K2's SHOCKING TRUTH: World's 2nd Highest Garbage Dump, Climbers Speak Out
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- čas přidán 9. 09. 2022
- K2 climbers Flor Cuenca of Peru and Fishtri of Taiwan speak passionately about the growing garbage and human waste problem on Pakistan's K2 and what can be done to change it.
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Fishtri Instagram
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Explorers Web articles referenced in this video
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Musa Masala - Everest: Who Takes The Trash Out?
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"Take only photographs, leave only footprints."
They might do well to install a sign saying those words in Base Camp
You are indeed correct about trash being a problem everywhere and it's a shame. I used to work for a company that did the "adopt a highway" initiative in our area so some volunteers from our company would a few times a year spend an hour picking up trash along the service drive of a major highway. So much litter and the next day it was like we didn't do anything. It's a shame that "leave no trace" seems to not apply when it comes to these sorts of things.
Incredibly well researched and timely discussion about what’s happening right now on our highest and most sacred peaks, which were once only accessible to the world’s most elite mountaineers. Fascinating! Thank you for shedding light on this highly compelling discussion that so desperately deserves global attention.
Awesome having your thoughts on this channel! Agreed, and thank you!
We have a country code in Britain. You close all gates and take all rubbish with you. Granted you get the 2% who think it doesn't apply to them because they have a sense of entitlement. But I honestly think all climber's should be carrying their waste when on any mountain in the world, and any company that has been paid for an expedition should be removing all fixed ropes on the final decent and doing a final sweep. It's no excuse to use the sometimes harsh conditions on the mountain's. If your able to pitch a tent then your able to remove one.
Any rubbish left the expedition company should face a major fine.
Leave no trace is pushed here in the US but probably not hard enough. We always take extra bags and pack out our trash and anything else we find and can carry. Generally we can make a difference in small spots, but that small percentage of people do make a big mess sometimes.
The second guest makes a good point that the basic approach to waste is very different to the western view, even at much more hospitable altitudes.
I agree, the mountains should be clean, and there's certainly money in mountaineering to clean it up, but can this cleanup effort also improve local waste disposal infrastructure?
I agree 100%. Hopefully things will change as more people become aware of it and begin to take responsibility and put pressure on the agencies. Thank you for watching!
A suggestion: Every 3 years, free to reduced rate to climb with the intention of cleaning. Not to summit, but to clean. So the climbers have experience of being higher up and climbing at lower cost, and the mountain gets cleaned.... All paid for by "cleaning tax" on commercial expos.
Excellent idea....thank you James!
With all dues respect! Why should this responsibility to those who climb? It is a classic attitude. I will pay extra so I can trash the place and someone else will deal with it…sorry but I think k2 and Everest should be closed to climbing. If your goal is to summit these mountains, I Think you may want to look at what your impact on others is…
Pack it in and pack it out was and is the creed of climbers, backpackers, mountaineers, etc…
The country that allows entry MUST MANDATE “pack it in and pack it out”TO THE COMMERCIAL GUIDE COMPANIES. If they don’t, then no more entry permits.
If the individual climbers have lost the idea of preserving “Mother Nature” then none of them belong in the mountains. Banish these arrogant creatures to the REI Climbing Gyms one finds at every store.
Crazy to think this is happening on K2, one of the most remote and inaccessible places on earth.
Mind boggling! Yes, it seems almost unimaginable. When I went there in 1996 it was a lonely outpost.... Cheers and thank you for watching!
@@EverestMystery Is there nowhere Sacred any more? Even Space is full of shite now...and the deepest oceans.. so so sad.
F that!!! Call them out. It's basic accountability. Declare all the 8k peaks nat parks, or world heritage sites & heavily fine ALL offenders. Also, name & shame the companies that are known offenders.
Matt, totally hear you...but, if I call one out, and leave one out, or call one out in error, I've really screwed up. So, I leave it to those that are on the mountain to utter the words. I can't be 100 percent certain of the offenders....but endeavor to shed more light in the pre-monsoon season. Thank you for watching!
This is so sad. There is always going to be something left, but to see what looks like flattened villages left with all of the associated wastes… thank you for sharing this.
Brendan, I'm going to bring more of this story forward. I'm working on something today and will release it soon.... Thanks for your thoughts!
@@EverestMystery Do you know if any of the European mountains are experiencing this issue? Or is it just limited to the Tibetan/Nepal mountains?
@@brendanoneill1466 I would imagine it's happening in many places. I'm not sure to what extent it is taking place on mountains in other areas (where commercial guiding companies are operating). it's something worth looking into...
This development is discouraging....but, I am so appreciative that this situation is being discussed. Thank you!
Thank you as always for watching!
This is happening in most mountainous places. There are so many people "summiting" leaving human waste all along the trails along with various forms of detritus. I doubt there are any pristine places on earth.
For sure, this is not central just to the Himalaya and Karakoram. 8 billion inhabitants on earth are reaching into the far recesses of every corner of the planet. Thank you for watching!
