Could drones really replace sherpas on Everest? Successful trials see drones carry 33lbs of equipment to Camp 1
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With Everest climbing season opening again imminently, the idea of using drones on the world's tallest mountain to ease the load on sherpas has been making waves
Officials in Nepal are gearing up to resume testing drones from next month with the view to use them to carry equipment up the mountain in the future.
Trials began in 2024 when Chinese drone manufacturer DJI teamed up with Nepalese drone service company Airlift and mountain guide Mingma Gyalje Sherpa. They completed the first successful drone delivery trials, carrying 33lb (15kg) payloads from Base Camp to Camp 1.
On the return flight the drone carried trash back down to Base Camp.
According to the New York Times, Mingma G. Sherpa, the managing director of tour operator Imagine Nepal, invited a team from the Chinese drone maker DJI to Nepal in the spring of 2024 to test two FlyCart 30 delivery drones.
After the deaths of three mountain guides in 2023, who were buried under an avalanche as they fixed rope for foreign climbers, Mingma said he was seeking a new way to improve safety.
During his search he discovered that Chinese expedition companies were using drones on Muztagh Ata, a 24,757ft (7,545m) peak in China, to transport climbing gear, food and other items.
'I thought, why not use drones on Everest's south side, especially the Khumbu Icefall section?' he told the New York Times.
The Khumbu Icefall, located between Base Camp and Camp 1, is a dangerous labyrinth of ice towers, crevasses and ladders.
The challenges of flying drones on at altitude on Everest are huge, and include high wind speed, freezing temperatures and low air density.
Following the 2024 trials, DJI donated the drones to AirLift, whose operators have continued testing, including on Mount Ama Dablam in Nepal. Here, a pilot was able to transport a hot meal using the drone, which reached Camp 1 in six minutes, rather than the six hours it would take on foot.
Previously DJI has used the Mavic 3 Pro drone to capture the entire Mount Everest climbing route on camera:
While drones could take away risk and enhance safety for sherpas, who may need to complete fewer trips and could use geolocation capabilities to pinpoint routes in changing landscapes, they come at a price. One DJI drone can cost more than $70,000.
Local enthusiasts are hoping this year's Everest climbing season will be an opportunity to demonstrate the capabilities of the drone to potential investors.
Manufacturing them inside Nepal, rather than importing them, could save on customs taxes.
However, there has been backlash from trade unions and politicians who do not want to see technology take away work from sherpas who have dedicated their lives to mountain expeditions.
'The introduction of drones could take away the livelihoods of thousands of Sherpas,' Ajay Kumar Rai, general secretary of the Nepal Trade Union Congress, told The Telegraph. 'For six months, they risk their lives on Everest, and for the rest of the year, they have no work. If drones start replacing them, what will they do?'
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