Editing Mount Everest (section)

===Commercial climbing===
[[File:The World’s Tallest Mountain (15473492788).jpg|thumb|Top down view showing the location of the summit, and its three main faces/sides]]
[[File:Everest Base Camp on a Stormy Day.jpg|thumb|[[Everest base camps|Everest Base Camp]]]]
[[File:Gorakshep, Everest Zone, Nepal.jpg|thumb|[[Gorakshep|Gorak Shep]] is about a three-hour walk to South EBC (Everest Base Camp).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.himalayas-trekking-pictures.com/everest9.htm|title=Gorak Shep to Everest Base Camp and return|website=www.himalayas-trekking-pictures.com|access-date=5 August 2022|archive-date=5 October 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241005160713/https://www.himalayas-trekking-pictures.com/everest9.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>]]

According to [[Jon Krakauer]], the era of [[commercialization|commercialisation]] of Everest started in 1985, when the summit was reached by a guided expedition led by [[David Breashears]] that included [[Richard Bass]], a wealthy 55-year-old businessman and an amateur mountain climber with four years of climbing experience.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-05-02-mn-20109-story.html|title=Conquers Mt. Everest to Fulfill Dream: Millionaire First to Climb Summits of All Continents|journal=Los Angeles Times|first=Bill|last=Stall|date=2 May 1985|access-date=14 August 2024|archive-date=17 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181017205614/http://articles.latimes.com/1985-05-02/news/mn-20109_1_climbed-mt-everest|url-status=live}}</ref> By the early-1990s, several companies were offering guided tours to the mountain. [[Rob Hall]], one of the mountaineers who died in the [[1996 Mount Everest disaster|1996 disaster]], had successfully guided 39 clients to the summit before that incident.<ref name=Krakauer-1997/>{{RP|24, 42}}

By 2016, most guiding services cost between US$35,000 and US$200,000.<ref name="heraldsun.com.au">{{cite web|date=28 May 2016|title=Mt Everest 'summit fever': Why climbers make poor decisions near peak|url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/mt-everest-summit-fever-why-climbers-make-poor-decisions-near-peak/news-story/3502b64dc81a65fec0466bf1983efff5|url-access=subscription|access-date=17 June 2016|website=Herald Sun|location=[[Melbourne]], Australia}}</ref> Going with a "celebrity guide", usually a well-known mountaineer typically with decades of climbing experience and perhaps several Everest summits, can cost over £100,000 as of 2015.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Stadlen|first1=Matthew|date=11 August 2015|title=Kenton Cool: my journey from a wheelchair to the peak of Mount Everest|website=The Telegraph|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/active/11794351/Kenton-Cool-my-journey-from-a-wheelchair-to-the-peak-of-Mount-Everest.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/active/11794351/Kenton-Cool-my-journey-from-a-wheelchair-to-the-peak-of-Mount-Everest.html |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=20 September 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref> However, the services offered vary widely and it is "buyer beware" when doing deals in Nepal, one of the poorest and least developed countries in the world.<ref name="heraldsun.com.au"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://developingworldconnections.org/destination/nepal/ |title=Nepal |publisher=Developing World Connections |date=25 April 2015 |access-date=17 June 2016 |archive-date=16 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416232208/https://developingworldconnections.org/destination/nepal/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Tourism contributed 7.9 per cent of the [[gross domestic product]] (GDP) in 2019<ref>{{Cite web|title=Nepal tourism generated Rs240b and supported 1m jobs last year: Report|url=https://kathmandupost.com/money/2019/05/26/nepal-tourism-generated-rs240b-and-supported-1m-jobs-last-year-report|access-date=22 November 2021|website=kathmandupost.com|language=English|archive-date=30 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190730002145/https://kathmandupost.com/money/2019/05/26/nepal-tourism-generated-rs240b-and-supported-1m-jobs-last-year-report|url-status=live}}</ref> in a country with high unemployment,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Nepal's unemployment rate estimated at 11.4 percent|url=https://kathmandupost.com/money/2019/04/27/nepals-unemployment-rate-estimated-at-114-percent|access-date=22 November 2021|website=kathmandupost.com|language=English|archive-date=2 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191202212944/https://kathmandupost.com/money/2019/04/27/nepals-unemployment-rate-estimated-at-114-percent|url-status=live}}</ref> but an Everest porter can make nearly double the nation's average wage in a region in which other sources of income are lacking.<ref>{{cite web |last=Conger |first=Cristen |url=http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/outdoor-activities/climbing/mt-everest-tourism.htm |title=How has Mount Everest tourism affected Nepal? &#124; HowStuffWorks |publisher=Adventure.howstuffworks.com |date=1 April 2008 |access-date=17 June 2016 |archive-date=16 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220516074456/https://adventure.howstuffworks.com/outdoor-activities/climbing/mt-everest-tourism.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

