It’s 24th May 2019 and news reports are coming in that 7 people have died in the past week as they’ve attempted to summit Everest. That’s more in one week than the whole of last year.
If you’ve got $30,000 dollars or more to spare and like the idea of climbing to the top of the world then Everest might just be on your radar. However, what the news of this week has highlighted is that you won’t be the only one doing it, and this can put you at risk.
Overcrowding at the summit has been blamed for the deaths this past week. This has lead to people running out of oxygen and dying of exhaustion either at the summit or on the way down. There is a striking image in the media showing a long line of climbers waiting in line in what is famously known as ‘the death zone’. Not a good place to be hanging out.
There’s no doubt that reaching the world’s highest summit must be an unbelievable feeling which takes an incredible feat of physical and mental strength. So if you have ambitions to climb Everest but don’t fancy putting your life seriously at risk, then what are the alternatives?
“How about climbing the height of Everest in a different way?” – The MahoJos
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Cycle the height of Everest
In May 2016 The MahoJos went on an adventure which involved Ali cycling from Pontypridd in South Wales to Chamonix in the French Alps. As you can imagine, there were a fair few hills and mountains to tackle along the way. The estimated elevation climbed on the bike was 28,628 feet (8726 metres). To put this in perspective, the summit of Everest is 29,030 feet (8848 metres). Only a few hundred feet shy of an Everest summit!
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Hike the height of Everest
There are so many amazing hiking routes across the world, and many of them will test your climbing skills to the max! One that we’d love to do at some point in the future is the Tour du Mont Blanc. Set in the stunning French, Italian and Swiss Alps, the route covers 170km and gains more than 32,000 feet of altitude.
Or, if you’re feeling super ambitious and fancy hiking a bit further, then how about the Pacific Crest Trail set in the western United States. Northbound thru-hikers can expect to climb over 480,000 feet! That’s a fair few Everests!
As with any adventure, there are still risks involved. But hopefully these alternatives might help people to think that they don’t have to queue up in the death zone for a chance to do an incredible challenge.