Kerjan Astudillo

12/9/15
Debra Jizi
UWRT 1103
Mount Everest
There have been many positives stories about people who would decide to take up the
challenge of climbing Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the world, by first going through a
long training process in order to prepare for the battle that is climbing up the summit. There have
been many stories of those who are able to get to the top and are then able to say with pride that
they were one of the people to succeed in such a task. However, sadly there are not only just
success stories, as there are also cases where people with similar motivations and goals were not
able to make it in the end, but instead serve as a permanent reminder to those climbing up the
mountain of what could happen if not careful. It shouldnt have to be this way though, as there
should be something done to accommodate to the safety of those trying to accomplish their
goals. There should be a guarantee to those climbing the mountain will either be rescued or
provided the resources they need to survive. There shouldnt be a waiver to those wanting to
climb the mountain that says that they need to pay a certain amount to pay for a rescue effort, or
even pay a fee just to recover their bodies. For this essay I will go through the many dangers
faced by climbers, answer what can be done to better the conditions and improve safety of those
seeking to best one of earths greatest challenges, Mount Everest.
In order to go into detail on Mount Everest, one must first learn the history of it. It is widely
known that Mount Everest is the worlds tallest mountain, with a peak elevation of 29,035 feet. It
has been to goal for many climbers for many years. It is found in Nepal and Tibet, China, and

located in the mountain range, the Himalayas. The mountain ranges system formed when the
Indo-Australian plate crashed into the Eurasian plate way back then (Rosenberg). Each year, the
Himalayas continues to grow by a few centimeters as the plates continue to move. The Mount
Everest is named after Sir George Everest, who was the Surveyor General of India, and served
from 1830 to 1843 (Rosenberg). Expeditions to reach the top of Mount Everest have been made
by many people, but with all the rigorous conditions, the death rate is every 1 in 10 (Godheady).
Such conditions like the lack of air, freezing temperature, slippery slopes, and an unforgiving
climb.
One of the many challenges faced by those climbing the summit, hypothermia and frostbite
are huge factors to surviving the climb. Frostbite is when body parts such as fingers, toes and
other exposed parts freeze and if too late, the only thing that can be done is amputate the body
part. On the other hand, hypothermia is when the bodys warming system fails causing the body
to cool the life threating lengths (G.W. Kent Moore and John L. Semple). Both cold-related
emergencies can be found at high altitudes, making the hike up the tallest mountain in the world
not only a challenge, but also a battle for life. In addition, one will find that the higher one gets,
the harder it is to breathe. This is the reason that people carry bottled oxygen while climbing.
Another danger of the mountain is that because it is so cold, much of the mountain can be
slippery, and one misstep can lead to a fatal accident (Rosenberg). This could happen to anyone,
and many fall victim to the conditions. The only thing that can be done is to rely on oneself and
try not to help others. Even though it goes against the values of many people, encountering
someone who needs help will heighten the risk of not surviving to the person helping. There was
a case that was reported that had 40 hikers pass a comatose body, even though some had noted
that he was still alive, yet no one had helped him. It would take help a while to get to the hiker

that was in trouble, but unfortunately that had arrived too late and were unable to save him (G.W.
Kent Moore and John L. Semple).
Another incident that had occurred that had occurred while climbing the mountain was that a
man named Brian Blessed, who had attempted to climb the mountain describes what had started
to happen while up so high. As stated previously, a supply of oxygen must be carried while
climbing the mountain, as the higher it gets, the harder it is to breathe due to the lower
atmospheric pressure that oxygen has from being up so high. He describe having hallucinations
from the lack of oxygen and how exposed skin, even at the best conditions, was susceptible to
frostbite He also describes how being up there for a while and slowly losing oxygen feels like he
was being chocked slowly (Spevack). His story may explain what can happen to those who are
not able to comeback, and may describe what was happening to them in their last moments. In
the 56 years since the first men in history reached the top, 216 people have died, and this shows
another harsh reality of the horrific conditions of the Final Push, which is that 150 bodies have
never been, and likely can never be, recovered and all these bodies can be found on a place
called the Death zone (Spevack). The Death zone is where oxygen levels are one third of sea
level value, and because of this, a person can only stay at altitude for around 48 hours. There are
only 14 mountains that have the Death Zone, which is the point above the 8000 meter mark
(Godheady).
There are conditions and training that people must go through before going up the mountain.
There are times that people with no training decide to climb the mountain because they are thrill
seekers. Critics have always been against letting these people with little to no experience try to
climb up the mountain. The only thing they really need to reach the summit is the assistance for
four underpaid Sherpas to bring them to the summit (G.W. Kent Moore and John L. Semple).

This will at times have them knocking at Deaths door due to their lack of experience. Then
attempts to rescue them will prove to be suicidal for the rescue team. There have been reports of
people trying to remove the bodies stuck up on the mountains and unfortunately end up sharing
the same faith as the corpses they were trying to recover.
There are different things that can be done to help those climbing the mountains and prevent
the need to have other people risk their lives in order to save some lives. There can be a limit to
the amount of climbers and Sherpas on the mountain (Johnson). There can also be smaller teams
in order to prevent any traffic jams that may occur. Another thing to do is better inform those
attempting the mountain, and make sure they have an acceptable amount of knowledge. They can
also ensure that climbers and Sherpas are ready for the high altitudes. This seems to be an
important key to everything. As of recent times, there has been a ban against inexperienced
climbers, preventing them from possibly losing their lives. Of course, the countries around
Mount Everest have also been attempts to speed up and improve attempts to rescue climbers.
They will have eve n more doctors at base camp. However, it will still take 90 minutes for
airborne rescue to recover the sick or injured and get them to help (Johnson).
Attempts to rescue climbers still prove to be difficult, and the only thing that can be done to
lower the chances of those to die climbing the mountain can only be done by better informing
them of the dangers and ensuring that they have the experience to get to the top. The limits
placed by the countries on who is allowed to climb will ensure that the only ones to meet an
unfortunate end will be because of some harsh conditions and an unlucky day and not because of
some mistakes. This may be a grim way to think about it, but it is the only thing that can be said
to those climbing the mountain. Hopefully in the future, rescue attempts can arrive even faster,
and maybe each climber can have a GPS equipped in order for them to be found even faster.

There was a thought to build additional bases while getting higher, but this may receive negative
responses as it takes away from the challenge that is Mount Everest. Being able to say that they
were able to climb the whole mountain, with the only assistance being a guide sounds better than
saying that they were able to rest at the halfway point. It is all up to the people climbing the
mountain the voice their opinions on the issue.
Work Cited
G.W. Kent Moore and John L. Semple. High Altitude Medicine & Biology. March 2012, 13(1):
51-56. doi:10.1089/ham.2011.1061.
Godheady. "A Sea of Lead, a Sky of Slate.": Abandoned on Everest. Godheadv, 2010. Web. 16
Nov. 2015.
Johnson, Joel. "The Open Graveyard of Mt. Everest's "Death Zone"" Gizmodo. Gizmodo, 5 Apr.
2010. Web. 16 Nov. 2015.
Rosenberg, Matt. "Important Facts About Mount Everest." About.com Education. About
Education, 2015. Web. 16 Nov. 2015.
Spevack, Andrew. "Should We Rescue The Everest Climbers?" The Daily Beast.
Newsweek/Daily Beast, 1 May 2015. Web. 16 Nov. 2015.