In a remarkable display of high-altitude endurance and international cooperation, a guide on Mount Everest was rescued after spending six days stranded in the death zone. The operation, led by British mountaineering teams, has reignited debates about the cost and risk of such endeavours particularly in an era of commercialised climbing. From a financial perspective one might view this as a high risk high reward venture where the payoff is measured not in pounds but in lives saved.
The question remains however: who bears the capital cost of these increasingly frequent rescues?
