Who Should Climb Everest?

谁可以攀登珠穆朗玛峰?

 

A Nepalese official says that it is time to examine the rules on who is permitted to climb Mount Everest, the world’s tallest mountain.

一名尼泊尔官员说，现在是审查关于谁可以攀登世界最高峰珠穆朗玛峰的规定的时候了。

 

Yagya Raj Sunuwar told The New York Times this week, “It’s time to review all the old laws.” The parliament member’s comment comes after the deaths of at least 11 climbers this year.

本周，亚葛亚·苏努瓦告诉《纽约时报》说：“是时候重新审查所有的旧法规了。”在这位国会议员发表上述言论之前，今年至少有11名攀登珠峰的登山者死亡。

 

Climbing Everest has been a dream for many people ever since Edmund Hillary and his guide, Tenzing Norgay, reached the top of the mountain in 1953.

自从埃德蒙·希拉里和他的向导丹增·诺尔盖于1953年登上珠穆朗玛峰以来，攀登珠穆朗玛峰成为了许多人的梦想。

 

Nepal is one of the world’s poorest countries. The climbing industry brings in $300 million each year. Officials do not limit the number of permits the country issues to climbers.

尼泊尔是世界上最贫穷的国家之一。攀岩业每年可带来3亿美元的收入。政府没有限制向登山者发放许可证的数量。

 

This year, the government of Nepal issued Everest permits to 381 people, the highest number ever. Anyone can get a permit for an $11,000 fee.

今年，尼泊尔政府向381人发放了登珠峰许可证，这是有史以来的最高数字。任何人都可以花11000美元获得许可证。

 

A picture taken on May 22 shows a long line of climbers wearing colorful winter clothes as they make their way up the mountain. The climbers are standing on a snow-covered ridge with a 2,000-meter drop on either side. They are hanging on to a single line of rope.

5月22日拍摄的一张照片显示，一长列登山者穿着五颜六色的冬衣，正在上山。登山者们站在积雪覆盖的山脊上，山脊两侧都有2000米的落差。他们紧紧抓住一根绳子。

 

There were more people on Everest than there should be, said Kul Bahadur Gurung, the general secretary of the Nepal Mountaineering Association. He added, “We lack the rules... that say how many people can actually go up and when.”

尼泊尔登山协会秘书长库尔巴哈·杜尔古隆说珠峰上的人数超出了应有人数。他还说：“我们缺乏规则……也就是说，多少人可以在什么时候攀登珠峰。”

 

At one time, only experienced mountaineers tried to climb Everest. But the cost of such an effort has decreased. This has led more and more inexperienced climbers to try to reach the top of Everest. Nepal only requires that climbers have a note from a medical doctor saying they are physically fit. Climbers do not have to prove they have the strength or ability to perform at extreme heights.

曾经有一段时间，只有经验丰富的登山者才尝试攀登珠穆朗玛峰。但是这种尝试的成本发生了降低。这导致越来越多没有经验的登山者试图登上珠穆朗玛峰。尼泊尔只要求登山者出示医生的健康证明。攀登者不需要证明他们有力量或能力在极高地带生存。

 

The number of climbers who have died this season is the highest since 2015. Most of those who died are believed to have suffered from altitude sickness. The condition is caused by low amounts of oxygen in extremely high places. It can lead to severe headaches, stomach sickness, shortness of breath and mental confusion. Because of the altitude, climbers have just hours to reach the top before they are at risk of having their lungs fill with liquid.

这一季登山者的死亡人数达到了2015年以来最高值。大多数死者被认为患有高山病。这种病是由于在非常高的地方氧气含量低造成的。它会导致严重的头痛、胃病、气短和精神混乱。由于海拔高度，登山者在他们的肺部可能充满液体前只有几个小时的时间到达山顶。

 

The area between Camp Four (8,000 meters) and the top of Everest (8,850 meters) is known as the “death zone.” When a climber dies in this zone, his or her body is left there. It would be too dangerous for another climber to spend their energy bringing the body down the mountain.

4号营地（位于海拔8000米）和珠穆朗玛峰（8850米）之间的区域被称为“死亡区”。当登山者在这个区域死亡时，他或她的身体就留在那里。对其他登山者来说，把精力花在把尸体带下山上太危险了。

 

Eric Murphy made his third climb on Everest this year. He told the Associated Press, “Every minute counts there.” He said some tired climbers with no one to help them could take 17 hours – instead of 12 – to reach the top. For inexperienced climbers, that is “enough to have a profound effect.”

埃里克·墨菲今年第三次登上珠穆朗玛峰。他告诉美联社：“在那里，每一分钟都很重要。”他说，一些疲劳的登山者在没有人帮助的情况下可能需要17个小时而不是12个小时才能到达山顶。对于没有经验的登山者来说，这“足以产生深远的影响”。

 

Among those who have died at Everest this year is American Christopher Kulish. He was from the state of Colorado. Kulish died on his way down, shortly after reaching the top. Just before he died, Kulish made it into the so-called “Seven Summit Club” of mountaineers who have reached the highest peaks on every continent, his brother said.

今年在珠穆朗玛峰遇难的人中有美国人克里斯托弗·库利什。他来自科罗拉多州。库利什在到达山顶后不久就在下山途中去世了。库利什的哥哥说，就在他去世之前，库利什进入了所谓的“七高峰俱乐部”，成员都是登上过各大洲最高峰的登山者。

 

Mohan Krishna Sapkota is secretary of Nepal’s Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation. He blamed the weather, equipment and lack of oxygen for this year’s deaths.

莫汉·奎师纳撒可达是尼泊尔旅游和民航局部长。他将今年登山人员的死亡归咎于天气、设备和缺氧。

 

However, he added, “In the next season we will work to have double rope in the area below the summit so there is better management of the flow of climbers.”

不过，他补充说：“下个季度，我们将努力在峰顶以下地区设置双绳，以便更好地管理登山者的人数。”

 

Mirza Ali is a Pakistani mountaineer and tour operator who reached Everest’s peak for the first time this month. It was his fourth time trying. He said, “Everybody wants to stand on top of the world.” But he said visitors who are unprepared for the extremes of Everest harm the mountaineering industry.

米尔扎·阿里是一名巴基斯坦登山家和旅游运营商，本月他首次登上珠穆朗玛峰。这是他第四次尝试。他说：“每个人都想站在世界之巅。”但是他说，没有准备好迎接珠峰极端天气的游客伤害了登山行业。

 

Ali added, “The more people come, the more permits, more business. But on the other side of it is a lot of risk because it is costing lives.”

阿里补充说：“来的人越多，许可证越多，生意就越多。但另一方面也有很大的风险，因为它也正在夺去人们的生命。”

英文、中文版本下载：http://www.yingyushijie.com/shop/source/detail/id/1381.html