Everest operators must vet climbers better, says ascent record holder

Mount Everest expedition operators must focus on the experience and knowledge of climbers to lower risks and minimise deaths on the mountain, a British climber and guide who has made the most ascents to the peak by a non-Sherpa said on Monday.

Five people have died on Everest this year and some faced problems at high altitudes, needing to be rescued from the so-called “death zone” while descending from the summit.

Kenton Cool, 52, who climbed the 8,849-metre (29,032-foot) summit for the 20th time last week, said climbing Everest was not that risky if it was done properly – with the right guides, techniques and better planning.

“It is the operators who should be more diligent with who they allow to be with the team (of guides) that goes to the summit,” Cool told Reuters in Kathmandu, referring to the need to filter out less experienced climbers.

THE RISKS OF OVERCROWDING

Last week, a record 274 climbers scaled Everest on a single day, the highest number ever on one day from the Nepali side.

The feat once again brought to the fore the risks of allowing large numbers of climbers on the mountain and the criticism Nepal has previously faced.

Overcrowding sometimes leads to risky traffic jams or long queues in the "death zone" area below the summit, where the level of natural oxygen is dangerously below what is required for human survival.

Nepal has acknowledged risks from congestion and inexperienced climbers by introducing tighter controls and higher fees.

“People should not die on Everest if they have good enough experience,” Cool said.

CLIMBING EVEREST IN 2026 MUCH EASIER, COOL SAYS

Cool, who first scaled Everest in 2004, said climbing had changed, in part because of technology.

The Sherpa guides understood their clients better, rope fixing was better organised and executed, equipment, communication and weather forecasting are better, he said.

Cool said on summiting days overtaking people at the Hillary Step bottleneck was difficult because of the crowd, but ultimately manageable.

A towering ​block of ice delayed by nearly two weeks the opening of the route, stranding hundreds of climbers at base camp in April.

But Cool said the elite sherpas of the "Icefall Doctors" group and the Expedition Operators Association of Nepal had fixed ropes to the summit on time despite early delays.

“It is much more professional than last year.”

-Reporting by Gopal Sharma; Editing by YP Rajesh/Reuters