背景介绍：
攀登珠峰，作为当下热门的极限运动，正吸引着越来越多的挑战者。随着科技的进步和向导服务的兴起，登顶珠峰的可能性大增，然而，随之而来的是命丧半途的事故也在逐年增加。从1953年埃德蒙·希拉里爵士和丹增·诺尔盖首次登顶，到如今每年有数百人尝试，珠峰攀登的历史见证了这项运动的变迁。尽管有着更多的安全设备和专业指导，但珠峰的极端环境和不可预测的天气仍然使得每一次攀登都充满了风险。
Climbing
Everest is the extreme sport du jour
攀登珠峰是当下热门极限运动
More people are reaching the summit, but more people are dying on the way, too
登顶珠峰的人多了，但命丧半途的人也多了
Climbing mount everest used to be a feat of staggering bravery, endurance and skill. In the 40 years after Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay first reached the summit in 1953, an average of 12 people a year followed in their footsteps. In 2023 more than 1,200 people attempted the climb, with 655 making it to the top.
在过去，要具备惊人的勇气、耐力和技巧，才能达成攀登珠穆朗玛峰这一壮举。埃德蒙·希拉里爵士和丹增·诺尔盖于1953年首次登顶，此后的40年间，平均每年有12人追随他们的脚步。2023年，有1200多人尝试攀登珠峰，其中655人成功登顶。
What was once an “almost certainly fatal” endeavour is “the new Ironman triathlon”, argues Will Cockrell, a journalist, in “Everest, Inc”, a fascinating new book. High-tech equipment and better understanding of the physiological impact of high altitudes have brought new hopefuls to Everest.
一项曾经“几乎肯定会让人丧命”的活动现在成了“新的铁人三项”，记者威尔·科克雷尔在他引人入胜的新书《珠峰公司》中评论道。有了高科技设备，加之对高海拔生理影响更深入的了解，引得更多人对珠峰跃跃欲试。
But the biggest reason for the rising number of Everest conquerors is the establishment of a professional guiding industry. For a hefty fee—between $35,000 and $110,000—experienced climbers will put novices on top of the world.
但是，珠峰征服者人数不断增加的最大原因还是专业向导产业的建立。向经验丰富的登山者支付3.5万至11万美元不等的高额费用，他们就能将新手送上世界之巅。
As with many extreme sports, Everest offers a test. Amateurs want to know if they can achieve something physically and mentally demanding. According to some psychologists, people undertake Herculean endeavours to deny their own mortality.
与许多极限运动一样，珠峰也提供了一场试炼。业余爱好者想看看自己能否做成什么特别挑战体力和意志力的事情。一些心理学家认为，人们之所以从事艰巨的活动，是拒绝接受自己终有一死的命运。
Mr Cockrell believes this helps explain why interest in climbing Everest increases after deaths are reported: people are more attracted to the adventure if they are reminded of its dangers.
科克雷尔认为，这有助于解释为什么在死亡事故被报道后，人们对攀登珠峰的兴趣反而会增加：提醒人们探险的危险性，他们更被探险吸引了。
The guiding industry exists in large part because of a foolhardy but irresistible character called Dick Bass. The heir to an oil fortune, Bass had the lunatic idea of climbing the highest mountains on all seven continents.
登山向导行业的出现在很大程度上是因为一个名叫迪克·巴斯的人，他一腔蛮勇，却又让人难以抗拒。这位石油财富的继承人有个疯狂的想法，就是踏遍七大洲最高的山峰。
He bought his way onto three different Everest expeditions and, in 1985, aged 55, he became both the oldest and least experienced climber to reach the summit. The sight of an average Joe on top of the world generated a media frenzy—and the establishment of companies that could cater to the new demand for tours.
他用金钱铺路，先后三次踏上珠峰之旅。1985年，55岁的他成为登顶珠峰年龄最大、经验最少的登山者。看到这么一个普通人登上世界之巅，媒体为之狂热，可以满足这种旅游新需求的公司也应运而生。
The early years of guided expeditions in the 1990s were mostly successful. In 1992-95, around 150 people paid to be led up the mountain, and a third succeeded. But in 1996, Jon Krakauer, an American writer, joined one of two simultaneous expeditions that went wrong.
