“I have climbed Everest so many times, but this spring’s traffic jam was the worst,” said Tshering Jangbu Sherpa, a guide who summited Everest on May 22. “Many climbers who moved to the summit without extra supplement oxygen bottles suffered the most. They suffered because of the traffic jam, not because of wind and coldness.”He said that after his team became stuck in the line, he had to borrow a supplemental oxygen bottle because one member of his expedition was running out. Expedition organizers say the number of Everest hopefuls from the Nepal side has increased in recent years after China set a limit on climbers from the Tibetan side. Nepal’s tourism ministry issued permits to a record 381 climbers this season, each at a cost of about $11,000.

Source: New York Times May 25, 2019 13:40 UTC