Everest Claims First Casualty of the Season

The 2006 Himalayan climbing season is barely underway, and we already have our first casualty, well before any teams have made a bid for the summit. MountEverest.net is reporting that a Sherpa guide, working with an American team, took kill in Advanced Base Camp, and died. You can read all about it in todays Daily Wrap Up.

A story like this one so early in the climbing season helps to underscore the dangers of high altitude climbing. Not only is the air thin, causing all kinds of health issues, but you are a long way from civilization, making any evacuations difficult, time consuming, and expensive.