Rob Hall Vs. Everest

Congratulations, after paying nearly $70,000, navigating through one hundred foot glaciers, and surviving at an altitude home to most 747 aircrafts, you have made it to the highest point on Earth, welcome to the summit of Mount Everest. Although standing on top of the world is one of the most astonishing accomplishments in human history, climbing Everest is also one of the most dangerous challenges a climber can attempt. However, since Mount Everest was first summited by Tenzing Norway and Edmund Hillary in 1953, it has become more about business than actually climbing the mountain (Brunner). This makes the climb much more dangerous and and the ethics behind it, controversial. The commercialization of mountaineering has both positively and

The term commercialized meaning clients were paying Hall tens of thousands of dollars for him to safely escort them to the top. Hall was a highly respected climber with an impressive resume that included summiting all 7 of the tallest mountains on each continent. (Adventure Consultants). Hall’s career as a commercial business owner was short lived, however. In May 1996, Hall lead a group of clients on an Everest expedition when they were caught in a storm during their summit attempt. The storm left them stranded at an altitude above 26,000ft, also know as the “Death Zone”. The storm took Hall’s life along with 14 other climbers that year, making it one the most fatal climbing seasons in Everest history (Jenkins). Despite the deadly climbing season, business owners and climbers continued to come back for the years to follow. Today, nobody would be able to summit without the leadership and guidance of the Sherpa

Most of the time it begins in the climbers home country where they begin training in the many different areas of mountaineering such as, ice climbing, high altitude camping, and wilderness survival. In addition climbers are encouraged to be in phenomenal physical shape which is achieved by either hiring a personal trainer or investing in fitness classes. These costs add up quickly, especially when a climber trains for many years. By the time a climber is physically ready to scale Everest, they have spent an average of $8,000. Even if a climber is in phenomenal physical shape, one can not survive on Everest without proper gear. You can not summit the world’s largest mountain with cheap gear from the local Target or Walmart. The conditions on Everest require the most high-tech gear. A down suit made to use in extremely low temperatures will cost upwards of $1,000 while a single pair of gloves add up to an average of $600. After a trip to the local Patagonia store, most climbers have spent almost $10,000 on gear alone. Before the climber has booked the flight to Nepal, they have already spent nearly $18,000. Raising that kind of money is not a simple task even for the most advanced climbers. Alan Arnette, a highly respected climber says ”Getting the money is harder than climbing the Everest.” (Subramanian) Most climbers turn to popular crowdfunding sights or corporate sponsors while