay a $1000 non-refundable “clean up fee” so that porters can be paid to to go up there to clean the base camps up. Some of the photos you see of trash and piles of empty oxygen bottles are absolutely infuriating!! It’s not as though these rich folks who go there to climb cannot afford it!!

If Nepal was serious about safety and the enviroment, they would reduce the number of permits and increase the qualifications to get a permit. And (gasp) they would even have to use less doggie bags this way...

Wealth inequality exists everywhere but it is particularly stark on Everest where you are paying people to risk their lives, who cannot afford the luxuries they have to carry to base camp.

When we climb Rainier, we are given “blue bags” to carry waste down the mountain. I’m surprised this hasn’t always been a requirement.

Wow! I'm sorry to disagree. If you are there to climb, why not do just that, whats up with making sure you have nice big tents and extra amenities? I think it's terrible the mountain has accumulated so much waste and I wish the Nepal side would make more restrictions

Those extravagances are ridiculous. They will be carrying their tv’s next. All these extravagances means more moneys paid to a few while leaving all that trash. The set up should be the same for all.

I’ve never understood how you can be in a place of superb natural beauty and leave your trash and waste behind. It’s sacrilegious! …and IMHO adding light pollution by having fancy lights strung up is utterly unnecessary

Wow. I don’t agree w China very often, requiring 8K meter experience to climb the Tibet side is a winner.

I’ve never climbed a mountain but have always been intrigued by Mt Everest expeditions. Watching as the years have gone on and the number of people going to the mountain and the trash build up is very concerning. Thank you for reporting on the cleanup efforts of this beautiful treasure.

Why create an unequal social structure on Everest?

Thank you. It looks like a garbage dump up there. Shame on them that did it , and allowed it. They should close it down for now, at least.

The thing about the luxury tents is that I do feel they will encourage people to go who are not taking the risk or hardship seriously. I agree that more notice should have been given, but I don't necessarily disagree with the thinking behind the ban. It does seem like reducing the number of permits and increasing the requirements to get one would be a good move.

Hello. In my humble opinion, all changes regarding environmental protection are very important. But the most important thing is to respect all these changes. Best regards from Poland.

Great video, thank you. If Nepal only issued permits to climbers with experience of climbing above 8,000m, the waste problem would automatically be much reduced. The number of climbers would fall, and also those who climb it would actually have gained some respect for the mountains from their long climbing experiences. Less Sherpas would die too… It’s interesting that Nepal isn’t touching that most necessary restriction. They’re just mucking around with more minor restrictions that we all know will end up resting on the shoulders of porters (literally). Yes it’s important to clean up the mountain and bring rubbish down, but those vast quantities of waste and rubbish have to be brought down by local porters, who all have to seriously harm their health in order to earn their money. The amount of weight each hired porter can carry should also be restricted. At present there’s a scramble for the available jobs that sees the ones promising to carry the most get hired. The porters’ bodies take a terrible toll over their years working on the mountain and many die young or are crippled young. It’s their families who suffer most, as there is little support for ex-porters. That has to be stopped. All the necessary changes are within the abilities of the Nepalese government, but so far they’re far more keen on tourist dollars than on keeping their own people safer or protecting the beauty (and sanctity) of the mountain and the surrounding villages. And of course the tourist climbers will throw their waste bags away. Tourist attitudes to the mountain are largely selfish and terrible, and those of the companies who take the tourists up and down aren’t far off the same given the disgraceful practices that have left Everest and it’s communities in the state they’re now in. This will be a nightmare to police and people will bypass rules where they can, as people always do. Imho

I saw a tragic story of an actually experienced couple who were part of an expedition she died because there was sooo much grid lock on the mountain that her oxygen ran out and she knew she was dieing and her husband who was helpless had to leave her! The sherpas said you must go down its too late for your wife. He was permanently traumatized and none of this should have happened! Much stricter policies must be in place and i totally disagree with luxury on the sacred mountains come on! Ridiculous!