1990年代初期，有向导的登山活动多数都取得了成功。1992至1995年间，约有150人花钱请人带领他们登山，其中三分之一的人成功登顶。但在1996年，两项同时进行的登山活动出了事故，美国作家乔恩·克拉考尔参加了其中之一。
A storm “dropped down on the climbers like a piano on a cartoon character”. The guides, eager for their clients to reach the top, delayed turning them around. Three guides and two climbers died. In a bestselling book, “Into Thin Air”, Mr Krakauer argued that Everest had become a high-end tourist trap.
一场风暴“向登山者袭来，就像一架钢琴砸到卡通人物身上”。登山向导迫切想帮助客户登顶，延误了让他们掉头的时间。三名向导和两名登山者丧生。在畅销书《进入空气稀薄地带》中，克拉考尔指出珠穆朗玛峰已成了一个高端旅游陷阱。
He decried the judgment of the guides and the selfishness of inexperienced climbers. Many businesses assumed that the book would crush them. Instead, fascination with Everest soared.
他谴责向导们判断力低下，而欠缺经验的登山者自私自利。许多公司都以为这本书会砸了它们的饭碗。没想到，世人对珠峰的痴迷反而急剧升温了。
The industry has depended on local labour. Large numbers of Nepalis were hired by companies in the West to install ropes and carry equipment for clients. The guiding firms made efforts to build lasting relationships with their teams on the ground. But, Mr Cockrell notes, “The reasons Westerners and Sherpas were climbing mountains remained very different.”
这个行业依赖当地的劳动力。西方公司雇用大量尼泊尔人为客户安装绳索和搬运装备。向导公司努力与当地团队建立持久的关系。但是，科克雷尔指出：“西方人和夏尔巴人登山的原因仍是天差地别。”
Two accidents in the 2010s brought change. In 2014, 16 Sherpas were buried by falling ice while transporting clients’ gear. Their colleagues went on strike and forced the cancellation of the season.
2010年代发生的两起事故带来了改变。2014年，16名夏尔巴人在运送客户的装备时被坠落的冰雪掩埋。他们的同事举行了罢工，迫使登山季取消。
Then, in 2015, an avalanche killed ten Sherpas and nine foreign clients. In the aftermath, many Western operators lost their enthusiasm for Everest; today all the biggest guiding firms are Nepali-owned.
随后在2015年，一场雪崩造成10名夏尔巴人和9名外国客户死亡。这以后，许多西方运营商失去了对珠峰的热情；如今，最大的向导公司全都是尼泊尔人开的。
“Everest, Inc” ends on a confounding note. More people are reaching the summit, but more are dying en route, too: 18 people perished in 2023, the highest-ever number.
《珠峰公司》的结尾呈现了一种复杂难解的现实。越来越多的人登顶珠峰，但也有越来越多的人命丧途中：2023年有18人丧生，为历史最高数字。
Nepalese authorities say climate change has caused more extreme weather. Mr Cockrell argues that there was no negligence on the part of the firms. He suggests that Nepali guides consider themselves in the logistics business and generally leave decisions of safety to clients.
尼泊尔当局表示，气候变化导致极端天气增多。科克雷尔认为，向导公司并没有玩忽职守。他认为，尼泊尔向导认为自己是负责后勤的，一般会把安全问题留给客户自己去做决定。
But amateur climbers make bad choices. The disaster in 1996 showed that even guides get these decisions wrong. Experts know more than ever about how to navigate Everest safely. But that does not make it a safe place.
但业余登山者会做出糟糕的选择。1996年的灾难显示，就连向导也会做出错误的决定。专家们对于如何安全地攀登珠峰从未如此了如指掌。但这并没有把珠峰变成一个安全之地。
重难点词汇：
Herculean endeavours 艰巨的活动
mortality [mɔːrˈtæləti] n. 死亡；死亡率
lunatic [ˈluːnətɪk] n. 疯子；疯癫者 adj. 疯狂的
avalanche [ˈævəlæntʃ] n. 雪崩；山崩 v. 塌陷；倾泻
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