The climb to Mount Everest's summit, once viewed as a near-impossible feat achieved only by the most daring, has shifted from a symbol of ultimate adventure into something mere mortals can accomplish. 

Everest today is a booming, multi-million-dollar, high-altitude industry. Guided climbs fetch six-figure sums and Base Camp, at an elevation of 17,598 feet, has become a tourist attraction.

Commercialization has brought wealth and opportunity to the Sherpas of Nepal, who act as porters and guides, risking their lives to help others reach the summit. 

Just a few decades ago, in the early 1980s, there were only a few dozen successful summits of Everest. This year, almost 500 climbing permits were issued. And climbers go to new extremes to stand out. 

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One British team this season summited Everest in less than a week by using Xenon gas to boost oxygen levels in their blood. 

Everest and the tourists it brings have been a blessing for Nepal and for Sherpas, Sherpa guide Nima Rinji said. It's a massive revenue source. 

"It's not only us who is getting business, but that taxi driver, the heli pilot, the lodges, the porters, the whole economy's sustaining," he said. "You cannot just say that only we are profiting. So everyone is profiting from this."

For better or worse, this is Everest now. And starting in 2013, Nima's father, Tashi Lakpa Sherpa, helped build it, turning an isolated mountainside into an economy.

What was once a weeks-long, bone-chilling wait at Base Camp for a summit window — that lull in the weather when it's safe to attempt a move to the top — can now feel like summer camp on a glacier.

Commercial expeditions have transformed Everest into high-altitude luxury. Some climbers pay up to $180,000 for premium packages that come with private chefs, a movie theatre and espresso machines.