They call it the “death zone”—that altitude above 8,000 meters on Mount Everest where the air is so thin it numbs the mind and the body begins to shut down. This year, however, a different kind of “death zone” has come into stark relief: the South Col, the final high camp before the summit, is drowning in a horrifying spectacle—40 to 50 tonnes of garbage and frozen corpses swallowed by the ice over decades.
GHOSTS OF EXPEDITIONS PAST
After weeks of work in brutal conditions, a team of soldiers and Sherpas funded by the Nepali government has collected 11 tonnes of garbage, 4 bodies, and 1 skeleton. But Ang Babu Sherpa, the leader of the Sherpa team, admits: “We have only scratched the surface.”
The waste at the South Col is not simply candy wrappers or water bottles. It consists of old tents from the 80s and 90s frozen solid, empty oxygen cylinders piled like tombstones, ropes, and backpacks abandoned during desperate climbs. “The trash is layered and frozen at -40°C, like an archaeological museum of human ambition,” Ang Babu describes.
THE GRIM HUNT FOR BODIES IN THE ICE
The most dangerous task: excavating bodies locked in the ice. One corpse near the South Col was frozen in a standing position, buried deep in the glacier. It took two days with special tools to chip through the ice, interrupted by retreats due to worsening weather.
“We have to wait for the sun to soften the surface ice, but waiting too long at that altitude means death,” Ang Babu explains. Oxygen levels at the South Col are just one-third of those at sea level, and winds can surge from 0 to 100 km/h in minutes.
Another body at 8,400 meters—close to the summit—required 18 hours of dragging down to Camp 2, where a helicopter waited. The bodies were taken to Tribhuvan University Hospital in Kathmandu for identification—many having been missing for decades.
DEBRIS FROM 1957 AND A COSTLY LESSON
At Agni Ventures’ recycling facility in Kathmandu, the oldest item was found: a rechargeable torch battery from 1957. Khadga, an employee there, explains: “At that altitude, people focus on survival. Carrying down 1kg of trash can be the difference between life and death.”
But attitudes are changing. Since 2014, Nepal has required each climber to post a $4,000 deposit, refundable only if they bring down 8kg of waste. This rule has significantly reduced new trash but doesn’t solve the “legacy” waste from previous decades.
THE ECONOMIC AND ETHICAL PARADOX
This 2026 season, Nepal issued 419 Everest climbing permits, generating over $5 million. With more than 900 permits for other peaks, mountaineering is a billion-dollar industry for this poor nation.
But the real cost is becoming clear: nearly 10 fatalities so far, following the horrific 2025 season with 18 deaths. The latest are British climber Dan Paterson, 40, and Nepali guide Pastenji Sherpa, 23, who disappeared after summiting on May 24.
“We are balancing national income with environmental responsibility,” a Nepali official admits. “Recovering a single body costs at least $40,000–80,000 and risks the lives of the rescue team.”
A CLOUDED FUTURE AT THE ROOF OF THE WORLD
Ang Babu estimates it will take 5–7 more years to clean the South Col at the current pace. But climate change is complicating the task: melting ice exposes more garbage and bodies, yet also destabilizes the mountainside.
“Everest is no longer a pure challenge,” says Pemba Dorjee Sherpa, a three-time summiteer, sadly. “Now you climb past trash, past those who have died, as if walking through a graveyard.”
The cleanup team will return in the spring of 2027, continuing this near-endless battle. Meanwhile, Everest still stands—a grand symbol of nature, calling for the respect humanity has forgotten in decades of conquest.