More luxury means more stuff has to be transported up and down. Means more porters (more human waste) and/or more helicopter flights. I just walked the Annapurna circuit in October. Also a very tourist crowded area. And yes I had botteled water and slept in a bed with sheets. I think it must be possible to find a balance between environmental impact and giving work for the locals. Where this point should be, I can't say. But bringing up heavy beds, a pingpong-table, private stainless steel sinks seems a litle bit excessive.

I follow leave no trace principles when I’m in the woods or mountains. I would never want to go to Everest. Climbing feces and dead bodies and standing in line waiting to summit. This should have been done years ago but the greed got in the way.

It should be a privilege to climb Mt. Everest. done with the utmost respect for the environment . And its people . Take away all the garbage that's been left behind over the years . And close down these resort type tents . There are far too many greedy agencies involved in destroying what was once a pristine environment.

I've literally seen people throw garbage on the street when an empty trash can is less than ten feet away. Some will transport their waste off the mountain, but I doubt the majority will. And since they won't restrict access to the mountain (which is too profitable), this unfortunately will continue

I used to want to summit this mountain, but after seeing pics of the crowds and trash, I lost all interest.

Thank you for posting. I think the large dome camps at base camp are a bit ridiculous and I’m glad to hear of the new regulations. In my view, luxuries such as these lead to inexperienced climbers and overcrowding on the mountain. Both things we can agree are a problem.

If you can’t sleep without being raised off the floor, sorry western business owners but Nepal is saying Everest just ain’t for those people & thats their right

I think that the Sherpas should decide on the luxury items that are carried up to Everest. The mountain holds religious and cultural significance for the Sherpas and they are the people who have to transport and set it all up. I think that their wishes should be respected.

Nepal has the right to say to western business owners “your way of taking the profit from our mountains are over & you won’t skim profits from our Sherpa’s anymore”

Thanks for the commentary. As a medical professional I have been stunned to learn of the human waste on Everest treks. I am for any amount of regulation to get in place to ensure ‘nothing left behind’. In particular garbage, feces, and the removal of bodies when possible. It’s absolutely in-humane and uncivilized to leave bodies to gawk at when pursuing an‘adventure for glory and bragging rights!! I’m a humatarisn not a zealot! Please establish a’body fund’ to enable reasonable ‘risk dollars’ to ring these victims home to families if at all possible. ( granted, some extractions are impossible) 😮

The government of Nepal seems not to understand either supply and demand or externalities. 1. The demand for Everest far exceeds the supply, so prices should go up until the two lines intersect. At that point there would be more revenue and less harm. 2. Externalities are costs not borne by those who generate them. Smog from a factory is one such example. Left unchecked, it's costs are borne by those whose environment and/or health is impacted. The purpose of much legislation is to internalize such costs so that producers and consumers bear the real costs of the thing in question. Needless to say, Nepalese authorities need to internalize the costs of the waste on Everest. Build that into the fees they charge, along with a properly trained and compensated workforce, and the problem would go away. Far fewer people would be able to go, but no one is "owed" the chance to go there. If they can't afford the actual cost of going, letting them do so just costs others the same chance later on as the resource is damaged.

Surely luxury tents, luxury food, led lights, etc, require extra people to carry up the valley to base camp. Then all these extra porters need to eat, and poop. Not sure how you missed that fact, bud?

I’m not a mountain climber, but as a backpacker - I believe everyone enjoying outdoor spaces should practice Leave No Trace regardless of their net worth. Wag bags are becoming more and more of a requirement on trails that too many humans are causing a poop problem, and in ecosystems that don’t easily break down the waste in a cat hole. Seriously, I can’t wrap my brain around someone having the desire to watch a television during an Everest experience … but again, I’m just a backpacker Thank you for this video!

Thank you for bringing us such a great information about what’s going on on the mountain. Really appreciate it.

Thank you for your videos. I won't ever climb mountains or travel to Nepal, but watching your videos allows me to know about what is happening in the climbing world. Your videos are very nicely done.

I think that you are right as for the reasons, however some control should be imposed as otherwise the whole mountain will be kind of resorts.

