Scaling Mount Everest is certainly no easy feat. To climb over 8800 meters and sustain a bone-chilling cold is not for the faint-hearted. Do not mistake that climbing the highest peak in the world is a joke because you have to fight to sustain dangerous weather conditions all while carrying heavy oxygen cylinders. It is a trek of the highest difficulty, and should be undertaken only by those who are fit. Recently, Bachendri Pal, who was the first Indian woman to climb the peak has expressed annoyance at how every Tom, Dick and Hary who has money is now scaling Mount Everest without assessing if they are fit or not!
As per a TOI report, Bachendri Pal said that Moutn Everest is getting overcrowded because people with money are scaling the peak but they do not have the experience, training or intent of doing so. She also said that this is the main reason why so many climbers are dying during their summit.
Pal further recalled the time when she was given the permit to scale the mountain. She said that in one season, only a limited number of people were permitted to scale the peak. Reflecting on how rampant the permits are given today, Bachendri Pal said that Mount Everest has become a tourist spot. To counter this situation, she suggested that the permits for every season be regulated.
Also read: Who Was Savita Kanswal, The Record-Setter Mountaineer Who Lost Her Life In The Uttarakhand Avalanche?
As The Hindu’s report, it costs up to Rs 25 to Rs 50 lakh to climb Mount Everest. But as rightly as Bachendri Pal said, it is not the money that matters but your perseverance and training to sustain the harsh weather conditions at the peak. This is not a normal trek that people go to for leisure or hobby purposes. You will be able to flaunt climbing the world’s tallest peak if you come back alive. So, people need to assess themselves if they are mentally fit or not for the summit.
May 29 marks the 70th anniversary of when Mount Everest was first scaled by Tenzing Norway and Edmund Hillary.