well thank god poor people are sherpas

[Shiranu]

Justify it however you like shiranu. If paying someone else to carry your gear makes you the man then go for it.

:roll:

If I said it was "right" that they are poor, okay give me your snark all you want. But no one is saying that yet you are throwing that sarcasm left and right like we are saying they deserve to be poor and Mitt Romney should be their next president. Piss off.

[ApostateLois]

Just because they do it voluntarily, doesn't mean they shouldn't be paid well. If I voluntarily work at McDonald's because I can't find a better job, does that give my boss the right to not pay me minimum wage? If the sherpas can get better working conditions and better pay, then good for them. I could argue that nobody HAS to climb Mt. Everest, and if they want to climb it so badly, they should carry their own shit and find their own way.

There are around 200 corpses littering the slopes of Everest! I never knew about this until recently. http://www.unbelievable-facts.com/2013/10/mount-everest-grave-to-over-200-dead.html  There is literally NOTHING that can save someone once they begin freezing to death. Other climbers are suffering from exhaustion, too, have limited oxygen supplies, and can't take the time to save a person's life if they run into trouble.

[Mermaid]

Besides the 10% chance of dying on the mountain (a real statistic), there is also garbage all over the face of the mountain. Camping gear, oxygen bottles, trash. A lot of people die waiting in line in traffic to get to the summit, and those delays result in climbing in weather that is not compatible with life.

I am an adventurer and understand the desire to see places like this. The books written on the topic fascinate me, as does the excellent video podcast "The Rest of Everest".

I do, however, think tourist-climbing Everest is irresponsible for a lot of reasons.  Anyone with cash can do it.

http://theweek.com/article/index/228255/the-deadly-odds-of-climbing-mount-everest-by-the-numbers