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National Geographic
19 hours ago
- Science
- National Geographic
When climbing the world's tallest mountains, what counts as cheating?
To reach the highest point on Earth, average climbers need around three to four weeks to let their bodies acclimatize on the ascent and descent. To cut that time to only seven days, mountain climber Lucas Furtenbach is offering a chemical boost with xenon, an inert gas that is mainly used as an anesthetic. Photograph by Cory Richards, Nat Geo Image Collection In 1978, Austrian physician and mountaineer Oswald Oelz was a team doctor on an expedition to Mount Everest when climbers Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler became the first people to reach its summit without supplemental oxygen. Before then, it was unthinkable that humans, unassisted, could climb 29,032 feet, the height of Everest, where due to drop in atmospheric pressure we inhale only about 30 percent of the oxygen we breath at sea level. Almost half a century later, Oelz's grand-nephew, Austrian climbing guide Lukas Furtenbach, was the architect of a new feat atop Mount Everest. This May, four of his clients, along with five Sherpas, summited the world's tallest mountain only five days after they left London. Usually, it takes an average of 40 days of slow acclimatisation to adjust to the high altitude and scarce oxygen on Everest. The secret to the team's lightning-fast ascent: About two weeks before the expedition, Furtenbach's clients were given xenon through a medical mask. The noble gas is sometimes used as an anaesthetic but is also thought to boost the production of erythropoietin, a hormone that stimulates red blood cell production. The idea, suggested to Furtenbach by German anaesthesiologist Michael Fries, was to artificially accelerate the acclimatisation process. The strategy, however, immediately caused controversy in the mountaineering community. Experts on high-altitude research who spoke to National Geographic mainly questioned whether xenon could actually produce an effect strong enough to mimic acclimatisation. And earlier this year, the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation issued a statement warning about the absence of scientific studies to prove the safety and efficacy of xenon at high altitude. Then there's the question of whether xenon, banned in professional sport by the World Anti-Doping Agency, makes the climb up Everest so easy that it obscures the line between sportsmanship and tourism. Around 7,000 people climb Everest every year with the help of supplemental oxygen. For others, using supplemental oxygen is considered a cheap shortcut akin to utilizing sherpas and fixed-ropes. Left, a climber scales Mount Everest with the aid of supplemental oxygen. Right, oxygen tanks are seen along a section of Everest called "the Balcony" near the summit. Photograph by Matthew Irving, Nat Geo Image Collection (Top) (Left) and Photograph by Mark Fisher, Nat Geo Image Collection (Bottom) (Right) In the world of mountaineering, there's no regulatory body governing monitoring performance-enhancing drugs, but the style of a climber's ascent still holds reputational cache. Ever since Messner and Habeler's 1978 expedition proved that even the highest mountain on Earth could be climbed without supplemental oxygen, not using it has become an essential part of pushing the limits of the human body in high altitude. Called alpine style, this form of mountaineering—embraced by elite climbers—prizes climbs done without medical aids, fixed lines, or large support teams. In contrast, a 30-year boom in commercial expeditions has focused on making the mountains more accessible to less experienced climbers, with hundreds of feet of fixed ropes, large amounts of supplemental oxygen, and the support of Sherpas. Some tour guides who lead these large groups say the controversy ignited by xenon places unfair scrutiny on what's simply the latest of many tools making mountain climbing more accessible and safer. American climber Adrian Ballinger, owner of Alpenglow Expeditions, thinks climbers should just be honest about the style they choose. 'Professional athletes don't use supplemental oxygen when climbing in the mountains because it makes things easier. But for recreational and non-professional climbers who hire guiding companies, it's different,' he says. However, he draws the line at the use of xenon in mountaineering—even in commercial expeditions. 