Hold that hate mail – I’m only kidding. It’s amazing how many people believe that climbing Everest is simply a matter of paying a guide fee and being pulled to the top by Sherpas. My friend Alan Arnette challenges that assertion with a reminder that Everest climbers are walking at over 20,000′ and a nice breakdown on the YDS climbing grades:
I have seen Everest described as a simple “walk-up” meaning that no actual climbing is involved so I thought a quick review of what defines climbing might be helpful. I will use the South Col route as the example.
One point to keep in mind that the base definition of “technical” often means that climbers must use crampons and an ice axe. This implies skills with snow travel, crevasse rescue and self-arrest techniques – all of which are needed for a safe Everest climb from base camp to the summit; and back.
People seem to confuse technical difficulty and overall difficulty when discussing climbing. It’s important to remember that a walk-up can be physically challenging (for most), dangerous, and even deadly.
Everest is something that I aspire to do in my life and I think I am one of those people that think it is very very do-able, but underestimate the skill that requires to complete the ascent/descend.