He's Warning That Nobody Should Climb Mount Everest, And If You Do, It Just Means You're Rich And Bad At Evaluating Risk

TikToker Alex Falcone (@alex_falcone) is sharing an unfriendly reminder for anyone who has ever looked at Mount Everest and thought that they could climb it. According to Alex, maybe we should all stop trying.

Everest has long been viewed as the ultimate test of human endurance. But throughout the generations, it has gradually become more of an expensive bucket-list attraction.

"And yet, this year, there was a new record with over 1,000 summits and a speed run record of under 10 hours," said Alex. "That is so embarrassing for us as a species. I get why people want to do it. It's big, we're little, you get famous."

For a while, it was only elite and experienced climbers who took on Mount Everest. But in the 1990s, everything changed. Rich people also wanted to climb the mountain, but they didn't have the years of training to withstand the climb themselves and the mountain's conditions.

That led to the creation of companies where the rich could pay a professional to take them up the mountain.

"Now, it's basically just a casino high roller area," said Alex. "No one thinks you're in there because you're cool. They know it's because you had a lot of money and are bad at evaluating risk."

"Each year, it somehow gets worse. There are private chefs, movie screenings, and espresso machines."

The one saving grace is that at least the mountain has a beautiful view, but even that has now gone downhill. This year, there were 12-hour lines to reach the top of Mount Everest. As a result, the mountain is covered in garbage due to all the human activity.

On average, there are seven fatalities on the mountain every year, which is awful. As you can see, there are plenty of reasons not to go up Mount Everest, but people continue to do so anyway despite the risks and pollution to the environment.

Andrii Vergeles - stock.adobe.com - illustrative purposes only - pictured above is Mount Everest

In the comments section, many TikTok users agreed with Alex and further emphasized the dangers of climbing Everest.

"Unfun fact: There are roughly 200 bodies up there. Some have been used over the years as guideposts for other hikers. What a gross and weird place to want to go," commented one user.

"And the death count does count the hundreds of the Sherpa people who are also killed being guides to those rich people and rescuers. Companies will exploit Indigenous people and pay them less because it's cheaper than paying 'professional climbers and guides.' And because those companies are based in the U.S. and U.K., they refuse to adhere to local law and pleas, and they get away with it," wrote another.

"I was literally just telling someone how dumb it is that their friend thought climbing Mount Everest last year was such an accomplishment. It's not; it's lame and just a way to show off your wealth and lack of awareness," added a third.

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