‘The mountain deserves better’: Everest’s highest campsite drowning in waste; video triggers debate

“Abandoned tents, empty oxygen bottles, food cans, torn gear, and other waste are scattered across the South Col, turning the world’s highest campsite into a graveyard of climbing equipment.” The post concluded with a simple message: “The mountain deserves better.”

Watch the video:

This is Camp IV on Mt Everest (~7,900 m), the highest campsite on Earth and the final stop before the summit.

What should be one of the most extraordinary places on the planet has, in many ways, become one of the ugliest faces of Everest’s commercialisation. Abandoned tents,… pic.twitter.com/0Th04sCa5J

— Everest Today (@EverestToday) June 1, 2026

The video comes after a particularly busy climbing season. According to the Daily Mail, a record 274 climbers reached Everest’s summit from the Nepal side in a single day in May, adding to concerns about overcrowding and the growing waste problem on the mountain.

Although clean-up efforts have been carried out over the years, removing waste from such extreme altitudes remains a difficult and dangerous task. Harsh weather conditions, sudden storms, and thin air make every operation a major challenge.

The footage has reignited debate online about the environmental cost of Everest expeditions and whether stricter measures are needed to protect the world’s highest mountain.

“These people are sportsman looking to conquer not naturalists looking to preserve. Shame on the companies and climbers who have taken advantage of the mountain and its people. There is not one reason not clean up one’s own mess. This is hubris at its peak. Shame,” an X user wrote.

Another commented, “Yes, it’s extreme up there, but I thought that every nature lover hiker and climber knew that you don’t do this. I wish there was enough money and technology in the world to send in an aerial cleanup crew and keep going until it was done. If I were one of the billionaires I would pay for it and if I needed to do it every five years, I would.”

A third user suggested a different way of looking at mountaineering achievements, writing, “We measure success on Everest by who reaches the top. Maybe it’s time we measured it by who leaves the smallest footprint behind.”