Everest 2023: The Season of Death with Benjamin Alba

World Extreme Medicine Podcast

Welcome to the World Extreme Medicine Podcast. Our host, Dr. Ffyon Davies, an emergency medicine and expedition doctor, speaks with Dr. Benjamin Alba. Ben has gone on to be the doctor for an Everest Base Camp trek and has just finished a season as one of the Everest Base Camp doctors. Following his experiences at Everest Base Camp, he was inspired to write an open essay entitled 'Everest 2023: The Season of Death,' highlighting some of the misconceptions and challenges on Everest.

By the end of the season, there had been 12 confirmed deaths, with 5 missing, assumed dead, bringing the total to 17. Since the 2010 season, 114 people have been killed on Everest. The average number of deaths per season is 8. Besides the avalanche of 2014 that killed 15 and the earthquake of 2015 that killed 20, this makes this season the worst on record for deaths on Everest without a natural disaster.