Costs beyond the guiding service can vary widely. It is technically possible to reach the summit with minimal additional expenses, and there are "budget" travel agencies that offer logistical support for such trips. A limited support service, offering only some meals at base camp and bureaucratic overhead like a permit, can cost as little as US$7,000 as of 2007.<ref name="thefever" /> However, this is considered difficult and dangerous (as illustrated by the case of [[David Sharp (mountaineer)|David Sharp]]).{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}}

Climbing gear required to reach the summit may cost in excess of US$8,000, and most climbers also use [[Bottled oxygen (climbing)|bottled oxygen]], which adds around US$3,000.<ref name="ClimbingMagazineCost">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.climbing.com/news/how-much-does-it-cost-to-climb-everest-2021-edition/|title=How Much Does It Cost to Climb Everest? 2021 Edition|first=Alan|last=Arnette|magazine=[[Climbing (magazine)|Climbing]]|date=20 April 2021|access-date=9 May 2021|archive-date=20 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420203256/https://www.climbing.com/news/how-much-does-it-cost-to-climb-everest-2021-edition/|url-status=live}}</ref> The permit to enter the Everest area from the south via Nepal costs US$10,000 to US$30,000 per person, depending on the size of the team.<ref name="ClimbingMagazineCost" /> The ascent typically starts at one of the [[Everest base camps|two base camps]] near the mountain, both of which are approximately {{convert|100|km|mi|-1}} from [[Kathmandu]] and {{convert|300|km|mi}} from [[Lhasa]] (the two nearest cities with major airports). Transferring one's equipment from the airport to the base camp may add as much as US$2,000.<ref name="ClimbingMagazineCost" />

Many climbers hire "full service" guide companies, which provide a wide spectrum of services, including the acquisition of permits, transportation to/from base camp, food, tents, [[fixed ropes]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mounteverest.net/expguide/ropes.htm|title=Fixed ropes – climbers guide to Everest|website=www.mounteverest.net|access-date=18 October 2011|archive-date=6 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220206114729/http://mounteverest.net/expguide/ropes.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> medical assistance while on the mountain, an experienced mountaineer guide, and even personal porters to carry one's backpack and cook one's meals. The cost of such a guide service may range from US$40,000 to $80,000 per person.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://outdoors.whatitcosts.com/mt-everest-pg3.htm|title=What It Costs To Climb Mount Everest|date=2 May 2016|access-date=12 October 2011|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304105115/http://outdoors.whatitcosts.com/mt-everest-pg3.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Since most equipment is moved by [[Sherpa people|Sherpas]], clients of full-service guide companies can often keep their backpack weights under {{convert|10|kg}}, or hire a Sherpa to carry their backpack for them. By contrast, climbers attempting less commercialised peaks, like [[Denali]], are often expected to carry backpacks over {{convert|30|kg}} and, occasionally, to tow a [[sled]] with {{convert|35|kg}} of gear and food.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.alpineinstitute.com/articles/expert-tips/how-difficult-is-climbing-denalis-west-buttress/|title=How Hard is Denali? &#124; American Alpine Institute|website=www.alpineinstitute.com|access-date=5 August 2022|archive-date=28 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160128052837/https://www.alpineinstitute.com/articles/expert-tips/how-difficult-is-climbing-denalis-west-buttress/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The degree of commercialisation of Mount Everest is a frequent subject of criticism.<ref name="NG-20130600">{{cite news|last1=Jenkins|first1=Mark|title=Maxed Out on Everest|url=http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2013/06/125-everest-maxed-out/jenkins-text|access-date=31 January 2017 |work=National Geographic|date=June 2013|archive-date=26 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171226100239/http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2013/06/125-everest-maxed-out/jenkins-text}}</ref> [[Jamling Tenzing Norgay]], the son of [[Tenzing Norgay]], said in a 2003 interview that his late father would have been shocked to discover that rich thrill-seekers with no climbing experience were now routinely reaching the summit, "You still have to climb this mountain yourself with your feet. But the spirit of adventure is not there any more. It is lost. There are people going up there who have no idea how to put on [[crampons]]. They are climbing because they have paid someone $65,000. It is very selfish. It endangers the lives of others."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/guardianweekly/story/0,12674,961195,00.html |title=Everest's decline blamed on trail of rich tourists |work=The Guardian |location=London |access-date=12 December 2016 |archive-date=19 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220819075342/https://www.theguardian.com/guardianweekly/story/0,12674,961195,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

