Climate change is altering the face of the Himalayas, devastating
farming communities and making Mount Everest increasingly treacherous to
climb, some of the world’s top mountaineers have warned.
Apa Sherpa, the Nepali climber who has conquered Mount Everest a
record 21 times, said he was disturbed by the lack of snow on the
world’s highest peak, caused by rising temperatures.
“In 1989 when I first climbed Everest there was a lot of snow and ice
but now most of it has just become bare rock. That, as a result, is
causing more rockfalls which is a danger to the climbers,” he told AFP.
“Also, climbing is becoming more difficult because when you are on a
mountain you can wear crampons but it’s very dangerous and very slippery
to walk on bare rock with crampons.”