I appreciate your posts. Always thoughtful and full of great info!!
Hire a group of porters to bring down the garbage and give them permission to refurbish and sell everything that is salvageable. That would clean up the mountains and help the local people greatly.
On point. Flor articulated this idea. Cheers Gary, and thank you for watching!
How did 'leave no trace', get lost on 8000m peak climbers?
Unfortunately the leave no trace crowd is a rare breed indeed....honestly, I'm not sure what happened... Thanks Alan for watching
Cause the majority of these climbers are rich entitled fks
Thanks Thom for posting!♥️
Hopefully, this brings about more dialogue about how to fix the problem. Thank you for watching Judy!
Paying someone else to take our waste down has one important downside. We pay someone to do a very dangerous and often deadly job.
Knowing that, for me to be able to go up and down on the mountain, three sherpas lost their lives while preparing the route…
Then, in addition some more people must risk or even sacrifice their lives to clean up after me.
Not gonna happen!!
I don't climb in the Himalayas so I can't speak too much to that, but I think behavior like this is global even if it is extremely pronounced on mountains like K2 and Everest. I started thinking about this stuff when I was hiking in Peru. I remember seeing fields of toilet paper at common rest stops along the trail, thinking how terrible tourists were and reflecting on my own involvement. Then I noticed the candy wrappers dotting the trail, left by the porters and horsemen who carried our gear ahead of us. Initially I would pick up those candy wrappers in an attempt to somehow absolve myself of my own impact, to convince myself I was the better person in a collective of people who are creating the problem. But eventually it felt like swimming against the tide.
What I have come to realize since is that in general, climbers want to treat the mountains with respect. None of them want to be the ones who leave trash behind. None are OK with seeing the mountains like this. But I think they all feel like they are fighting against the tide. As such, I think the tide needs to change and it looks like you are taking good steps to try to change that tide. The local authorities need to start to enforce these things similar to how the park service demanded we stop throwing waste into the crevasses on Denali. Creating national parks in South America has changed the attitudes of so many local people. Sometimes it's as simple as educating locals on what is and is not acceptable.
I'd also love to see some sort of responsibility accreditation for guide companies. In your video, Flor talks about the big western companies taking part in the trash problem, even if the company itself isn't aware. What would happen if they worked hard to maintain that? Would they be inclined to ask their clients if their hired help met those standards on the mountain? What would happen if being clean meant more money for them? I would personally book with a company who has earned and maintains the ability to say they are ethical.
Heartbreaking. I don't have the answers, but if a cause comes together, I would love to contribute.
Indeed....you might be interested in this program I did about the garbage situation on Everest:
czcams.com/video/ayL3_sP0vA4/video.html
Thanks for watching, KT, it's much appreciated!
I live in small beach community in Central California. These are the people that drive Teslas, talk about saving the environment, etc. Yet there is so much garbage along the roadways and much of it blows into the ocean. I don’t see them out picking it up. The same people you mentioned that complain about Everest being a pigsty.
“Cleanliness starts at home”
Thanks so much for watching and for your insight! There is a magnifying glass held over Everest and those who go there...
@@EverestMystery I also appreciate your insight for the mountain climbing issues..as you mentioned, environmental impact is one of them🙏
Like everyone here, I hate garbage being dumped anywhere other than a recycling or refuse site! It is important to mention we cannot have blinders on to this global issue.
Our communities are just as important as anywhere else. Like many other people, there are weekends I go out and pick up trash along side the road. No one wants a turtle or dolphin to be suffocated by a plastic bag.
Thank you for the coverage. I appreciate how respectful you always are towards the host. Very good job
I truly appreciate it, thank you!
I wonder why they don't enforce the use of CMC's (clean mountain cans) on Everest and K2 like they do on Denali??.
Use of these CMCs, with biodegradable bag liners, has radically improved sanitation at the 17,200-foot High Camp (5,200 m). However, most bags of human waste collected in CMCs at all elevations-including at 14,200-foot Camp, where climbers spend the majority of their time acclimatizing and waiting for good weather-are thrown into crevasses between Basecamp and 14,200-foot Camp.
It's sad... People will just continue to be people. 😢
@@swirvinbirds1971 wow, didn't know about that. Don't know what they are thinking throwing bags of s#it into crevass. I guess they think it just disappears. When In actuality it just massively contaminating the water shed. You know what they say, "shit runs down hill",...lol
Great idea.... In Base Camp they do use these, essentially hauling all the human waste out and burying it a few miles away. But, these should be up the mountain, as well.
I had thought that they stopped tossing the bags into crevasses some years ago. I believe it was a ranger named Roger Robinson who had people carry everything out (and then it was weighed). This has some potential for a video....
I wish that the huge fees, that the big companies take for each climber would be divided into two at the start of the climb: one to be paid out to the company immediately and the other part should be kept hostage until the end. Equipment etc should be weighed pre and post climb. If they are not close to identical, then the money held hostage should be paid directly to a clean up crew.
