经济学人｜爬珠峰如何成为产业

Adventure quests Ain't no mountain high enough. Everest, Inc.
Climbing Mount Everest used to be a feat of staggering bravery, endurance and skill. In the 40 years after Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay first reached the summit in 1953, an average of 12 people a year followed in their footsteps. In 2023 more than 1,200 people attempted the climb, with 655 making it to the top.
攀登珠穆朗玛峰曾经是一项需要惊人的勇气、耐力和技术的壮举。自1953年埃德蒙·希拉里爵士和丹增诺盖首次登顶以来的40年里，平均每年有12人追随他们的脚步。2023年，超过1200人试图攀登珠峰，其中655人成功登顶。
What was once an "almost certainly fatal" endeavour is "the new Ironman triathlon", argues Will Cockrell, a journalist, in "Everest, Inc", a fascinating new book. High-tech equipment and better understanding of the physiological impact of high altitudes have brought new hopefuls to Everest. But the biggest reason for the rising number of Everest conquerors is the establishment of a professional guiding industry. For a hefty fee-between $35,000 and $110,000-experienced climbers will put novices on top of the world.
记者威尔·科克雷尔在一本精彩的新书《珠穆朗玛公司》中写道，攀登珠峰曾经是一项“几乎肯定会丧命”的尝试，现在成了“新的铁人三项”。高科技设备和对高原反应更了解的情况下，带来了新一批渴望征服珠峰的人。但珠峰征服者数量不断增加的最大原因是建立了专业向导产业。只要支付3.5万美元到11万美元的高额费用，经验丰富的登山者就能让新手登上世界之巅。
As with many extreme sports, Everest offers a test. Amateurs want to know if they can achieve something physically and mentally demanding. According to some psychologists, people undertake Herculean endeavours to deny their own mortality. Mr Cockrell believes this helps explain why interest in climbing Everest increases after deaths are reported: people are more attracted to the adventure if they are reminded of its dangers.
与许多极限运动一样，珠峰也是一种考验。业余爱好者想知道他们是否能完成对身心要求都很高的事情。根据一些心理学家的说法，人们会做出艰巨的事情来否认死亡。科克雷尔认为，这有助于解释为什么在报道死亡事件之后，人们对攀登珠峰的兴趣会增加：如果提醒冒险活动有多危险，人们反而更被这种冒险吸引。
The guiding industry exists in large part because of a foolhardy but irresistible character called Dick Bass. The heir to an oil fortune, Bass had the lunatic idea of climbing the highest mountains on all seven continents. He bought his way onto three different Everest expeditions and, in 1985, aged 55, he became both the oldest and least experienced climber to reach the summit. The sight of an average Joe on top of the world generated a media frenzy-and the establishment of companies that could cater to the new demand for tours.
向导行业的存在在很大程度上是因为一个鲁莽但无法阻挡的人：迪克·巴斯。作为石油财富的继承人，巴斯有一个疯狂的想法，想爬完七大洲的所有最高峰。他花钱踏上了三次不同的珠峰探险旅程，1985年，55岁的他成为年龄最大、经验最少的登顶者。一个普通人登上世界之巅的事件引发了媒体的狂热，也使得迎合新的旅游需求的公司建立。
The early years of guided expeditions in the 1990s were mostly successful. In 1992-95, around 150 people paid to be led up the mountain, and a third succeeded. But in 1996, Jon Krakauer, an American writer, joined one of two simultaneous expeditions that went wrong. A storm "dropped down on the climbers like a piano on a cartoon character". The guides, eager for their dlients to reach the top, delayed turning them around. Three guides and two climbers died.
20世纪90年代早期的有向导的探险队大多成功了。在1992-95年间，大约150人付费让向导带他们上山，其中三分之一的人成功登顶了。但在1996年，美国作家乔恩·克拉考尔参加了同时出发的两个探险队之一，两队都遇难了。暴风雪“砸在登山者身上，就像钢琴砸在卡通人物身上一样”。向导们急切地希望他们的客户能登顶，于是推迟了让他们返回的时间。结果三名向导和两名登山者死亡。
In a bestselling book,"Into Thin Air", Mr Krakauer argued that Everest had become a high-end tourist trap. He decried the judgment of the guides and the selfishness of inexperienced climbers. Many businesses assumed that the book would crush them. Instead, fascination with Everest soared. The industry has depended on local labour. Large numbers of Nepalis were hired by companies in the West to install ropes and carry equipment for clients. The guiding firms made efforts to build lasting relationships with their teams on the ground.
在畅销书《进入空气稀薄地带》中，克拉考尔认为珠穆朗玛峰已经成为高端游客陷阱。他谴责了向导的判断失误和缺乏经验的登山者的任性。许多企业认为这本书会毁了他们。但相反，人们对珠峰的迷恋飙升。该行业一直依赖当地劳动力。大量尼泊尔人受雇于西方公司，为客户安装绳索和运送设备。向导公司努力与他们在珠峰当地的团队建立持久的关系。
But, Mr Cockrell notes,"The reasons Westerners and Sherpas were climbing mountains remained very different." Two accidents in the 2010s brought change. In 2014, 16 Sherpas were buried by falling ice while transporting clients' gear. Their colleagues went on strike and forced the cancellation of the season. Then, in 2015, an avalanche killed ten Sherpas and nine foreign clients. In the aftermath, many Western operators lost their enthusiasm for Everest; today all the biggest guiding firms are Nepali-owned.

"Everest, Inc" ends on a confounding note. More people are reaching the summit, but more are dying en route, too: 18 people perished in 2023, the highest-ever number. Nepalese authorities say climate change has caused more extreme weather. Mr Cockrell argues that there was no negligence on the part of the firms. He suggests that Nepali guides consider themselves in the logistics business and generally leave decisions of safety to clients.

But amateur climbers make bad choices. The disaster in 1996 showed that even guides get these decisions wrong. Experts know more than ever about how to navigate Everest safely. But that does not make it a safe place.

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