© 2024 KLCC

KLCC
136 W 8th Ave
Eugene OR 97401
541-463-6000
klcc@klcc.org

Contact Us

FCC Applications
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

How climbing Mt. Everest turned into a business

Tents of mountaineers are pictured at Everest base camp in the Mount Everest region of Solukhumbu district on the tenth anniversary of an avalanche which killed 16 Nepali guides.
Tents of mountaineers are pictured at Everest base camp in the Mount Everest region of Solukhumbu district on the tenth anniversary of an avalanche which killed 16 Nepali guides.

Where 1A is produced, in Washington, D.C., is about 250 feet above sea level. 

Today, we’re going much higher – to 17,000 feet above sea level. That’s the height of Everest Base Camp in Nepal.  

Hundreds of climbers and guides are gathered there now before attempting to ascend another 12,000 feet to the world’s tallest point, the summit of Mount Everest.

Since New Zealand mountaineer Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay first climbed to the top of Mount Everest in 1953, nearly 7,000 people have accomplished the feat.  

The number of climbers has skyrocketed in recent years, and along with it, a bustling industry to support the most adventurous among us.

What has the boom meant for the Nepali Sherpas, the climbers, and the mountain itself?

Copyright 2024 WAMU 88.5

Avery Jessa Chapnick