They need to start having people pay a deposit, a big deposit, like 10K or more that they get back when they prove they left a clean camp. If they have time for selfies at the summit they have time to take some pictures of their camp to present at basecamp along with the trash they brought down. If they can't show proof, the 10K goes straight toward the clean up effort.
Public shaming followed by flogging the guilty parties until the situation improves.
This method has been said to work. Honestly, it's only a matter of time before the offenders are named publicly. Thanks as always for watching!
Easy, close these mountains. Make companies pay fines for returning their crap. Sherpa assisted climbing is not real climbing.
Yes, the government authorities need to double down on the rules and guidelines for leaving behind garbage and human waste, and make the penalties severe for those who break the rules.
30yrs ago What we took there we had to carry it back out. Including our waste / buckets with a lid / The Sherpas would come up to our group and would get rid of our #1+2 waste. When we tried to pay them, they said no because we respected their mountain. But they helped us get to where we were meeting our van then they accepted our money for helping us. That’s how it should be. It was sooooo beautiful but now soooo sad. They should be fined every single climber in that group. Then one would think as adults they’d learn “ If u don’t clean ur tent area and climbing tools you WILL be charged everyday it’s here”. OR They could build a huge shed to put the brand new climbing gear / tents, warm stuff, oxygen tanks,buckets to use, ladders etc/ That’s my whine with dinner lol
Jane, I couldn't agree more with you. You have some experience that I would love to hear more about. My first expedition was to Gasherbrum II in 1996....granted, it was in Pakistan, but it was such a different feeling and place. Even tho' we'd met our match as a small group of seven guys scratching together our budget, it was purely grass roots.... I'd like to be a stronger voice for these problems and intend to do more stories on it. Thank you for watching!
I bet you still left trash on the mountain.
@@ReisterJP nope we even spat in our own plastic bag. And u had to wear sunglasses back then. And I got sunburn lol I swear I burn in the rain lol.
Thom I went to Mount Kosciuszko many times and we treated with that with respect as well…. My friend said she wanted to go to Everest. We made a deal if I go there with her she come to Pompeii with me. I’ll be honest here and say we were only there for 4 days ( I played jnr Australian netball and fell on both my knees on cement. They still hurt me until this day. When we saved up to go to Pompeii she didn’t want to go. I rang up my travel agency ( who was my best friend in Kindy) and what money she couldn’t give back to Tracey she added on to my list and I went around Europe by myself. I bumped into some friends in Rome and had dinner together. Then bumped into a family I speak to on here and got a ride to Scotland And we watch The Marching at Edinburgh Castle I swear I was the only Aussie there lol…..,It was the best time of my life!!!. I have two places left for my 3rd bucket list and that’s Giza & Ireland. I’m thinking of selling my house and buy one in Ireland then through the days read/Write books and night time up the pub for dinner and stories come home and move to were more grandchildren that I can play with lol 😂 now none of them will have anymore LOL I have my daughter here for now so they can save for a place and it’s hard because I have a big place but I just want to spent time on my own if that make sense lol plus I’m sure I’d get depressed if I didn’t see my little grandson he cracks me up all the time. Hey Thom did u get my latest donation? I know they’re small. But you always tell the best stories and I can understand you. Lol. Have u been a snowman for a long time? All my sisters tell me to hurry up and write my books lol
You should do that Thom you’d make a mint!
@@EverestMystery see if I went to Pakistan I would visit all the temples and try to Lear a new language…..Still got heaps of time I pray…..I think I have kidney stones 😓 it’s not nice….It’s just been 6 months since my tumour operation in my brain.I was out of ICU less than 48hrs. My oldest sister who’s been a head nurse for 55 yrs was amazed. My boys loved the gory head shots with all the staples lol typical lol
@janegilmore102 there is an herb called Chanka Piedra that helps with kidney stones. It changed my quality of life.
Its a difficult one Thom. There are many solutions but policing the answer is required. Who that responsibility belongs to is another problem. Maybe the host country should add in a charge to pay a dedicated team to undertake clean up towards the end of the season. However it is dealt with will be good to see. Thanks again Thom for another interesting topic.
Robert, totally agree....my Everest garbage crisis video delves into this a bit...I think the fines are possibly not stiff enough, nor is the keeping up with making sure people/companies are following the rules. Thank you for watching, great having you here!
Creating a significant financial penalty is typically the only way to get a business to do (or not do) anything.
@@EverestMystery In the end it's going to be a bunch of local people who are forced to go up there to collect garbage. I can understand if they're fed up with this and leave everything even *if* they're paid well for it. It's not like it's an easily accessible place, it's objectively dangerous as hell. The customers barely make it up the mountain and back down, why should anyone be expected to put themselves at risk just to go clean up after them? These mountains were commodified, and this is the result. You can't have both, easy adventure AND clean mountains. Not going to happen, and the commodification of these spaces will get more and more people killed. At this point you're on knife's edge just because someone left all that rope spaghetti up there, or you slip on a serac made entirely out of tent debris. It's nonsense.
