Mt Everest's risky peak: Mountaineers open up about what needs to change

Colorado-based mountaineer Alan Arnette poses the question: If there are qualifiers for the Ironman Triathlon, then why not for summiting the world's highest mountain?

For Ameet Singh the allure of the highest peak in the world has fast faded in recent years. “Everest only matters to you. Everest itself is indifferent to who you are, it does not care,” says the Pune-based mountaineer and trainer, referring to the box-checking exercise it has become for thrill-seekers of late. 

Some 77 Indians applied to climb the mountain this year, not all of them equally skilled or aware of what it takes to scale the 8,848-metre mountain. The network of forces at work ostensibly makes it difficult to separate true mountaineers from tourists: the Nepal government is