Maxed Out On Everest By Mark Photosynthesis

Imagine this, the climbers had finally made it to the top of the world after overcoming the many obstacles that stood in their way. They and many others would have believed that hiking through snowy blizzards and icy conditions would be difficult, but most would not expect to see broken tents, oxygen tanks, and dead bodies along the way. In the 2013 article, “Maxed Out on Everest”, experienced mountain climber and National Geographic sponsor, Mark Jenkins, faced this new reality when climbing Mt. Everest for the second time. Throughout the article, he recognized the ambition of the climbers and the Nepali government that oversaw the operations, as well as the challenges created by them, saying “it’s not simply about reaching the summit but also showing respect for the mountain and

Jenkins supports this by saying that “In Nepal, a country of nearly 30 million, one in four citizens lives in poverty” (par. 19). The syllable of the syllable. He uses data to argue that the Nepali government disregards dangerous mountain conditions and people's safety because of the large sum of money they gain from mountain tourism. However, he is unable to go into depth on how tourism specifically benefited or impacted the Nepali people living in the country and around the mountain. When providing solutions to the Nepali government on how to help reduce waste and improve safety standards, Jenkins and his team found that corrupt government leaders overlooked the mountain’s poor condition, and focused only on the bottom line. Conrad Anker, part of the National Geographic team, said ‘Of the $3 million generated in permit fees each year, only a small amount makes it back to the mountain’, not clarifying how much a “small amount” is but stating that Nepal’s priority is money over safety.