Submission + - Sherpas Contemplate Strike after Everest Disaster
The tension promises to heighten when groups of Sherpas plan to carry the bodies of their dead colleagues through the streets of Katmandu, Nepal’s capital. Members of the ethnic group are the backbone of the Himalayan adventure-tourism industry, where they work as guides, porters and climbers. Many of the international commercial teams still at the base camp are weighing whether to continue their push to the summit or abandon their expeditions. Everest is attracting more climbers each year, most of them members of groups that pay professional Western guides to lead them up the mountain. Clients prepare for months or years, often investing tens of thousands of dollars, and some experts said they would be unlikely to turn around. “I don’t think this is going to slow down the machine, which will escalate through May,” said David Roberts, a climber and the author of several books about climbing. “Even though it is the greatest tragedy in the history of Everest, right now at base camp they are saying, ‘This is a tragedy, but we have paid all this money to get here.’ ”