Thank you for this video. When you were talking about the amenities for the Rich, it struck me as odd because Nepal, in general is a very poor country. And they make their money off of people exploring their country and wanting to climb their mountains. I have not climbed Mount Everest, nor do I have a desire to, but I am hiking to Basecamp to experience the beauty of the area. I just don’t see why people need to have TVs at Basecamp. In the 1950s, people managed to climb Everest and to be at Basecamp without all of these luxuries. Just because you can afford it, doesn’t mean you need to do it. Regarding the waste, it is infuriating That people do not think about how they are potentially adversely affecting the mountains. I hope that they do figure out a proper way to address this, that people will actually follow. Regarding the bodies, I’ve watched many documentaries, and I thought it was stated that some of these bodies cannot be removed because they are so buried in thick ice or where they are located, it would be hard to get to. I’m sure all of their families wouldn’t want nothing more than to have their loved ones returned, but it doesn’t seem to be an easy Task. And if you think about China, they have the ability to restrict people, climbing on their side because they’re not so dependent on the tourism versus Nepal. Plus, they also have the resources/manpower to go up there and clean the trash and collect the bodies. Again, these are opinions of someone who is not a professional climber. I look forward to watching more of your videos!

It’s about time!! This should have been done years ago! I can’t believe all the trash that is left behind every year. I can’t believe how people litter at such a beautiful place. Love the idea of no luxury tents also.

what a shitty situation. everest shouldnt take crap from anyone imo.

If you want luxuries, go to a 5 star hotel. Everest should be for earnest, genuine climbers. I’m not a climber - can hardly get up a ladder - this is my unbiased opinion.

One more comment. Concerning the extravagant tents, how many support personnel are required for these? That seems like it would also bring extra unnecessary waste to the mountain. Maybe they can save the extravagance for a private celebration after they summit to help keep the mountain as natural as possible.

Hi, I really enjoy your channel. I just got back from basecamp 9 days ago. I ran the Everest Marathon. When our group (around 170 or so) got to basecamp we had rules to follow. I personally though basecamp looked really clean. There were dozens of porters caring everything you could imagine out. So I think the government is trying really hard to to fix the problem. Note: The Julian Sands RU-vid was very informative. Living in SO CA I have hiked/ran Mt. Baldy dozens of times and in the winter it is a different mountain.

This was so fascinating! Thanks for covering this aspect of the mountain and the local dilemma of culture and economics!

Very informative video, thank you Thom.

I wouldn’t even want to do this now. It seems so tainted!

Anaerobic Digestion is a wholly natural process with great potential not only in the mountains but also in many other deprived areas. The process will take any organic material including human bodies and convert it into methane, heat and fertiliser. Spread the word !!!

I have been thinking a lot about Everest lately what it being 100 years since Mallory and Irvine submitted or not and I read something interesting only a few days back. Apparently Nepal has approved over 500 climbing permits for this year which means that with the Sherpas, guides etc, etc that there will be about 1000 people on Everest's south side. What a travesty and I strongly believe that even MORE climbers will die this year due to the crowds and inexperienced climbers. I further read that China now has a policy that only climbers who have already summited an 8000 metre mountain will recieve a permit for travel through Tibet to the North Face! I wonder what those men and women who are now permanent residents on Everest and who were already experienced climbers before deciding to tackle Everest would think of the chaos which has been bought to this beautiful and spiritual mountain? If they WERE in actual graves then I'm sure they would be turning in them! Thanks for the video! I appreciate it.

There was a time when going backpacking, stream fishing, extended camping in remote areas meant "roughing it out" for a while. It meant getting away from the cushy comforts of your living room, and enjoying the outdoors. Today's mentality is; "I want the recognition, but not the hard work that goes with it"! The idea of doing Mt Everest is physically challenging oneself, testing the limits of your body, understanding the risks involved, and accepting those risks, it is a choice one makes. Commercialization has endangered more lives, the natural environment, it inserts laziness, and breeds entitlement at the expense of others. The luxury camps should be done away with, and packing your crap out should be a must, "pack it in pack it out", it is a practice long-established by outdoorsmen for decades. Today, when an individual professes to have summited MT Everest, I'm thinking; yeah, how many Sherpas did it take to short rope you in, and haul your whiney butt cheeks out! I don't look at Everest the way I did 50 years ago, today when Everest is mentioned, I see a garbage dump, a sh*thole, and an endless graveyard! The choice of summiting Everest knowing the risks involved, should also entale assigning your dead carcus to medical research institutions when the death zone's grim reaper takes your soul. End of rant.