One example of this is [[Shriya Shah-Klorfine]], who had to be taught how to put on crampons during her summit attempt in 2012.<ref>{{cite news|title=Canadian Everest victim used inexperienced company, lacked oxygen|work=CBC|date=13 September 2012|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/exclusive-canadian-everest-victim-used-inexperienced-company-lacked-oxygen-1.1195149|access-date=24 January 2021|archive-date=18 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130918072953/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/exclusive-canadian-everest-victim-used-inexperienced-company-lacked-oxygen-1.1195149|url-status=live}}</ref> She paid at least US$40,000 to a new guiding company for the trip, and died when she ran out of oxygen during the descent after climbing for 27 hours straight.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Mount Everest : Into the Death Zone – the fifth estate|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEcHBFs-qME |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/QEcHBFs-qME| archive-date=11 December 2021 |url-status=live|access-date=24 January 2021|website=www.youtube.com| date=20 August 2016 }}{{cbignore}}</ref>

[[Reinhold Messner]] concurred in 2004: <blockquote>You could die in each climb and that meant you were responsible for yourself. We were real mountaineers: careful, aware and even afraid. By climbing mountains we were not learning how big we were. We were finding out how breakable, how weak and how full of fear we are. You can only get this if you expose yourself to high danger. I have always said that a mountain without danger is not a mountain....High altitude alpinism has become tourism and show. These commercial trips to Everest, they are still dangerous. But the guides and organisers tell clients, 'Don't worry, it's all organised.' The route is prepared by hundreds of Sherpas. Extra oxygen is available in all camps, right up to the summit. People will cook for you and lay out your beds. Clients feel safe and don't care about the risks.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://observer.guardian.co.uk/osm/story/0,,1315445,00.html |title=Home on the range |work=The Guardian |location=London |access-date=12 October 2011 |archive-date=16 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111116171405/http://observer.guardian.co.uk/osm/story/0,,1315445,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref></blockquote>

By 2015, Nepal was considering requiring that climbers have some experience, hoping this would both make the mountain safer and increase revenue.<ref>{{cite news|author=Jason Burke|date=28 September 2015|title=Mount Everest to be declared off-limits to inexperienced climbers, says Nepal|newspaper=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/28/mount-everest-to-be-declared-off-limits-to-inexperienced-climbers|access-date=17 June 2016|archive-date=18 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220818210237/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/28/mount-everest-to-be-declared-off-limits-to-inexperienced-climbers|url-status=live}}</ref> One barrier to this is that low-budget firms make money ''not'' taking inexperienced climbers to the summit.<ref name="heraldsun.com.au" /> Those turned away by Western firms can often find another firm willing to take them for a price—that they return home soon after arriving after base camp, or part way up the mountain.<ref name="heraldsun.com.au" />

However, not all opinions on the subject among prominent mountaineers have been strictly negative. For example, [[Edmund Hillary]] stated in 2003 that while "Having people pay $65,000 and then be led up the mountain by a couple of experienced guides...isn't really mountaineering at all",<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2938596.stm |title=Hillary laments Everest changes |work=BBC News |date=26 May 2003 |access-date=13 October 2011 |archive-date=1 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220501091300/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2938596.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> he was pleased by the changes brought to Everest area by Westerners: <blockquote>I don't have any regrets because I worked very hard indeed to improve the condition for the local people. When we first went in there they didn't have any schools, they didn't have any medical facilities, all over the years we have established 27 schools, we have two hospitals and a dozen medical clinics and then we've built bridges over wild mountain rivers and put in fresh water pipelines so in cooperation with the Sherpas we've done a lot to benefit them.<ref>{{cite web|last=Bradford|first=Gillian|date=29 April 2003|title=Interview with Sir Edmund Hillary|url=http://www.abc.net.au/foreign/stories/s843061.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131114194558/https://www.abc.net.au/foreign/stories/s843061.htm|archive-date=14 November 2013|access-date=26 April 2014|website=Foreign Correspondent|publisher=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation|ABC]]}}</ref></blockquote>