“The only way”? Close the mountains. Track record is clear. Money is more important than nature. The reason closure is not considered is because selfish “responsible” mountaineers won’t support it.
The mystery of these mountains has certainly gone as they are so well populated at times of the year now. There really needs to be a fair waiting list and limits to numbers. The problem with this though is it makes game for the hugely wealthy if the supply is low and demand high. I think litter in general is a massive problem all over the world today which is really frustrating.
Steven, you said it perfectly....thank you! I am hoping to be in touch with some authorities from Pakistan to see what might happen moving forward. Cheers and thank you for being here!
So sad and it is everywhere ! ( like u said w/ a Macdonald’s bag on the side of the highway ) our beautiful precious world 🌎 my heart is with the world
An inspirational movement that instills a resolve in people venturing the Himalayan peaks, to take charge is best. Mandates and fines will improve the situation but I believe for it to completely be resolved, people need to be enthusiastically on board. Mandates and fines would eventually deter permit numbers I would think, and thus, the country's bottom line. If the country were to weigh the hit in bottom line, I think an incentive program for workers and permit holders to prove that they have not only packed out their own but previous crew's crap as well might be worth looking into...
Stop any future summit attempts on Everest K2 and surrounding area .Would be climbers pay forward cleaning up the mess on those mountains up to camp four with no summit attempts. The following year then they are given a permit to summit these mountains.
That's TERRIBLE.......I used to think that K2 was free of the filth and mess of her Sister, Everest. What a tragedy.
It is the “bosses” job to hold its employees/company accountable. Taking physical inventory of what goes up and comes back down the mountain seems like a great step towards reducing waste. And sending clean-up teams (not summiting ) for situations where waste removal wasn’t possible at the time of summit due to health/weather related reasons. Governmental regulations for mandatory reporting of all items up and down by companies and teams should also be required, in addition to limits on what items are allowable and how much a company is permitted to bring. Requiring people to bring only what is absolutely necessary to summit and for survival. Hefty fines for those who fail to comply.
If people can bring it up, they should also bring it back down. If you can’t bring your trash back down, it means you shouldn’t even have gone up in the first place.
It’s sad and appalling how much trash people leave behind when climbing the highest mountains in the world. It should be a nature experience for the climber, not climbing a snowy, low oxygen dump!
If people can’t bring their trash down, then maybe it’s time to just close down the mountains, before the trash pile gets even bigger
Yes, I agree with you. Thank you for watching! You might also enjoy this video about the garbage and human waste problem on Everest and what some are trying to do about it: czcams.com/video/ayL3_sP0vA4/video.html
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, truly glad you took the time to comment
If it wasn't the highest camps that had this garbage problem I'd say I do a vacation there and help clean up and being able to say: "I was to Everest/K2 and cleaned garbage from the camps" sounds quite cool and would be a big flex even without reaching the peak :D I'm not a professional mounteneer but I am used to altitudes up to 6 000m roughly, and I would absolutely be confident to go to that altitude and pick up a lot of garbage and go back. Even higher as 6000 doesn't feel close to the max my body would comfortably do. But the higher camps, at just below 8000, that is a different beast.
Also, there are already many really rich people climbing those mountains, it should be possible to motivate at least some of them to help financially.
There should absolutely be fines for these big companies that just leave everything. If it gets bad enough they won’t have clients anymore so it’s in their best interest to clean things up
Karen, I agree completely. While there are fines, they are not strong enough. They need to be bigger and the penalties more severe. Thank you for watching!
Thai breaks my heart. I wish I knew how to hike. I would go up there for free and take some trash down. Hopefully other hikers will come together and start bringing their trash out plus a little extra until this problem is fix
I would not let anybody there till that garbage is all gone. Made cleaning expeditions them we can talk about going up to the top.
This would be good.... Thanks for weighing in!
Just a couple thoughts
1. I assume the government issues permits for expeditions. What about a surcharge of x percent and the government employs sherpas to help with cleanup. This does NOT exonerate the climbers and expeditions that trash the mountains, but it would possibly put a dent in it.
2. Expectation setting among the climbers and expedition companies that cleanup is the norm. This may or may not turn to public shaming, but that is life.
On Everest in Nepal there is a surcharge of sorts, but too many commercial outfits are skirting the ultimate responsibility and only take down the bare minimum. Your second point is spot on....there should be a stigma about ever leaving things behind....perhaps more attention to the subject will turn the tides.
You might enjoy this video I did about the garbage and human waste problem on Everest: czcams.com/video/ayL3_sP0vA4/video.html
Thank you for watching!
I'm trying to be open minded, or at least ambivalent, about this crazy box-ticking industry, mainly (but not exclusively) for wealthy people who just want a trophy. On the one hand, at least these people have to get fit-ish and are out in the great outdoors rather than barging a penis boat down a Miami canal (although some may be doing that as well). But I grew up climbing in the 60s and 70s when climbing was about developing skill, exploring new routes and kind of communing with the mountain. I'm well aware that this old spirit still lives in small communities and public faces, but to me, it is hard not to feel it a shame that so many people seem to be coming to these big mountains just as an ego thing ... not to mention the loads of shite they recklessly leave behind. I suppose it is much like the surf spots of my youth ... perhaps inevitable.
