Narrator: As treacherous as this crossing is, for many, climbing Mount Everest is the adventure of a lifetime. Some climbers shell out as much as $100,000 for a chance to reach the summit. A major part of the expense is paying the experienced guides who make their living on the mountain. But it's dangerous work. 340 people have lost their lives on Everest in the last century. A third of them were guides. Narrator: But the high death toll hasn't deterred thrill-seekers, and the rapidly expanding tourist industry is straining the ecosystem and the local economy. Narrator: So, why is climbing Mount Everest so expensive? And given the risks involved, is it expensive enough? Considering the danger, it's no surprise that mountain guides are one of the biggest expenses in summiting Everest. Phurba Wangchhu has touched Everest's peak 14 times already. Narrator: He begins every climb with a puja ceremony,

praying for safe passage and paying respect to the mountain. Even with his success rate, he never underestimates the deadly risks. Narrator: Over the next several weeks, this group of 16 will climb for hours on end in total darkness, face the threat of avalanches and storms, and cross deadly passageways. Phurba Wangchhu and his team of experienced guides are their best chance of making it to the summit and surviving. Sam: It gives you a lot of confidence when your Sherpa has 15, 16 summits, like some of these Sherpas here. When you're at high altitude and you're in those situations and they tell you, It's OK, it's going to be OK, it's very reassuring that they've summited so many times. Narrator: It's more than just mentally reassuring. On the mountain, the choices guides make directly affect whether a climber lives.

The next morning, another group of climbers is gearing up for its expedition. Ismail: It takes a bit of time to put it, but it saves your foot on the minus 30 or 50 sometimes. Narrator: Near base camp, at 5,364 meters, climbing guides lead a vital training course. Without this refresher, climbers won't know how to work with their specific expedition team. The guides are using the limited time they have today to review how best to handle steep inclines and to teach this team how to problem-solve on the spot. Climber: Sorry. Narrator: The course is one of the services included in a mountain guide's cost. Guides only work with experienced high-altitude mountaineers, a requirement of the Nepalese government. But that doesn't mean the climbers are ready to brave Everest's extreme climate yet. Ismail: I think if you're talking about

high-altitude mountaineering. It's important to do this at least every six months. It keeps your body ready for, I think, lack of oxygen. I came here by helicopter, which is not probably, it was not the best idea. So the first days were quite hard. Narrator: It'll be Ismail's second attempt at summiting Everest. He confronted the danger that awaits his new team over a decade ago. Ismail: We almost reached 8,500, but because of the very unfavorable weather conditions, had to return. So the summit was very close. So after 11 years, I'm back. Narrator: Ismail averted catastrophe in his first summit attempt. But not everyone is so lucky. When climbers are critically injured, guides have to be prepared to switch an expedition to a rescue and provide emergency relief. In May 2023, a team of Sherpa guides rescued a climber from Everest's death zone.

Over the course of six hours, the guides carried him on their backs down to Camp 3. Since the 2019 season, as a safety measure, Nepal has required every climber to be accompanied by at least one climbing guide. And choosing a local guide has its distinct benefits on Everest. Many of these mountain guides are Sherpas, an ethnic group native to the slopes of Mount Everest. Clip: The conquering team was composed of 20 Americans aided by Sherpa tribesmen, who acted as carriers. Narrator: Though the term Sherpa is informally used as a catchall for Everest guides, the Sherpa people have been closely involved in mountaineering here since the very first Everest expeditions. Their tissues use oxygen more efficiently and preserve muscle energy better than people from lowlands. That's one of the reasons Sherpa guides can assist their climbers with heavy loads without risking as much physical strain. I've got a very good Sherpa,

and he carries a lot. So about 10 kg I would carry, but they would carry three times that. Narrator: And it's indispensable, especially here at the Khumbu Icefall, where three Sherpas lost their lives in 2023. At an elevation of 5,486 meters, the team slowly makes its way through shifting glaciers. The group is also relying on the work that locals known as icefall doctors did months earlier. These specialized climbers establish the safest route to the top of Everest every season. A separate fee of $600 per expedition member goes to these icefall doctors to use the ladders and ropes they set up. But even with a clear path, climbers are still in danger of crevasses opening and closing, and even unexpected avalanches. Narrator: For each of these climbs, guides certified by the International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations can charge agencies $10,000. Less experienced climbing guides make only $4,000 per climb.