This is a fascinating video, Thom. Thank you. I've heard that the almost constant sound of helicopters is really bad. It would drive me insane and take so much away from the natural beauty of the sounds and silence of nature I'd want to enjoy. I understand that, while some are giving tours or dropping people off at base camp vs walking in, some are ferrying people up to camp 1 and 2 to avoid the icefall. I've heard rumor that for safety reasons there's also been talk about possibly ferrying everything (people, gear, etc.) up beyond the icefall. If true, can that be one of the reasons they want to get choppers out of there? I mean, if everything is ferried past the icefall, possibly there would be job loss because fewer sherpas would be needed.

I’ve been trying to get a wilderness permit for a backpacking trip in Yosemite. I’ve gotta go through a lottery to get my permit. What’s stoping Nepal from reducing the number of Everest permits that are awarded?

I told you some six months ago...SHUT EVEREST DOWN for two years. Let the mountain heal while working on the waste issue. LOVE getting rid of all the luxuries! Put those SKU's on the bags so they can be tracked. Scanned before going up...so they better have them for scanning when they return.

Thank you for this. Festering feces is no laughing matter and WAG bags sound great, but only two per climber???? And as you state, will they really take them down. All the garbage needs to be taken off of Everest. Close the mountain and clean it up first before opening it. It might be difficult above 7,000 and particularly 8,000 meters, but perhaps each climber could take down one empty discarded gas tank from the balcony or elsewhere as they descend. I doubt the Nepalese officials will really close the mountain or lower the number of people they give permits too. Too much money that goes into the pockets of officials ruling with impunity.... I have to disagree with you on the luxuries. Double beds and ping pong tables and big flat screen televisions at Base Camp!!! Climbing for Softies is what I would call my expedition company if I had one. Not a bad name, eh?. A base camp should not be compared with staying at the Ritz Carlton VIP rooms or the Four Seasons. It is appalling. If luxury is what you want, go to a spa in Big Sur or Capetown or the French Riviera. But on Everest? Personally, I'd rather have my own adventures away from the maddening crowd, but I find all these amenities at 17,500 feet totally absurd and unethical. This is not about disliking the people who can afford luxuries, this is about mountaineering. It's about the Freedom of the Hills (I still have my first edition battered copy.) This is about experiencing a mountain. Let's turn Everest back into the formidable wilderness it once was. Spas and luxury resorts are fine, but not on mountains. (I don't even like the "huts" in the White Mountains, even though I like their food. But wouldn't it be better if there was only a few emergency shelters up there. As far as individual tents with en suite bathrooms with queen size beds and plush rugs and insulated walls and furniture. That is completely insane. Go on safari in Kenya or Botswana if you want that. If you are climbing a mountain, then respect the wilderness and the mountain and be a true climber and respect the environment and the culture. Goodbye big dome tents. All those helicopters should be banned too, except for emergencies. Wilderness ethics should be the rule on Mt. Everest. Perhaps then inexperienced climbers will think twice about trying to summit and will save their lives and perhaps those of Sherpas who risk their lives always trying to save someone's life. A Sherpa's job is hard enough. Scaling a mountain like Everest is not for those who have a bucket list but little experience. I always hear the same things about very expensive safaris where I now live in Africa. They are always improving the lives of people and protect the environment. It is just PR, just as I believe the big expedition companies on Everest spout their PR while leaving garbage all over the place. The proposed rules aren't for the benefit of the expedition companies, granted. They are for the benefit of the mountain and its surroundings. There are too many people on Everest. Too many lives lost unnecessarily. Too many families destroyed. I hate to say this but please take a step back. Your videos are great, but in this one you appear to be an apologist for these large expedition companies without spending any time on the reasons for getting rid of all these luxuries. So I ask you very respectfully to please take a step back. Ask yourself this. If the expedition companies really cared about the mountain and the safety of people, wouldn't they have already put in place strategies to keep the mountain clean and agreed to limits on clients attempting the summit of Everest. Maybe a small amount of the money gets to the locals, but honestly the big millions of dollars in profits goes back home to Australia, or Europe or the USA. The expedition companies may have good PR, but the evidence is clear they continue to operate with little true regard to the filth of mountains and the consequences of life and death due to overcrowding of clients. Further, do we really need a small city at 17,500 feet on Everest. It is not a base camp anymore, but a playground. Wouldn't it be great to restore the pristine nature of the mountain, to reduce the pollution and garbage, and do away with the noise pollution from choppers and blaring televisions. Honestly, the base camp as it has been operating on Everest is an ugly scar on the mountain. In some of your wonderful videos you have admitted that there are too many people on the mountain who endanger one another. Perhaps these rules will substantially reduce the hundreds of climbers and support teams on the mountain during the short climbing season. It would be a breath of fresh air. Some of the expedition businesses will either have to adapt or go out of business. Everything changes. We have to have priorities. Safe climbing and a clean mountain environment should be the priority. Not money and profit motive, which has proven to lead to many deaths and a filthy mountain. And just like Africa, if a luxury tax or surcharge was instituted, I doubt that most of the funds will never ever get to the people who need it. But the PR mavens and gov't will say it does. I would also suggest giving the porters a substantial raise for risking their lives placing ladders, fixing ropes, and carving out a trail for the neophytes (and even the professionals) to follow,and even putting their lives at risk to save others who will go back to their countries and lives and forget about the Sherpas who made it all possible..

