How to Stop Risky Behaviour And Stay Safe In The Mountains

Climbing challenging peaks over the years.

In the 80s and 90s, when you approached a climbing agency saying you wanted to attempt Everest or any of the peaks above 6000 meters, they would ask you for your climbing experience.

You had to confirm your climbing certifications, share details of peaks you had summited and show that you knew the use of climbing gear. And you most certainly had to demonstrate your fitness to even think of Everest.

You owned your safety. You had to be as responsible for yourself as your guides would be.

These days if you want to climb any of the peaks, the response usually is, “Show me the money and let’s go! No questions asked.”

Agencies do not spend time in client due diligence anymore. They usually have very few questions about your climbing experience, what your training is like, and your current fitness levels. What they have is plenty of excuses to promote risky behaviour by climbers with no regard for the safety of their teams. Their business depends on numbers and records.

Most clients are asking the wrong questions.

Successful summit numbers, money flex and social media promotions are everything. The number that matters is ‘safe descents’ by any agency.

Every season, there are horror stories climbing forums about mountain tourists who don’t know how to operate their breathing apparatus, how to wear their mountain shoes, or how to climb with crampons.

Most deaths occur on the descent. Climbers distracted by their success, fatigue, lack of focus on snow and plummeting oxygen in their tanks — are all factors.

These are followed by tales of heroic rescues done by Sherpas or other experienced climbers.

It is appalling that the climber’s relatives, governments or sometimes, the media looking for a good story put pressure on the Sherpas to attempt a life-threatening rescue. To save one life on the mountain, a team of Sherpas and the rescue helicopter pilots put their necks on the line. That’s at least four people.

Why do climbers go to mountains unprepared? What are they even thinking, attempting something as extreme as the Himalayan peaks without the right training?

Sherpa Guides will open the route every year under difficult circumstances before the mad rush begins. They will lay the jumar ropes, the ladders across crevices, bear the brunt of avalanches, and yet carry on because there are hundreds of clients waiting at various camps to make their summit push.

There is immense pressure to be first on the summit.

And, of course, if you cannot put one foot in front of the other, they can even ‘motor’ you up the mountain. They promised you a summit photo, didn’t they?

It is an endless saga of what the Sherpa Guides endure. They fetch the first cup of tea to the client’s tent, cook three-course meals, and take significant risks to bring sick clients down the mountain alive.

In 2022 they recorded 111 deaths of Nepali guides in the Everest Region.

Caught between a troika of unprepared clients intent on external validation, climbing agencies risking Sherpa lives by signing on such clients without due diligence and the greedy government selling permits beyond what the mountains can accommodate — the Sherpa Guides have a raw deal.

What is at stake and the weakest stakeholders.

It’s a yearly ritual. The Sherpa Guides will open the route under difficult circumstances before the mad rush begins. They will lay the jumar ropes, the ladders across crevices, bear the brunt of early season avalanches, and yet carry on. All because there are hundreds of clients waiting at various base camps to make their summit push.

There is immense pressure to be first on the Summit.

And, of course, if you cannot hold on to a rope or put one foot in front of the other, the Guides are supposed to ‘motor’ you up the mountain. They promised you a summit photo, didn’t they?

It is an endless saga of what the Sherpa Guides endure. They fetch the first cup of tea to the client’s tent, cook three-course meals, and take significant risks to bring sick clients down the mountain alive.

In 2022 alone, 111 Nepali guides died in the Himalayas Region.

Trapped between unprepared clients, climbing agencies making tall promises, and the greedy government selling permits beyond what the mountains can accommodate — the Sherpa Guides get the worst deal.

‘Tourists’ on the mountain.

What compels people to climb to these death zones without adequate preparation? Why are they unwilling to help themselves when their own life at risk?

These ‘mountain tourists’ should not have been allowed to climb in the first place. If they have to depend on someone to help them breathe, or kit up or stay alive, then the only point of climbing is vanity.

It is common to hear from someone about how they climbed even when sick, felt dizzy or were blinded by snow and how their Sherpa guides got them down alive.

Or if they need someone to blame for a failed summit attempt, then there is a story of how their Sherpas abandoned them.

No one bothers capturing the Guide’s voice in this ordeal. Depending on how you look at it, they are the faceless, nameless unsung heroes or villains of the mountains.

Safety in the mountains —what can you do?

In this year (2023), so far, at least 12 climbers died, and five were missing on Mount Everest.

Weak climbers being led up the highest peak by expedition operators with insufficient experience are causing problems, a veteran mountain guide noted.

If you are a person who dreams of climbing lofty peaks, you should own the dream.

Entirely. Start to finish.

And you should make it YOUR responsibility to do everything it takes on your own steam to make the dream come true.

Take charge, be accountable, and train yourself to make better decisions. There are substantial resources dedicated to mountaineering and how to work towards a goal.

Understand this: on the mountain or off it, only you should decide what happens to you. Ask yourself how much your life is worth before you recklessly decide to push on or wisely turn back.

Failure at the first attempt put tremendous pressure on a climber to have a go again and soon. Sponsors, family, and the climbing community at large are watching. Preparedness be damned, and who’s asking anyway.

If first-timers are bad, those attempting a second or third time are worse. They know better than to continue, they have the benefit of experience to take a no-go decision, and yet, they will put themselves and their guides in danger.

Do you want to continue climbing regardless of risk? Better to do it without supplemental oxygen? Wish to join the record-breaking circus? It is your choice.

You attain the summit; you get the glory. If you fail, prepare well, come back and try again.