The agency Phurba Wangchhu works with, Makalu Adventure, says it pays guides an additional $1,500 for every successful summit. It charges about $30,000 to climb Everest, but some foreign agencies charge over double that amount. We charge US$73,000 for an Everest ascent, and that's basically an all-up package, excluding your equipment and your flights to Nepal. Narrator: Guy Cotter is the CEO of Adventure Consultants. Guy acted as a mountain guide on the New Zealand company's pioneering commercial expedition up Everest in 1992. He took over the business after his friend Rob Hall died on the mountain in 1996. Guy: Included in the cost of coming on one of our expeditions to Everest is that we have internationally qualified mountain guides, guides who have a huge amount of experience as mountain guides and in the Himalayas. We also have a high-flow oxygen rate of 4 liters a minute,

the maximum we can get out of the regulators that we're using. We include a doctor on the expedition, base-camp cooks for the Sherpas. We have base-camp cooks for the climbing team. We have cooks at Camp 2 that are based there for the season as well. We also provide a base-camp manager. Every expedition member gets their own base-camp tent, a walk-in tent with a cot bed. Really nice and comfortable. We believe in a good level of support, really good food. Narrator: No matter the price point, all expeditions must dedicate a chunk of their budget to hiring porters, like Santosh Tamang. Porters carry supplies up and down the mountain on foot, the only choice in this remote and rugged terrain. Though most porters rely solely on their own strength, some, like Santosh, invest in yaks and donkeys to carry more loads and make more money.

Narrator: Today, he's bringing kerosene and petrol to base camp. Narrator: He says he's been able to charge a higher rate after the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing from about $12 to a little over $15 per day. For larger loads, he can make almost $380 a trip. But Santosh says he doesn't see much of his earnings. Narrator: Santosh made a significant investment in yaks. They can cost over $450 each, and he has five. That's almost $2,300 worth of cattle, and his expenses don't end there. Half of his earnings go to feeding his yaks grass and potatoes. Each feeding costs him $70. With the money he pockets, Santosh can only just get by. Climbers also have to pay for independent trekking guides, like Prabin Kulung. Prabin leads climbers from the airport in Lukla to Everest base camp.

Narrator: Even at lower elevations, conditions on Everest aren't easy. Prabin must help trekkers reach base camp safely, even as they suffer effects from the challenging weather, terrain, altitude, or their own physical limitations. Narrator: For these services, Prabin gets paid up to $15 a day, adding up to almost $210 for a two-week round trip. If he's lucky, he gets tips and is able to book multiple treks in one season. But Prabin says his own income isn't guaranteed. Being an independent guide means he can only work when he's contacted directly by agencies or climbers. He makes the most money when trekkers hire him directly, as they won't have to pay any logistical fees associated with travel agencies. But Prabin isn't booked consistently, which strains him financially and deters him from committing to becoming a climbing guide. Narrator: Ever since the British colonial Survey of India

identified Everest as the world's highest peak in 1852. It's held a place of fascination in the global imagination. Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary's historic first ascent in 1953 catapulted its fame to new heights. For decades afterward, attempts at Everest's summit were limited to scientific surveys and experienced mountaineers. Even in the 1970s and '80s, only about 10 expeditions a year tackled Everest from the Nepalese side. But in the 1990s, the mountain rapidly commodified. In 1992, Adventure Consultants led the first commercial expedition up the mountain. In 1996, the company's cofounder Rob Hall led a doomed commercial expedition up Everest in which he and seven other people died, an incident immortalized in Jon Krakauer's 1997 book Into Thin Air and a 2015 Hollywood film. Rather than dissuading foreign visitors, this incident

and others like it only added to the mountain's mythos. By the early 2000s, the number of climbers had jumped from dozens a year to hundreds. In 2023, a record 478 permits were issued. Everest's explosion in popularity has brought more money than ever into the local economy. But some of those who work on the mountain say it's not nearly enough to offset the risks involved. The majority of summits occur in the spring season, so most guides are hired for only one expedition, limiting their yearly income. Phurba Wangchhu says guides don't see enough money to justify continuously risking their lives. Narrator: Guides also have to pay for their own gear, an investment of as much as $7,000. That includes clothing, boots, and backpacks that must withstand extreme conditions on the mountain. The down suit alone can cost $2,000, and some gear needs to be replaced every few years.

