Just to keep everyone updated on the Everest situation, despite what you hear and read there is still no firm decision on the mountain being open or closed. The acclimatization window is slowly shutting though so the climbers will need to make decisions soon independent of the stand off between Sherpas and Nepalese Government. Two companies have called off their climbs for this reason which has seen 60 climbers leave the mountain. In real terms this is less than 20% of the climbers on the mountain this year. Sherpas are still keen to push on. Their issue is not with what they do (which they love), or with the climbers. Their issue is that they want their government to provide better funding for families in the event they are killed or injured in the line of work. They are paid well on the mountain but if something happens then their families are left with no real compensation. These are valid concerns and something that has been ongoing for over a decade. The Sherpas at Base Camp, in a majority of cases, are wanting to continue just with the comfort of knowing their families are looked after. We expected a decision yesterday but this was not to be. The Ministry of Tourism is flying to Base Camp today and we should have a decision after that. In the interim, Alyssa and her Sherpa have been continuing to train and acclimatise on other peaks until they know more.
Posted on: Wed, 23 Apr 2014 22:44:03 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015