Great video good sir. I appreciate your clear and detailed way of speaking about Everest and the issues it’s facing. As a recreational backpacker I would think the age old rule of pack out what you pack in would be infinitely times more followed there and the other big mountains of our planet

Thanks for sharing this. I have never been there, but am friends with a Sherpa. I also recently met a non-climber heading to Nepal. One of his goals when he is there is to help the local people pick up trash left behind. Every little bit helps.

I found your channel by accident and immediately followed after the first video. Really good content, thank you for making these great videos!

preserving a natural environment is actually realllly easy, just keep humans completely away from it.

I care for the environment no matter where it is. I do think the use of these waste bags is a good idea, yet there will always be those like you mentioned who will toss theirs into a crevasse as soon as no-one is looking. It's human nature. My goodness, we've been carrying around little plastic bags to pick up after our canines for ages now when walking around the block and I'm surprised a program like this has taken so long to put into affect. As for the luxury items being brought up to Base Camp, I really don't see a need for it. I feel that those setting up these 'glamping' tents are not aiming at the climbers but want to attract tourists to Base Camp only. Does Everest honestly need a bunch of tourists flooding in now that are only coming to Base Camp and expect luxurious accommodation? This will only mean more people on the mountain, (more waste), and continuous helicopter flights to not only bring in the endless tourists but all of the supplies that are needed to erect these monstrosities of unneeded dome tents. Do you really need a table tennis table, bean bags to laze in to enjoy the view and flashing lights that will impact others trying to rest in their tents. Coffee machines etc., where is all the power coming from to run all these luxuries? Just imagine trying to rest up for a few days and being kept awake by helicopters all day long. How about being respectful to those who are there to climb the mountain. It just sounds to me that they are trying to turn Everest into a resort. I'm unable to climb because of severe injury, yet I am able to hike and camp. I spent five years straight on the road with my faithful canine companion and the garbage I witnessed in remote areas made me see red. I was always going around cleaning up other campers mess and either burning it or taking the garbage with mine when I left. I'm in no condition to being doing this but I care for the environment so much that I just can't leave the rubbish there. From what I've seen of pictures from Everest, this garbage problem from the climbers, especially oxygen tanks need to be cleaned up before even considering bringing in 'Base Camp tourists'. If I was able to get to Base Camp, I would not expect anything different than what all others do. What's the point of reaching this spectacular place, only to set yourself up in luxury and not experience it as all others do. You don't expect to find luxurious dome tents when camping on flat ground when enjoying the great outdoors in the Outback or wilderness, so why should it be any different on Everest? If you can't endure the conditions, then find another destination! As for this waste management system, why isn't the Nepalese Gov't putting in the money to get it done? They're the ones profiting off each climber with $11,000 per permit. When you consider how many climbers pay for permits in one season alone, that should well and truly cover the cost. They want the climbers coming to bring money into the country, so the least they can do is build this system. It surprises me that after all this time of talking about cleaning up the mountain, still not much has been done. I have continuously heard about plans to get bodies from the mountain since a child and yet it still hasn't been done several decades later. I'm tired of hearing nothing but talk, yet no action. Plans are always being made but when do they ever come to fruition? I've loved the outdoors since a very young child and have been lucky enough to have seen much of it over the world. I was fascinated by watching the Jacques Cousteau documentaries throughout my childhood and grew up with a respect for the environment, wherever it was. Don't talk about any plans about implementing this or that until it's actually underway as a reality. When you've been hearing the same plans for over four decades without any action, I'll remain pessimistic until these plans are finally achieved.🇦🇺💖

