Mt. Everest: The queue and the 'traffic jam'

Mount Everest, a name that garners fascination and awe among those who dream of adventures. Ever since Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay managed to conquer the highest peak in the world, everyone has wished to repeat the arduous task. But as the saying goes, ''too many cooks spoil the broth'' and also, puts life on risk.

Everest, the once desolate insurmountable peak is now crammed with climbers, that has led to a ''traffic jam'' and a sudden increase in the death toll of climbers. In the 2019 climbing season alone, a total number of 11 people have died till now. The last one was an American attorney Christopher John Kulish (62), who died after reaching the top.

The post by adventure filmmaker Elia Saikaly brought forth the perilous situation in the Everest.

According to a report of The Australian, Ameesha Chauhan, a survivor of the ''traffic jam'' is of the opinion that the fatal accidents are mainly happening because of aspirant climbers who wish to plunge into the danger of vanquishing Everest without even proper training in mountaineering. Most of them are heavy and more specifically relying on the Sherpas, renouncing the basic of mountaineering-Learning the art of climbing a mountain. And to remember, that Everest is not just a next door hill.

Nepal issued a record 381 Everest permits this season, and several hundred of the summiteers are not properly trained, take poor decisions and “put their own life in risk and also the Sherpa guides”, Chauhan said. The overcrowding forces some teams to wait for hours, especially in the "Death Zone" where the terrain is extremely dangerous, especially for an inexperienced climber. Mountaineering is a major source of income in Nepal, and this time, the cost of the permit for one person is $11,000 which has acted as an added boost to the Nepalese economy. But the surge has made Everest cram-full, with people jostling for a place in the highest summit. Desolation has been replaced by congestion, and the cold air is filled with tragic deaths.