Swarming to Qomolangma(2)

Garbage mountain

Climbers have had a damaging effect upon the mountain, creating, on average, around 50 tons of rubbish, the Guardian reported, stating that the rubbish included discarded oxygen canisters, climbing gear and food packaging.

Huang, who has had experience climbing other mountains, said the rapid development of commercial mountaineering also attracts climbers with bad manners and fears that Qomolangma may suffer the same in the future.

There are other concerned voices. In 2003, Sir Edmund Hillary suggested that Qomolangma should be given a "rest period" to ensure the environment can recover.

But not all agree the problem is serious. Sun Yiquan, a 27-year-old painter from Shenyang, Liaoning Province who scaled Qomolangma on May 19, told the Global Times that he didn't see a significant quantity of rubbish.

"I saw garbage such as clothes and food, along with abandoned gear," Sun said. "Most mountaineering teams request that their members take all their trash back with them. The rubbish left behind is usually climbing ropes or oxygen bottles, which are not so easy for climbers to take down."

Sun also pointed out that climbers pay fees that include money for environmental protection, which goes to the Nepalese government to send crews to clear the garbage.   

Sun Bin, a veteran mountaineer who once scaled Qomolangma, told the Global Times that the mountain's status is the reason why littering there has drawn so much attention.

"The littering problem on Qomolangma isn't that severe since the number of climbers every year is not that significant compared to other smaller mountains," he said. 

High altitude congestion

"Congestion is quite common when climbing Qomolangma," Sun said. "There were 350 climbers this year, 20 percent more than last year."

Last year, severe congestion contributed to the deaths of four climbers who were waiting in line to scale the mountain. There were only two days of suitable weather for climbing, so climbers rushed to take advantage of the brief window.

Sun said he didn't encounter that problem this year because the periods of good weather were more evenly spaced out.

The Nepalese government has been criticized for letting unlimited numbers of climbers attempt the ascent, since pictures published on the recent issue of National Geographic Magazine depicting crowds of climbers generated public controversy.

Limiting the number of climbers seems to be an unlikely prospect, as the local Sherpa people mostly make a living guiding climbers and it has become an important part of the Nepalese economy, according to mountaineers contacted by the Global Times.

Lin Sen, who has guided mountaineers for 20 years in Yunnan Province, told the Global Times that the increased tourist activity on Qomolangma was creating profit for the local people, but tourist businesses are often faced with problems caused by excessive exploitation.

"The safety and environmental problems must be addressed," Lin said. "Climbers should be permitted only when they are qualified and the fees for environmental protection that climbers pay should be increased." 

Sula, however, believes that ultimately the decision should rest with the mountaineers.

"Given that they have decided to take the risk of climbing the mountain, climbers should bear the consequences of their own choices."