07/07/2024
"Why Everest Isn't the Hardest: The Challenge of the Seven Second Summits"
When climbing massive mountains, height does not always equate to difficulty, as many mountaineers attest. While Mount Everest holds the title of the world’s tallest peak, it’s often regarded as less challenging than other, shorter mountains, such as the Seven Second Summits. Three professional mountaineers share their insights on why these shorter peaks present more formidable challenges and why Mount Everest is now easier to climb than ever before.
The Everest Paradox
Mount Everest, despite being the highest mountain on Earth, is not considered the most difficult to summit by experienced mountaineers. One expert even described Everest as a "fun" and "playful" climb compared to other peaks she has tackled worldwide. This sentiment is shared among many climbers who argue that the highest peaks on each continent, known as the Seven Summits, are generally easier to climb than the second-highest peaks on each continent, referred to as the Seven Second Summits.
The Seven Second Summits
The Seven Second Summits are notorious for their difficulty, despite their lesser height. Only two people have successfully climbed all seven, with Jenn Drummond, a retired businesswoman and mother of seven turned professional mountaineer, being one of them. In 2023, she became the first woman to achieve this feat, each climb presenting its own set of harrowing challenges.
Part of what makes these peaks so difficult is their remoteness and lack of commercialization. Unlike Everest, which attracts hundreds of climbers annually and is supported by a robust tourism industry, the Seven Second Summits are less accessible. Drummond noted that reaching these peaks is often as challenging as the climb itself.
For instance, Everest’s popularity generates significant revenue for Nepal, enabling the government to fund the preparation of trails, the setup of ropes, and the establishment of camps. This infrastructure simplifies the climb, allowing climbers to follow pre-set paths and routes. In contrast, climbing peaks like Mount Logan or Mount Tyree involves creating one's own route, significantly increasing the mental and physical demands of the climb.
Technical Challenges and Risks
The Seven Second Summits are often more technically demanding. Unlike the Seven Summits, some of these peaks require a combination of skiing, rock climbing, and hiking, demanding a broader skill set from climbers. Drummond described Mount Logan as the most challenging due to its remoteness, lack of trails, and the necessity of skiing for most of the ascent. The team had to constantly test the snow's stability and build igloos around their tents to protect against severe winds.
Everest’s Clean-up Efforts
Despite Everest's relative ease in climbing compared to the Seven Second Summits, it faces significant environmental challenges. The highest camp on Everest is littered with garbage, which will take years to clean up. A Sherpa-led team, funded by the Nepal government, removed 11 tons of garbage and four bodies during the 2024 climbing season. However, an estimated 40-50 tons of waste remains at South Col, the last camp before the summit attempt.
Most of the garbage comprises old tents, food packaging, gas cartridges, oxygen bottles, and ropes. Much of this waste is from earlier expeditions, left behind due to the extreme conditions at high altitudes, where climbers prioritize survival over environmental responsibility.
Efforts to clean up Everest are ongoing, with teams working under harsh conditions to remove waste frozen in ice. For example, it took two days to retrieve one body frozen in a standing position, and 18 hours to drag another body to a location where it could be picked up by helicopter.
Why Climbers Leave Garbage Behind
At the extreme altitudes of Everest, where oxygen levels are perilously low and the weather can shift from calm to blizzard in minutes, climbers and their helpers focus on survival. In such conditions, the priority is often to descend safely rather than manage waste. Historically, this has led to the accumulation of significant amounts of garbage, particularly from older expeditions when environmental awareness was not as prevalent.
In recent years, the Nepalese government has implemented regulations requiring climbers to bring back their waste or risk losing their deposits. This, coupled with increased environmental awareness among climbers, has reduced the amount of new garbage left on the mountain. However, the legacy of past expeditions still poses a significant challenge.
Conclusion
While Mount Everest remains the tallest and most iconic peak in the world, its relative ease of climb compared to the Seven Second Summits highlights the varying challenges of mountaineering. The Seven Second Summits, with their technical difficulties and remoteness, represent the true test of a mountaineer's skill and resilience. Meanwhile, the environmental impact of climbing Everest continues to be a pressing issue, underscoring the need for sustainable climbing practices.
Everest climbing-guide services — often provided by people of the Sherpa ethnic group — can cost $10,000 per expedition. At this price, the guide takes respo...
