Q – Believe me, I am not going to ask a travel adviser whether or not I should climb Mt. Everest. But I am a serious 26 yea-old climber, the nephew of a client, and I am in serious training to do Everest as soon as I can. My Uncle, Steve “K.” has told me that the cost is going to be all on me. I know it is expensive and I know there are climbs I need to do before anyone would ever imagine I would be ready for Everest. I know my Uncle trusts you with his life so I thought I would ask you how you would advise a client with Everest as a life’s goal how to prepare and, quite frankly, how to sell my Uncle. If I have to wait until I am thirty to meet this goal, I am prepared to do it.
A – You will have to wait hours in a line, chest to chest with strangers, on an icy ridge with a minimum 20-foot drop, all with the goal of reaching the summit, where you will get to stand with about 20 other people on a tiny piece of relatively flat land the size of two ping-pong tables. But you know all of this. The climb is now a primary example of humans creating a serious tourist trap at 29,000 feet for an average cost, we are told, of $70,000 per person.
We won’t give advice because we are totally unqualified to do so. You may be a super athlete looking to score the ultimate “goal” or, more likely, you are just another twenty-something with a stylish kind of death wish.
The experts we have consulted tell us that there are absolutely three things you must do before considering standing in line in sub-freezing temperatures:
# 1 – Complete at least one, preferably two, 6,000 m peaks like Island Peak, Lobuche East, or the Mera Peak.
# 2 – You must complete one of the challenging 7,000 m peaks like Ama Dablam, Aconcagua, or Ojos del Salado
# 3 – The top Everest expedition experts say that after you have experienced these climbs, you need to do one 8,000 m peak climb on either Cho Oyu, Manaslu, or Gasherbrum.
If you can complete these “warm-up” challenges, some of the best guides at the very best expedition companies, tell you they might consider your application. And be prepared for the possibility that when you have finally met the recommended criteria, the weather gods are friendly, and you join the slow, crawling line to the top, be prepared for the possibility that you may see a Gold sign reading “Trump Mountain”.
