Why is climbing Mount Everest so dangerous?

Ever since New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Nepal’s Sherpa Tenzing Norgay summited the 8,849 metres (29,032 feet) high Mt Everest, popular as Sagarmatha in Nepali, on May 29, 1953, thousands of climbers from all over the world, including India and Nepal, have been attracted to the highest peak in the world.

Official data shows that since 1953’s Hillary-Norgay summit, around 9,000 mountaineers have successfully scaled Mt Everest while over 300 have lost their lives.

‘Prove yourself first’

“The 8,848.86-metre Everest is about to get a stricter gatekeeper. No longer will just any climber with ambition and a permit be able to attempt the world’s highest peak. A new draft law says: 'Prove yourself first'.

Nepal hikes Mount Everest climbing fee by 36%

“According to the Integrated Tourism Bill registered in the upper house of Parliament on April 18, any climber wishing to set foot on Everest must first have conquered a mountain over 7,000 metres,” The Kathmandu Post said.