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  The Ethics of Everest Expeditions   Back in the early 90’s, Rob Hall began offering commercial expeditions to climb Mt. Everest with his then company Hall and Ball Adventure Consultants.   He was at the forefront of an industry that was to flourish into the multi-million dollar one that exists today. Many expedition leaders today hardly have the passion that Rob had then (climbing the 7 summits in 7 months, before his Everest season), nor a similar love for mountains that Gaston Rébuffat made popular in the late 70’s with his books and movies. In fact, most of them today are businessmen (some even present themselves as such on their calling cards – ‘Expedition Climber/Businessman’) – and they will use the same ethics that are common in this world while they guide you into the Death Zone. Gaston Rébuffat, who was part of the French Annapurna team in 1950 The offering today is also very different. The biggest companies in the business are not from Western operator...

21 Steps to Follow when Choosing an Expedition Company for Everest or other 8000m Peaks The Fall season is upon us and it is the time when many plan their next big climb in the Himalayas. As I write this article, few major expeditions will be going to Nepal this year and it is still uncertain as to what next year will be like. But if you are optimistic about a turn-around with the pandemic, what follows are 21 key features that you should be looking at, in order to choose which expedition you will join next Spring for Everest North or Everest South. They are not in order of importance.  Success rate: Be wary of ANY company that claims 100% success rate. I have no knowledge of a single company that has this. Success means you arrive at BC, you participate in the expedition, you summit, and you return to BC. Don’t shop for phony success rates and instead look for a credible safety record. Safety also means no frostbite, no permanent organ damage, no time in a KTM ICU, no cardiac ste...