Mount Everest, the highest mounting on earth is probably the last place that you would think that theft would ever occur, however, sadly it actually does happen.
You may be wondering what could actually be stolen whilst you are climbing on the high slopes of Mount Everest. Well, there are actually a lot of different things. For a start, the climbing equipment that you have there is not going to be cheap rubbish items. This is one of the most likely things to be stolen whilst you are on Everest. As well as this, there will be a lot of specialist equipment that is specifically designed for expeditions like climbing on Mount Everest lying around. Again, this is going to be expensive equipment, so this could be targeted too.
In recent years it has been known for items such as oxygen bottles to go missing, presumably stolen. Stealing items like this or any other important piece of equipment could put another climber’s life in serious danger, but sadly this has happened in the past.
Back in 2007 ‘theft patrol’ was set up. This was set up in order to prevent theft on Mount Everest happening. However, due to the vast amount of space to be covered, it is understandable that things like this are still happening today. That said it has definitely improved a lot over the last couple of years, mainly because climbers are more aware of what has been going on and are now more careful in looking after their personal climbing gear.
How can a thief get away with it? Because of the vast size of Mount Everest it is just impossible to keep an eye on all the equipment that is stowed in different places on the slopes of Everest. This is something to be expected in such a remote area with such expensive equipment lying around where security is definitely not on the top of many peoples list.
There are things you can do to stop your gear becoming a target for the thief. Keep an itemized list of everything that you have taken with you. This list will tell you what you have and what is not there anymore. This is a good idea, because once you realize that something is missing you will be able to notify your expedition leader who will then report it. Another good idea is to make sure that you do not leave any of your equipment lying around when you are sleeping or away from your tent. Wherever possible, you should always make sure that you have packed all of your equipment away properly so that nobody can get to it.
As you can see, theft does happen on Mount Everest and probably on other mountains around the world too. If you do not want to fall victim to a thief then you have to make sure that you take all the necessary precautions to protect your valuable and lifesaving equipment as much as you can when possible.