Does action need to be taken to stop more deaths on Mount Everest?

If I decided to clamber onto the parapet of Walney Bridge and stroll along, you’d hopefully tell me to get down immediately – it’s dangerous.

If I fell off, you’d be forgiven for saying you warned me, and that I was a fool for putting myself at risk like that.

What if I’d spent years practising on the top of a low brick wall? Or been trained by an expert? Or had the right equipment, did it when the conditions were right, and had a permit to do so?

I’d wager that you’d still say I chose to put my own life in danger.

Scaled up to a mountainous level, is there much difference between my hypothetical bridge wander, and someone choosing to attempt Everest? As far as I can tell, no-one who has died on the massive mountain was forced into going up – they did it out of choice, for personal fulfilment and adventure. To take on an incredible physical challenge and overcome the danger to achieve something amazing.

It seems that a variety of reasons are behind the large rise in deaths there this spring, including weather delays, inexperienced climbers, cost-cutting competition leading to inexperienced guides, liaison officers not showing up and subsequent bad crowd-management.

Exhausted climbers, running low on oxygen, queueing for hours to attempt the final ascent – that’s a recipe for disaster.

But everyone on Everest is there because they want to be. It’s a hugely dangerous environment, and ultimately you’re responsible for your own safety, be that training, equipment, guides, planning, fitness, oxygen supplies... whatever.

It is still a big risk, no matter how well-prepared you are. But it’s up to the individual to do everything they can to mitigate that. At any point before or during, they can choose to abandon the ascent if they believe the risks are too high. Ultimately, it’s still their choice if they go ahead.

This post first appeared as part of The Mail's 'Taking to the Podium' section, on Monday the 3rd of June 2019.

Tough question this one - I can see that failings by others (guides, authorities, regulation etc.) are contributing factors, over which climbers may have limited control.

(Tape Time: No. 218, recorded on the 15th of October 1988, and featuring Tangerine Dream's "Livemiles", plus tracks from Madness, Peter Gabriel and Freddie Mercury.)

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