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peter303 wrote: ↑Sun May 16, 2021 3:27 pm China just terminated its Everest permits due to covid concerns

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/chin ... index.html

I mean it doesn’t matter that much because weather-wise tomorrow is the only remaining viable day to summit until the main season ends.

I heard Johnny cash was called in to Walk the Line.

Several Nepal-side climbers dropped out due to covid positive or covid-like symptoms. I suppose some symptoms be confused with some kinds of altitude sickness.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/15/worl ... mbers.html

Authorities ruled out covid in the Everest climbing deaths so far. They warn medical help could be strained as the pandemic rages in Nepal.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/13/worl ... erest.html

I wish the best success for the remaining climbers.

59 known covid cases in Everest camp this season. Its sometimes hard to distinguish from other high altitude respiratory distress.

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ne ... 888030.cms

It sounds like half of the 400 permits successfully summited.

it will be interesting when we finally get the full "real" story of Everest 2021. there were definitely more than 59 COVID cases, especially among the sherpas, porters, cooks and other support workers. a lot of those people probably never got tested, since a positive test would have meant 2 weeks of unemployment in the middle of their busiest moneymaking time of the year. after the economic devastation of last year's season being cancelled, and the virtually nonexistent spring trekking season in Nepal this year, the possibility of losing more money was probably too big of a disincentive to get tested. the expedition companies did testing on guides and clients, and their own sherpa employees, but i doubt they had the means or desire to test all the porters and workers streaming in and out of base camp during the season.

the good news is, there was no major COVID-related disaster or deaths on the mountain itself. there were maybe 1 or 2 deaths where COVID could potentially have been a factor, but we'll never know because those bodies aren't going to be tested. but the nightmare scenario of dozens of climbers, guides and sherpas being trapped in Camps 3 or 4 and coming down with COVID was avoided, and ultimately there were fewer deaths than a typical Everest season, perhaps due to so many climbers getting sick at BC and not being able to climb to begin with.

the real issue is how much COVID was spread around the Khumbu region as a result of the climbing season. even if the climbers and their guides flew out from base camp, all the sherpas, porters, and other local workers returning home with infections to a region with minimal health care resources or ability to evacuate to a hospital, surely resulted in more cases and deaths in that region, but we'll probably never get an accurate assessment from Nepal, who are too busy covering up the fact that COVID even existed on Everest at all. one can only hope, too, that the long-term effects of COVID on the health of some of those infected sherpas won't become too much of a burden on them for the rest of their lives.

I get that some of the expenses prepaid for an Everest trip are probably not refundable and the training required is long and difficult and for some people it is a one in a lifetime event, but I'd have to think given what's been going on over the last 15 months with the border closures, travel restrictions, breaks in the supply chain for just about everything, the human cost of COVID and limitations around gathering in groups or even in close proximity to another human if not just the inconvenience of travel and logistics this past year, more would-be climbers would not just postpone this trip until it was easier/safer/less of a pain to deal with. Most Everest climbers are not relying on government stimulus checks so don't think it's the lost expenses that is weighing on them.

nyker wrote: ↑Tue Jun 29, 2021 11:21 am I get that some of the expenses prepaid for an Everest trip are probably not refundable and the training required is long and difficult and for some people it is a one in a lifetime event, but I'd have to think given what's been going on over the last 15 months with the border closures, travel restrictions, breaks in the supply chain for just about everything, the human cost of COVID and limitations around gathering in groups or even in close proximity to another human if not just the inconvenience of travel and logistics this past year, more would-be climbers would not just postpone this trip until it was easier/safer/less of a pain to deal with. Most Everest climbers are not relying on government stimulus checks so don't think it's the lost expenses that is weighing on them.

i think a lot of this year's climbers were people who had their 2020 climbs postponed due to the pandemic. i had a 2020 EBC trek booked with one of the companies that guided Everest climbs this year. even though i wasn't climbing myself, i would have been trekking with some of the climbers and so i was on all the emails as those going for the summit. when the 2020 season was cancelled, we were all offered the same options of either a 75% refund, or to put 90% towards a 2021 trip. i chose the 75% option because a) even at that early stage in the pandemic, i had doubts about whether a 2021 trip would be possible or safe; and 2) i had cancel-for-any-reason trip insurance that SHOULD have covered the other 25% (i emphasize SHOULD, not DID... take my advice, NEVER buy trip insurance from Ripcord/Redpoint). even so, the difference between 75% and 90% for my trip was in the hundreds of dollars, but for someone shelling out $60K+ you're talking about eating a $10K loss or more, so i can understand they might have been more motivated, and optimistic, about rebooking for 2021. i have no idea if any of these climbers were offered the option to postpone again in 2021; if they weren't, then they were kind of stuck with their choice and either going in 2021, or losing the remainder of that $60K+. if you're a Google CEO, that's no big deal, but if you're someone who has saved up for years, or even decades, or taken a 2nd mortgage on your house, or any of the other crazy financial choices some people have made to chase this dream, then the decision becomes a lot harder.

We can’t even hike decalibron legally. So, Everest? Whatever.

timisimaginary wrote: ↑Tue Jun 29, 2021 1:53 pm even so, the difference between 75% and 90% for my trip was in the hundreds of dollars,

Off topic, but who did you go with that it costs that much? Even with a porter guide, even $30 a day (Including all food and lodging) is on the high side.

If you do try again, keep in mind that the trail to is really easy to find EBC. Doing and organizing EBC on your own is no harder than doing Elbert on your own as the route is really well marked. Food and lodging are available all along the way. I still like to hire a porter just to help out the local economy though. You also don't lose anything if you have to cancel.

Scott P wrote: ↑Tue Jun 29, 2021 3:15 pm

timisimaginary wrote: ↑Tue Jun 29, 2021 1:53 pm even so, the difference between 75% and 90% for my trip was in the hundreds of dollars,

Off topic, but who did you go with that it costs that much? Even with a porter guide, even $30 a day (Including all food and lodging) is on the high side.

If you do try again, keep in mind that the trail to is really easy to find EBC. Doing and organizing EBC on your own is no harder than doing Elbert on your own as the route is really well marked. Food and lodging are available all along the way. I still like to hire a porter just to help out the local economy though. You also don't lose anything if you have to cancel.

my main reason for booking with a guiding company is that i actually wanted to stay overnight in EBC for a few nights with the climbers. you can trek to EBC on your own, but staying there is verboten unless you're with one of the companies with an expedition permit. which i understand, people who paid tens of thousands of dollars to go climb the mountain don't want to risk getting sick from the stream of trekkers coming in and out of EBC.