Is it selfish to scale the peaks? Every year, thousands risk their life to climb the world’s most treacherous mountains. Now, one French mayor is threatening to make them pay.
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Death, fame and the lure of the mountains
Is it selfish to scale the peaks? Every year, thousands risk their life to climb the world's most treacherous mountains. Now, one French mayor is threatening to make them pay.
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In 1923, a journalist asked the explorer George MalloryAn English mountaineer who attempted to be the first to scale Mount Everest in 1924, alongside Andrew Irvine. Both died during the attempt, although their bodies were not found until 1999. It is not known whether they reached the summit before their deaths. why he wanted to climb Mount EverestThe world's tallest mountain, which straddles the borders of Nepal and China. Temperatures can drop to -60C. The first known people to climb the mountain were New Zealand's Edmund Hillary and the Sherpa, Tenzing Norgay.. "Because it's there," he replied simply. At that time, no one had ever reached the top of the world's tallest mountain. A year later, he and his climbing partner died trying. But his words remain immortal.
Today, mountain climbing is a booming industry. Last year, Nepal's Department of Tourism issued 408 permits to climb Everest - a record number. And in 2019, a photo of hundreds of climbers waiting to reach the summit went viral online.
"It was like standing in line on a busy weekend at a ski resort," said the filmmaker Dirk Collins, who was there with the National Geographic Society.
And yet mountain climbing is far more dangerous than skiing. It was "very Lord of the Flies", recalls another climber in the queue. As Thomas Becker stopped to help a struggling woman ahead, those behind him began to curse at him for slowing down.
Eleven people died climbing Everest that season. This year, another two hikers have succumbed to the treacherous conditions - so far.
There is no doubt: Everest is extremely dangerous. The mountain is 8,848m tall. At such high altitudes, the air becomes thin and the body cannot get enough oxygen. This can lead to altitude sickness, exhaustion and death.
Most climbers bring oxygen tanks to help them avoid this problem. But huge crowds force people to spend longer in the dangerous conditions at the mountain's peak, using up their limited supplies of oxygen.
And the risks are not limited to Everest. This July, 11 people were killed when a glacier collapsed and caused an avalanche in the northern Italian Alps. The same month, three men died on K2, the world's second highest mountain in Pakistan.
Now, one French mayor has threatened to make climbers pay a €15,000 (£12,640) deposit to climb Mont Blanc. The sum will cover rescue and funeral costs, says Jean-Marc Peillex, mayor of a small village at the foot of the mountain.
"It's unacceptable for the French taxpayer to cover those costs," Peillex declared, condemning those with "death in their backpacks".
So why take these risks? For Mallory, the need to reach the highest point on the planet was "instinctive: a part, I suppose, of man's desire to conquer the universe".
"Climbing has given me the most piercing transports of joy I have ever felt," agrees adventurer David Roberts. But when he came home, he was "at a loss to articulate what I had learned about myself - or about any other important matter".
Yet Francis Sanzaro, an author and climber, does not agree that the people who lose their lives on mountains are selfish. "Unable to see with absolute sobriety how dangerous their path is? Likely. But again, that doesn't make them selfish, only human."
Around the world, officials are tightening the restrictions on who can ascend to the highest altitudes. But one thing is clear: they are unlikely to deter the thousands who feel the call to the mountains.
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Is it selfish to scale the peaks?
Yes: Climbing is no longer about exploration or science; it is about saying you have done it. Climbers put themselves, each other and thousands of tour guides at risk - and many leave a terrible mess behind.
No: To explore the globe and conquer extreme challenges is one of the most fundamental desires of human nature. The world would be a boring place if no one was allowed to take any risks.
Or... Experienced climbers understand the risks and take steps to mitigateMake something bad less serious or dangerous. them. The problem is the thousands of inexperienced amateurs who take to the mountains and promptly need rescuing.
Keywords
George Mallory - An English mountaineer who attempted to be the first to scale Mount Everest in 1924, alongside Andrew Irvine. Both died during the attempt, although their bodies were not found until 1999. It is not known whether they reached the summit before their deaths.
Mount Everest - The world's tallest mountain, which straddles the borders of Nepal and China. Temperatures can drop to -60C. The first known people to climb the mountain were New Zealand's Edmund Hillary and the Sherpa, Tenzing Norgay.
Lord of the Flies - A 1954 novel by British author William Golding, in which a group of British schoolboys become stranded on an uninhabited island and soon descend into savagery and chaos.
Mitigate - Make something bad less serious or dangerous.
Death, fame and the lure of the mountains
Queue for the top: Around 300 people lined up to reach Everest’s peak. Glossary
George Mallory - An English mountaineer who attempted to be the first to scale Mount Everest in 1924, alongside Andrew Irvine. Both died during the attempt, although their bodies were not found until 1999. It is not known whether they reached the summit before their deaths.
Mount Everest - The world's tallest mountain, which straddles the borders of Nepal and China. Temperatures can drop to -60C. The first known people to climb the mountain were New Zealand's Edmund Hillary and the Sherpa, Tenzing Norgay.
Lord of the Flies - A 1954 novel by British author William Golding, in which a group of British schoolboys become stranded on an uninhabited island and soon descend into savagery and chaos.
Mitigate - Make something bad less serious or dangerous.