The 2023 Mount Everest season has been the deadliest on record with 18 total deaths, surpassing even the 2014 serac disaster.
In response, the Nepal Ministry of Tourism announced new safety measures—including a mandatory GPS tracker chip for every climber. But the projected price of $10-15 per tracker suggests that the 'tracker' is neither GPS-capable nor a chip.
It's quite possible for the 2024 season to be even more fatal than 2023. Some indicators point towards increased traffic on Everest and therefore likely increasing casualties. For one, Nepal is expected to issue 600 climbing permits, up from 454 last year. 2024 is also the final year before the price per climbing permit increases from $11,000 to $15,000 next year, which means more price-sensitive climbers may be rushing to make this year's deadline. And unlike last year, the Tibetan side of Everest will be open for climbers, increasing the traffic further. Though some Tibet-side climbers will be deterred due to the ban on supplemental oxygen, this ban makes climbing more difficult and might increase the fatality rate. Even on the Nepal side, there's been an increasing trend of oxygen canister theft, which can deprive entire groups of oxygen and leave climbers in extremely dangerous situations.
On the other hand, it is well reported that many deaths in 2023 were caused by ill-prepared or overconfident climbers. It's possible that climbers in 2024 will be more careful. Climbing guide companies are also much more wary, since deaths are bad for business, and might be more assertive when forcing struggling clients to give up their summit attempts. The Tibetan oxygen ban might select for more experienced climbers overall, reducing fatality rate. Weather patterns have also become more erratic, which might shorten the safe climbing window, which could result in fewer summit attempts and fewer deaths. (Hopefully, anyway.) And, who knows, maybe the miracle GPS tracker chip might actually work.
The Everest climbing season ends on June 2, 2024. This market will close on June 9th, one week after.