I agree, absolutely. Seems that with the incredible amount of manpower and support that is provided by the commercial expeditions, the margin for error is smaller. It's still physically demanding, yes. Flor has been climbing on a shoestring budget ($7,000 for K2...not including the permit) and going without 02....impressive. She works as a gardener in Germany, scrapes together the money and leaves for expeditions.
K2 and Everest have truly lost their appeal for me. I saw it coming in 2014, and also when I returned in 2016. In 2019 we kept to ourselves, becoming the last team on the mountain, north or south. It was unique, hearkening to my Gasherbrum II expedition in 1996 when we set all the ropes and went full alpine style above 23,000 feet.
Thank you for watching and sharing your thoughts!
If you can't bring it down..don't take it up!
Yes, thanks for watching! There are a couple other videos on the page about the garbage situation, including last season on Everest, here: czcams.com/video/Cxzq6yvalys/video.html
Climbing these peaks has to end. I have been a climber. I know it's not what people want to hear, but...save the planet
Very apt sentiment....the mountain is only a tiny microcosm of the world itself, with the polluting and overfishing of the oceans, disregard for natural environments such as the Amazon rainforest....the Earth would do well with a break from human beings
Wow....Nice see you
Thanks for being here, truly appreciate it! You might enjoy some of the other Everest videos on the channel. Namaste
Make the companies that take climbers up the mountain equally contribute in bringing the garbage down the mountains, if they don’t, no permits for climbers from their groups.
I 100% agree, you are spot on in your assessment! Thank you for watching!
I guess it comes down to the consumers, these companies' market (the climbers) to influence a policy that ensures that everything that is brought up, comes back down. There are surely ways to organize and systematise that. And practically, surely each company ought to hire a team whose sole duty is bringing stuff back down. Getting the client up and back down safely isn't quite enough; doing so in a sustainable manner should be a prerogative. Can we wait for a growth in awareness to resolve the issue? I wouldnt hold my breath. There are surely enough people in the mountaineering community who care enough to take this task on, head on. But essentially, as you say Thom, it's everywhere and reflects our consciousness. But evolution and progress is usually initiated or propelled by a small few...
The whole corrupt industry sickens me !
and people wonder why there are so many 'burdensome' laws
Yes, without laws half the people wouldn't give a crap about anything....sad to see this happening on K2. Thank you for watching
It's sad. At the same time, all that used up gear will just end up in a landfill and eventually the ocean if it was disposed of 'properly.' we need to do better on the mountains and finding ways to recycle all these petroleum products.
Excellent presentation.
This is a topic I have brought up before. It is an embarrassment and reflects poorly on ALL climbers.
Mt. Everest is so damned trashed, that, barring the obvious impediments, I could summit following the garbage.
My God, they use bodies as trail markers !!!?
I suggest they require each climber, or outfit post a substantial bond AND have all gear inventory prior to reaching the first camp.
At the conclusion of the climb, re-inventory the gear. Deduct a set amount from the bond for gear obviously left behind.
I expect far more from the people that are fortunate enough to be in a position to attempt these challenges.
Leave gear behind and you join the morons that toss the McDonalds bag out the car window as they mindlessly drive down the road.
What really condemns these guide outfits is the fact they cut their names off the tents and other gear before abandoning it. Talk about guilt…..they might as well scream “I don’t care.”
They must not have any mirrors in their homes….!!
And if you’re one of these folks, go look in a mirror and see what a jerk looks like……
Thank you so much for your thoughts!You are spot on in your observations and are correct about the names being cut out of tents and other absurd methods to skirt the rules.
I believe you might enjoy this video that I did about the Everest garbage and human waste problem. Please let me know your thoughts: czcams.com/video/ayL3_sP0vA4/video.html
Concur with comments that climbers need to be charged, say $500 for each permit that will fund cleanup of all peaks so that the experience can be sustainable for climbers in the future. Additionally better procedures that promote "leave no trace" should be implemented immediately. What happens here should provide a template for clean climbing all over the world as this area is highly visible and in demand.
There are many companies from a variety of countries and peoples venturing to Everest. Not just one group to blame, such low hanging fruit. Blame the government THERE for the problem, they enable it. They allow exploitative companies to operate on Everest, who allow people with NO climbing experience to go up smh. - These mountains, like Everest and K2, should be for those who have earned the climb thru hard work and experience. Not just a feather in the notch of the rich.
Should climbers past and present give back to cleanup efforts?? Or put it all on the shoulders of expedition companies??
I would donate a lot of money to help this problem.
We need more people like you 🙏
@@EverestMystery Can you create a fundraiser for this? I’m a mountaineer at heart but it all changed when I got paralyzed in a car accident but before I got paralyzed if I saw a mountain I had to climb it.
