Pieces of tents, freeze-dried food containers, rubbish of all kinds scattered on the ground in a magical setting of eternal snow, at an altitude of about 7,950 metres… The scene filmed by the French youtuber Inoxtax at Camp IV, the final stage of the ascent of the south flank of Everest, in Nepal, is powerful. If it only lasts a minute and a second, and ignores other issues of this place, the sequence of the documentary Kaizen: A year to climb Everest (2024) highlights pollution that has lasted for decades.
Since opening to the public in 1950, the world’s highest mountain has attracted an ever-increasing number of climbers. During the last climbing season, 421 permits were granted, compared to about 118 in 2000.
A massification that is illustrated by the YouTuber’s documentary released on September 14 on YouTube and already viewed more than 25 million times. “Wesh, what the fuck!” » exclaims Inoxtag, real name Inès Benazzouz, seeing a traffic jam of mountaineers on the Khumbu glacier. “It’s hell on earth”whispers his mountain guide, Mathis Dumas.
“During the first expeditions, the custom was to leave all the equipment and go back down as quickly as possible.explains Luc Boisnard, French mountaineer and founder of the Himalayan Clean-up project. This remains the case today., At high altitudes, many climbers have the unfortunate tendency to leave their trash behind.points out.
Difficult cleaning operations
Tents, electric batteries and packaging accumulate on the mountain every year, trapped by the ice. In 2024, the Nepalese army removed nearly 11 tons of waste, mostly from Mount Everest. It’s not surprising. I drank almost a ton of it myself in 2001.” says the mountaineer, who is now responsible for cleaning up Makalu and Annapurna in the Himalayas.
The extreme conditions of the highest fields make these cleaning operations arduous and require significant human resources. “A person can only carry 20 to 30 kilos on their back. This means three or four days of climbing, depending on the weather window. explains Luc Boisnard.
A real economic boon for Nepal, where 44% of the population lives below the poverty line according to Oxfam: trekking agencies are increasing the number of service offerings for very wealthy clients and facilitating access to the mountains. “The comfort level of climbers has increased significantly”explains Marion Chaygneaud-Dupuy, head of the first project to clear the north flank of Everest. But this creates new pollution with new types of waste, such as electronic products or even medicines that can contaminate glacial water. “, he emphasizes.
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