Climbers celebrate Mount Everest 70th anniversary amid melting glaciers, rising temperatures

By BINAJ GURUBACHARYA
Associated Press

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Nepal is celebrating 70 years since Mount Everest was successfully scaled for the first time. Thousands of people have set out to reach the peak, but the climbing conditions have changed. On the world’s tallest mountain, temperatures are rising, glaciers and snow are melting, and weather is getting harsh and unpredictable. The deteriorating conditions are raising concerns for the mountaineering community and the people whose livelihoods depend on the flow of visitors. The Sherpa community, who grew up on the foothills of the once snow-covered mountain, worship Everest as the mother of the world. Recent research has found that Mount Everest’s glaciers have lost 2,000 years of ice in just the past 30 years.