At least four more die on Everest amid overcrowding concerns

Four more deaths have been reported on Everest as concerns grow about the risks posed by the severe overcrowding on the world’s highest mountain this year. Kevin Hynes, 56, from Ireland, died in his tent at 7,000 metres early on Friday, having turned back before reaching the summit. The father of two was part of a group from the UK-based 360 Expeditions. The climbing company said: “It is with the greatest sadness that we have to confirm that one of our Everest team has passed away. Kevin was one of the strongest and most experienced climbers on our team, and had previously summited Everest South and Lhotse.”

Everest is not a challenging climb. The challenge is in the thin air and the harsh and rapidly changing weather. If it were sea level and 70F, no ice and plenty of oxygen, any reasonably fit young person could climb it in board shorts and flipflops.

It bears mention that Everst has been climbed by an 80-year-old man and a 73 year-old woman. How hard could it be?

The only technical climbing challenge is called "the three steps." The second step is the worst, or at least it once was. In 1975 a Chinese climbing team affixed an aluminum extension ladder there. It's been replaced once since then but there's still a stepladder there. Everyone (on that route) uses it and it's one of the man-made hazards of the climb because it's a bottleneck, both going up and going down. People die waiting their turn to use the ladder.

One of the most important factors that determines whether you summit or not on Everest (and live to tell the tale) is how effective the crowd control is on that day.

If you want to see a climb that requires world-class skills, check out K2. Or Nanga Parbat.

As for Ranier (which is "only" 14,412 feet), in 1981 an ice avalanche buried a climbing party of 11, which included 10 novices. And they're all still up there, entombed in a hundred feet of ice.

Some days the mountain doesn't want you. Those days you'd rather be playing golf.

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