'I don't see any reason,' he says, 'to use a substance banned as doping.' Doing drugs, 29,032 feet high Climbers have a long history of employing different drugs to survive the cold and dangerous conditions of Earth's highest peaks. In 1953, mountaineering legend Hermann Buhl took methamphetamine pills, then known by the brand name Pervitin, to stay awake during a perilous descent after summiting the Himalayan mountain Nanga Parbat in Pakistan. (Buhl made his climb without supplementary oxygen and became the first and only person to achieve a solo first ascent of an 8,000-meter peak, famously surviving the night at 26,000 feet by standing on a tiny ledge.) In the following decades, mountaineers experimented with both banned and legal substances, from amphetamine to Viagra. Two well-known prescription drugs, diuretic acetazolamide (commonly known as Diamox) and corticosteroid dexamethasone (Decadron) are often used to treat high-altitude conditions like acute mountain sickness or cerebral edema—but against expert recommendations, some climbers take them preventatively. Nothing, however, works better to fight hypoxia and enhance performance at high altitude than a steady flow of supplemental oxygen. Hermann Buhl in 1953, after summiting Nanga Parba, the ninth highest mountain in world, located in Pakistan. Under the influence of the drug pervitin, a stimulant similar to methamphetamine, Buhl was able to push on to the summit after the rest of his team was forced to return to camp, making Buhl the first and only person to make a solo-ascent of an 8,000 meter peak. Photograph by Touring Club Italiano/Marka/UniversalA view of Nanga Parbat as seen from Jammu & Kashmir, 1933. Photograph by Royal Air Force/Royal'If you use supplemental oxygen continuously, oxygen delivery to tissues is maintained. You will not develop altitude illness, and exercise performance will not be affected,' explains Martin Burtscher, a long-time researcher in the field of high-altitude medicine and retired professor at the University of Innsbruck in Austria. This is why some climbers, still devoted to purist alpine style, refrain from using supplemental oxygen, since they consider it a form of high-altitude doping. Furtenbach adhered to this minimalist climbing style when he was younger, but over time opted for climbing aids that he says made ascents safer for him and his clients. He doesn't think new techniques should be looked down on if they make climbing in the Himalaya safer. 'If you want to climb at this altitude, you can do it in either an extremely dangerous way and risk your life, or you can try to climb as safely as possible,' says Furtenbach. 'And that means you need to use all the medical aids that are available.' He argues that singling out xenon is hypocritical: 'If someone wants to ban xenon from mountaineering, then it needs to be consistent and ban everything—from oxygen to dexamethasone.' The tinkling of bells accompanies yaks hauling propane and other supplies to Advanced Base Camp. Photograph by Renan Ozturk, Nat Geo Image Collection Before he became an advocate of xenon, Furtenbach had experimented with having clients sleep at home in tents with reduced oxygen and training with limited oxygen to help simulate the acclimatization process. That shortened the ascent time to three weeks. Knowing this, Fries, the anaesthesiologist, approached Furtenbach back in 2019 with the idea of using xenon and its erythropoietin production ability to accelerate acclimatisation even further. When confronted with limited oxygen at high altitude, the human body gradually releases erythropoietin after several weeks of acclimatisation, as a climber makes rounds up and down the mountain, slowly gaining altitude. Fries, who spent 15 years researching different effects of xenon while working at Aachen University's hospital in Germany, theorized that a one-time low-dose administration of the gas could produce the same results in a matter of days. Fries also contends that xenon can prevent high-altitude sickness due, in part, to its positive effect on the blood vessels that connect the heart and lungs. Furtenbach first tested xenon on himself in 2020 while climbing Argentina's 22,831-foot Aconcagua and, two years later, on Everest. Both times, he says, he felt strong and fast, and didn't experience any negative side effects. Then he crafted a plan for including xenon in the expeditions offered by his self-titled company, Furtenbach Adventures, which facilitates climbs up Everest and other famous mountains. The decision to offer xenon to clients, he says, was done to make climbing safer. 