I appreciate what you are sharing.

Great channel.

Your video was very informative! Thank you! 💜

Living for the past 40 years in Nepal and mostly in Everest region, I appreciate your video. Let's all work together and implement the new Nepal government regulations

Subbed!

Amazing, provocative video Thom. The new Mayor of Kathmandu is apparently cleaning up the city, so that's a good sign as well. Sure looked better last month when I was there. Porters will likely be the ones carrying it out from Everest as usual...unless they have allergies to corn or peanuts 😁

Good work mate ,thanks for your time with this situation 🤝

Trash everywhere - not just on Everest angers and dismays me. I have to pick up a bag of trash before being able to enjoy any outdoor experience I have. Those that do this have no respect for nature or others, and are blind to or just want to destroy beauty in their pursuit of pathetic bragging rights. Their sense of entitlement is staggering. I loved lockdown because at least it kept people at bay.

If they make them check in upon return to base camp with their used bag to turn in would help. Fine the company they climbed with. That way the company will be constantly asking do you have you dung

Wow i really hope this project happens! I feel like anyone that has climbed in the past should donate, and i feel like a portion of all future permits issued should go to the project! As far as like TV's, i feel like there should be one large like "community tent", with a TV, and that should be the only TV amd where people can relax in that way, and then you go to sleep privately in your own tent. As far a how lavish the personal tents are, i think a blow up mattress would be sufficient for being elevated off the ground. My concern is with the higher you go, how difficult it is to take more things in amd out, and who ends up breaking their back doing that. Thank uou for this content! Im not a climber but im just very interested in Everst happenings and ive been binging your content since i recently discovered your channel!

The only way to help Everest is to stop corporate climbing.

I was in the base camp of everest in 1978, I thought there was trash then I can't imagine how it is now.... sad.

I’m not a climber but enjoy learning about Everest because it was almost untouchable. The fact that it now looks like a tourist trap is appalling!!! The Lines of people trying to get to the summit is ridiculous. The way you say, they want the garbage and BODIES removed says it all. There are a lot of people that have NO business being up there. Selfish people and their garbage, littering the mountains, or anywhere on this planet is SICK!!!

One question, if each climber only gets two bags that doesn’t seem like enough to last for their time on the mountain. Would they get additional bags or are these only to be used for the upper camps?

Thanks, Thom. I am afraid of the future.

What about urine…..also a biohazard?

think that part of the reason people don't like the luxurious domes and stuff is that sometimes you just want to go out into nature and experience nature, and not more of society and its luxuries--especially if they're not fortunate enough to be partaking in the luxuries like you mentioned. 😅

There is no way I could climb Sagarmatha simply because of the altitude. Maybe after a long trek I could make base camp. As far as luxuries, I would love to stop by a venerable Nepalese tea house and have real tea with yak milk. That to me would be a luxury. The only harm I can see with luxuries at base camp is that someone must bring that stuff there and take it back down. If that means ‘copters then that would tend to add pollution too. Otherwise yes, to each his own. I agree that waking up in the middle of the night, having to put your boots back on, and trudge across a slippery expanse of ice while groggy, just to go to “make water” is what I like least about camping in winter conditions. But when I go I know it is a choice that I made. If certain companies provide luxuries for a price, only if this increases the number of clients up at base camp do I see an issue. Obviously the fewer the number of climbers on the mountain the less the environmental impact will be. Although I don’t see why Nepal must go out of their way to punish would be climbers. Maybe they are making more than enough money on permit charges already and are trying to figure out a way to curtail things. Whatever it takes to clean things up seems like the end goal, and a worthy one.