Why would you? You didn't climb it and leave your shit on it. The climbing tour companies are responsible, they are the ones making a shit load of money off these selfish climbers.
very sad, i was born in Rawal Pindi, k2 is a spiritual place for many. very sad.
You take it up, you bring it down. Leave as you find!
Maybe it shouldn’t count as a true summit of you leave anything behind
John, that would surely get people to pick up!
I had a close friend go up to do K2. She was astonished by the amount of trash left. Everywhere. She didn’t summit due to hypothermia and loss of 2 toes, but a hell of a journey none the less. The trash and over crowding of these big beauties is truly sad.
My hope is that more and more people will speak up about this and demand their commercial outfits to do better. Thank you for watching. You might have an interest in this video I did about the garbage and human waste problem on Mount Everest: czcams.com/video/ayL3_sP0vA4/video.html
If you take the equipment up the mountain surely you can take it down
Darn right, incredible that this has become a problem....although it's not surprising....
Agree littering is horriric and our whole planet is more or less a disgrace and a legacy of rude humanity. But, a parkranger said it was far worse in the 70'ies when far lesser peoplenwent to the forrest than now...
If you are making these climbs on 8000 meter mountains, especially with these companies trekking with the clients…clean up your garbage…leave the mountains nice!
Totally yes! It's really too bad....gotta start cracking down harder on the offenders!
Okay so not sure if people pay like Everest who will pay $100,000 to attempt to climb (as usual it’s become for only the rich unless you have a house and take out a second mortgage seriously); then they should also have to pay additional fees for clean up. This is so atrocious (don’t know if dead bodies strewn about) they leave it like this (I’ve heard more than I can stomach regarding human waste). Everyone able to afford ascension can afford “additional fees” for clean up. Look at what they have done to our mountains. 🥺🥺🥺💔💔💔❤️🔥❤️🔥my problem solving could be labeling your garbage at each stop and having to collect it descending the mountain…
Well we are a pretty toxic species... not inherently but toxic people have such a big impact on the world to a point that being a toxic human being is rather normalized. A while ago a learned about narcissists, narcissism...
I am still standing in awe as to how these traits have become truly virtue in this world.
Dodging responsibility has grown into an international, Olympic discipline... the glorification of the self...
And then the self serving excuses like : " do you have any idea how much money and jobs this creates for those countries ".....There's just not an inch of self reflection because with these people, self reflection doesn't exist.
And it's even more sad for real climbers who maybe do respect those places.
Maybe i am being grumpy and i am missing something ....
Weigh folks and their gear going in. Charge them if they are lighter coming out and reward folks who come out heavier.
Bring up a blow torch, couple magnesium sticks. Gather all the burnables and burn them. The non combustibles, at least put them in one pile until a way is found to pack it out. all the tents, ropes, plastic should be able to be burned. Better than nothing. Once you get it cleaned up, put a system in place to track each groups garbage. I don't see a whole lot of people eager to go up there and just pack out garbage. Maybe you could pay someone enough. Something is better than just garbage scattered all over the place.
Sad thing is it's not easy for folks to bring all their stuff back with them because man are frost bitten, sick, injured ECT. I'm just starting the video. They should really send teams up to clean up. I used to live in lone pine, CA at the base of mt Whitney. Beautiful mining town. I'd go explore the mines and camp in the desert and it always pissed me off the amount of broken beer bottles and trash people would leave. Too much to clean so my cousins and I would dig and bury the broken class and bag up the trash. It's native land so it's sacred. Tourists have zero respect. But I'm sure not all, but part of the problem with K2, and other mountains has to be the physical and mental state of mind most of these climbers are in when the leave. Especially if they spend much time in the death zone then also the typical tourist that lack the #1 rule and that is respect the mountain. The same as what gets many killed. The lack of respect. Especially these ropes. Imagine being able to donate them to other climbers or something. Definitely need to have a cleanup team
As much as I liked the video but comparing a road side with a 8,000er mountain is a bit like comparing apples and pears. First of all the amount of people passing / going up (except maybe Everest - since it becomes a “mass tourist attraction”) but also by responsibility. The road dudes get cleaned up (at least where I do live) by the council or communal services but the mountains don’t.
I personally love the mountains (even if my health condition doesn’t allow me to climb them) I have to throw my 2 cent in. I think people should be more reliable in such remote locations, I understand that the situation can become difficult depending on the circumstances (weather or other disruptions) but at the end of the day, I don’t need so many tents up there, I don’t need chairs up there and my personal opinion (as sailer and diver) is, take only the necessary things and take them away again. Pictures are allowed but footprints (like rubbish, damages etc.) are a NO go. It’s not only the damage to the climate or nature but also manners, if I visit a place I want to find a untouched and pleasing place not human faeces (that most likely don’t decay because of sustained frost) or any rubbish that us left behind. If I’m certain I can’t bring it back (doesn’t matter if up - mountain - or down -the sea) I make sure to pay Someone doing it for me.