'The fewer rotations you have to do on the mountain, the safer the expedition becomes,' he argues. (Furtenbach also thinks shorter trips could help curtail the large amounts of garbage long expeditions leave behind.) For the first-ever xenon 'powered' expedition, he chose four British clients, who boasted a combination of high-altitude climbing experience and military training. After ten weeks of pre-acclimatisation at home, sleeping and training with limited oxygen, they received a low dose of xenon in a German hospital and two weeks later embarked from London on their five-day-long ascent. No immediate serious side effects from the xenon treatment were observed by Furtenbach or the members of the expedition. The price of the climb was 150,000 euros a person. Furtenbach declined to specify how much xenon, an expensive gas, added to this total. Climbing rope is a ubiquitous tool amongst mountaineers, and learning how to safely build anchors and belay are essential skills. However, on some mountains, ropes may be pre-anchored and left in place for the entirety of the season to aid less experienced climbers. Left, the first Nepali female to climb Manaslu studies ice anchors in a climbing class. Right, a mountaineer descends to camp III during an attempt to summit Hkakabo Razi, said to be Southeast Asia's tallest mountain. Photograph by Aaron Huey, Nat Geo Image Collection (Top) (Left) and Photograph by Renan Ozturk, Nat Geo Image Collection (Bottom) (Right) Not everyone with high-altitude expertise is convinced that xenon is the best way to quickly climb Everest. Some experts argued that a one-week ascent might be possible without a miracle drug like xenon, if only the climbers would use a high enough flow of oxygen right from the bottom. 'If you have a big flow of oxygen, you don't need to work as hard to acclimatise. From an oxygen perspective, you're not going to the summit of Everest, but much lower,' says Mike Grocott, professor of anaesthesia and critical care at the University of Southampton in England and expert on the physiology of hypoxia. This theory, too, was tested this May when Ukraine-born Andrew Ushakov stated that he climbed to the top of Everest in a little less than four days after leaving New York. To achieve this, he used supplemental oxygen and trained in low-oxygen conditions. A team from the Elite Exped company guided Ushakov to the top. He says he used oxygen as soon as he started his ascent from the base camp, starting with a flow of 0.5 liters per minute and slowly increasing it to three to four liters per minute, which he used on the summit day. The xenon team, Furtenbach says, didn't start using oxygen until they reached 19,700 feet, continuing from there with a usual flow of 1 to 2 litres per minute. Higher flow was used only above 26,000 feet. This theoretically means xenon could indeed have some effect on the acclimatisation process, beyond supplemental oxygen. Still, without peer-reviewed studies, it's hard to conclude that the xenon made a difference, warns Peter Hackett, a high-altitude researcher and professor at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. 'My question is—why the big rush,' he says. 'These ascents reveal that Everest's challenge is now all about dealing with hypoxia and not really climbing.' For some climbers, no extra help wanted Climbers who abstain from performance-boosting drugs and supplemental oxygen see xenon as just another departure from the purest, and thereby most elite, form of climbing. The Piolet d'Or, the most coveted mountaineering award, perhaps best exemplifies the most prestigious climbing styles. The award currently doesn't consider ascents done with supplemental oxygen or fixed lines, giving the spotlight to imaginative and innovative new routes, doing more with less, and building on experience. One of the winning teams of last year's Piolet d'Or, American climbers Matt Cornell, Jackson Marvell, and Alan Rousseau, spent seven days charting a new route up the steep north face of Jannu in Nepal. To pack lightly, they shared a single sleeping bag. 'Alpinism without the factor of the unknown is only the plain physical activity,' says Slovenian climbing legend Marko Prezelj, four-time winner of Piolet d'Or. 'If somebody prepares the mountain for you by putting in fixed lines and you climb together with 500 people, there is nothing unknown.' The Everest massif from Camp I on Pumori. Photograph by Cory Richards, Nat Geo Image Collection Famous American alpinist Steve House, best known for his bold 'alpine style' first ascent on the Rupal face of Nanga Parbat in 2005, sees alpinism as a process of stripping away excesses to get closer to the experience. 'There is nothing inherently wrong with the ascents done with supplemental oxygen and xenon, but we need to understand these climbs as tourism, not alpinism,' says House. And Mingma Gyalje Sherpa, the first Nepali to climb all 14 of the world's 8,000-meter peaks without supplemental oxygen and founder of the Nepal-based guiding company Imagine Nepal, says there should be a limit to what tour companies offer. He thinks that the traditional way of doing proper acclimatisation is more valuable. 