Death and Debris at 30,000 Feet

On the podcast: An American adventurer describes climbing over bodies to reach the top of Mount Everest.

By , the executive editor at Foreign Policy.
Climbers line a path on Mount Everest in Nepal on May 22. Rizza Alee/AP
Climbers line a path on Mount Everest in Nepal on May 22. Rizza Alee/AP
Climbers line a path on Mount Everest in Nepal on May 22. Rizza Alee/AP

At least 11 people have died this year trying to reach the top of Mount Everest, one of the tallest summits in the world. Overcrowding on the mountain has caused human traffic jams along the narrow ridge leading to the top, contributing to the high death toll.

New Zealand’s Edmund Hillary and his Nepalese guide, Tenzing Norgay, were the first people confirmed to have reached the top of Everest in 1953. In the decades that followed, only the most experienced climbers set out for the summit, often after years of training.

At least 11 people have died this year trying to reach the top of Mount Everest, one of the tallest summits in the world. Overcrowding on the mountain has caused human traffic jams along the narrow ridge leading to the top, contributing to the high death toll.

New Zealand’s Edmund Hillary and his Nepalese guide, Tenzing Norgay, were the first people confirmed to have reached the top of Everest in 1953. In the decades that followed, only the most experienced climbers set out for the summit, often after years of training.

But the 1990s brought the commercial era to the mountain—with catastrophic results at times. Hundreds of people have died over the years.

Woody Hartman, a 35-year-old Lyft executive from San Francisco, reached the summit last month—but he had to climb over dead bodies to do so. He’s our guest this week on First Person.

Read More On Nepal

More from Foreign Policy

  • U.S. President Joe Biden meets employees of the Lobito Atlantic Railway at the Port of Lobito in Lobito, Angola, on Dec. 4.
    U.S. President Joe Biden meets employees of the Lobito Atlantic Railway at the Port of Lobito in Lobito, Angola, on Dec. 4.

    Is the U.S. Answer to China’s Belt and Road Working?

    The International Development Finance Corporation has put the United States more on the map, but China remains king of global infrastructure.

  • Taliban fighters ride on a U.S.-made Humvee to celebrate the first anniversary of their return to power in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 15, 2022.
    Taliban fighters ride on a U.S.-made Humvee to celebrate the first anniversary of their return to power in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 15, 2022.

    Who Lost More Weapons—Russia in Syria or America in Afghanistan?

    After the collapse of their client states, both patrons left behind a trove of military equipment.

  • People dance and sing as they take part in victory celebrations in Damascus, Syria, on Dec. 13.
    People dance and sing as they take part in victory celebrations in Damascus, Syria, on Dec. 13.

    How Post-Assad Syria Could Unleash a New Regional Order

    Turkey can calm Arab nations fearful of an Islamist takeover by inviting Syria’s neighbors and the Gulf states to play a central role in the political transition.

  • A map wearing a hat looks at a computer screen with a protest crowd image on it. On the walls above him are posters and photos.
    A map wearing a hat looks at a computer screen with a protest crowd image on it. On the walls above him are posters and photos.

    AI Is Bad News for the Global South

    The coming wave of technology is set to worsen global inequality.