Mount Everest Has Become a Tourist Monster. Some Think Drones Are the Answer

If mountaineer Edmund Hillary and guide Tenzing Norgay looked down the icy slopes of Everest today, they’d probably freeze in shock—and not because of the temperature. Since the pair reached the summit in 1953, Everest has transformed from a hostile wilderness into a tourist magnet. Hundreds of climbers now make the journey each year, fueling a multimillion-dollar industry and leaving a trail of trash in their wake.

That’s not to say climbing Everest is easy—or safe. It was not in Hillary and Norgay’s day, and it isn’t now, even with advances in gear and logistics. In 2023, three professional sherpas vanished in the treacherous Khumbu Icefall. Despite several attempts, their bodies were never recovered. Their names joined the long list of those missing or dead on the mountain.

Now, a new ally is joining the sherpas, the climbers, and conservationists: drones.

An Ally in Mount Everest

The 2023 sherpa tragedy left a lasting impact on Imagine Nepal, the expedition company leading the climb. In the aftermath, its director sought new ways to improve safety and efficiency. Inspiration came from what Chinese climbers were already doing on Muztagh Ata, a peak near the China-Pakistan border, where drones were used to deliver hot meals between camps.

“I thought, why not use drones on Everest’s south side, especially the Khumbu Icefall section?” the Imagine Nepal director recently told The New York Times. He wasn’t alone. Airlift, a company focused on drone technology, had also been exploring ways to map Everest by air.

By 2024, things moved from theory to practice. Chinese drone manufacturer DJI sent a team to Nepal to test its delivery drones in the Himalayas. The drones ended up with Airlift, which began putting them to work right away.

Since then, the drones have proven their worth. Despite initial doubts about their performance in thin air, freezing temperatures, low visibility, and high winds, the results have been promising. During a cleanup effort, drones carried about 1,100 pounds of debris from Camp One to Base Camp.

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According to CNN, the cleanup required 40 drone trips—but could have been completed in less time. Although each drone can carry up to 66 pounds, the company typically limits loads to 45 pounds to prioritize safety. That’s no small feat, considering Everest’s growing waste problem. Local authorities now require climbers to carry their excrement down in biodegradable bags.

But Everest’s drones are doing more than hauling trash. They’re also transporting ladders, ropes, oxygen tanks, and other tools that support the sherpas and “icefall doctors,” the seasoned professionals who set and maintain the routes across the Khumbu Glacier.

These expert sherpas have performed this work for decades. But what if their knowledge could be enhanced with drone tech? While it takes a guide six to seven hours to cover the distance from Base Camp (17,598 feet) to Camp One (19,900 feet), a drone can do it in six to seven minutes.

Airlift’s Milan Pandey told CNN he hopes his company can begin assisting sherpas as early as the 2025 climbing season. The goal: deliver gear to guide-designated coordinates and help haul waste back down. The drones may also carry medical supplies and assist in geolocation or rescue efforts.

The arrival of drones is exciting for several reasons.

First, except during pandemic shutdowns or events like the 2015 Nepal earthquake, Everest’s climbing traffic has surged steadily since the 1990s. Each year now sees hundreds of successful summits. Second, drones could make the sherpa profession more appealing—especially to those who left the mountains to emigrate.

Of course, Everest’s drone revolution comes with one major challenge: money. A single drone can cost more than $70,000, not counting fuel for battery charging, staff pay, lodging, and complex logistics.

Images | Iewek Gnos (Unsplash) | Mário Simoes (Flickr) | Statista

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