'I would always suggest to clients to do at least one rotation on the mountain up to Camp 2, before the summit push, so they can understand their body at high altitude. We also don't take clients without previous experience,' he says. But even if assisted climbs and medical aids become more common, Alpenglow Expeditions' Ballinger thinks there will always be an interest in unassisted alpine climbing. 'There are endless new route opportunities for alpinism in the Himalaya. And I don't think the fact that we have commercial guiding on a handful of routes on the world's most popular mountains gets in the way of the cutting-edge side of the sport,' says Ballinger. Peter Hackett, the high-altitude researcher, is less optimistic. 'The improved access, safety, and success on Everest have led to a new 'generation' of high-altitude tourists with high ambition but little climbing experience, and more money than time,' he says. 'It's all about— how I can bag this summit and miss as little work as possible.'
The Star
3 days ago
- The Star
No summit is too high for this senior Malaysian mountaineer
'You cannot die,' RJ Nagarajan recalls his Sherpa, Ashok, saying upon hearing his faint, barely audible 'Let's go' uttered between his shallow, near-nonexistent breaths. RJ, as he is fondly known among family and mountaineering friends, had been left alone just 200 metres from Mount Everest Camp 4 (7,920 metres above sea level), after being dragged down by his Sherpas during their descent of the mighty Everest. 'I was left alone — temporarily blind in one eye, freezing, gasping for air with my oxygen supply running out,' he continues, 'assuming I wouldn't survive.' However, Ashok and his colleagues returned and found him barely alive. He was eventually rescued and airlifted to the nearest hospital. That was probably RJ's most harrowing and transformational expedition — one that left a lasting impact on him emotionally, spiritually, and physically. 'It was more than an expedition. It became a test of everything I believed in — purpose, resilience, faith, and the power of the human spirit,' says RJ, who became the second Malaysian to climb the highest mountains on all seven continents after summiting Mount Everest in May 2023. RJ (right) gamely signing his second book, Walking on Clouds, despite losing parts of his fingers to Everest. In true RJ fashion, he turned that near-death experience into something deeply meaningful. 'I lost parts of my fingers to frostbite, but I gained something far more valuable – perspective. What got me through were two things: Purpose and people. Reconnecting with my purpose gave me direction again; and the people – my family, my niece, my friends, even strangers – became my oxygen when I had none.' RJ with a local during a trekking holiday in Pakistan. Seven summits and then some Born Thillaimuthu Nagarajan 60 years ago, RJ was officially recognised by the Malaysian Book of Records as the first Malaysian to conquer the seven Summits (+ 2) Challenge – the ultimate feat of reaching the highest summits on each continent with two additional peaks. Apart from Mount Everest, RJ summitted Mount Denali (North America), Mount Aconcagua (South America), Mount Vinson (Antarctica), Mount Kilimanjaro (Africa), Mount Elbrus (Russia), and Mont Blanc (France) for Europe, and finally the Asia-Oceania duo: Mount Carstensz or Puncak Jaya (Indonesia) and Mount Kosciuszko (Australia). Not only that, the Kuala Lumpur-born mountaineer and leadership coach scored a hat-trick, having completed three distinct versions of the challenge: The Bass List, Messner List, and Hackett List – a unique achievement for a Malaysian, as recognised by the Malaysia Book of Records. But grit and physical prowess are not the only items RJ brought to all these expeditions. In his backpack, together with his mountaineering equipment is one thing he never leaves home without: The Jalur Gemilang. 'I made it a point to carry our flag and proudly share stories about Malaysia wherever I went. People would ask about our culture, food, even our unique Malaysian spirit. It wasn't just about personal achievement. It was about representing Malaysia and showing that we, too, can dream big and dare greatly.' The coolest challenge yet Even after staring death in the face on Everest, RJ refuses to trade his ice axe for a quieter life. While others his age might dream of lazy retirement, he's busy plotting his next conquest: The frozen frontiers of the Earth itself – the North and South Poles. For him, the adventure extends beyond the physical. 