re: Why doesn't Mt Everest just raise the prices outrageously?

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If a climber has K2 and/or Annapurna on their résumé, that is so much more impressive to me. There is no way to buy yourself up those mountains.

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I personally don't put as much juice on Annapurna especially the North route. It is technically not that difficult but the big danger is it is an avalanche machine. The South route is much more technical but it doesn't see many ascents. It is most definitely statistically the most likely to die on, in fact the numbers are down right crazy. I put Makula and Kangchenjunga well ahead of Annapurna when it comes to being an impressive peak in someone's bag.

The other thing that has to be considered is the actual route used. Considered something as "simple" as Mount Ranier. I could get most any fit person up the Disappointment Cleaver route with just a half day of instruction. Now compare that to the Liberty Ridge route where you need to actually be a decent mountaineer to summit. Going back to Everest there are some gorgeous routes that haven't been climbed yet. If someone ticks off Fantasy Ridge they will immediately be legend. Even some repeats would be the same like the Three Pinnacles route.

Everest via the South Col just looks like a miserable experience now more dangerous despite being technically easier since the collapse of the Hillary Step.

It would be difficult for me to look at peaking Everest as some sort of huge achievement when there’s others (Sherpas) that call that a Tuesday afternoon.

I’d put it about equal to half arse walking a half marathon and putting a 13.1 sticker on my car.

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Feels like every year more pictures come out of a traffic jam of people trying to get to the top and everyone saying there are too many people. So why not just keep creeping prices up so fewer people pay the same total amount? Sherpas get paid more per trip. No more crowding. Does Nepal not offer basic economics courses?

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So what?

If people want to risk their lives to climb Everest that what it it you? Why do you feel there is need to manage other people's lives?

Lots of question.

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I'm referring to the permit needed to actually climb Everest. In a fair system some of that would be routed to the sherpas on top of what they're already paid.

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I think it has been widely documented that being a sherpah is not a fair system. And I doubt the Nepalese government cares.

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Everest via the South Col just looks like a miserable experience now more dangerous despite being technically easier since the collapse of the Hillary Step.

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Just from my study of it, folks who really know what they're doing would likely prefer the NE Ridge if available, while the South Col is the mainline "touristy" route because of all that infrastructure and experience.

As one of the outfits puts it, the NE Ridge has fewer "objective" hazards, i.e. outside of the control of the expedition.

And the step was mainly difficult because it was in the death zone. It also provided some shelter from the elements on the right side. I would tend to agree with you that the South Col looks to be the more miserable of the options.

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dunno, I think standing at the highest point on earth would be pretty cool.

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I went to Pikes Peak.

Good enough for me.

I don’t do altitude very well so dying on Mt Everest is not for me.

There is a mountain in South America that may be taller. It’s all based on height above sea level but sea level is higher near the equator. The South American mountain is closer to the sky. I would love to tell all these people you haven’t climbed the tallest one.

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If a climber has K2 and/or Annapurna on their résumé, that is so much more impressive to me. There is no way to buy yourself up those mountains.

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Although it's not an 8000 meter peak Gasherbrum IV has only been climbed by 17 people.

I think its like 60-70k on the low end

Lmno