Once during an interview, Sir Edmund Hillary expressed his disappointment on the trend of rampant unethical mountaineering expeditions done only to boast with pictures. He said many climbers today do not climb because of a genuine love towards the mountains. His comments came particularly from the storm of people rushing to reach the summit of Mount Everest. And from some of the most weird and bizarre mountaineering outcomes, the worry of Edmund Hillary might just seem justified.
For instance, British climber Rod Baber became the first person to make a mobile phone call from top of Mount Everest in 2007.
In other instance, Wim Hof became the first man to try climbing Everest while wearing only shorts and shoes!! He reached an altitude of 7,200 metres (23,600 ft) and had to return back because of foot injury.
Since social media is an integral part of our times, we must thank Kenton Cool for being the first person to tweet from top of Mount Everest in 2011.
And if humans can do it than why can’t animals? So that’s why Rupee became the first Dog to climb Mount Everest base camp in 2013.
No party is ever complete without a good party followed by a toast. So keeping this in mind a grand dinner party that became the highest dinner party ever was hosted at 7,056 m (23,149 ft) in 2018.
All these mighty and much needed celebrations call for some shaking of leg. So who is in for the highest altitude DJ at 5,593 m (18,349.7 ft) in 2019.
There are many more of such records. Climbing the highest peak demonstrate the perseverance and the caliber of human spirit of never looking down. I myself belong to the hilly region of Uttarakhand, India and can only marvel and salute these climbers for their passion and genuine love for the mountains. But quite often some of these stories have been just too bizarre to read with a straight face, let alone get motivated.
And finally there is one more of the World Record…
NEPALI ECO EVEREST EXPEDITIONS made a record of removing 965 kg of refuse in 2008; a record 6,000 kg (including 700 kg of debris from an Italian helicopter that crashed in 1973 and 115 kg of human waste) of refuse in 2009; and 5,000 kg of refuse removal in 2010.
So, if mountains as steep and vulnerable as the Everest are your true calling, then nobody can or should stop you from summiting it. But if the whole point of the pain and endurance is to get some pictures and some weird “first of its kind climber achievement”, then there is a much more safer and sustainable trick to get there. Just log on to www.topofmounteverest.com and summit the Everest at a click, like I did.
Aali Pant 
Yeah..all acheivements are bizarre specially in India. How can such acheivements count as achievements, when here are so many real things to do.
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As always Aalu your blog is informative, interesting, funny and thought provoking. People are actually destroying Mt. Everest just for their thrill, and few likes on social media, it is very important to understand that the number of people who visit Mt. Everest every year is actually way more than the mountain can endure. Its high time people should start respecting nature and all the gifts nature has provided us
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Nature has found its own way to rest. The times we are living these days are a proof. Had we been more sensible life may have been better than it is today.
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