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Tourists might never climb Everest again

There are fears Mount Everest is no longer stable enough for daring climbers to scale after April’s devastating earthquake in Nepal.

An Australian documentary maker on the mountain when the deadly landslide struck says a combination of global warming and adverse tourisms effects means native ethnic tribesman known as sherpas, might want adventure climbing to end.

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“There’s a strong feeling that maybe Everest should be left to rest and I did get a sense from the sherpa people that they feel like the mountain is angry,” Sherpa: Trouble on Everest creator Jennifer Peedom told Triple J’s Hack program.

Nepal earthquake 2015

Rescue workers take injured climbers to from base camp to a helicopter, after April’s Nepal earthquake caused a deadly landslide. Photo: AAP

“You really can’t blame them for feeling that.”

Ms Peedom initially wanted to tell the story of the sherpas Everest journey’s. They act as guides and bag carriers for tourists who come to climb the world’s tallest peak.

But when the landslide struck and her film crew were on the mountain, the story expanded to be about the ethnic group’s fight for the world to respect the mountain more.

The deadly incident that killed 10 of their own was seen as a breaking point in sherpa frustration – since 2000 31 sherpas have died on the mountain.

Families of the sherpas killed in the avalanche received $400 AUD in compensation, even though the Nepalese government takes millions in trekking fees each year.

They ended up getting $5,000 and cancelled the climbing season for the year.

Ms Peedom has helped make a number of Everest documentaries, but not once has a feature focused on the ethnic group who hold the mountain sacred.

The sherpas, according to Peedom, do 10 to 20 trips for every one tourist who attempts getting to the summit.

Triple J Hack reports Mount Everest has a huge spiritual significance to the sherpa people, who are increasingly discontented about the climbing tourism.

“Be informed, be educated, go trekking and meet the local people,” Ms Peedom said.

She acknowledges that climbing Everest is a lucrative trade for the nation’s tourism economy, however she urges people to take care and an interest in those sherpas who help them.

“If you are going to climb Everest — and everyone is entitled to climb Everest if that’s what they want to do — ask the expedition operators what will happen if one of the sherpas in this team dies, are they adequately insured, what compensation will their family get?”

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