I would just build some stairs all the way to the top and an escalator some elevators a train bus cabs a airport just build a canal with locks and dams just cut the top of the mountain off in half a mile.

Have been watching lots of Everest documentaries, yours is the first one that has shown how the rich people live at base camp. My husband and I were absolutely astounded by the ridiculous luxurious living. The only thing they’re missing is a Starbucks and a spa. Understand they need to rest but come on. The excessive amount of expensive bean bags, chairs, steel washing stations, carpets (which blew my mind) . How do they get their minds and souls ready to climb I would never understand with all these distractions. Unfortunately Everest is now just an ego photo ready to be taken, and so many unprepared rich , entitled people try to climb, and with all these luxuries in place doesn’t really tell them the true dangers climbing everest can bring. It should go back to how it was years ago, less climbers and only ones with experience. Feel sorry for the Sherpas who have to pander to these types of people.

I care very much about the trash I see along the roads as I drive by. It's getting worse all the time. I pick up trash where ever I go. It's isn't just an occasional bottle or can it's solid trash all along the roads. We need to do better were ever we are on the road or on the mountain.

Hi, I love your videos and voice

Nepal has known about this for decades.

Yes! I'm all for keeping it pristine! Pack I in, pack it out!

I'm guessing due to altitude sickness there's a lot of diarrhea on camp 4

Interesting. Non climber here but enjoy climbing content.

Absolutely agree with luxury tax. Not sure II agree with your fee-market analysis, however

13 tons of crap a year!!😮 goodness theres that much traffic up there?... damn... And i really dont see why you should have 5-star luxury service for going up everest! Wheres the thrill in that?!!

If you can afford the climb Everest you can add a couple of hundred dollars to support the environment and locals. It’s the least they can do. Without the locals very few would make it to the top.

Man, am I naive. I always assumed zero impact hiking and camping here in USA was standard, and I'm 71yo. I realize other countries are behind us, but for it to be a radical (rather than standard) concept astonishes me.

Pay to pollute. Sickening behavior by those with money.

About time 🎉. So much left behind stuff…let alone bodies of those who have passed doing what they loved and still respected to this day

Well done hiking your own waste out will be a great achievement for each hiker . The nature spirit will be very proud of this move . The conscience cleared for all involved

I would applaude the sherpa community and the Nepal government to actively think about the environment on and surrounding areas of Mt Everest park. Frozen shit dont go anywhere. When i saw aehile back people gramping in dome tents i thought how embarrassing to be seen so nurtured like kings and the stark contrast to the poor sherpa people. What a fast. Your hotel example dosnt really cut it as the normal tents would be freezing

