The majestic Mount Everest, the world's tallest peak, holds an intense attraction for climbers and trekkers from across the world.
Perhaps it's these "fatal attractions" that have failed to deter mountaineers - even for the time being, from continuing to dream of making it to Everest top, despite a slew of avalanches, triggered by the deadly April 25 Nepal tremblor, which left 19 climbers, including sherpa mountain guides, dead and several more injured.
With avalanches wiping out all mountaineering treks, base camps and other infrastructures to scale the peak, veteran mountaineers like Bachendri Pal and others have urged co-enthusiasts to put a comma, if not a full stop, to their dreams, not only for their own interest but also for the Sherpa guides.
Mountaineers in this season's expeditions are keen to get back to climbing, say various mountaineering experts and officials. This might be partly, they say due to the big financial commitments required to be undertaken on the part of climbers.
Veterans cite the example of a mountaineering enthusiast couple from Jamshedpur in Jharkhand. Trained and mentored by Bachendri Pal, the first Indian woman who scaled the Everest, the duo's attempt to conquer the peaks last year was thwarted by an avalanche, which killed 13 Sherpas and left three others missing, probably dead.
But that did not deter Pradeep Chandra Sahoo and wife Chetana from making yet another attempt this year, which too ironically met a similar fate with the recent April 25 tragedy jeopardizing it.
"It's a sad situation for mountaineers right now, especially for Indian mountaineers. Many of them take loans from the market or sell off their properties for climbing the Everest because funds and sponsorship for mountaineering is difficult to get," Pal said.
"My personal advice to the mountaineers will be to get down as soon as they can. Lives cannot be risked," Pal told PTI on phone from Jamshedpur.
According to Maninder Kohli, Managing Trustee of Himalayan Environment Trust and an avid mountaineer who has just returned from the Annapurna Trek the Everest expedition is an expensive affair.
"The minimum cost per person is roughly about Rs 40 lakhs and includes expenses on sherpas, food, logging, oxygen tanks and other necessities," Kohli said.
Eyewitnesses who were at the base camp when the avalanche hit the mountain have advised climbers to avoid any expedition to the peak at least for the time being.