To change it I would suggest that everyone that goes up is being checked and has to bring this back down or has to pay someone to bring it down. Also it should be limited how many permits get issued a year so it’s easier to trace down who left what up on the mountains. Also increase the prices for permits and pay people to go up there and clean up behind the expeditions. These people have to be paid well and during the cleaning the permits should be revoked or closed down. Also it should be mandatory that all camps above base camp have to be cleared and dismantled completely before descending. It wouldn’t be helpful to clean up base camps but the higher camps become dumpsters.
Each go up come down with one piece of extra garbage,
Should have to check all gear on and off the mountain and fined for everything you cant carry back down. Could have a portion of the climbing permit refunded if you carry down any extra rubbish.
Could we potentially pay contracted individuals per pound of trash they bring down? Is that a possible solution?
When will this greediness to climb Everest stop god knows. The companies and mountaineers and the govt are equally to be blamed for not only the garbage problem but also extensive permits given. Sherpas earn a lot in a season that can feed there family enough for a year and also they are in a rat race as to what number of times each sherpas has claimed Everest which they do it along with the climbers. Companies also take number of climbers be it a first timer. People are greedy to climb as they have money ( first timers or inexperienced). So when and how does this stop. Glaciers at Everest are melting at a record speed. 🙏 We humans together need to stop somewhere. This is so sad to see where Everest is going.
All companies that sell trek's there need to get together
to organise cleaning up this problem by charging for it .
Time to shut it down to tourists.
This is horrific? Not only garbage but now
there must be hundreds of bodies there ...
Shut it down.
Only certified mountain climbers should be on that mountain
not ordinary people trying to appease their misguided EGO's.
Should plane drop some skips up there lol.
Agreed, use a helicopter....that might work, and shuttle loads down.
There needs to be an organized team of local people paid nicely for the job of bringing down waste. A special team that is all they do. Maybe each climber should have to pay an extra fee to support this waste removal team. Maybe an additional $500 per climber>? (or another amount) Whatever the amount, it's not a lot of money considering how expensive it is to attempt to summit. This would bring many new jobs. I've been to every continent but Antarctica. There is rubbish is so many places that one doesn't see in travel brochures. The garbage is being left there because of the life threatening conditions, exhaustion, lack of care in general because so many other life threatening things are factors. But climbers need to PAY to have all this crap removed. ANd speaking of CRAP_ omg I cannot imagine! What is the solution for that?? Ummm I dunno. Same thing- a special Crap Removal Team. Get jobs for other local nations. I can imagine the smell. Not to mention the environmental damage. The feces leaking gradually into drinking water. It's only a matter of time before the whole system crumbles if this is not addressed
Well yes the flats are full of trash, but that’s not the top of the world. If you take it there, bring it back or don’t go at all.
Totally agree, thank you!
You can take a hole out into the hills , it will still be a hole . But it will not be a political hole when it comes back .
You need a good hill mate .
Climb it ( change ) .
Being sorry about leaving your orange peel up there is a private matter .
Why don't they clean it up?
When you can't Take your Trash away, leave The Mountains alone.
Well, I no high mountaineer that's for sure. Nevertheless, I have been a keen outdoors person for at least 50 years and I have by the rule that when you're done "know should be able to tell you were ever there".
Yes, thank you....I agree with you. It's an unfortunate development. Here is a similar video I did about the situation on Mount Everest, with people trying to fix the problem: czcams.com/video/ayL3_sP0vA4/video.html
i didn't like your mcdonalds wrapper analogy. was it a mcdonalds wrapper filled with poop? i drove for an hour yesterday in central california. there is no trash on the side of the road. pack it in, pack it out. if you can pay thousands and thousands to be taken up, i think you can afford to hire a porter or 2 specifically to remove trash. the trekking routes i've been on weren't trashy. i'm glad this is getting global attention.
Any time I see queues to hook in and do a technical section, I get disgusted. Climbing is supposed to be about communion with nature and self reliance.
These lines are more akin to Disney World.
How is this climbing?
I honestly think these situations have spoiled these destination peaks in Nepal and Pakistan for me. Even if I hire a guide, I wouldn’t want to be a part of that scene.
And this is coming from a guy who lives in the crowded North East US. I know how to share nature!
It makes me sad. I wish I knew how to fix this.
For sure, thank you. In 2019 and a few years previously in 2016 I felt so averse to the crowds that my teams backed off and waited, with the very real prospect that we would never get our shot at the summit. I'd rather take a chance like that than queue up....maybe on Mount Fuji someday, but not on Everest or K2, Manaslu, the list goes on.
Yes, a northeasterner! How about Mount Monadnock in southern New Hampshire on a sunny, summer weekend day? That is when the masses come out!
@@EverestMystery Nah, summers get sweaty and buggy. Try that hike during Peak Leaf Peeping Season!
Everything is pumpkin spiced, turtle necked sweaters, congestion, and gawking.
