How to Avoid a Traffic Jam on Mount Everest and Other Secrets of the Climbing Industry

Will Cockrell shares 5 big ideas from Everest, Inc.: The Renegades and Rogues Who Built an Industry at the Top of the World.

How would you like to go to the top of the world? If that sounds appealing, you’re not alone. Conquering the world’s highest peaks has become an increasingly popular activity for professional adventurers and well-heeled amateurs alike. And helping climbers get there has become big business, as described in the new book Everest, Inc.: The Renegades and Rogues Who Built an Industry at the Top of the World by Will Cockrell. Will is an editor and writer who’s worked for national magazines including Men’s Journal, Outside, Men’s Fitness, and GQ. Here is to share the key insights from his book.

1. How did a mountain that was once considered unclimbable—later downgraded to suicidal—become one that thousands of people could climb relatively safely?