Using Helicopters to Ferry Supplies to Everest Camp I
Posted: Mon May 02, 2016 7:22 am
For the first time in history, the Expedition Operators Association (EOA) transported gear from Everest Base Camp to Camp I in Nepal, reducing the number of times that Sherpas were required to enter the Icefall section of the route. According to this article at Outside Magazine, most of the people at Base Camp supported the decision, while some argued that it went against the "spirit of alpinism."
What is the "spirit of alpinism" to the spirit of safety? If choppering in supplies is generally safer than sending Sherpa loads through the Icefall, then what does that say about the sort of people these "alpinists" are? Perhaps they legitimately complain about increased traffic along the route, which can also cost lives. But the traffic issue is a matter of permitting and logistics, and it seems unrelated to the "spirit of alpinism."
What is the "spirit of alpinism" to the spirit of safety? If choppering in supplies is generally safer than sending Sherpa loads through the Icefall, then what does that say about the sort of people these "alpinists" are? Perhaps they legitimately complain about increased traffic along the route, which can also cost lives. But the traffic issue is a matter of permitting and logistics, and it seems unrelated to the "spirit of alpinism."