Ever year, several thousand hikers complete the trek to Mount Everest Base Camp.

After completing the adventure, a small portion of them feel inspired to pursue an even greater challenge鈥攃limbing to the top. It’s no secret that many of the guiding businesses that take hikers to Base Camp also operate expedition companies that guide climbers to the summit.

Does the Everest trek motivate everyone to reach the top? In his latest video dispatch, our Mount Everest reporter Ben Ayers discusses whether or not his adventure to Base Camp inspired him to someday try and reach the summit.

The post Does Hiking to Mount Everest Base Camp Make You Want to Reach the Summit? appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Mainstream coverage of Mount Everest has provided a distorted view of the peak, the Himalayan mountaineering industry, and the climbers who attempt to reach the summit.

In his latest video dispatch, our Everest correspondent Ben Ayers addresses two common misconceptions about the world’s highest peak:

• Climbing Mount Everest is only attainable by the wealthy
• Mount Everest is covered in dead bodies and garbage

Ayers also dives into a topic that often spurs debate: the climbing industry’s treatment of Everest’s local workforce, the Sherpa.

Ben Ayers聽is a filmmaker, journalist, and adventurer who splits his time between Vermont and Nepal. In 2022 and 2024 he chronicled the Mount Everest climbing season for聽国产吃瓜黑料.

The post Is Mount Everest Really Covered in Dead Bodies and Trash? appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Every climbing season is different on Mount Everest.

The dynamics on the world’s highest peak are shaped by a variety of forces: geopolitics, new technology, changing weather patterns, and of course the global economy. Every year, a handful of storylines help define the climbing season on the mountain.

The 2025 season was no different. Expeditions attempted experimental rapid ascents of the mountain from sea level; ultrarunners Tyler Andrews and Karl Egloff attempted to jog up the mountain in pursuit of speed records; helicopter pilots made risky rescues at 23,000 feet, and the swirling Jet Stream winds forced climbers to wait for weeks.

In his latest video dispatch, our Everest expert Ben Ayers dives into the biggest stories on Everest this year, and explains how they may shape future dynamics on the mountain.

The post The Biggest Stories From Mount Everest in 2025: Rapid Ascents, Helicopter Rescues, and Failed Speed Records appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Every spring, climbers trudge to the summit of Mount Everest along two different routes.

On the peak’s southern flank, several hundred ascend the popular Southeast Ridge route, which takes in many of the landmarks that have become synonymous with the peak: the Khumbu Icefall, Western Cwm, South Col, and Hillary Step.

But on the mountain’s northern side, far fewer venture up the route that originates in Chinese-controlled Tibet. In 2025, estimates placed the number of successful summits from Tibet at approximately 65, compared to the 750 or so from Nepal.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of climbing Mount Everest from the north? Is the Tibetan route safer than the one from Nepal? In his latest video dispatch, our Mount Everest reporter Ben Ayers compares the northern route up the world’s peak to the southern one.

The post Is the North Side of Mount Everest Safer to Climb Than the South Side? appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

After avoiding illness during the 11-day trek from Lukla to Base Camp, our Mount Everest reporter Ben Ayers came down with the dreaded “Khumbu Cough” while living amongst the guides and climbers for several weeks. The sickness got bad enough that Ayers returned to lower elevation to rest and recover for several days, before heading back.

In his latest video dispatch, Ayers explains why daily life at Mount Everest Base Camp is so hard on the human immune system.

Ben Ayers聽(right) is a filmmaker, journalist, and adventurer who splits his time between Vermont and Nepal. In 2016 he led an expedition to document the last harvest of wild cliff honey by Nepal鈥檚 Kulung Rai people for聽National Geographic.听

The post Why Do So Many Mount Everest Climbers Get Sick? I Found Out the Hard Way. appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

The trek to Mount Everest Base Camp in Nepal has become a popular adventure for hikers, and every hear tens of thousands of tourists complete the journey.

But what should hikers know about the journey? Should you hire a guiding company, or hike by yourself? What’s the food like? And how hard is the altitude on your body?