Little can be worse than the crowds at the top of Cadillac Mountain on Mt. Desert Isle in Acadia National Park, all of the time but winter. What a mob scene.
First time I went there it was the last few days of the “Summer” season. I ended up hiking over the mountains just east into the valley and then up to the top. I wasn’t expecting so many people; had I known I would have worn a swimsuit to wade through the waves of people. I was so glad I planned to bad that extra peak before heading over!
In many ways, late autumn and winter are the best times to be out on the mountains. Less annoying critters with their trash and noise!
I’ve heard Half Dome can get pretty bad in summer, too!
Be nice
Why are we surprised? As a group, arrogance and egos rule, sadly they don't care. Not everyone of course but most.Imho, the mountains should not be climbed at all. As the sacred watchers of the world, leave them alone to watch over us. In Australia, climbing our sacred mountain, Uluru, was banned. I was very glad. These mountains are not just a great selfie opportunity, they are more, they are symbols of spirituality, serene, peaceful, awesome and dangerous. Leave them alone. Spend your money on charitable works, better karma for all.
well how do you fix this problem...its easy, a thousand bucks for another sherpy that climbs behind you with a garbage bag, solved
Honestly, the addition of a team of climbers/guides/Sherpa who are in-training, to essentially start from the ground up. I think it's a good idea, and the bill could be footed by the climbers paying the expedition organizers.
Soon people will be climbing mountains of garbage instead of just mountains.😮
It's an absolute disgrace!
It shouldn't be left to others it should be a team effort.
You took it up there, you shall bring it down.
How can you spend all that time and money to have such an experience in nature just to leave it covered in man made filth!
I hang my head in shame for the human race
When was liter ever appropriate?!?!
Indeed....the earliest pioneers of these peaks left things behind thinking perhaps no one would ever return to such an inhospitable place. Times they are a changing.... Thank you for watching!
Don’t even try to hold companies responsible. Simply charge a clean up fee with the permit fee to climb. Pay workers well and instill them with pride cleaning the mountain. Charge a high clean up fee up front.
Yeah there’s litter throughout the world but this is different. It’s like the thousands of ppl who elect to walk places like the Appalachian Trail each year and just leave all their shit behind.. literally. And yes it maybe a thousand times more challenging but if you can’t leave with everything you came with you suck and you shouldn’t go.
I totally agree....there needs to be a sea change on how people see this. It really should stop... I'll be following the story. Thanks for watching!
Замусоривают Эверест богатые ,,альпинисты",им 100000$,как пенсионеру 100р.(15коп. в СССР-3 ПОЧТОВЫХ конверта 34р. шт.сейчас)Нетренированные,они еле добираются до б.лагеря,у них просто никаких сил нет,чтобы унести хотя бы свой мусор.Но цены!!ведь можно было бы организовать уборку мусора!!Туда надо рф мафиози мусорные фирмы отправить,они любят получать ни за что огромные прибыли,а там-целина непаханая,хоть польза будет,а то деньги берут,а мусора везде полно!!Правда,не везде,в Осетии и Ингушетии контейнеры стоят даже на трассе,мусора нигде нет.
мой друг, спасибо за ваши комментарии. Я верю, что люди могут добиться большего. Я надеюсь, что государственные органы, выдающие разрешения, увеличат штрафы и пени для тех, кто оставляет мусор и отходы жизнедеятельности человека.
(Я использовал Google переводчик, надеюсь, это сработало. Спасибо!)
They pay porters to pack it in. Pay them to pack it out..."problem solved"
Atleast some of the garbage is burnable.
dumpsters at camp base
Where is the care and concern from the host countries of these mountains for their own health and safety of their families? Where are the scientists and engineers that could develop waste systems for trash and human waste collection? The same should be said for rescue of stranded climbers at high altitudes. Can not these brilliant minds come up with strategies and equipment to get debilitated climbers down the mountain in a safe manner? I think host countries need to prioritize health and safety and not simply making money. We can put a man on the moon so I know we can solve these problems too.
Hello and thank you so much for watching! I think you will find answers to some of your important questions in this video I did about the garbage and human waste problem on Mount Everest: czcams.com/video/ayL3_sP0vA4/video.html
Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks again, truly appreciate you
those left over tents have saved many lives, just sayin'
Back in, back it out, leave no trace or don’t go! You aren’t true mtn’rs otherwise.
Thanks for watching. If you haven't already seen my video "Mount Everest - The Ugly Truth of the 2023 Season - Crisis Exposed", check it out here:
czcams.com/video/Cxzq6yvalys/video.html
Crazyyyy!!! Coca-Cola 😂 wtf!?🤬
For sure....THANKS for watching!
All those prayer flags look pretty bad also.
Yeah, when they are fresh and new they look pretty good...then fade and wither.
Entitlement... "I paid the huge amount of money, so why should I care about it? It's not my job" sad...😢
This trash is ridiculous.
No respect. Put up a zip line. Body's trash fine every past hiker to pay for simple zip line