Deadly Everest avalanche

This item appears on page 68 of the June 2014 issue.

An avalanche on Mount Everest killed 16 Sherpas on April 18. Sherpas have refused to return to assist climbers in ascending Everest. They have not prepared a new ice route or reinstalled guiding ropes in the area of the avalanche, leaving it impossible to climb, and they have asked for better working conditions, more access to medical care and better pay. 

Sherpas can each make about $8,000 a season, 10 times the average wage in Nepal, while the Nepalese government makes millions each year selling climbing permits.