What's Behind the Logjam in Mount Everest's 'Death Zone'

Jill Filipovic wrote for CNN about the forces behind the recent climber deaths on Mount Everest.

The photo says it all: A queue of what looks like more than 100 bundled-up climbers lining the top ridge of Mount Everest like a human mohawk, each waiting their turn to get to the summit. It's an area known as the "death zone," since there isn't enough oxygen in the atmosphere to breathe unaided for more than a few minutes. Climbers bring extra supplies, but the long lines have, many say, contributed to a record 11 deaths this year on Everest.

Veteran climbers point to a variety of culprits for the logjam and rising death toll: Novice climbers enabled by inexperienced commercial operators, and a cash-strapped Nepalese government letting too many people onto the mountain.

It's not hard to see how the incentives to undertake this deadly challenge work from all ends. In our social media-saturated culture, what were once rare human feats accomplished in far-away places are closer to home than ever. You see an old classmate summit Everest on Instagram and a childhood fantasy to scale the giant reemerges. You only live once, right? Even if you're now a 50-something office worker, it's easy to conclude that you're reasonably fit enough, and besides, there are companies that will help out and would surely tell you if you couldn't do it.