I really haven't liked the commercialization of mountaineering, particularly of Mt. Everest. By paying $65,000, you can be conducted to the summit by a couple of good guides.
Interpretation
Hillary expresses concern over the commercialization of climbing, particularly the ethics of paying to reach summits like Everest.
In this quote, Edmund Hillary critiques the growing trend of commercializing mountaineering, especially the ascent of Mount Everest. He highlights how the practice of charging exorbitant fees to guide climbers to the summit detracts from the spirit of adventure and challenge that mountaineering represents, suggesting that it transforms a once-serious pursuit into a mere consumer experience, devoid of the risks and merits that come with true exploration.
In practice
During a presentation on the ethics of adventure tourism, this quote can illustrate the debate on commercialization.
I think I mainly climb mountains because I get a great deal of enjoyment out of it. I never attempt to analyze these things too thoroughly, but I think that all mountaineers do get a great deal of satisfaction out of overcoming some challenge which they think is very difficult for them, or which perhaps may be a little dangerous.
Despite all I have seen and experiences, I still get the same thrill out of glimpsing a tiny patch of snow in a high mountain gully and feel the same urge to climb toward it.
I've always hated the danger part of climbing, and it's great to come down again because it's safe.
Even when you're 50, you can make the effort to improve your standards.
Many people have been getting too casual about climbing Everest. I forecast a disaster many times.
I am a lucky man. I have had a dream and it has come true, and that is not a thing that happens often to men.
I believe we should make use of what we know. We know that the future of the Earth must not be compromised.
It's easy to blame the nature-deficit disorder on the kids' or the parents' back, but they also need the help of urban planners, schools, libraries and other community agents to find nature that's accessible.
I know there is pain when sawmills close and people lose jobs, but we have to make a choice. We need water and we need these forests.
To me the question of the environment is more ominous than that of peace and war...I'm more worried about global warming than I am of any major military conflict.
I wrote 'Big Yellow Taxi' on my first trip to Hawaii. I took a taxi to the hotel and when I woke up the next morning, I threw back the curtains and saw these beautiful green mountains in the distance. Then, I looked down and there was a parking lot as far as the eye could see, and it broke my heart this blight on paradise. That's when I sat down and wrote the song.
Protect the ocean and you protect yourself.
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