S6 E16: Mount Everest & Iran: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

Iran Drone Incident and Near-War

• President Trump had a busy week, facing accusations of a horrifying sexual assault, promising massive ice raids, and bringing the US to the brink of war with Iran after Iran downed an unmanned US drone, but he made a sudden reversal and decided not to attack Iran at the last minute (54s).
• The US drone shot down by Iran was a costly aircraft, worth up to $180 million, and not a commercial drone available on Amazon (1m32s).
• The US did not coordinate an international response to the incident, as regular allies were slow to come to their side, possibly due to Trump's role in escalating tensions with Iran by pulling out of the Iran deal and imposing sanctions (2m5s).
• Trump was isolated domestically, with his administration and favorite network, Fox News, divided on how to respond to the situation, with some anchors, like Sean Hannity, being pro-war, and others, like Tucker Carlson, advising against it (2m26s).
• Greg Gutfeld suggested that war with Iran would be virtually painless due to the use of drones and machines, replacing human lives, which is a misguided and simplistic view of modern warfare (2m31s).
• Tucker Carlson reportedly advised Trump against responding to Iran's provocations with force, which was seen as a voice of reason in the situation (3m13s).
• Trump's decision-making process was on display as he tried to reason through why Iran's actions weren't so bad, citing the fact that the drone was unarmed and had no human crew (3m43s).
• A recent situation involving a potential US strike on Iran was narrowly avoided, with the decision to call off the strike being made at the last minute, which is a cause for concern given the manner in which the decision was made (4m7s).
• The decision-making process involved the president asking how many people would be killed in the strike, with the generals initially unable to provide an answer, and later stating that approximately 150 Iranians would be killed (4m32s).
• The president ultimately decided against the strike, citing the potential loss of life, but the process by which the decision was made is troubling, with the president displaying a lack of understanding of the situation and a tendency to exaggerate his own role (5m11s).
• The situation is concerning because it suggests that the president's decision-making process is flawed, and that the outcome could have been very different if the same process had been followed in a different situation (6m0s).

