Guy Cotter

Others did nothing.

They hid in their tents and wanted it to go away.

After that, instead of being competitive with these other operators on the mountain, we all realized that, look, we've finished with the competition by the time we've got here because we've got our clients.

Let's work together.

So there was a group of us who would bring in rope across the oceans and equipment to use on the mountain and ladders.

And we would collaborate on making sure that the mountain was safe.

and the ropes were fixed.

And, you know, so that collective support really did help the industry over the next, at least the next 10 years.

You know, when I look back, I think that's one of the positives that came out of it.

And the other thing that's changed, of course, is that, you know, weather forecasting has improved dramatically.

I mean, has enabled us to,

see an increase in the number of people on the mountain and all being able to pick reasonably good weather days most years in order to be able to get a larger number of people up to the summer.

No, those tragedies are still occurring.

I believe the number of people fatalities this year was quite low, five or seven or something.

A few years back, I think it was 2018, there was 11 fatalities that were all completely avoidable because of that issue I mentioned earlier of one climber and one Sherpa being together and that climber collapses and that Sherpa can't bring them off the mountain.

Sadly, these things are still going on.

Part of what happens is there's this cultural void.

You might have a Nepalese climber with a foreigner.

The foreigner doesn't want to turn around.

The Nepalese support climber doesn't want to insult the person by saying, well, you're very slow.