Oftentimes, working as a guide in the increasingly commercialized Everest industry comes out of necessity. Narrator: To stay afloat, Phurba Wangchhu takes on other work. Narrator: This is common for many local guides who struggle to make ends meet from a job that routinely puts their life in danger. Narrator: That's one of the reasons Dawa Geljen Sherpa quit his career as a climbing guide. Narrator: Like Dawa Geljen, Phurba Wangchhu openly questions whether the risks are really worth it, and he thinks it's a question more Sherpa guides will ask. Narrator: If Phurba Wangchhu is right, a declining number of expert mountain guides will coincide with the growing Everest tourism industry. But as the industry grows, so too does the frequency of fatalities. Spring 2023 saw 18 deaths, 15 confirmed and three presumed, making it the deadliest season for climbers on Everest.

Six of those lost were Sherpa guides. At the same time, Nepal is seeing a growing job market, with locals increasingly choosing other professions. Narrator: For those who pay to climb the mountain each year, the high price is fair. Sam: I think it's OK. For what it is, it's OK, and, you know, the Nepalese government has to make money from it. The Sherpas have to make money. And it would be an insult, I think, if we would just come and pay hardly anything and summit the mountain. Narrator: But despite the challenges Everest's workers like Phurba Wangchhu face to make ends meet, the scale of the climbing and trekking industry means the economic fate of the region is inseparable from tourism. Mingma Norbu Sherpa is the CEO of The Himalayan Trust, an NGO in Kathmandu focused on development in the Solukhumbu region, where Mount Everest is located.

He says ensuring that the money generated by tourists stays in the local economy is key to the region's survival. In the old days, most of the money remained in Kathmandu with the travel and tour operators, and then little money went to the community level where the poor people are living. People at the grassroots level, at the community level, they need that trekking money in tourism. Narrator: The Nepalese government also recognizes the need to keep the money Everest generates from leaving Nepal. In 2025, it plans to increase the price of climbing permits for foreigners to $15,000, up from $11,000. The government says the salaries of high-altitude guides will also increase. But Mingma Norbu says the climbing industry is intertwined with the local economy in less direct ways, too. Let's say something like 80% are directly getting benefit from tourism. The rest of the 20% are getting indirect benefits.

But how they can benefit is from the labor or the guiding services or the employment, or they can sell the agricultural products to the trekkers on the main hotels and lodges or mountain expeditions. Narrator: The most visible examples of this relationship are teahouses. Teahouses are lodges that serve as basic accommodations on trekking routes around Everest. But supplying these teahouses, whether by back or by yak, is a logistical nightmare. And if supplies do manage to arrive, they're expensive. One sack of rice costs $60. A gallon of gas, $113. But premium prices don't always mean premium service. Accommodations for climbers look different from the more basic lodging for porters. And for the locals who own these teahouses, keeping a business afloat on top of the world is no easy feat. Up here, a single cup of milk tea costs nearly 10 times what it does in the valleys of Nepal.

One of the main reasons is the amount of effort it takes to get supplies up the mountain. That responsibility falls to porters. At 18 years old, Shusant is one of the youngest porters in his trekking party. Today, there are around 20 kilometers between him and his destination, a teahouse in Dingboche. Narrator: They carry supplies over 100 kilometers and up 5,300 meters of elevation to base camp. Under Nepalese law, trekking porters are supposed to carry no more than 30 kilos, but this is often ignored. And some commercial porters, paid by the load, carry more than their own body weight. Farther along the path to the teahouse, a helicopter lands to conduct a rescue operation — a stark reminder of how dangerous this job is. But the dangerous conditions haven't deterred the traffic. Even at these high elevations,

Climbers, guides, and yaks flow through the narrow trails. After seven hours of hiking, Shusant finally arrives at a porter house. This is Dingboche, about 4,400 meters above sea level. Typically, porters aren't required to pay for lodging, only the food they eat. Narrator: Climbers and guides stay separate from porters at more spacious lodges. These lodges offer more amenities but are often too expensive for porters. Shusant makes about $11 to $12 a day. He says he spends half and saves the rest. Shusant hopes to one day become a trekking guide and eventually a mountain guide. But for now, he's enjoying a comfortable place to sleep and a hot meal. Narrator: Travelers rest at Dingboche for two days to acclimate to the high elevation. But Shusant can't relax for long. After a day of rest, it's time to pack up.

and get back on the trail. It's a snowy April day in Pheriche. This is a popular stop for climbers descending from base camp. But this storm could last days, and the visibility is low, a foreboding sign for anyone on their way down the mountain. But inside, Shiva Bahadur Basnet already has a fire going. He burns dried yak dung instead of wood because it's cheaper and widely available. During the busy season, 20 to 50 people cram in here each night. Narrator: Shiva has run this teahouse for seven years. It's a frequent stop for porters returning from Everest base camp. Narrator: Further up the mountain, there are limited accommodations for porters. If they don't have a place to stay, many hike down to Pheriche after delivering the climbers' luggage. Porters wake up early and hike about 2 ½ kilometers back up to meet trekking guides before the expedition sets off.

