Everest today: How crowds and shortcuts replaced the mountain's deadly challenges

Thirty years ago, a sudden storm trapped climbers on Everest, turning the world’s highest peak into a frozen battleground. Eight died that night, making headlines and inspiring books and movies. Back then, climbing Everest was rare—only 270 successful summits in 36 years after the first in 1953. Now, it’s a different story. Almost 300 people summited in a single day this year. Technology has made the mountain safer in some ways—better weather forecasts mean deadly storms are now rare. But the real danger today isn’t the cold or wind. It’s the sheer number of people trying to reach the top, often with little experience.

Guides used to be mostly from western countries, but Nepali climbers now lead most expeditions. Many are record-breakers themselves, like Kami Rita Sherpa, who has summited 32 times. Yet, the job still pays poorly for their families when something goes wrong. Melting ice and shifting glaciers add new risks, making the most dangerous sections even more unstable. The biggest problem? Crowds. With so many climbers, bottlenecks form on the final push, forcing people to wait for hours at extreme heights. Oxygen runs out. Hypothermia sets in. Some guides cut corners—skipping proper training or using untrained staff—just to save money. A $40, 000 expedition isn’t enough if the guides don’t know what they’re doing. Yet, Everest still attracts dreamers. Records are broken every year—youngest, fastest, first from a new country. The mountain brings cash and jobs to Nepal, but at what cost? Is Everest still a test of human endurance, or just a crowded tourist trap?

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