'It's no longer just about conquering peaks, it's about exploring what's possible, both outside and within. Every expedition is a journey inward as much as it is outward,' he reasons. The author of two books – The Strategy Transformation Playbook and Walking on Clouds – is now in the midst of preparation for the South Pole expedition, scheduled in December this year, and the North Pole four months later. 'The poles represent the next frontier – extreme, unforgiving, and incredibly meaningful, challenging not just the body, but mindset, preparation, and purpose,' he says. After the poles, RJ plans to climb 11 more 8,000-metre peaks – all before the end of 2028. A life of arduous climbs RJ's journey to the summit wasn't an easy one – it began long before he ever set foot on a mountain. Growing up in an urban poor family, life itself was his first uphill battle. Every challenge he faced became a lesson, shaping the resilience that would later define him as a mountaineer. The mountains didn't give him grit – they just revealed what was already there. 'I still remember waking up early to deliver karipap to tea stalls before school,' he recalls. 'We didn't have much, but those days taught me the grit I rely on even today.' Formal education wasn't a straightforward path for RJ. 'School was a real struggle,' he says, adding that he only managed to complete basic schooling. Undeterred by the challenges, RJ took the long, arduous road of part-time studies and night school, which culminated with an impressive academic portfolio of 20 certifications, an Executive MBA from Harvard Business School in the United States and an MBA from University of Leicester, in Britain among other achievements. But his journey is far from over, he assures. RJ is currently pursuing a PhD in Neuropsychology in Leadership because, 'Learning never stops,' he says. Although he is quite the avid adventurer now, RJ says that he only rediscovered his inner adventurer – that fearless, nature-loving boy who once chased horizons – when he was in his late 40s. 'I was very active in sports when I was younger, but due to economic pressures, I had to put that aside and focus on work and part-time studies instead,' he says. A few decades later, he found his way back to his active lifestyle, starting with short jogs, then marathons, trail runs, and eventually, the mountains. 'Discovering the outdoors again at that stage of life completely shifted how I saw myself. The mountains became both my classroom and my mirror.' Malaysian Everest peakers, (from left) RJ Nagarajan, Datuk Mohanadas Nagappan and Datuk M. Magendran. Off the trek Outside the mountains, RJ has his schedule filled with consulting work, coaching sessions, writing, physical training and preparing for the next leadership programme or expedition. 'Even when I'm not on an expedition, I live with purpose. I train intentionally, I write, I mentor. I make time for quiet, too. That's just as important,' says the business strategy consultant who is now working on his third book. For his training, RJ believes that smart training beats hard training, especially considering his age and the demanding expeditions he's taking. 'At this stage, it's not just about staying fit, it's about being intentional with how I train, recover, and manage energy,' he says. He follows a structured regime that combines strength training, endurance work, mobility exercises, and functional movement, all tailored to prepare him for high-altitude and polar conditions. 'I work with a fitness trainer to help keep my body strong and injury-free, and a yoga coach to guide me through breath work and mindfulness practices, and along with a sports masseuse to help with muscle recovery and circulation,' he adds. For RJ, travel isn't just about seeing new places; it's about understanding the stories, struggles, and spirit of the people. Nutrition plays a big role too, RJ adds, along with quality sleep and active recovery. 'I still enjoy my local food, don't get me wrong – but I balance it out. Life should be lived with discipline and delight,' he says. RJ is also active in community initiatives that focus on inspiring transformation through adventure, mindset, and purpose, regularly speaking to youth groups, corporate teams, and institutions like the National University of Singapore. 'I regularly speak on topics such as purpose, mindset, and transformational leadership - helping individuals reconnect with what truly drives them, especially in the second half of life.' 'It's part of my broader mission to show that growth, adventure, and reinvention are possible, no matter your age or background,' he concludes.
