High Crimes: The Fate of Everest in an Age of Greed by Michael Kodas was a very entertaining read that captivated my attention from the beginning of the book but also did a fairly good job at informing the reader of the message that is being conveyed throughout the book; man is every bit as dangerous and unpredictable on Mount Everest as mother nature herself. The beginning of the book provides a detailed account on exactly why crime has risen not only on Mount Everest but within the surrounding cities and villages as well.
Theft is the biggest and most prevalent crime-related account within the book due to the wealth disparity between mountaineering parties and the equipment each party can afford. Some parties come more than prepared due to wealthy patrons, sponsors, and privately or government funded bids. These particular parties come heavily equipped with oxygen tanks, appropriate gear for the climb, a satellite phone to ensure communication with the larger world should danger become an issue, computers to track activity and also allow society to become apart of a mountaineering expedition, and media such as cameras, voice recorders, and camcorders to provide a detailed account should a mountaineer wish to gain some sort of compensation or sponsorship from companies if they are successful in their bid to the summit of Mount Everest.
Theft is not the only crime that is prevalent throughout the mountaineering communities of the Modern Era. Prostitution, drugs, threats such as physical violence, extortion from Sherpas, and murder are all very realistic dangers that one encounters or puts themselves in a situation to fall victim to should they decide to make an attempt at summiting Mount Everest. Famous mountaineers such as Hillary have commented on their distaste toward modern day mountaineering and its lack of respect toward human life. “People just want to get to the top. They don’t give a damn for anyone else who may be in distress…” (P. 25) The reasoning behind the selfish and individualistic approach that many climbers throughout Everest possess, is in large part due to the fact that they are not mountaineers; they are simply patrons of the commercialism that comes with Mount Everest, they do not seem to care about much else because it is less a “brotherhood of the rope” and more getting what you paid for. I can definitely understand why crime has become such a huge concern on Mount Everest, because everyone on that mountain or surrounding that mountain has something to gain and also something to lose. A person can start at base camp as a teacher and should they successfully ascend and descend Everest, can call themselves a “world class mountaineer” because of the aura of respect Mount Everest possesses.
The chance to call oneself a “world class mountaineer” opens a door full of many opportunities such as fame, wealth, a career in media or as a world-class guide, and also pride and respect from one’s respective country. It is because of these opportunities behind the successful ascent door that fuels the fire behind High Crimes. The book focuses primarily on two accounts, one being the author’s personal experience summiting Mount Everest and the other, the mysterious death of Nils Antezana while pursuing his successful bid on Mount Everest.
From the very beginning of Nils Antezana’s climb, it seemed very sketchy and this was in large part due to his guide, Gustavo Lisi. Lisi, being of Argentinian background did not communicate well with Nils or the Sherpas, and also practiced a “me over we” mentality. This mentality proved to be detrimental to all members of the party and was wrong of Lisi as he was the guide of the entire party, within the book the general ideology embodied by the guides on Everest is that the guide goes at the pace of their client. Antezana from the very beginning was not in any prime physical shape to climb Mount Everest but that was overlooked due to the modern mentality that Everest was not nearly as difficult to climb as it had been and that anyone could do it, so long as you paid your money, had the best equipment on the market, and had a strong team surrounding you.
The biggest reoccurring theme throughout the book, is that greed above all has turned high altitude mountaineering into something that is selfish, individualistic, sneaky, dishonest, and dripping in crime. Why? It is all due to the money, fame and opportunities that surround the mountain; opportunities that many who come from poverty stricken backgrounds and lack education are willing to risk their lives and the lives of others who get in the way of those opportunities for. The lengths that many attempting a summit up Mount Everest will go to truly seem to know no bounds. The author recounts experiences from several climbers of all different backgrounds and the dangers they faced not only encountering mother nature, but the people that are also on the mountain as well.
Stealing and raiding vacant tents at all camps up Mount Everest are common, with Alpine Clubs going as far as issuing press releases explaining the need for criminal investigations for stealing, as it threatens the lives of climbers on the mountain and is taken very seriously. However, because many Sherpa who are hired as workers and packers come from poverty-stricken villages that are lacking in education, employment, and overall opportunity, they are left scaling Mount Everest without adequate supplies (oxygen being of most importance) and therefor, stealing is necessary in order to keep not only their dreams of a better life alive, but themselves as well. Theft and a greedy mindset are essential for the successes of some on the mountain.
The take-away message I inferred after reading High Crimes was that because commercialization and modernity made scaling Mt. Everest easier, mother nature was no longer the greatest danger or the most unpredictable, it is man who now poses the greatest danger in the high altitudes of mountains.