Everest grabs cover of Outside and the Gazette

Mount Everest climbers had one of their best and worst years in 2006.
Over 340 people reached the top -- a record.
But 11 people died -- second only to the notorious 1996 season that became the basis of John Krakauer's book, Into Thin Air.

It was so good, and bad, that it has landed on the cover of Outside Magazine.

So what gives?

Many say the rise in commercial guiding is at fault. Hundreds of people are willing to pay thousands of dollars for a shot at the summit, and they are not always qualified. And the trend has only been growing, so this year may be a sign of more of the same: growing traffic, growing body count.

To get a better sense of what's going on, we talked to local climber David Lien, who was on Everest this season. His story, and his take on the growing commercialization of Everest, will appear in the Gazette this Sunday.