As Adrian Ballinger, an Everest guide who survived the 2015 earthquake, told The Post, “I still see a huge amount of interest in Everest. But Everest is Everest, and they wanted to tackle it, even given the spate of recent deaths, even when Gropel’s uncle warned them not to. Before his fatal attempt, his fourth in all, Arnold told The Post that he didn’t feel as if he had a choice, even knowing the risks. That’s how many metres in the air the peak of Mount Everest towers over Nepal, and the world, in its gleaming white brilliance. Meanwhile, around 30 more climbers have become sick, frostbitten or both near the summit during the past few days, the Associated Press reported.

Source: National Post May 24, 2016 08:11 UTC