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https://theconversation.com/70-years-after-the-first-ascent-of-everest-the-impact-of-mass-mountaineering-must-be-confronted-204270>
"Mountains – their height, their mass, their climates and ecosystems – have
fascinated humans for thousands of years. But there is one that holds
extra-special meaning for many – Mount Everest, or Chomolungma as the Nepalese
Sherpa people call it.
A sacred mountain for some, for others the world’s highest peak represents a
challenge and a lifelong dream. Seventy years ago, on May 29, 1953, that
challenge and dream became reality for two members of a British expedition: New
Zealander Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay became the first people to
reach the 8,848.86-metre summit.
Their achievement was a testament to endurance and determination. It was also
the crowning glory of the British expedition’s nationalistic motivations on the
eve of the young Queen Elizabeth’s coronation.
From our vantage in the present, it also represents a high point, not just in
climbing terms, but in what we now think of as the modern era of
mountaineering. Since then, mountaineering has become massively popular and
commercial – with serious implications for the cultures and environments that
sustain it."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
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mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
