$135K, Zero Oxygen, and Death Zones: The price of Mount Everest glory

Produced by: Manoj Kumar

Permit Price Shock

Starting Fall 2025, Everest will cost you $15,000 just for the permit. That’s before you’ve even bought a rope or set foot on a glacier.  $135,000 for a expedition is for luxury or fully guided climbs

Climb Before You Dream

No first-timers allowed. If you haven’t already summited a 6,500m peak in Nepal, your Everest fantasy stops at the permit desk.

Fitness or Failure

5-hour runs, 100-lb lunges, and deadlifts until collapse—Everest doesn’t care how toned you are. It wants elite cardio and iron will.

Luxury or Bare Bones

From $20K minimal missions to $135K luxury climbs, Everest offers all-in or DIY pain. Choose your suffering—just don’t skimp on oxygen.

Doctor’s Orders

Got asthma, heart issues, or altitude fears? Don’t bother. Everest demands a clean bill of health—and sometimes, even that’s not enough.

Mental Hell Test

Isolation, storms, and death zones—Everest is as much a psychological warzone as it is a mountain. If your mind breaks, your body follows.

Sherpas Are Life

Behind every summit photo is a Sherpa risking everything to make it happen. Without them, Everest is a graveyard—not a goal.

Trash Rules

Leave no trace or risk being banned. Everest now enforces strict cleanup rules—because climbers were leaving behind more than just footprints.

Train High or Die Trying

If you don’t train at altitude, Everest will eat you alive. Simulators help—but nothing beats sucking air on a