This past April,聽国产吃瓜黑料’s Everest columnist Ben Ayers did the 11-day hike from the town of Lukla in the Himalayan foothills聽to Mount Everest, and documented his journey via a series of travelogue journals, feature stories, and videos. In his latest Dispatches from Everest video, Ayers offers crucial advice for trekkers who dream of one day completing the journey.

The post Lessons I Learned From My Hike to Mount Everest Base Camp appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Hardcore Mount Everest geeks (myself included) can close their eyes and envision route connecting Nepal’s Base Camp to the summit.

The Southeast Ridge ascent passes the familiar landmarks that, over the decades, have come to define the peak: Khumbu Icefall, Western Cwm, Lhotse Face, South Col, and of course the Hillary Step. And last year, a drone video made by Chinese manufacturer DJI helped fans view every step up the ascent in a thrilling eight-minute clip.

But what about Mount Everest’s Northeast Ridge route? The peak’s other flank, which sits in Tibet, does not have the same level of name recognition as the southern route. This is despite the fact that 100 or so climbers ascend the northern flank each year, including teams led by British-American guide Adrian Ballinger, and Austrian guide Lukas Furtenbach.

But a new high-definition drone video may help Everest fanatics who will never set foot on the peak better understand the nothern route.

In June, Chinese high-altitude photographer Ma Chunlin published a crips video that captures the north slope ascent in a single and uninterrupted cut.

, a state-run news outlet, Ma Chunlin hiked to the advanced base camp in Tibet at 21,325 feet and then waited for clear skies and calm winds to launch his draft.

“The shoot had to begin at sunrise, timed down to the exact minute, and follow the climbing route precisely, without a single error in camera movement,” the story states.

I wholeheartedly encourage you to watch the 4:30 clip鈥攊t’s stunning overhead images capture the mixture of snow, rock, and ice that climbers must navigate on the way to the top. It showcases the seemingly precarious spots of Camp I on a snow-covered ridge and Camp II in a wind-sept slope, as well as the iconic yellow band just below the top. No, it’s still not as cool as the 2024 virtual reality film The Quest: Everest VR.听But it’s definitely a welcomed addition to the growing collection of high-altitude Everest footage.

The post The Latest Mount Everest Drone Video Shows the North Side Route appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Conditions can be inhospitable at the foot of Mount Everest. Swirling winds blow snow and debris, overnight temperatures drop below zero degrees Fahrenheit, and the midday sun will burn uncovered skin and gear.

Our Everest correspondent, Ben Ayers, recently spent a month living at the Mount Everest Base Camp. During that time, Ayers tested a long list of gear, from boots and socks, to undergarments. In his latest video, Ayers discusses the gear that helped him live at 17,500: puffy coats, insulated pants, sunglasses, and sleeping bags.

Want to stay up on 国产吃瓜黑料鈥檚 2025 Everest Season coverage? Sign up for our聽.

The post Video: This Puffy Jacket Made Mount Everest Base Camp Feel Like Home appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

The trek to Mount Everest Base Camp is the ideal setting to test gear, due to the rugged terrain, tough living conditions, and massive fluctuations in temperature. In May, our reporter Ben Ayers completed the 11-day hike to Mount Everest Base Camp, before spending a month living at 17,500 feet.

During his reporting mission, Ayers tested a wide range of gear. He says that smart use of base layer and midl ayer garmets kept him warm and dry amid the temperature changes. In his latest video, Ayers discusses the often overlooked clothing that helped him thrive.

The post Video: Smart Layering Kept Me Cozy at Mount Everest Base Camp appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Last month we sent reporter Ben Ayers to Mount Everest Base Camp. Ben brought a ton of outdoor gear with him to test: boots, sleeping bags, parkas, gloves, and other items that are built for the harshest alpine environment.

In this video, Ben discusses the footwear that got him through the 11-day trek from Lukla to Base Camp, and also the footwear that helped him thrive in the rocky and unforgiving terrain at the foot of the world’s highest peak.

Darn Tough Vermont

Altra Olympus 6 GTX Hiking Shoes

Altra Lone Peak 9

Want to stay up on 国产吃瓜黑料鈥檚 2025 Everest Season coverage? Sign up for our聽.

The post Video: What Footwear Should You Wear at Mount Everest Base Camp? appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.