The Himalaya by the Numbers: A Statistical Analysis - Himalayan ...

Analysis of Climbing Activity
This chapter focuses on the climbing activity on the principle peaks in the Nepal
Himalaya, those peaks officially open for mountaineering and a few additional peaks
with significant activity. Border peaks such as Everest, Cho Oyu, and Kangchenjunga
are included for expeditions from the Nepalese, Chinese, and Indian sides of the
border. Trekking peaks are omitted as well as peaks entirely outside of Nepal such as
Changtse and Kabru Dome.
The tables and charts cover the period from 1950 through 2006 unless specified
otherwise. Before 1950 there were few expeditions, almost entirely before World War
II, and they were mostly from the Tibetan or Indian side of the border.
Climbing activity is measured by the number of climbers and hired personnel that
went above base camp, or advanced base camp in those cases where no technical skills
are required to reach it, such as Chinese base camp at 5700m on the northwest ridge
route of Cho Oyu and the normal advanced base camp at 6400m on the north side of
Everest (climbing activity is measured from the traditional base camp at 5300m on the
south side of Everest since all higher camps are above the dangerous and technically
demanding Khumbu Icefall). The analyses examine climbing activity over time on a
yearly basis, by geographic regions in Nepal, by climbing season (spring, autumn, and
winter), by age and gender, and by team composition (the numbers of climbers and
hired personnel per expedition).
Members of an expedition are those persons who are listed on the climbing permit and
they are generally foreigners except for all-Nepalese or Chinese climbing teams. The
Himalayan Database notes expeditions that did not attempt to climb their objective
peak and distinguishes those members that either did not reach base camp or did no
climbing above base camp or advanced base camp; these groups are eliminated from
the analyses.
Hired personnel are those who are paid by the expedition for their services. They
may be lowland porters ferrying loads to base camp, base camp staff including liaison
officers, and high-altitude assistants (usually Sherpas or Tibetans) who establish and
stock higher camps, fix ropes, or serve as guides for the climbing members. Foreign
guides and leaders on commercial expeditions are considered as members, not hired
personnel. Hired personnel are not listed on Nepalese climbing permits, but are listed
on Chinese permits, which makes for some difficulty in distinguishing them from
members on all-Chinese teams. The Himalayan Database tracks the numbers of hired
personnel that went above base camp and these numbers are used in the analyses.
Lowland porters and base camp staff figure only in the death analysis chapter later in
this book.
Yearly Activity
Charts C-1a and C-1b show climbing activity for all peaks from 1950 to 1969 and 1970
to 2006 measured by the number of members that climbed above base camp (in blue).
In each of the years from 1950 to 1965, the number of members above base camp
ranged from a low of 15 (1950, 1951, and 1957) up to 138 (1960) and 140 (1954). The
140 count is actually inflated since one expedition led by Edmund Hillary attempted
Analysis of Climbing Activity 9