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Adventure quests
尋奇探險
Ain’t no mountain high enough.
山不夠高。
Everest, Inc. By Will Cockrell.
《珠穆朗瑪公司》，威爾·科克雷爾。
Climbing Mount Everest used to be a feat of staggering bravery, endurance and skill.
攀登珠穆朗瑪峰曾經是一項需要驚人的勇氣、耐力和技術的壯舉。
In the 40 years after Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay first reached the summit in 1953, an average of 12 people a year followed in their footsteps.
自1953年埃德蒙·希拉里爵士和丹增諾蓋首次登頂以來的40年里，平均每年有12人追隨他們的腳步。
In 2023 more than 1,200 people attempted the climb, with 655 making it to the top.
2023年，超過1200人試圖攀登珠峰，其中655人成功登頂。
What was once an “almost certainly fatal” endeavour is “the new Ironman triathlon”, argues Will Cockrell, a journalist, in “Everest, Inc”, a fascinating new book.
記者威爾·科克雷爾在一本精彩的新書《珠穆朗瑪公司》中寫道，攀登珠峰曾經是一項“幾乎肯定會喪命”的艱難活動，現在成了“新的鐵人三項”。
High-tech equipment and better understanding of the physiological impact of high altitudes have brought new hopefuls to Everest.
高科技設備和對高海拔生理影響的更好了解帶來了新一批想要攀登珠峰的人。
But the biggest reason for the rising number of Everest conquerors is the establishment of a professional guiding industry.
但珠峰征服者數量不斷增加的最大原因是建立了專業向導產業。
For a hefty fee—between $35,000 and $110,000—experienced climbers will put novices on top of the world.
只要支付3.5萬美元到11萬美元的高額費用，經驗豐富的登山者就能讓新手登上世界之巔。
As with many extreme sports, Everest offers a test.
與許多極限運動一樣，珠峰也是一種考驗。
Amateurs want to know if they can achieve something physically and mentally demanding.
業余愛好者想知道他們是否能完成對身體和心理都要求很高的事情。
According to some psychologists, people undertake Herculean endeavours to deny their own mortality.
根據一些心理學家的說法，人們會做出艱巨的事情來否認死亡。
Mr Cockrell believes this helps explain why interest in climbing Everest increases after deaths are reported: people are more attracted to the adventure if they are reminded of its dangers.
科克雷爾認為，這有助于解釋為什么在報道死亡事件之后，人們對攀登珠峰的興趣會增加：如果提醒冒險活動有多危險，人們就會更被這種冒險吸引。
The guiding industry exists in large part because of a foolhardy but irresistible character called Dick Bass.
向導行業的存在在很大程度上是因為一個魯莽但無法阻擋的人：迪克·巴斯。
The heir to an oil fortune, Bass had the lunatic idea of climbing the highest mountains on all seven continents.
作為石油財富的繼承人，巴斯有一個瘋狂的想法，想爬完七大洲的所有最高峰。
He bought his way onto three different Everest expeditions and, in 1985, aged 55, he became both the oldest and least experienced climber to reach the summit.
他花錢踏上了三次不同的珠峰探險旅程，1985年，55歲的他成為年齡最大、經驗最少的登頂者。
The sight of an average Joe on top of the world generated a media frenzy—and the establishment of companies that could cater to the new demand for tours.
一個普通人登上世界之巔的事件引發了媒體的狂熱報道，也使得迎合新的旅游需求的公司建立。
The early years of guided expeditions in the 1990s were mostly successful.
20世紀90年代早期的有向導的探險隊大多成功了。
In 1992-95, around 150 people paid to be led up the mountain, and a third succeeded.
在1992-95年間，大約150人付費讓向導帶他們上山，其中三分之一的人成功登頂了。
But in 1996, Jon Krakauer, an American writer, joined one of two simultaneous expeditions that went wrong.
但在1996年，美國作家喬恩·克拉考爾參加了同時出發的兩個探險隊之一，兩隊都遇難了。
A storm “dropped down on the climbers like a piano on a cartoon character”.
暴風雪“砸在登山者身上，就像鋼琴砸在卡通人物身上一樣”。
The guides, eager for their clients to reach the top, delayed turning them around.
向導們急切地希望他們的客戶能登頂，于是推遲了讓他們返回的時間。
Three guides and two climbers died.
結果三名向導和兩名登山者死亡。
In a bestselling book, “Into Thin Air”, Mr Krakauer argued that Everest had become a high-end tourist trap.
在暢銷書《進入空氣稀薄地帶》中，克拉考爾認為珠穆朗瑪峰已經成為高端游客陷阱。
He decried the judgment of the guides and the selfishness of inexperienced climbers.
他譴責了向導的判斷失誤和缺乏經驗的登山者的自私。
Many businesses assumed that the book would crush them.
許多企業認為這本書會毀了他們。
Instead, fascination with Everest soared.
相反，人們對珠峰的迷戀飆升。
The industry has depended on local labour.
該行業一直依賴當地勞動力。
Large numbers of Nepalis were hired by companies in the West to install ropes and carry equipment for clients.
大量尼泊爾人受雇于西方公司，為客戶安裝繩索和運送設備。
The guiding firms made efforts to build lasting relationships with their teams on the ground.
向導公司努力與他們在珠峰當地的團隊建立持久的關系。
But, Mr Cockrell notes, “The reasons Westerners and Sherpas were climbing mountains remained very different.”
但是，科克雷爾指出，“西方人和夏爾巴人登山的原因仍然非常不同”。
Two accidents in the 2010s brought change.
2010年代的兩次事故帶來了改變。
In 2014, 16 Sherpas were buried by falling ice while transporting clients’ gear.
2014年，16名夏爾巴人在運送客戶的裝備時被掉落的冰塊掩埋。
Their colleagues went on strike and forced the cancellation of the season.
他們的同事們舉行了罷工，迫使當時的登山季取消。
Then, in 2015, an avalanche killed ten Sherpas and nine foreign clients.
然后在2015年，一場雪崩導致10名夏爾巴人和9名外國客戶死亡。
In the aftermath, many Western operators lost their enthusiasm for Everest; today all the biggest guiding firms are Nepali-owned.
此后，許多西方運營商失去了對珠峰的熱情，現在，所有最大的向導公司都是尼泊爾人所有的。
“Everest, Inc” ends on a confounding note.
《珠穆朗瑪公司》結尾的語氣令人困惑。
More people are reaching the summit, but more are dying en route, too: 18 people perished in 2023, the highest-ever number.
越來越多的人登上了山頂，但也有更多的人在途中死亡：2023年有18人死亡，這是有史以來的最高數字。
Nepalese authorities say climate change has caused more extreme weather.
尼泊爾相關部門表示，氣候變化導致了更極端的天氣。
Mr Cockrell argues that there was no negligence on the part of the firms.
科克雷爾辯稱，這些公司沒有疏忽。
He suggests that Nepali guides consider themselves in the logistics business and generally leave decisions of safety to clients.
他建議尼泊爾向導把自己看作是物流業務工作者，通常情況下將安全決定權留給客戶。
But amateur climbers make bad choices.
但業余登山者會做出糟糕的選擇。
The disaster in 1996 showed that even guides get these decisions wrong.
1996年的災難表明，即使是向導也會做出錯誤的決定。
Experts know more than ever about how to navigate Everest safely.
專家們比以往任何時候都更清楚如何安全地攀登珠穆朗瑪峰。
But that does not make it a safe place.
但這并不能使珠峰成為一個安全的地方。
