On Tuesday, the Nepal Mountaineering Association announced that it听 to ever be attempted on Everest. The goal: retrieve the body of Ravi Kumar, a 27-year-old Indian climber who went missing on Saturday after summiting. Kumar reportedly became too weak to walk during听the descent and his guide abandoned him near the summit at around 8 p.m., leaving him with supplemental oxygen and descending the mountain to call for a rescue. (The unidentified guide听appears to have barely made it to Camp IV himself, and is reportedly suffering from frostbite.) Kumar鈥檚 body was discovered on Monday in a crevasse at 27,500 feet鈥攚ell into听the so-called Death Zone, where life becomes impossible to sustain for long periods of time due to the amount听of available oxygen.
It is not uncommon for climbers to die on Everest. Earlier this season, climber Ueli Steck听fell while attempting to climb Nuptse, a 25,791-foot mountain adjacent to Everest.听Nor is it uncommon for teams to recover bodies, as they did with Steck. But at that altitude, the risk to rescuers is extremely high. Above 26,000 feet, it鈥檚 impossible for one man to lift or drag another. Often the risk of such a mission is deemed too high to be seriously considered.
Most people might assume that Kumar鈥檚 body would never be recovered. He听is in听a 200-foot听crevasse near the summit of the highest mountain on earth, a mountain that is famous for its constantly changing ice and weather conditions. A summit along fixed ropes is a risky endeavor on its own. So the idea of nearly summiting, descending into a shifting crevasse, climbing back out of the crevasse with a body听laden with gear, and then safely returning to Camp III, where the body will be picked up by a high-altitude helicopter,听seems almost beyond the realm of human capability. And yet a team will attempt it for one simple reason: money.
That鈥檚 not to say that Kumar鈥檚 relatives听do听not have a right to grieve. They do. But that does not mean that a team of 鈥渁t least 10 high altitude climbing guides,鈥 as the Kathmandu Post says will be required, should risk their lives over it.
It doesn鈥檛 even seem like they want to. Just read that story鈥檚 quotes from Ang Tshering Sherpa, the and current president of the , and Chowang Sherpa, head of , the outfitter that Kumar hired to guide him up the mountain. 鈥淭he precariously balanced ice can tumble down at any time. It鈥檚 extremely difficult and dangerous,鈥 Chowang told the Post. 鈥淭here is a 50/50 chance of survival for the rescuers,鈥 Ang Tshering told them.
No matter the opinion of the Sherpas who must carry out the mission, though. The Indian Embassy, the Post reported, made it clear to the Nepalese government that the body must be recovered, no matter the cost. Nepal鈥檚 government is highly reliant on foreign aid, particularly when it comes to development projects and the effort to rebuild infrastructure in the country听after the 2015 earthquake. India to Nepal each year and pledged more than $1.4 billion to help in its rebuilding efforts. That鈥檚 a big stick to wield in negotiations.
Even then, the Post reported that the talks at the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu between Indian officials and representatives from the NMA听took nearly two hours. Only after India agreed to bear the cost鈥攚hich is estimated to approach $70,000鈥攄id the NMA agree to carry it out. 鈥淎s it is a matter of family grief, we decided to take the risk, but the Indian government should guarantee the funds needed for the operation,鈥 听Chowang told the Post.
After all, those that attempt the mission will reportedly be paid $1,000 a day for the four or more days that Ang Tshering estimates the rescue will require. Even the best-paid Sherpas only make $6,000 or so a season. Insurance payouts if they are killed or injured aren鈥檛 much higher.
It is unclear when, exactly, the recovery will be attempted. The team will need an extraordinarily wide weather window鈥斺攊n order to be able to get up to the mountain, down into the crevasse, and back down the mountain again. If successful, it will be one of the greatest feats in the mountain鈥檚 history. If any of the men perish, though, what then? Should the Sherpas leave his body behind? Should they abandon a member too weak to walk in order to get Kumar鈥檚 body back to Camp III? One thing is almost certain: if one of the Sherpas dies in that crevasse, it is unlikely anyone will foot听the bill to retrieve him.