RNZ News
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
Sherpas missions to retrieve climbers from Mt Everest
Everest Dark documents the quest of world-renowned mountaineer Mingma Tsiri Sherpa to retrieve fallen climbers from Everest's Death Zone. Photo: Kyle Sandilands More than 300 climbers have perished attempting to summit the earth's pinnacle, Mount Everest and at least 200 bodies remain on the mountain, frozen where they fell. A third of the dead are Sherpas. Sherpas refer to Everest as "Chomolungma" or "Mother Goddess of the World". They believe the mountain has become angry - that there has been too much death, and the mountain has been desecrated. Now a new movie has documented the quest of world-renowned mountaineer Mingma Tsiri Sherpa, in his life-threatening journey to retrieve fallen climbers from Everest's Death Zone. 'Everest Dark' follows the effort to reclaim the sacred mountain from decades of exploitation. The movie was written, directed and produced by Michael Bodnarchuk and Jereme Watt.
India Gazette
10-06-2025
- Science
- India Gazette
Air Chief Marshal AP Singh felicitates NCC cadets who scaled Mt Everest
New Delhi [India], June 10 (ANI): Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, on Tuesday felicitated NCC cadets who successfully summited Mt Everest as part of the NCC's third Everest Expedition. According to the Indian Air Force (IAF), ten cadets -- five boys and five girls -- reached the summit of Mt Everest on May 18. In a post on X, the IAF stated, 'Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, met and felicitated NCC cadets who successfully summited Mt Everest on 18 May 2025, as part of NCC's third Everest Expedition. Flagged off by Hon'ble Raksha Mantri on 03 April 2025, the success of this expedition represents courage, resilience, and the adventurous spirit of India's youth. Ten cadets -- five boys and five girls, all novice climbers, trained rigorously to achieve a 100% summit success rate, earning praise from Sherpas and international climbers alike.' Earlier in the day, Air Staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh interacted via video conference with Group Captain Shubahanshu Shukla, who is set to embark on the Axiom-4 space mission, an official statement from the Indian Air Force (IAF) said. Air Chief Marshal Singh extended wishes to Group Captain Shukla, who will be India's second astronaut to go to space since 1984. In a post on X, the IAF said, 'As Group Captain Shubahanshu Shukla prepares to embark on the Axiom-4 space mission tomorrow, Chief of the Air Staff and all Air Warriors of IAF wish him and the entire crew of Axiom-4 all the best for a safe and successful trip to the International Space Station. This will add a new chapter to the Indian Space Odyssey.' Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is part of Axiom Space's fourth private astronaut mission (Ax-4), marking a historic moment for India's space collaboration with NASA. (ANI)
News18
04-06-2025
- Health
- News18
Bengal Climber's Body Still On Everest, Here's How Much It Might Cost To Retrieve It
Last Updated: Even if Sherpas reach the body, retrieval is tough—especially if it's in a hard-to-access spot or at an altitude too high for helicopters to operate safely The body of Indian mountaineer Subrata Ghosh, who died in May while descending Mount Everest, remains stranded just below the perilous Hillary Step. The extreme altitude, treacherous terrain, and narrow icy paths of the 'Death Zone' make the recovery mission incredibly complex—and expensive. Experts estimate it may take over Rs 1.5 crore and a team of highly skilled Sherpas to retrieve his frozen body from the world's highest peak. Mountaineer Subrata Ghosh died just below the Hillary Step, a perilous section near the 8,848.86-metre (29,032-foot) summit of Mount Everest. The Hillary Step lies in what is known as the 'Death Zone'—an area above 8,000 metres where oxygen levels are dangerously low. This stretch is especially risky for climbers both on their way to the summit and during their descent. According to the Himalayan Times, Subrata Ghosh reached the summit on the afternoon of May 10. Bodhraj Bhandari, Managing Director of Snowy Horizon Treks, which organised the expedition, said, 'Subrata Ghosh reached the summit