It would be a shame to remove the ladders now, they're part of "history".

Still new to the forum but I'll jump on into this fray since I'm fascinated with Everest for some sick reason. This year I followed the expeditions via twitter and instagram and a couple websites which was really neat. As someone who is NOT a mountaineer, and just started following trad last year (ex-gym rat here, who wants to move towards real climbing, trad, alpine, etc.) I can't say my thoughts or opinions hold a ton of weight. However I'm fairly well read and have watched a few too many documentaries.

My thought is this. I can't take anything away from anyone who summits Everest, regardless of how. (Helicopters are not plucking people off the summit, there has only been one unconfirmed Heli on the Summit, but they are however doing rescues higher than ever) A perfectly crafted stairway all the way up the mountain would still prove to be a semi arduous task. Hell, go to a ski town. A whopping 8,000 feet in good ol kushy Breckenridge, and you'll see perfectly fit people huffing and puffing after three flights of stairs. And at that point you're not even scraping the surface of what the foothills of Everest are like. So if you get up there, short of a Sherpa literally carrying you up you did some work.

On the flipside though, as a climber, as an outdoor enthusiast, and as an opinionated jerk I will say I'm not a fan of the methods of climbing Everest; and the connection to the all mighty dollar. I guess to try to wrap this up quicker; season two of the Discovery Channel Everest show with Russel Brice had one person who was proof positive of what is and has been wrong with Everest for the last couple decades. There was a woman, on the expedition, expecting to summit Everest, but had never climbed any mountain anywhere before. She couldn't even put on crampons. I mean, realistically speaking that's like someone who's never so much as played pee-wee football walking into an NFL locker room to suit up as the starting quarterback.

Hiring a guide to climb, fine. I'm all for it, It's a great way to learn, in fact I suggest it. If you're new, get a guide. Get someone to protect you, to teach you, to help you. Don't go doing it on the playground of the elite. Don't go plunking down $60k+ to be dragged to summit of the highest mountain in the world. Go learn on a mountain that you can LEARN on. Is Everest the most technical climb? Not even close, but it still shuts down world class climbers. It is still having records set and broken every single year. It is still a place for the elite to go show what they are made of. But when elite climbers are being held up, injured, killed etc. because of a traffic jam of non-climbing tourists that's a problem. The $$ is a powerful thing. As a guide, if they are willing to show you the money, you're going to be willing to show them the top. However I really think some discretion should be used. Not every jerk with $60k deserves to climb the mountain. It should be reserved for the climbing elite. For the Hillary's, the Messners, and the Ankers of the climbing world.


If you're a new rock climber is your guide going to pull you up a 5.14 multi-pitch? NOPE. So why should they do it in mountaineering? You wanna climb 5.14 you learn, you improve, you work your way up. You wanna climb Everest you should learn, improve, and work your way up.

• end rant*