Criminals and extortionists add to Everest’s dangers

A Reuters report says that climbers heading to scale Mount Everest tend to arrive fit but few are prepared to face other dangers on the world’s highest mountain – thieves and extortionists – according to a new book.

Climber and journalist Michael Kodas, who has twice attempted to reach the summit of Everest, says he was stunned by the mayhem on Everest which has cost climbers thousands of dollars – and, for some, even their lives.

In a new book “High Crimes: The Fate of Everest in an Age of Greed,” Kodas details dozens of horror stories as the climb becomes more commercialised, such as climbers being abandoned by inexperienced guides, summiteers having lifesaving gear stolen, and dying climbers pleas for help ignored.

He spoke to Reuters about his experiences on Everest, which is attracting more climbers each year. More than 500 people last season successfully reached its peak compared to under 100 about a decade ag

Q: Which years did you attempt to climb Everest?

A: “In 2004 and 2006. I was in reasonably good shape to go to the summit in 2004 but our team was blown apart quite badly. One member of the team, the veteran Everest climber, was threatening my life. He didn’t take any responsibilities as a leader.”

Q: You say you were surprised by the level of crime?

A: Yes. There was a number of things that shocked me, but particularly the level of crime. We had $10,000 of equipment vanish. We had 10 bottles of oxygen vanish, our ropes ended up back in a climbing business in the United States, almost all of our tents went missing. We had quite a problem with theft.”

Q: Why did you decide to write a book on this?

A: “The day I turned back with this man threatening my life there was a man, a doctor, who summited and vanished. I saw emails from his daughter trying to find out what happened to him and we ended up crossing paths in Kathmandu.

As it turned out the guide her father hired had committed about a decade-long series of fraud and thefts that culminated in him getting the doctor to hire him as a guide.

In reality the guide had never summited himself. He forged his international guiding certifications. He botched the climb badly and left the doctor on the mountain, literally begging his sherpa and clutching his legs pleading for help.

I realised if these two things were happening on the mountain on the same day these were not isolated incidents but a trend.”

Q: When do you think these problems started on Everest?

A: “The real issues that I am dealing with and some that I look out go back to the 1996 Everest season – the deadliest season on the mountain that Jon Krakauer chronicled in “Into Thin Air” (when 15 people died).

People thought this would prove to be a cautionary tale and make people think twice about climbing Everest but the opposite proved true.”

Q: How has commercialisation affect Everest?

A: “The nature of the climb has changed a lot. The guided clients back in 1996 paid $65,000. 

It was quite a luxurious trip with the best guides in the world but now there are other people who show up and get by on far less money.

This was really highlighted in 2006 when Briton David Sharp perished on the mountain after about 40 people walked past him to the summit when he was still alive.

It was interesting to me that when people went to his tent they found his receipt and he paid about $6,400 for his whole expedition. You get what you pay for.

He only had two bottles of oxygen instead of the usual five, no sherpas, no radio, no team mates.”

Q: Are the authorities doing anything to improve conditions?

A: “Nepal and China want the money from all those permits and the traffic. They have done everything they can to build infrastructure and bring more people to the mountain.

They are trying to do things to rein in the problem … but people are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in a lawless environment.”

Q: Would you try to climb Everest again?

A: “Never say never. You do tend to forget the horror part and just remember the wonderful connection that takes you to climbing. I don’t want to say that I wouldn’t have loved to get up the top of the mountain.”

A Report by The Mole from Reuters