<P> The degree of commercialisation of Mount Everest is a frequent subject of criticism . Jamling Tenzing Norgay, the son of Tenzing Norgay, said in a 2003 interview that his late father would have been shocked to discover that rich thrill - seekers with no climbing experience were now routinely reaching the summit, "You still have to climb this mountain yourself with your feet . But the spirit of adventure is not there any more . It is lost . There are people going up there who have no idea how to put on crampons . They are climbing because they have paid someone $65,000 . It is very selfish . It endangers the lives of others ." </P> <P> Reinhold Messner concurred in 2004, "You could die in each climb and that meant you were responsible for yourself . We were real mountaineers: careful, aware and even afraid . By climbing mountains we were not learning how big we were . We were finding out how breakable, how weak and how full of fear we are . You can only get this if you expose yourself to high danger . I have always said that a mountain without danger is not a mountain...High altitude alpinism has become tourism and show . These commercial trips to Everest, they are still dangerous . But the guides and organisers tell clients, "Don't worry, it's all organised ." The route is prepared by hundreds of Sherpas . Extra oxygen is available in all camps, right up to the summit . People will cook for you and lay out your beds . Clients feel safe and don't care about the risks . </P> <P> However, not all opinions on the subject among prominent mountaineers are strictly negative . For example, Edmund Hillary, who went on record saying that he has not liked "the commercialization of mountaineering, particularly of Mt . Everest" and claimed that "Having people pay $65,000 and then be led up the mountain by a couple of experienced guides...isn't really mountaineering at all", nevertheless noted that he was pleased by the changes brought to Everest area by Westerners, "I don't have any regrets because I worked very hard indeed to improve the condition for the local people . When we first went in there they didn't have any schools, they didn't have any medical facilities, all over the years we have established 27 schools, we have two hospitals and a dozen medical clinics and then we've built bridges over wild mountain rivers and put in fresh water pipelines so in cooperation with the Sherpas we've done a lot to benefit them ." </P> <P> One of the early guided summiters, Richard Bass (of Seven Summits fame) responded in an interview about Everest climbers and what it took to survive there, "Climbers should have high altitude experience before they attempt the really big mountains . People don't realise the difference between a 20,000 - foot mountain and 29,000 feet . It's not just arithmetic . The reduction of oxygen in the air is proportionate to the altitude alright, but the effect on the human body is disproportionate--an exponential curve . People climb Denali (20,320 feet) or Aconcagua (22,834 feet) and think,' Heck, I feel great up here, I'm going to try Everest .' But it's not like that ." </P>

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