Mount Everest’s highest camp is back in the spotlight amid viral footage showing huge piles of trash on the clean, snow-covered ground. This video which surfaced in the past week has shed light on the growing ecological burden from making use of the tallest mountain in the world for commercial purposes.
In the video, the Camp IV of Mount Everest, which is located at about 26,000 feet, can be seen full of junk including abandoned tents, used-up oxygen cylinders, food cans, and other items of gear. This is the final base camp for mountaineering expeditions, and lies along the South Col, the exposed ridge that connects Everest to Lhotse, where mountaineers must climb before entering the “Death Zone.”
“One of the most incredible places on earth seems to have become one of the ugliest examples of Mount Everest’s commercialization,” according to Everest Today on X.
Timing is what makes this revelation especially painful for Nepalese officials. Even with the efforts of the state-sponsored Mountain Clean-up Campaign, which in 2024 cleared over 11 tons of debris and four corpses from the area, it is estimated that there might be about 50 tons of garbage still frozen in the ice.
Strict laws that come into effect by late 2025 and 2026 and include obligatory GPS tags and biodegradable waste bags intend to prevent any littering. However, the viral footage shows how difficult implementation is when it comes to an altitude that lacks oxygen and prioritizes survival rather than equipment clean-up.
As hundreds more people are expected to climb Mount Everest each year, a South Col “graveyard of climbing gear” highlights the discrepancy between policies and actual actions. To conclude the viral post with just one phrase: “The mountain deserves better.”
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