CrowdcontrolscouldsoonbecomeanimportantskillforclimbersonMountEverest,asimportantasphysicalstrengthorwatchingtheweather.Inasingledaylastweek,nearly40peoplereachedthetopoftheworld---arecord.Reportsfrombasecampspokeofqueuesatdangerousridgesandcrowdsaspeoplepassedeachotherinthefinaldashforthe8,848meterstop.
MoretraditionalmountaineersteaseaboutthecircusatmospheresurroundingEverestinre­centyears,andtherearewarningsthatthecrowdsaremakingthemountainmoredangerous.In1996,14diedonthemountainwhenthemembersofseveralgroupsweretrappedathighaltitudesbysuddensnowstorms.BadweatherinearlyMayledtothisyear’sjamonthesummitridge,buttheloss,luckily,waslight.Justfourclimbersdied,in­cludingaNepaliSherpawhohadmade11previoussuccessfulclimbing.
Traditionalistsarealsoworriedaboutthegrowingtendencyofclimberstosetrecordsandachieve“firsts”,ratherthansimplyclimbthemountain.Thisyear’scropofmountaineersincludedtheoldestman,64-year-oldShermanBullfromConnecticut,andtheyoungest,16-year-oldTembaTsheriSherpaofNepal.AnAmericanwithonlyonearmwasonthemountainthisyear;anIndianwithnolegsalsotriedbutfailed.ErikWeihennieyer,anAmeri­can,becamethefirstblindpersontoreachthetopoftheworld.Hisfellowclimbersstayedinfrontofhimonthewayup,describingthetypeoflandandringingbells.
Nepal（尼泊尔）viewsMountEverestassomethingofacashcow.Thegovernmentchargesjourneysaminimumof$70,000.ThatisprobablywhyofficialsinKatmanduareignoringconcernsaboutovercrowdingandtalkingaboutevenmoreclimberscomingnextyear.Butacelebrationofthe48thanniversaryofthefirstconquestofEverest,bySirEdmundHillaryandSherpaTenzingNorgay,wascancelledafterviolentstrikes.Tumultuous（动乱的）Nepalipolitics,itseems,couldbejustthecrowd-controlmea­surethatEverestneeds.
小题1:Whatistheproblemthattheclimbershavetofaceinrecentyears?