Freddie Wilkinson, an alumnus of this History department and experienced high-altitude mountaineer, reports in today’s New York Times on the prospects for the upcoming climbing season at Mount Everest:

Sadly, events on the south (Nepalese) side of Mount Everest this season suggest that while the risks inherent in climbing the mountain have never been greater, a majority of Everest climbers are increasingly estranged from the decision-making process. Two intersecting trends are to blame: the rising number of people attempting the mountain, and the cumulative effects of global warming, which is slowly yet steadily drying out the Himalayas, resulting in rockfalls, avalanches and sérac collapses.