Not long ago, I wrote a blog post titled “NVIDIA – Greed.”
With the AI trend in full swing, the stock price of NVIDIA, the king of GPU production, soared to astronomical heights. Now, it seems to have plateaued, as expected (though this might be temporary).
In this post, I want to take a similar approach to discuss the world’s highest peak, Everest.
At 8,848 meters above sea level, Everest is the tallest mountain on Earth.
Since Sir Edmund Hillary of New Zealand first ascended it in 1953, countless climbers have followed in his footsteps, striving to reach the highest point on the planet.
The path to the summit is not easy.
Above 8,000 meters, the altitude presents a lethal challenge due to low oxygen levels, a region ominously known as the “death zone.”
At this height, an untrained person wouldn’t last a few hours before succumbing to altitude sickness, and many have lost their lives attempting the climb.
According to recorded data, before 1990, about 35% of climbers failed to survive their ascent.
Advances in climbing technology have reduced this figure to around 6%, but the death rate remains alarmingly high. Such a death rate is unheard of in everyday life.
Despite the dangers, the allure of standing atop the world’s highest peak continues to draw climbers from around the globe. For professional mountaineers, Everest represents the ultimate goal.
As climbing technology has improved, even non-professional climbers, intrigued by Everest’s reputation as the highest mountain, dream of summiting it.
This desire has spawned a commercial climbing industry, where veteran climbers guide amateurs to the summit for a fee.
The desire to push human limits, to achieve the pinnacle of natural heights, and to capitalize on this ambition financially have combined to create a new era in mountaineering.
However, the commercialization of Everest has introduced new problems, most notably the bottleneck near the summit.
Near Everest’s peak lies the Hillary Step, a narrow and steep final ascent. The influx of climbers has led to dangerous congestion in this area.
This bottleneck occurs in the death zone, above 8,000 meters, where the lives of amateur climbers paying for commercial expeditions hang in the balance.
Although this issue has persisted for over a decade, the Nepalese government, which oversees Everest, seems reluctant to impose strict regulations.
The reason is the substantial revenue generated from the climbing fees, which amount to tens of thousands of dollars per climber.
Thus, climbers with short fates pay these hefty commercial climbing fees and entrance fees, embarking on a path toward becoming everlasting frozen mummies.
Despite knowing the high risk of death, the combined desires to challenge human limits, to experience the highest place on earth, to profit from this ambition, and to turn a blind eye for monetary gain have resulted in Everest’s death zone becoming the final resting place for many climbers who never return home.
This viral photo of climbers lining up to stand at the summit of Mt Everest was taken on May 22, 2019.
Source: www.news.com.au