Mount Everest Overcrowding and Commercialization

• The main story of the night is then introduced, which concerns Mount Everest, a mountain that has become a metaphor for a significant challenge, but is also a real place that was first summited in 1953 by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay (7m42s).
• Climbing Mount Everest has become increasingly popular and deadly, with at least 11 deaths this year, including three Americans, due to overcrowding and harsh weather conditions (7m53s).
• The climbing season has become more treacherous, with climbers waiting in line for hours in freezing conditions to reach the summit, and some pushing and jostling for photographs on a small space (8m4s).
• The mountain is also littered with trash, with a recent cleanup expedition bringing down over 24,000 pounds of garbage, and human remains are sliding downhill due to climate change (8m44s).
• The overcrowding problem is not new, with similar issues reported in 2012, and the climbing industry's operation and safety measures are being questioned (9m18s).
• The persistence of crowds at Everest can be attributed to several reasons, including the limited summiting window, which lasts about 10 days in May, and the growth of commercial expeditions (10m3s).
• The number of climbers has increased significantly since the 1990s, with over 9,000 successful summits, and some climbers have attempted to make their climb unique, such as being the oldest or youngest to reach the top (10m36s).
• Examples of unique climbs include Stephan Gat, who snowboarded off the summit in 2001, and husband and wife team Betron and Cla Rash, who flew off the top in a paraglider (11m0s).
• Hundreds of people climb Mount Everest every year, and commercial expeditions have increased access to the mountain, as well as comfort, with luxury expeditions costing up to $130,000 and offering amenities like heated tents with dining tables (12m26s).
• The overwhelming majority of expeditions rely on sherpas to do everything from carrying supplies to setting up ropes and ladders, making them integral to commercial expeditions (12m51s).
• Many climbers, including those on luxury expeditions, rely heavily on sherpas to reach the top of the mountain, with one sherpa stating that none of the clients could do it without them (13m9s).
• Sherpas, with an uppercase 'S', refer to an ethnic group, while sheras, with a lowercase 's', refer to mountain workers, some of whom are Sherpas (13m35s).
• A word that changes meaning when capitalized is known as a capitonym, a fact that can be used as a conversation starter on a first date (13m47s).
• Sherpas take on a lot of responsibility and risk, including preparing the Khumbu Icefall, a notoriously deadly area, for climbers each season (13m57s).
• The Khumbu Icefall is a treacherous area with gigantic blocks of ice that can fall at any moment, huge crevasses, and is the job of icefall doctors to prepare the crossing for climbers (14m2s).
• The job of icefall doctors is extremely dangerous, with one doctor mentioning that his predecessor died the previous year on the mountain (14m43s).
• Despite the risks, icefall doctors are able to successfully prepare the crossing, as shown in a clip of one doctor making it across the icefall (15m41s).
• Even after the ropes and ladders are fixed, the icefall is still incredibly dangerous for those who cross it, with sherpas having to pass through it far more often than paying clients (15m52s).
• Sherpas have to carry tourists' gear through the icefall around 40 times, putting their customers' achievements in a different context, as they are essentially baggage porters through the Valley of Death (16m12s).
• Sherpas have one of the most dangerous occupations on Earth, but many are willing to do this work because there aren't many jobs that pay as well in the region (16m49s).
• The fact that Sherpas risk their lives for the ambitions of well-off climbers is uncomfortable to acknowledge, and some try to downplay the morality of the situation (17m0s).
• A TV presenter asked a Sherpa about the morality of climbing Everest, and the Sherpa responded by saying they are like family, but this description is not accurate as it is a client-Sherpa relationship (17m12s).
• Despite the risks, Sherpas continue to take huge risks to give their clients the bragging rights of conquering Mount Everest (18m8s).
• In terms of skills needed, Everest is not the most difficult mountain to climb, and it doesn't require a lot of technical climbing skill, but rather physical endurance (18m17s).
• Climbers on Everest can experience something called Summit fever, where they prioritize reaching the top over their safety and energy levels for the descent (19m25s).
• The area above 26,000 ft on Everest is called the death zone, where the oxygen levels are only 30% of those at sea level, and it's impossible to stay at these heights for more than a few days (19m34s).
• At high altitudes, the body stops pumping blood to the fingers and toes, and the brain goes into meltdown due to hypoxia, causing it to swell and be squeezed out of the skull (19m52s).
• Inexperienced climbers should not attempt to climb Mount Everest, but the limits on the mountain are lax, especially on the Nepalese side, where there are no limits on the number of climbing permits issued (20m30s).
• To climb Mount Everest from the Nepalese side, one only needs to pay an $11,000 fee and have a doctor's note stating they are physically fit, which is a significant loophole (20m58s).
• A Nepalese official admits that only around 50-55% of climbers are well-qualified, leaving the other half unqualified to climb the mountain (21m27s).
• The Nepalese government relies heavily on tourism revenue, which is why they have been slow to make changes to the climbing regulations (21m59s).
• Guiding companies also play a role in the problem, as some companies take on unqualified climbers, such as the case of Shriya Shah-Klorfine, a Canadian woman who died on Mount Everest despite having no serious climbing experience (22m14s).
• Shriya was taken on by the expedition company Utmost Adventure Trekking, which agreed to teach her what she needed to know, despite her obvious lack of qualifications (22m24s).
• Inexperienced climbers can be a danger not only to themselves but also to others, as they can cause delays and congestion on the mountain, particularly on the route down (22m59s).
• Experienced guides have expressed concerns about the risks posed by slow and inexperienced climbers, who can get stuck on the mountain and cause problems for others (23m14s).
• Climbers on Mount Everest often experience frustration due to overcrowding, which can lead to violent rage, especially when combined with freezing temperatures and physical exhaustion (23m44s).
• Despite the inherent risks, Nepal can take steps to manage them, such as reducing permits to prevent overcrowding, spacing out expeditions, and placing strict limits on the number of operating companies (24m28s).
• Some climbers, including Sir Edmund Hillary, have expressed concerns about the commercialization of Mount Everest and the lack of passion for mountaineering among some climbers (24m45s).
• Many people climb Mount Everest not for the love of mountaineering, but to boast about it on social media, with some even faking their climbs using photo editing software (25m19s).
• A possible solution to the problem of overcrowding on Mount Everest is to create alternative ways for people to experience the mountain, such as through fake summit photos or virtual experiences (26m13s).
• An Indian couple was accused of faking a Mount Everest climb by photoshopping themselves into a picture taken by another climber at the summit (26m20s).
• A company called Adventures Indoors Luxbitions offers virtual experiences that allow people to reach the summit of Mount Everest without actually going there, which could be a more ethically defensible way to experience the mountain (27m7s).
• A website called topofmounteverest.com allows users to visit the top of Mount Everest virtually, where they can insert a picture of themselves at the summit with friends, alone, or with a pet, all while posing no risk to themselves or others (27m26s).
• The website claims to have a fatality rate close to zero and is operational since earlier in the week of 2019 (27m50s).
• Users can also customize their photo with arbitrary world records, such as being the first twin babies to summit Everest (28m0s).
• The website is presented as a humorous alternative to the actual climbing of Mount Everest, which has become an industry with a significant number of fatalities (28m14s).
• The website's tagline is "why do it because it's there," a play on the famous mountaineering phrase, and users are encouraged to visit the site to create their own "instagrammable" moment (28m30s).
• The website allows users to create humorous and fictional achievements, such as being the first British man with glasses in a navy blue suit to reach the top of Everest (29m2s).