Himalayan concerns in the city
On April 18, 2014, 16 Sherpas died in an avalanche which struck them while they were working in the Khumbu Icefall area, constructing routes for their clients. The climbing community the world over has been thrown into crisis by the tragic event, with climbers now in a quandary about whether they would be able to attempt the ascent at all this season.

Members of the Altitude Junkies Everest Expedition 2014 return from Mount Everest Base Camp to Kathmandu. Pic/AFP

According to latest reports, a couple of climbers have already started returning from base camp as Sherpas have decided to stay off work. The crisis has resonated in Mumbai too (we live in a global world) and the Everest, after all, holds all in its thrall.  Dr MS Gill, President Emeritus of the Himalayan Club at Mahalaxmi, has expressed the views of the Himalayan Club, asking serious questions about the accident.

An excerpt from his letter posted on the club’s website states: ‘This incident raises disturbing questions. The yearly Everest climb by this route, with oxygen, tour guides and every possible assistance, has little of the 19th century sports endeavour left in it. Those who climb with help of all these aides, the assistance of tour guides and Sherpas, even when some of them are neither trained nor fit, do so for their moment of glory, simply because they can afford the money. Therefore, we have today very large numbers going up in crowded queues, sometime leading to fatalities, and always environmental damage.”

Surely, some of these words must resonate with climbers in Mumbai and elsewhere. Meanwhile the Himalayan Club in the city also added: ‘The Himalayan Club shares the anguish of the families of the Sherpas who perished, the Sherpas who are alive and fighting for the rights of their community and the anger of the world mountain community. It is time for some authorities to take some cognizance of the warning signals that the mountain is sending.’