In defence of climbing Everest

The reality is I’ve probably already hit my mountaineering ceiling but climbing Everest will always be the apex of my ambition

It has been a strange year. Usually, press trips, treks and working holidays mean it’s not uncommon for me to spend up to three months away from home. This year, however, I’ve been away just twice. This year, it was all about one thing: Denali.

I had joked with friends that over the 18 months leading up to the climb, my life had essentially been segmented into two epochs: BD (Before Denali) and AD (After Denali). I trained relentlessly, sunk thousands of pounds into the expedition and spent hours tying and retying knots, hitches and prusik loops in ropes strung out across my living room. In June, I finally climbed Denali. BD was over. AD had arrived.

But what next? I was one step closer to my ultimate goal of climbing the seven summits, the highest mountain on every continent. Denali was my fourth of the seven – arguably my fifth if you count Kosciuszko – leaving me Vinson in Antarctica and Everest in Asia (I also hope to summit Puncak Jaya in Indonesia to complete the two separate versions of the seven summits list).

In theory, when I came off the slopes of Denali, it would have been the perfect time to sign up for an expedition to Everest. I was fit, mountain-hardened and, thanks to Denali’s freezing temperatures, now owned most of the gear required for a summit of the world’s highest peak. The problem is I was broke.

I’m extremely privileged to do the job that I do and you won’t hear me complaining about my lot in life – I’m luckier than most people on this planet. That said, I’m not from a rich family, I don’t have a trust fund and I don’t have a high-powered job, so climbing Denali has stretched me financially. It’s going to take some time for me to get back in the black. 

The reality is, with the cost of climbing Everest coming in at around $50,000 and Vinson the same, unless I win the lottery, I can’t see how I’ll ever have enough money to climb another seven summit. But I can still dream. 

I have said before that I would rather harbour dreams I won’t achieve, than nurse none at all. However, there are other things to consider. It is fair to ask if it is still ethical to climb Everest.

On…