So at times, Shiva must have breakfast ready at 3 a.m. But tonight, the porters have a chance to rest, so Shiva is preparing a leisurely dinner for his guests. When flour costs $60 a sack, the options are limited, but Shiva makes the most out of what he has. On tonight's menu, noodles, stew, and dhindo, a thick flour porridge that's a staple food in this part of Nepal. Narrator: Teahouses like this look different than the more modern accommodations available to climbers, some of whom are paying tens of thousands of dollars to summit Everest. Those lodges offer more space and better amenities, like separate rooms and showers. Depending on the location, climbers often pay less than $10 per night — up to about $60 if you include food and electricity. Narrator: Lodges prioritize the foreign climbers. And while porters aren't explicitly banned,

It's customary for them to stay elsewhere. Narrator: But running a hotel at this altitude is hard work. Every drop of fuel, every piece of gear, and every morsel of food he needs to keep the place running must be carried up one step at a time. Consequently, Shiva's operating costs are astronomical. Narrator: And Shiva has to pass these prices on to his guests. The dhindo Pasang is eating cost him 600 rupees, about double what it costs elsewhere in the country. But Shiva can't push prices too high. Despite the remote area, there is some competition. So Shiva works hard to ensure this is a comfortable place to stay. Additionally, local waste-removal incentives provide Shiva with the opportunity to earn a little extra money. Narrator: Even with the high cost of doing business, running a teahouse still provides Shiva with more than he's able to earn in his village.

He works here for six months to support his family and to send his kids to school. During the offseason, he returns home to farm potatoes and maize. Narrator: But beyond the financial pressures, Shiva's livelihood provides an essential service to porters traveling on the mountain. Narrator: For Shiva, the hard work is worth it for the warmth and community the teahouse provides. The atmosphere of the shared dormitory and small dining room is more like a home than a hotel. Despite the limited amenities, Shusant says he enjoys the camaraderie teahouses provide. Narrator: After reaching base camp and more than a week of hiking, Shusant heads back down the trail towards the narrow airstrip at Lukla. From here, the climbers fly back to Kathmandu, ending their journey. But for many porters, the season is still going. They turn around, tie up their bags,

and start the trek again. The impact of the tourist economy on the Everest region goes far beyond dollars and cents. In recent years, images of overcrowding and piles of trash on the mountain's peak have provoked public outrage. Local residents are acutely aware of the environmental challenges facing their communities. An estimated 50 metric tons of waste still litter the slopes of the mountain, and increasing snowmelt has uncovered trash that has been buried under ice for decades. That's why locals, NGOs, and the Nepali government have banded together to coordinate a massive cleanup effort in the region. Waste efforts are carefully organized by the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee, or SPCC, a Sherpa-led nongovernmental organization. Climbing guides carry down waste from higher camps and combine it with trash at base camp. This includes plastic, food scraps, and human waste. Narrator: As of 2023, 2,306 expedition groups

had attempted or summited the mountain. And each group generates a lot of trash, an average of 8 kilograms per person. At base camp, Suraj sorts the waste into burnable and non-burnable piles and bundles them for porters. The porters then carry the trash on their backs or via yaks down the mountain to designated collection sites. At landfills managed by the SPCC, workers like Kailash Rai sort and pack the trash. Narrator: Some of the bags Kailash is packing are part of the Carry Me Back program, a crowdsourced waste-transportation system. The program is managed by Sagarmatha Next, an organization seeking to demonstrate alternative ways to process all this waste. Tommy: To remove it, that's a challenge because we don't have roads and transportation vehicles. So we made something we called Carry Me Back. It's a small bag, weighs up to 1 kilo,

and we offer everyone who returns back from higher up going back to the entry point Lukla to take one bag, 1 kilo, and carry it one day down. Narrator: Lukla is the site of Everest's airport and the gateway to the region. From here, the sorted waste is flown back to Kathmandu, where it's processed further at recycling centers. Sagarmatha Next first trialed Carry Me Back in 2019. Tommy: During five weeks, we had 2,500 participants, and they carried back 5,500 bags, so around 5 tonnes, in a test situation. And that was very, very encouraging. Narrator: In 2023, Carry Me Back scaled it up to 8 metric tons, but the organization's efforts don't stop there. It also repurposes the trash it helps to collect. One way it does this is through its partnership with Moware.

