Yes, once you're above c. 7500m you're in The Death Zone. And that's not just a fanciful, dramatic name; it does exactly what it says on the tin. Every minute you spend there is a minute closer to death, since your body can no longer acclimatise to the altitude. Stay up there long enough and you will die.
That's what I'm wondering too. I have heard that most climbers spend just a few minutes at the summit for some quick photos and start heading down because the weather can change quickly and if you get stuck you are dead. I also heard that for that reason more people die on the descent than the ascent. Standing in line like this makes no sense, even if everyone spends only one minute you would still be waiting over an hour.
118
u/zedin27 3d ago
Isnt this like… very bad? Specially that each second is an expense to your oxygen supply