Climbing Everest ‘getting easier’ as summit success rate doubles

Two-thirds of mountaineers now reach the peak, helped by more oxygen, more ropes and better forecasts

GEORGE MALLORY, the legendary British mountaineer, declared it “vast in unchallenged and isolated supremacy” – and the world’s highest peak still remains the ultimate test of human endurance.

However, climbers who try to scale Mount Everest for the first time are twice as likely to succeed as they were 30 years ago, a study has revealed.

While one third of mountaineers reached the summit between 1990 and 2005, this doubled to two thirds between 2006 and 2019, according to University of Washington researchers.

The findings, published by the journal PLOS One, represent the most comprehensive look at success and death rates on Everest to date.

Climbers are more likely to succeed at scaling the 29,000ft peak because they are more likely to have oxygen canisters and not rely on the limited amount in the thin air, the study said.

Fewer than 200 people have reached the summit without supplemental oxygen, according to National Geographic.

Increasing numbers of ropes, known as fixed lines, attached to the mountainside also make it easier for climbers to keep their footing and not deviate from the most direct route.

More accurate weather reports mean mountaineers are also better informed about when the best window of opportunity is to push for the summit. The increased experience of expedition leaders and high-altitude porters may have also helped to boost success rates.

Despite it apparently getting easier, climbing Everest remains a dangerous endeavour. In the last three decades, the death rate has hovered around one per cent of those who attempt the feat.

However, this does not seem to have acted as a deterrent. While 2,211 climbers embarked on the journey for the first time between 1990 and 2005, the number increased to 3,620 between 2006 and 2019 – up almost 64 per cent.

In addition, an increasing number of inexperienced mountaineers are taking on the challenge, leading to growing numbers of climbers crowded on to narrow precipices and winding queues through the so-called “death zone” – a bottleneck with low oxygen that increases exposure time to the elements.

Prof Raymond Huey, who led the study, said: “Mount Everest is still a very dangerous mountain, and climbing it will never become a walk in the park, because it’s way above the limits of what most people can do.

“By analysing climbing data, we provide accurate information on the chances of success and on the chances of dying, thereby helping climbers make an informed decision about whether to attempt this great peak.”

Older climbers are much less likely to run into difficulties compared with 30 years ago, the study revealed. A 60-year-old attempting the climb between 2006 and 2019 had the same chance of reaching the top as a 40-yearold between 1990 and 2005 (40 per cent). In addition, women are increasingly attempting the task, with the proportion rising from 9.1 per cent to 14.6 per cent. Men and women have had very similar odds of success and of death since 1990.