Climbing Everest is for fit — and rich

opinions

May 26, 2012 - 12:00 AM

Four people died on Mt. Everest last Saturday. They were among 208 climbers on the mountain. A Nepalese mountaineering official called it a traffic jam. Climbers were stuck in what is called the death zone because it is a precipitous icy region with a low oxygen level.

Climbing Everest has become possible for the very fit and the very rich. From the records available, 316 have made it to the 29,035 foot summit this year. That compares to 91 a decade ago. 

It was first climbed by Sir Edmond Hillary, a New Zealand beekeeper, in 1953, well within the memory of today’s grandfathers.

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