Concern is growing over the growing popularity of extreme tourism at places such as Mount Everest after a British man and his guide disappeared on the mountain.
Daniel 'Dan' Paterson, 40, reached the summit of the world's highest peak last week, but disappeared with his Sherpa guide, Pas Tenji, 23, shortly after, prompting his partner to set up a GoFundMe with a goal of $150,000.
Rebecca Woodhead, who described herself as Paterson's “proud” partner, said she had been quoted the sum by Global Rescue “a world-renowned organization specializing in search and rescue operations in extreme environments”.
An official has since said that because the pair fell while descending from “a very high altitude,” “it is not possible to search for the missing climbers at this time.”
This is because the fall occurred on the Chinese-controlled side of Everest, “which needs coordination” to be searched.
News of the disappearance was followed by shocking images showing the extent of overcrowding in the mountain's famous Death Zone.
It is an area where it is not recommended to spend more than 16 to 20 hours, with 48 hours being the absolute maximum time.
Vinayak Jaya Malla, who reached the summit on the same day (May 21) that Paterson and his Sherpa went missing, shared images of a ledge (i.e., a snow ledge) collapsing under the weight of a queue of climbers.
“When the ledge collapsed, four climbers almost died, but they were hooked to the rope and rescued themselves. Unfortunately, two climbers are still missing. We tried to cross but it was impossible due to traffic on the landline,” he wrote.
“Many climbers were stuck in traffic and oxygen was running out. I was able to start opening up a new route so that downhill traffic could start moving slowly once again.”
Jaya Malla said this summit trip, which was not her first, “felt different” with “soft snow, lots of ledges and snow-covered rock sections.”
Willing adventurers from several companies can purchase trips to Mount Everest.
Adventure Consultants charges $73,000 for a trip to the summit. However, the company's climbers must have adequate physical condition and previous climbing experience to be accepted. The price includes an individual Sherpa guide, who is genetically prepared to survive at high altitudes.
Under current regulations, anyone willing to pay $11,000 (£8,900) for a permit to climb Everest will receive one.
Nepal's Supreme Court is now asking the government to limit the number of passes issued in light of overcrowding.
Last year was the deadliest for Mount Everest climbers, with 17 people losing their lives in unrelated incidents.
It was also the year a heroic Sherpa saved an unnamed Malaysian climber who got into trouble on the mountain.
Gelje Sherpa said the other climbers and guides were “simply focused on the summit,” while the climber was “about to die” on the 2023 ascent.
“No one was helping him, no friends, no oxygen, no Sherpas with him, no guides, so this is quite dangerous for him,” Gilje said.
The Sherpa, who was guiding another client to the summit, made the decision to save the climber, who watched him carry the unidentified man 1,900 feet down the mountain.
After this six-hour descent, another guide joined the Sherpa and they took turns carrying the man until he reached safety.
The current disappearance of Dan and his Sherpa guide comes amid news that another billionaire is building a submersible to visit the wreckage of the Titanic after a similar expedition last year claimed the lives of five people.
Like many Everest climbers, those who wanted to visit the remains of the Titanic paid a hefty sum of $250,000 each.
At the time of writing, Paterson Search and Rescue GoFundMe has raised more than £121,000, and partner Woodhead revealed in a recent update that Global Rescue “can no longer assist in the search” due to where the men went missing.
“We are in contact with other search and recovery organizations and have received updated proposals. We are currently conducting investigations and due diligence,” she wrote.
The independent has contacted Global Rescue, Adventure Consultants and Sherpa Guide Service for further comment.