Moware sources recycled bottle caps collected from Everest and nearby mountains, upcycling waste into souvenirs like these. The molds are inspired by the topography of the Himalayas. Sagarmatha Next's Experience Centre also hosts an artist-in-residence program, where artists like Jo Rankine repurpose discarded trash. Jo: The pieces that I've chosen come from a big waste pit that's below the Namche helipad. So I've taken my backpack down and collected all the pieces that I want to work with, and I've brought them back up here to the lab. And now I'm working on a sculpture, which I'm going to place onto this metal grid down here. And this is a real challenge because the metal is so corroded. So every time I've tried to make a hole, it breaks a little bit. Narrator: While Sagarmatha Next was established to alleviate the waste problem on Everest and in the Khumbu region, its founders bear no animosity

toward the climbers responsible. Well, I think we all have to try to understand as much as possible what it means to be up climbing on a mountain like Everest. Most people going up on that mountain are actually struggling pretty hard, both to be safe and to be able to scale and go to the summit, and then of course, most importantly, to be able to come back down safely. The nature of it in itself makes it almost impossible to have, let's say, 100% of all the waste that is up there to be brought down. So hopefully we also get that message out in the world, that there are many efforts to try to alleviate the problems. Narrator: The SPCC's waste-management system is required for expedition agencies and locals alike. But it comes at a cost. It mandates fees based on the amount of waste generated by each expedition. Narrator: Climbers are also subject to fees and regulations imposed by the Nepalese government.

It requires climbers to pay a $4,000 deposit, which will only be returned if they bring down at least 8 kilograms of trash, not including oxygen tanks or human waste. This regulation is meant to incentivize climbers to help clean the decades' worth of trash on the highest parts of the mountain. The fine can be inconvenient for climbers and their guides, like Phurba Wangchhu Sherpa, who struggle to meet the requirement. Narrator: While oxygen cylinders don't count toward the 8 kilograms of waste required per climber, they're too expensive to leave behind. Each cylinder costs $600, and that price has incentivized climbers to return them instead of leaving them on the mountain. Narrator: In 2019, the Nepalese government enlisted the national army to assist in cleaning up Mount Everest and other heavily trafficked mountains. The annual program, the Mountain Clean-up Campaign, costs the government $7.5 million.

In 2023, the army, in conjunction with Sherpa guides, collected about 36 metric tons of waste. Despite recent cleanup efforts, Everest's climate is still under threat. A 2022 study found that in about 25 years, Everest's highest glacier lost 2,000 years' worth of ice. The receding ice revealed decades' worth of trash, but also some of the hundreds of bodies on the mountain. Removing a single dead body can cost as much as $70,000 and even occasionally the lives of the climbers tasked with recovering them. But the impact of pollution on Everest isn't limited to the mountain. About 2 billion people live around and downstream of the Himalayan Mountains in Nepal, China, India, and other regions in South and East Asia. A study of snow and stream water extracted from Everest in 2019 found concentrations of microplastics, predominantly polyester fibers. Toxic heavy metals,

pathogens and PFAS, known as forever chemicals, have also been detected in Everest's snow and water. Concerns over the polluted water supply have led locals to consider changing their water sources. Narrator: And for those who earn a living from Everest tourism and mountaineering, alleviating the problem is an existential issue. Narrator: But even with improved environmental management and increased economic opportunity in the region, the truth is that the future of Everest is unclear. In 2024, Nepal issued fewer climbing permits for Everest than it did in 2023. And recently, more climbers have opted to tackle the peak from the Chinese side of the mountain, putting pressure on Nepal's Everest industry. Still, some of those who make their living here, like Shusant, see a future guiding tourists up the mountain. Narrator: Unlike Phurba Wangchhu,

Shusant is able to pursue his education. Still, the mountain compels him. Narrator: But not everyone shares Shusant's optimism. Others, like Phurba Wangchhu, dream of a future for their children beyond the mountain's slopes.

Why Climbing Mount Everest Is So Expensive | So Expensive | Business Insider Marathon

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