One thing we love about adventure travel such as climbing and trekking is that by testing our limits, it empowers us. But it is also absolutely crucial that we recognize when we have actually reached our limit — and especially when we might be endangering others.

Consider, for example, stories like that of Shriya Shah-Klorfine, who died last week while climbing Mount Everest, after being warned that conditions we against her. Had she been able to accept what the experts were telling her, she might have walked off that mountain, safe and sound.

This is why we were intrigued by the comments of a veteran Sherpa who says he is so saddened by this year’s events, and conditions on the mountain generally, that he is reconsidering his profession. He tells of encountering climbers who aren’t prepared, who go on when they should turn back, and of overcrowding that causes that delays which bring frostbite and death.

That article, in turn, led us to a longer piece in a Nepali newspaper called “Everest: Dying for the ‘High‘.” It points to global warming, overcrowding, and the falling experience level of the typical Everest climber as factors in the situation. The article makes one practical suggestion which we think makes a lot of sense:

Perhaps it is time the relevant bodies in the government and private sector established some firm prerequisites as to just who may be permitted to summit Everest.

It also complains of the trash on the mountain and suggests that, all things considered, maybe the mountain should be closed for a year or two while these issues get sorted out, and the mountain cleaned up:

While shutting down Everest for a season or two might seem radical, at least fiscally, it actually might not be. There are 326 peaks that are open for mountaineering in Nepal. Of that, 25 are in the Solukhumbu region.

So shutting Everest down temporarily would not mean taking away revenues from Solukhumbu or the Sagarmatha National Park. It would only mean being able to offer a safer Mount Everest down the line, while promoting other peaks in the region and the country.

Mount Everest is not, and should not, be treated like an expensive amusement park.

We completely agree. And while climbing Mount Everest isn’t our thing at Embark, we do believe in finding the right balance between adventure and safety. We climb Island Peak and Mera Peak in Nepal, and of course we climb Mount Kilimanjaro, but we always do it with safety first and foremost on our minds.

We encourage all parties involved in running Mount Everest to do the same.