Guides hope Everest deaths will impel safety fixes

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Guy Cotter was so concerned about the safety of Sherpa guides and porters through Mount Everest’s notorious Khumbu Icefall that he and another commercial guide operator hatched a plan: Before this year’s climbing season began, they would use helicopters to transport 4 tons of equipment above the icefall.

Nepal-based Simrik Air backed the plan and hired New Zealand pilot Jason Laing, an expert in hauling loads using long cables. But in January, the answer came back from Nepalese authorities: permit denied.