Skip to main content

John Oliver's deep dive into Mount Everest's tourist industry is truly eye-opening

For some people, reaching the summit of Mount Everest represents the greatest of all human achievements.

But is it really?

In the latest episode of Last Week Tonight, John Oliver takes a closer look at the problematic tourist industry surrounding the world's highest peak — from the extremely high levels of risk undertaken by the sherpas to the large number of under-qualified climbers being taken up by shady companies.

"Look, we're never going to get the number of deaths on Everest down to zero," explains Oliver. "[...] But there are steps that Nepal could take to manage the risks here. Like reduce permits to prevent overcrowding, space out expeditions, and place strict limits on the number of companies that can operate — things that other mountains do actually do." 

"But until Nepal does that, there will continue to be deaths that could have been prevented."