around 2 pm, but while descending, he began showing signs of exhaustion and altitude sickness. Eventually, he refused to continue the descent." His Sherpa guide, Champal Tamang, tried to persuade him to move, but was unsuccessful. Tamang returned alone to Camp IV late on May 15 and reported the incident early on May 16. Efforts On To Retrieve His Body Efforts are underway to recover the body of Subrata Ghosh and bring it back to the base camp. The exact cause of death will be known after the post-mortem. This is the second death on the world's highest peak in this mountaineering season. Another climber, 45-year-old Philip Santiago of the Philippines, died in a high-altitude camp (South Col) just below the summit. It is believed that Santiago became exhausted while reaching Camp IV on May 14. He died while resting in his tent. Both Subrata Ghosh and Philip Santiago were part of an international expedition organized by Snowy Horizon Treks. Subrata Ghosh's death certificate has been issued, but his body remains frozen on the world's highest peak. Recovering the body of a climber from high altitudes like Everest and Kanchenjunga is a very challenging task. That is why these peaks are often referred to as the 'world's highest cemetery." Why Is It Difficult To Bring Down The body? The first hurdle in bringing down Subrata Ghosh's body is the huge expense involved. According to an Indian Express report, Debdas Nandi, advisor to the West Bengal Mountaineering and Adventure Sports Foundation under the state's Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, said, 'Bringing back bodies from heights is a huge task. It is very expensive." He said that the expenses incurred on this include wages of Sherpas, insurance, medical, logistics support and helicopter fare. Debdas Nandi said that very few companies are able to carry out such missions, which further increases the cost. He said that out of more than 100 expedition organizers, only two or three are experts in retrieving bodies. The cost in Subrata Ghosh's case could be more than Rs 1 crore. Recovery Mission Estimated At Rs 1.5 Crore One of the organisers has estimated a budget of Rs 1.5 crore for the body retrieval, said Debashish Biswas, a fellow climber of Subrata Ghosh. Eight to ten skilled Sherpas will be needed for the mission. The cost of hiring them alone could exceed Rs 50 lakh, Biswas added. Most people who die on Everest fall in the 'death zone', located at an altitude of over 8,000 metres. This area is riddled with crevasses hidden under snow and ice. Even if a team of Sherpas reaches the body, retrieving it can be extremely difficult—especially if it lies in a hard-to-reach location or at an altitude where helicopters cannot operate, or where there's a constant risk of avalanches and falling ice. Debdas Nandi said, 'There are some places from where carrying the body is extremely challenging. At these places, the rocks are almost vertical. The body has to be slowly lowered using ropes. The weight of a frozen body can exceed 90 kg with equipment. If it is stuck on the mountain, then lifting it and bringing it down presents an additional challenge." He added that the task of bringing the body down or transporting it to a lower altitude can be safely done by helicopter, but the process can take several days. 'Helicopters can go up to Camp 2 on Everest, which is located at an altitude of 6,750 meters (22,145 feet). Only Sherpas can go higher than this," Nandi explained. Subrata Ghosh's case is especially difficult because the climbing season (March-May, when the weather is relatively stable) ended on May 29. Since then, no rescue support is available. Debdas Nandi, who was among over 100 climbers to reach the summit, said, 'Subrata Ghosh's body is lying at a very dangerous spot, about 500–600 metres below the Everest peak. The place is so narrow that two people cannot pass together. Even if the family contacts the government, the retrieval can only be attempted later — it's not possible in this season." Despite the high cost and enormous challenges, the bodies of many climbers have been brought down in the past. This season, Nepal's tourism department had issued 459 permits for Everest expeditions, of which over 100 climbers and guides successfully reached the summit. First Published:
