This probably should not be here. The whole business is an ugly affair, full of arrogant, rich, narcissistic fat cats, local corruption and fraud, and striking inequality.
Nevertheless, it is a self-sustained ecosystem, fueled by relatively big money of narcissistic bastards (starting from $50k per head and up to $150, which some Japanese guy paid to reach the top at the age of above 75 - I don't remember exactly) which is certainly a huge money for Nepal. A small percentage of these money (the most of it sank into bottomless pockets of agency owners and govt officials) buys all the manual labor required to place a tourist on the top, from yak caravans carrying supplies of food and cooking gas from Lukla to porters carrying tourist's luggage, cooks, guides who fix the ropes, managers, etc.
One should understand that Nepal is still a traditionally caste-based and inherently unequal society, no matter what the communist infested govt is saying. What tourists call "Sherpa" is not just one ethic group of Nepalese Sherpas - natives of the Solukhumbu region, but a mix of several tribes, among whom Sherpas are majority.
As strange as it sounds, there is not much tension about different castes (even among Sherpas there are a few castes) involved on this business. Lower castes do manual labor for small wages, higher castes do the "management" for relatively big profits, but everyone are satisfied with their lot. This is how local economy works for hundreds of years.
Moreover, Nepalese society, being segregated among more than 40 different tribes, is a remarkable example of tolerance and cross-ethnic respect for a so diverse nation. If you boarding an intercity bus in Kathmandu you will encounter members of at least 10 different tribes, and, in a deep contrast to Western cultures, there will be not a slight tension among people. It has something to do with less selfishness, arrogance and narcissism of competitive individualistic societies.
BTW, in case of an avalanche everyone is equal - the guides and the porters. So there is nothing much to dramatize and sensationalize. Yes, it is a hard, risk taking field work. But no one forces anyone to take this job.
What really annoying are these office stooges, who are routinely trying to make a publicity for themselves with all these meaningless PR actions, publications, etc. Go there, and pay more cash to the wage laborers, rise the wages of your staff by keeping less in your pockets, by spending less on your own status and comfort - this will worth more that all your hypocrite "projects" combined.
Avalanches is not the main problem in Himalaya. Corruption and hypocrisy is.
> The whole business is an ugly affair, full of arrogant, rich, narcissistic fat cats, local corruption and fraud, and striking inequality.
So it's essentially modern human history and current human affairs, in a microcosm. That might be coming across cynical, but at the same time, hopefully there is light at the end of our collective tunnel - so to speak.
Nevertheless, it is a self-sustained ecosystem, fueled by relatively big money of narcissistic bastards (starting from $50k per head and up to $150, which some Japanese guy paid to reach the top at the age of above 75 - I don't remember exactly) which is certainly a huge money for Nepal. A small percentage of these money (the most of it sank into bottomless pockets of agency owners and govt officials) buys all the manual labor required to place a tourist on the top, from yak caravans carrying supplies of food and cooking gas from Lukla to porters carrying tourist's luggage, cooks, guides who fix the ropes, managers, etc.
One should understand that Nepal is still a traditionally caste-based and inherently unequal society, no matter what the communist infested govt is saying. What tourists call "Sherpa" is not just one ethic group of Nepalese Sherpas - natives of the Solukhumbu region, but a mix of several tribes, among whom Sherpas are majority.
As strange as it sounds, there is not much tension about different castes (even among Sherpas there are a few castes) involved on this business. Lower castes do manual labor for small wages, higher castes do the "management" for relatively big profits, but everyone are satisfied with their lot. This is how local economy works for hundreds of years.
Moreover, Nepalese society, being segregated among more than 40 different tribes, is a remarkable example of tolerance and cross-ethnic respect for a so diverse nation. If you boarding an intercity bus in Kathmandu you will encounter members of at least 10 different tribes, and, in a deep contrast to Western cultures, there will be not a slight tension among people. It has something to do with less selfishness, arrogance and narcissism of competitive individualistic societies.
BTW, in case of an avalanche everyone is equal - the guides and the porters. So there is nothing much to dramatize and sensationalize. Yes, it is a hard, risk taking field work. But no one forces anyone to take this job.
What really annoying are these office stooges, who are routinely trying to make a publicity for themselves with all these meaningless PR actions, publications, etc. Go there, and pay more cash to the wage laborers, rise the wages of your staff by keeping less in your pockets, by spending less on your own status and comfort - this will worth more that all your hypocrite "projects" combined.
Avalanches is not the main problem in Himalaya. Corruption and hypocrisy is.