The cost of climbing Mt. Everest

Gulf News

British expatriate Mark Shuttleworth shares what it costs to climb the tallest mountain on Earth.   Read more Mt Everest stories on gulfnews.com - What is the actual height of Mt Everest? http://bit.ly/2DJoNUF  See more videos at https://gulfnews.com/videos

Transcript

00:00In 2012, British expatriate Mark Shuttleworth and his daughter Lianna conquered Mount Everest

00:10and the world's six other tallest peaks in different continents.

00:13Mount Everest, the tallest mountain on Earth at 8,848 meters, continues to lure mountaineers

00:19from various parts of the globe.

00:21In the region, the dream to conquer the mount has been strongest over the past three years.

00:25It was quite an experience. It's a long expedition. Seven weeks, if the weather's good for you.

00:31So a long, long trek compared with the other mountains.

00:33Ours was a little bit special. When we summited, it was minus 55 degrees.

00:37We couldn't see a thing, so we were only on the top for seven minutes.

00:39But scaling the world's tallest peaks doesn't only require iron resolve, extensive mountaineering experience

00:45and a bit of luck. It also requires a hefty sum of money.

00:48Everest is an expensive proposition for anybody.

00:51The top of the range, you can go with the top guide houses, costs around 65,000.

00:56You can pay an additional $5,000 for additional oxygen, so making it 70 if you really want to.

01:04With a top of the range outfitter, they provide you better lines of support, infrastructure

01:10and on the mountains, more safety.

01:13For 240,000 dirhams, one could stay for around three days in the Royal Suite of Birchal Arab,

01:20one of the world's most expensive hotel suites.

01:22Or you can rent a studio apartment at the world's tallest building, Birch Khalifa, and live there for two years.

01:28For a car enthusiast, that money is worth 43 days of driving a Ferrari.

01:34Or you could treat yourself to 68 iPhones or 1.5 kilos of gold.

01:38For caffeine addicts, it will buy you nearly 120,000 cups of coffee.

01:43While there are guide houses that offer as low as 110,000 dirhams for their services per climb,

01:48Shuttleworth said this rate won't give you the same quantity and quality of support network.

01:53For anybody who's going up there who's not a very experienced mountaineer,

01:56you need to be balancing how much is your life worth against how much you can afford.

02:01But I would obviously say you need to pay more and not less,

02:08because for the less, you don't get as much, and the higher risk.

02:14For Shuttleworth, the investment was worth every penny to conquer the tallest mountain on Earth and be on top of the world.

02:20Being able to travel the world, see beautiful sights.

02:22Alaska was gorgeous.

02:25The Antarctic, very few people get to visit.

02:28And then Everest, absolutely phenomenal feeling, standing on top of the world.

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