I’ve just wasted an hour trying to convince people in a backpacking Facebook group that the Himala­yas ain’t no walk in the park. But have you noticed the majority of young, on-a-shoestring trekkers feel it’s not only perfectly safe, but part of the ‘experience’ to trek alone? Their come-back is pretty much that they should not have their trip spoilt by taking others along with them. Usually in these cases I suggest to at least take a porter—someone who knows the route, can predict (as far as possible) weather conditions, can go for help if necessary, and—here is a unique thought—whose income will go to support his family. But no; dare we use the word, millennials are not for this. And this is hardly countered by the trekking fraternity here who keep any accidents, missing per­sons, etc pretty much under wraps. I doubt very much, unless it’s some­one from their own hometown, very few people outside of Nepal hear about these incidents. Accidents and deaths while summiting Everest or other 8,000-ers are a different matter of course. These are usually widely known because the climb­ing community is small and often victims or their climb leaders are well-known. And then those back­packers turn round and say that mountaineering is a whole different ball game.

But gung-ho trekkers forget that mountaineers have prepared well, have climbed other high mountains and are generally in great shape with great support teams and equip­ment. Yet climbers understand the real dangers that mountains’ pose. Meantime, backpackers swap their flip-flops for trekking boots in Thamel and imagine that Himalayan trekking routes are very much like the mountain trails they have at home.

But even so; let’s take a quick look at the highest ‘mountain’ in the UK, Ben Nevis, situated in Scotland. Ben Nevis is—okay don’t laugh—1,345m in height. It takes approximately 3.5 to 5 hours to summit, and sees about 150,000 hikers every year. But Ben Nevis is a very fickle moun­tain where the weather closes in at exceptional speed. The mountain rescue people report that in 2017 they responded to 78 call outs and rescued 82 people. In 2016 they report 20 people died on the moun­tain. And that is with the hiking season of June to October.

So given this bit of a hill, less high than Kathmandu, sees this many deaths a year even with the excellent helicopter and dog rescue teams always on standby, what makes people think they can happily trek 4,000 or 5,000 metres in the Hima­layas without the mountains occa­sionally fighting back?

Gung-ho trekkers forget that mountaineers have prepared well, have climbed other high mountains and are generally in great shape

Are we in Nepal promoting trek­king as an easy thing? Something that anyone and everyone can do, and enjoy without much thought, planning or, potentially, negative outcome? If you go with an experi­enced trekking company or guide and know your own body’s limita­tions there is no reason why your trek shouldn’t be safe and enjoyable. But if you take a look at the trek­king websites, in order not to scare potential customers off, I feel a lot of less reputable agencies down-play how arduous trekking can be. And stretching the truth aside, let’s not forget what is an ‘easy’ or ‘moder­ate’ trek for your average mountain dweller or trekking guide is far from easy or moderate for your average office worker on their two week annual leave!

Then there is whole giving back to the local community angle. It doesn’t take a lot for tourists to work out that most of the trekking companies are Kathmandu based and the majority of the money does not go to communities they are trekking through, especially if it is a camping trek. So for some, this is another reason not to go with a registered agency or guide. The on-going question is how to address these issues. Trekking people, répondez s’il vous plait.