I see three main options. All of them involve the Nepalese government leveling fines for leaving trash and waste. 1) Logistics only support. Stuff gets hauled to base camp, base camp cooks and other services. Climbers could be made to pay a communal fee for setting up fixed ropes and ladders. No direct guiding in the mountain would be allowed. Result is a smaller user group and a higher skill level. But Nepal doesn’t want that because 💰 2) Logistics support and direct guiding on the mountain allowed, but no fixed ropes / ladders. Or, no fixed ropes or ladders allowed above the khumbu icefall. I like this option the best, guiding is still allowed, being a reputable guide service becomes way more important, the user group is smaller and higher skilled, fixed ropes aren’t left to litter the place like in the other two options. A big downside is that the increase in difficulty would likely lead to more O2 bottles and other gear being left in higher camps if I’m being realistic. This would also greatly cut into Nepalese profits from summit permits. Personally I hate fixed ropes in a climb, stop leveling the mountain to your ability, show up and do what you can. I wouldn’t feel nearly as accomplished if I pulled on some ladder, it’s not the same. The ropes and ladders literally get in the way of trying to climb, they can’t just be “ignored”. 3) They can try just implementing fines for people / guiding services that don’t clean up but to be frank bribing would be rampant. They would still have a very large and unskilled user base. It is a very hard to fix problem, to many people recreating AND they don’t have a local connection to the place. It’s just a destination to them and then they leave it behind. A lot of the people climbing are not “climbers” and the sherpas / guides see this as a cash cow industry. Don’t get me wrong, people have pride in the love of Everest in their Sherpa community, but it isn’t enough to solve the magnitude of the issue. If I had it my way the khumbu icefall wouldn’t have ladders either. Glacier travel (or getting around it) is a significant part of the package when it comes to climbing big mountains. A to bypass around the khumbu has now been soloed twice in winter that I know of, the grade is m4, frankly that is not too high of an ask for someone attempting the worlds highest peak. If guiding is allowed than it wouldn’t take that much prep for a client to be guided through that. But, most of the local guides don’t have the skill level to pull m4. Maybe I’m a prick but I don’t think a moderate mixed climbing grade is that crazy for what is literally the worlds tallest peak.

I have spent most of my life in the mountains here and I find that the respect the mountains deserves begins when you learn to love them without thinking you can ever own them.

I spent half my life living on an island and was part of a local out of our pockets trash can campaign with permission from the National Park Service as many visitors thought it was someone else's job to clean up after them. Some couldn't even be bothered to use our trash cans that were literally two feet from the path they took to the walk over which I'm proud to have learned how to build by helping build some to protect the dunes. Now 8 states away in another tourist town, Milton New Hampshire I'm still picking up trash and cigarette butts as just below my property is part of one of three interconnected lakes that empty into the ocean eventually and I've watched during rain events where to focus on to prevent butts entering the lake. Mt Everest and the climbing community obviously have much more money than me or the average beach goer and it obviously takes much more planning to climb so I don't understand why they can't plan on removing their urine, feces, oxygen bottles and trash. Very lazy and completely disrespectful in my opinion. Either pack your shit out or don't go. Literally

Ironic that the talk all off-season was how Nepal might step in to prevent 17 more people from dying on the mountain in a single year, and whether they would have stricter permitting requirements, ect... AND what they came up with was human doggie bags and less luxuries for the climbers...

I am wondering if they imposed these regulations so that they had an excuse not to allow as many permits as they did in previous years?

No matter what country you're from you're all old enough to know that you need to treat the mountain with respect and none of you should have left anything on it to begin with

Can I join a charity and volunteer? I am a retired military medic and I can spare a couple of months annually (on my dime!)…please post updates in description of possible in future. Excellent way to start…bravo Napal! 🤗

Listen to Kanchha Sherpa and respect the people of Nepal. "Kanchha Sherpa, the last survivor of the 1953 Everest expedition, highlights the critical issues of pollution and overcrowding on the world's highest peak." (From an article I found in "The Peoples’ Network, BNN" Dated: 02 Mar 2024 )

They should register all equipment with serial numbers, a deposit is left to pay someone to go get it. If they leave stuff their deposit is lost but if they bring everything back they get thier deposit back. Also, companies that have too much stuff loss lose their ability to get future authorization to have climbers.

I think your operator friend makes a very good argument about the latest restrictions. Do they realize that this will ultimately effect many that live in the local community? I agree a decision made without a round table discussion with all the operators is unfair and strikes of a conspiracy of benefiting local businesses.

Ive heard they always come up with new rules every year but never follow through with anything.

I think it’s great that they finally listened to whoever got through to them about the mess…..Thom personally I think it’s going to be 50/50 of human waste from the tourist. There is always one bad egg in a group. As for the luxury tents I think they’re fine and if they think about it if a non person in the luxury group want to go into the tents they should be charged and that money is used for a proper clean up. My arm is playing up on me tonight so ni night everyone. ( another great video Thom ) 🥵 we are melting here in Sydney. Looking forward for autumn

Having been to Nepal, I would really want to see what "disposed of properly" means.