One of the early guided summiters, Richard Bass (of [[Seven Summits]] fame) stated in 2003 that "Climbers should have high altitude experience before they attempt the really big mountains. People don't realise the difference between a {{convert|20000|ft|m|adj=on|disp=sqbr}} mountain and {{convert|29000|ft|m|adj=on|disp=sqbr}}. It's not just arithmetic. The reduction of oxygen in the air is proportionate to the altitude alright, but the effect on the human body is disproportionate—an exponential curve. People climb Denali [{{convert|20,320|ft|m|order=flip|abbr=on|disp=or}}] or Aconcagua [{{convert|22,834|ft|m|order=flip|abbr=on|disp=or}}] and think, 'Heck, I feel great up here, I'm going to try Everest.' But it's not like that."<ref name=bass>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/2003/11/12/cz_jc_1112sport.html|title=The Adventurer: Dick Bass' Many Summits|author=James Clash|date=12 November 2003|website=Forbes|access-date=20 September 2015|archive-date=11 May 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040511035411/http://www.forbes.com/2003/11/12/cz_jc_1112sport.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Speed climbing ====

===== Altitude tents =====
{{Main article|Altitude tent}}
Some expedition teams have clients use altitude tents to pre-acclimatise prior to leaving for the mountain. Compared to traditional Everest expeditions that last 50 to 60 days, altitude tents can reduce the expedition time frame to 30 to 35 days.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-05-10 |title=Adrian Ballinger Leads Rapid Ascent™ Climb on Mount Everest |url=https://www.si.com/onsi/adventure/latest-news/adrian-ballinger-leads-rapid-ascent-climb-on-mount-everest |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=Adventure On SI |language=en-US}}</ref>

===== Xenon gas =====
In 2025, an Everest expedition team planned to inhale [[Xenon|xenon gas]] 10 days before their expedition to allow for an ascent of the mountain within a week's time due to supposed [[erythropoietin]] production. The [[International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation]] (UIAA) criticised the decision, citing that there is no evidence that the inhalation of xenon improves performance in high elevation environments. Furthermore, the UIAA warned that as an [[anesthetic]], xenon gas could result in impaired brain function, respiratory compromise, and death if used in an unmonitored setting.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Woodyatt |first=Amy |date=2025-05-13 |title=They want to climb Everest in a week using an anesthetic gas. Critics warn it's dangerous |url=https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/13/travel/climb-everest-one-week-xenon-intl |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-04-29 |title=Can Mount Everest really be climbed in a week? |url=https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250428-can-mount-everest-really-be-climbed-in-a-week |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=www.bbc.com |language=en-GB}}</ref>

==== Summiting with disabilities ====
Summiting Everest with disabilities such as amputations and diseases has become popular in the 21st century, with stories like that of [[Sudarshan Gautam]], a man with no arms who made it to the top in 2013.<ref>{{cite news |date=30 May 2013 |title=Canadian double-amputee summits Mount Everest |url=https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/canadian-double-amputee-summits-mount-everest-1.1322725 |access-date=31 May 2013 |work=[[CBC News]] |publisher=[[CBC/Radio-Canada]] |via=[[CBC.ca]]}}</ref> A teenager with [[Down syndrome]] made it to Base camp, which has become a substitute for more extreme record-breaking because it carries many of the same thrills including the trip to the Himalayas and rustic scenery.<ref>{{cite news |date=1 April 2013 |title=Teen with Down syndrome becomes first ever to reach Mt. Everest base camp |url=https://www.foxnews.com/health/teen-with-down-syndrome-becomes-first-ever-to-reach-mt-everest-base-camp/ |access-date=20 September 2015 |work=[[Fox News]] |publisher=[[Fox Corporation|FOX]]}}</ref> Danger lurks even at base camp though, which was the site where dozens were killed in the [[2015 Mount Everest avalanches]]. Others that have climbed Everest with amputations include [[Mark Inglis]] (no legs), [[Hari Budha Magar]] (no legs), Paul Hockey (one arm only), and [[Arunima Sinha]] (one leg only).

In 2001, [[Erik Weihenmayer]] became the first person to reach the summit of Mount Everest while blind.<ref name=":7" />