Why do Nepalese authorities care about Everest climb fairness?

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Following this news piece.

Nepal said on Tuesday it was investigating whether a Chinese woman, this season's sole climber of Mount Everest from the Nepalese side, used a helicopter to reach a high camp

Why would the authorities want to verify if she did or did not use helicopter? If someone potentially wants to undertake such a journey, would it be illegal? Are there some regulations (i.e., air traffic rules) which were broken?



Best Answer

It is not straightforward to fly a helicopter to these altitudes, land, and take off again. It's risky, and the results depend on the weather, which can change without warning. The helicopter is operating near the limit of the thinnest air in which it can fly, and it's less maneuverable than normal. The Nepalese army used to do helicopter rescues on Everest, but now they're being handled by a private company called Fishtail Air, which lands as high as 6400 m. Landing that high is only possible in good weather. In appropriate conditions, helicopters can fly higher than the peak of Everest, but they can't land and take off that high. There have been three incidents in which Fishtail helicopters crashed while trying to rescue someone, as well as many crashes in the area before Fishtail started operating.

For a tourist to fly in to Everest base camp by choice is stupid on so many levels that it's not even funny. At these altitudes, it's all about acclimatization. Flying in on a helicopter means they lose that chance at acclimatization, which makes them more likely to have serious problems as they continue climbing from there. They're also missing out on a scenic and memorable hike, which in fact is probably the only part of climbing Everest that will not be physically miserable.

It seems like they should not care how one spends their private time and private money for whatever activity they wish.

A good analogy would be if someone wanted to do a helicopter landing on the top of the Washington Monument. I don't think the park service would be very happy about it.

The ideal is for mountaineers to be self-reliant and independent, but also that if the need arises, they do everything they can for other people. In reality, when you're at high altitude in the mountains, you may be highly interdependent with other people with whom you're sharing the mountain. If porter A gashes his forehead, and climber B from another group uses up her sanitary napkins as bandages, she may have to ask around to see if anyone else has any. This idea of helicoptering in creates more risk for the person doing it (crashing, not being properly acclimatized for later climbing), and if those risks turn out badly, it has an impact on other people. Guides, climbers, porters, and doctors are all going to be called on to deal with an emergency situation, and they will put themselves in danger, if necessary, to deal with it.




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Is climbing Mt Everest ethical?

If you follow climbing, you've no doubt heard the list of Everest critiques: dangerous overcrowding, mounds of human waste at upper camps, graveyards of oxygen canisters, and increasingly risky conditions for the Sherpa guides who make commercial climbing possible.

How does Nepal benefit from Mount Everest?

Money from Everest has allowed people from one of the poorest countries in the world to send their children to secondary schools outside of the country. It has allowed people to create their own businesses. Also, it has fostered incomes for the Sherpas that far exceeds that of the average Nepali person.

How much does the Nepal government make from Everest?

According to the Kathmandu Post, Nepal earns $4m (\xa33.1m) by issuing Everest climbing permits every year, aside from wider tourism revenue. "We have decided to halt all tourist visas until 30 April," said Narayan Prasad Bidari, Secretary of the Prime Minister's Office.

Are Sherpas mistreated?

This tragedy was a breaking point for many in the Sherpa community, who felt mistreated and disrespected by their clients. While Western climbers routinely paid $75,000 to summit Everest, the Sherpas were underpaid and expected to undertake massive risks on a mountain they see as equivalent to a deity.



Nepal to move Everest base camp away from melting glacier - BBC News




Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Ksenia Chernaya, Allan Mas, Sergey Makashin, Anete Lusina