2014 Mount Everest ice avalanche

Guide employment on Mount Everest During the two month long climbing season on Mount Everest, 350 to 450 people, mostly men from the Nepalese Sherpa ethnic group, are hired to assist mostly foreign climbers to reach the summit. Although the term Sherpa normally refers to the ethnic group, many people refer to all of the mountaineering guides working on Everest (who may be, for example, West Indian) as "Sherpas", regardless of ethnicity. A Sherpa who works as a porter on Mount Everest, specialised in high-altitude work including rope fixing, typically earns about US$125/day per climb. Most come from climbing families, are raised on stories of wealth earned from expeditions, and have relatively few other economic opportunities. Mountaineer Alan Arnette reported that this ice bulge had been a known hazard for years and had discharged ice into the Khumbu Icefall almost every season. He added that, "In 2012 it narrowly missed many climbers." According to writer and mountaineer Jon Krakauer, the 2014 ice avalanche was triggered when a block of ice "the size of a Beverly Hills mansion" broke off from the bulge. ==Ice avalanche==

At approximately 06:45 local time (01:00 UTC, 18 April 2014), an ice avalanche occurred on the southern side of Mount Everest, at an elevation of approximately . Twenty-five men, mostly Sherpas, were buried in the avalanche. The group was fixing ropes and preparing the South Col route for fee-paying climbers during the upcoming climbing season. The serac was estimated to have been 34.5 meters (113 ft) thick and to have had a mass of 14,300 tonnes (31.5 million pounds). Though there have been calls for construction of defensive structures, they are impossible on the scale necessary. ==Victims==

Sixteen people died in the disaster. Thirteen bodies were recovered within 48 hours, when search and rescue operations were called off due to "too much risk". Three victims are still buried in roughly of snow and ice. Four fatalities were Sherpas from Nepal's Solukhumbu District. No foreigners were killed. In total, the search and rescue team included nine Sherpas and three foreigners. The 2014 disaster is the second-deadliest disaster in Everest's history, only superseded by avalanches that struck the southern side of the mountain the following year, on 25 April 2015, triggered by a magnitude 7.8 earthquake in Nepal. ==Reactions==

Rippel reported "everyone is shaken here at base camp". Some of the climbers immediately packed up their belongings and left. According to unverified reports, 350 guides voted to suspend operations on Everest. Other reports said the guides agreed to unspecified "strong protests". On 22 April, the Sherpas announced they would not work on Everest for the rest of 2014 out of respect for the victims. Tulsi Gurung said: "We had a long meeting this afternoon and we decided to stop our climbing this year to honour our fallen brothers. All Sherpas are united in this." By 24 April, almost all expeditions had decided to abandon their climbing plans; the 600 mountaineers who were at Base Camp before the avalanche was down to 40 or 50. Although these funds started to be paid in December 2014, it was reported in January 2015 that the bereaved Sherpa families were further angered because the money could only be obtained if they presented documentation in Kathmandu, which is impossible for many of those who live in the Khumbu region. Discovery cancelled Ogwyn's planned BASE jump shortly after the ice avalanche struck, and announced it would broadcast a documentary about the tragedy. Entitled Everest Avalanche Tragedy, the 90-minute programme was shown on 4 May. The company also said it would make a donation to the American Himalayan Foundation Sherpa Family Fund, a charity supporting the families of those who died in the disaster. Following the accident, the NMA president Ang Tsering Sherpa proposed installing avalanche-prevention barriers similar to those found above European ski resorts. ==Effects and aftermath==

Post-disaster ascents in 2014 The first post-avalanche ascent of Mount Everest via the South Col route was on 23 May 2014, by Chinese businesswoman Wang Jing, together with five sherpas. Her ascent sparked controversy, as she bypassed the Khumbu Icefall by helicopter, which took her to ; According to the director of the Nepali government’s Department of Tourism, Tulasi Prasad Gautam, "In response to the last year’s avalanche we are trying to make Everest climbing a little safer by avoiding the old route." ==See also==