Because Garbage Is There

An ace Japanese climber and his team headed for Mount Everest to clean up the world's highest mountain, and dig up bodies buried under ice.

Ken Noguchi's team aims to bring down at least 3,300 pounds of oxygen bottles, tents, food cans, ropes and other trash left on the mountain by expeditions at the South Col, the last camp before the summit.

Noguchi, 28, of Tokyo, said his team - three Japanese, three South Koreans, two Georgians and 20 Nepalese Sherpa guides - would also try to clear dead bodies frozen under the ice.

Since adventurers began trying to climb Everest in the early 1900s, nearly 180 people have died on its slopes.

"It is too difficult to carry down bodies from that altitude but we will try to push them into crevasses," Noguchi said.

The South Col, located 26,240 feet above sea level, is the last flat ground before the steep slopes leading to the summit at 29,035 feet. Climbers sometimes stay at the South Col for days while waiting for a break in the weather.

The area has gained the reputation of being the world's highest garbage dump despite Nepalese rules requiring climbers to take all their trash back down with them.

Because of exhaustion and the lack of oxygen, most climbers leave their gear and trash behind in order to descend to the base camp at 17,380 feet with as light a load as possible.

The high altitude and oxygen deficiency also make it hard to carry down bodies, which are left behind covered by snow and ice.

Those returning from Everest say the mountain that lures climbers from around the world each year is littered with more than 100 tons of garbage.

Noguchi, who has scaled the highest mountains on every continent, has made two previous cleanup expeditions to Everest's northern side in Tibet, bringing down 3,300 pounds of trash in 2000 and 3,520 pounds in 2001.

The rubbish was sorted out by the nationality of its origin. The Japanese trash was taken to Japan and displayed in several cities to generate awareness about the mountain's pollution.

"They showed big shock about the garbage," Noguchi said. "Nobody knew there was garbage on Everest."

"(This time) I will take back about 70 percent of the garbage to Japan and (South) Korea and hold exhibitions to make people aware of the problem," Noguchi said.

He plans another cleanup expedition next year.

A total of 1,114 people from 60 countries have climbed the mountain so far from the Nepali and Tibetan side. At least 167 people have died on its slopes.