Everest's highest camp littered with frozen garbage, cleanup likely to take years, Sherpas say
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Sherpas on Mount Everest say
Sherpas on Mount Everest say the highest camp on the world’s tallest mountain is littered with garbage that is going to take years to clean up.
One Sherpa this year led a team that worked to clear trash and dig up dead bodies frozen for years near Mount Everest’s peak.
The Nepal government-funded team of soldiers and Sherpas removed 11 tons (24,000 pounds) of garbage, four dead bodies and a skeleton from Everest during the 2024 climbing season.
Ang Babu, who led the team of Sherpas, said there could be as much as 40 to 50 tons (88,000-110,000 pounds) of trash still at the South Col, the last camp before climbers make their attempt on the summit.
Since the peak was first conquered in 1953, thousands of climbers have scaled it and many have left behind more than just their footprints.
In recent years, the government has required climbers to bring back their trash or lose their deposits. That, along with increased awareness among climbers about the environment, has significantly reduced the amount of garbage left behind. However, that was not the case in earlier decades.
The Sherpas on the team collected garbage and bodies from the higher attitude areas, while the soldiers worked at lower levels and the base camp area for weeks during the popular spring climbing season, when weather conditions are better.
Ang Babu said the weather was a big challenge for their work in the South Col area, where oxygen levels are about one-third the normal amount, winds can quickly turn to blizzard conditions and temperatures plunge.
Digging out the garbage is also a big task, since it is frozen in ice and breaking the blocks is not easy.
It took two days to dig out one body near the South Col, which was frozen in a standing position deep in the ice, he said. Part way through, the team had to retreat to lower camps because of the deteriorating weather, and then resume after it improved.
Another body was much higher up at 8,400 meters (27,720 feet) and it took 18 hours to drag it to Camp 2, where a helicopter picked it up.
The bodies were flown to Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu for identification.
Of the 11 tons of garbage removed, 3 tons of decomposable items were taken to villages near Everest's base and the remaining were carried by porters and yaks and then taken by trucks to Kathmandu.
There it was sorted for recycling at a facility operated by Agni Ventures, an agency that manages recyclable waste.
AP video by Upendraman Singh
One Sherpa this year led a team that worked to clear trash and dig up dead bodies frozen for years near Mount Everest’s peak.
The Nepal government-funded team of soldiers and Sherpas removed 11 tons (24,000 pounds) of garbage, four dead bodies and a skeleton from Everest during the 2024 climbing season.
Ang Babu, who led the team of Sherpas, said there could be as much as 40 to 50 tons (88,000-110,000 pounds) of trash still at the South Col, the last camp before climbers make their attempt on the summit.
Since the peak was first conquered in 1953, thousands of climbers have scaled it and many have left behind more than just their footprints.
In recent years, the government has required climbers to bring back their trash or lose their deposits. That, along with increased awareness among climbers about the environment, has significantly reduced the amount of garbage left behind. However, that was not the case in earlier decades.
The Sherpas on the team collected garbage and bodies from the higher attitude areas, while the soldiers worked at lower levels and the base camp area for weeks during the popular spring climbing season, when weather conditions are better.
Ang Babu said the weather was a big challenge for their work in the South Col area, where oxygen levels are about one-third the normal amount, winds can quickly turn to blizzard conditions and temperatures plunge.
Digging out the garbage is also a big task, since it is frozen in ice and breaking the blocks is not easy.
It took two days to dig out one body near the South Col, which was frozen in a standing position deep in the ice, he said. Part way through, the team had to retreat to lower camps because of the deteriorating weather, and then resume after it improved.
Another body was much higher up at 8,400 meters (27,720 feet) and it took 18 hours to drag it to Camp 2, where a helicopter picked it up.
The bodies were flown to Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu for identification.
Of the 11 tons of garbage removed, 3 tons of decomposable items were taken to villages near Everest's base and the remaining were carried by porters and yaks and then taken by trucks to Kathmandu.
There it was sorted for recycling at a facility operated by Agni Ventures, an agency that manages recyclable waste.
AP video by Upendraman Singh
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