Honestly, it more and more just feels like a way for wealthy people to flex. Climbing Everest used to be this almost mythic feat, but now it’s basically a super expensive tourist package—like, tens of thousands of dollars, minimum. You’re not exactly forging a path through the unknown. You’re getting guided step-by-step, sometimes even literally carried by incredibly experienced Sherpas who’ve done it dozens of times (and don’t get nearly enough recognition for it, by the way).
Add to that the massive crowds—it’s not some serene, solitary climb. There are lines of people waiting to summit, like it’s Disneyland or something. You’ve got people just standing there at high altitude, wasting precious oxygen, waiting for their selfie at the top. And don’t even get me started on the environmental damage. There’s garbage all over the mountain—oxygen tanks, gear, even human waste just left behind.
At this point, the “achievement” seems a bit hollow. It’s not really about pushing your physical limits or connecting with nature anymore—it’s more about having enough money to buy the experience and say you did it. Meanwhile, the people actually doing the hardest and most dangerous work—Sherpas—are risking their lives for a fraction of what these rich clients are paying. The whole thing just feels kind of exploitative and performative now.
Comments
“What’s the appeal in climbing the tallest thing on the planet?”
It’s truly a mystery, nobody knows
The kind of turbo-ceo grindset ayn rand shitforbrains that are egoistic enough to want to do everest are, themselves, hollow dipshits. There’s a whole cottage industry on everest to cater to these main-character fucks.
Ego, challenge, reputation.
/r/NoStupidQuestions/comments/14hwbn7/why_do_people_climb_mount_everest
/r/Everest/comments/1afmz58/is_there_any_good_reason_to_summit_everest
/r/Everest/comments/1ih4tvg/why_climb_everest
/r/unpopularopinion/comments/tb78nm/climbing_mount_everest_is_a_useless_accomplishment
/r/TrueAskReddit/comments/3m2vyq/why_do_people_risk_life_and_limb_to_climb_everest
/r/psychoanalysis/comments/171rtie/why_do_people_mountain_climb_to_their_death_and2/climbing_everest_is_entirely_an_ego_thing/
Climbing Everest is still a highly physically taxing experience and is a huge personal achievement for people. Doing it with an experienced guide is obviously safer but it’s still climbing the tallest mountain in the world.
It’s still a lot of fuckin work. Yeah it’s not super impressive anymore but it’s still something to do.
Also, the mountain is covered in dead bodies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ard0ugA6Do8&t=1s
Most people can’t actually answer this question and will only give you shit for asking it. The fact is questions like this reveal to people their inherent shallow natures.
The slopes of everest are covered in the bodies of highly motivated people.
Ego. Even if it’s fake due to paying others to do all the work for you.
> precious oxygen
We can literally make It from water and electricity
The problem is, it’s still not a walk in the park. it’s definitely organised to the max, but there are still deaths up there.
The infinite queues before the summit in the death zone are still baffling me, and I wish that the Nepal government would stop selling thousands of permits each year.
So yes, it has become a kind of a flex.
There’s another way to climb, more difficult, that nobody takes except top climbers but also because it’s through China.
But the worst has to happen: a helicopter has reached the summit, and it was a prototype, but what if it became possible? We’ll see ytbers going take a selfie real quick on the summit.
I’ve done Everest, guys woohoo
When corporate meetings ask me “Tell us something interesting about yourself” it would be pretty handy to whip out climbing Mount Everest.
Omg, so many people have travelled to Paris, why would anyone else go?
If the average person magically got the equipment and guides for free they would still be unable to get anywhere near summiting Everest. Nay; if the average fit/moderately athletic person magically got those resources they’d still be unable to make it anywhere near the top without serious preparation. It’s “easy” the way running a marathon is “easy because thousands of people have done it”. What is easy from the pov of people with a lot of experience in a hobby is not the same as what is easy for average people. I feel like media makes us forget that. It’s easy to not have a proper gradient of impressivness when you are exposed to the top 0.1% most impressive people constantly.
It’s still a pretty mountain. Also the tallest mountain in the world. Safe enough that it’s pretty safe but dangerous enough that it’s thrilling if you’re into that sort of thing (have you seen how they cross those ice crevices? I am having a heart attack on my couch just watching that terrifying stuff). It’s still about connecting with nature; basically any mountain helps you do that. And it’s fun for some people. I really like hiking on non-ice-crevice mountains. If I were a slightly different type of person (less fear mainly) and if it weren’t so expensive I’d totally see myself considering something like Everest. As long as the relationship with the guides is not exploitative I don’t see the problem.
Ik a girl who is Nepalese herself and the way she talks about mountains is very spiritual. For her it’s something religious. I wouldn’t be surprised if she weren’t the only person that feels that way. That could be an extra reason to want to go up Everest.
So: physical challenge, connection with nature, seeing something unique and spirituality are 4 possible reasons why somebody might want to climb Everest.
it is the tallest mountain on earth. if you like climbing, or mountains, why wouldn’t you? humans are pretty simple. its the same reason people want to catch the biggest fish, or why people who like hiking might hike super long distance trails. why? because it’s there. thousands of people have hiked the AT, that doesn’t mean it’s not an accomplishment.
I get your points, and I’d rather go somewhere else even if was going to summit a crazy mountain, but the reason people want to go to everest isn’t really hard for me to understand.
Tallest one. People like maximums and limits. That’s pretty much it.
Yea, it has been done thousands of times… Not millions/hundreds of millions. You have a story to tell people and the odds you run into another person in your lifetime that has also climbed it is very slim.
Along these lines, I was surprised to discover boat marinas with nice yachts are exactly as smelly/nosiy/trashy as trailer parks are considered to be. Drinking, partying at all hours, flushing the toilet waste straight into the water (illegal, but everyone waits until 3 a.m. to do it). The big-money boat people spend a lot of time congratulating themselves for being successful enough to own a nice boat 🙂
Not talking about mega-yachts here, just ordinary expensive boats with a few beds & galley.