Climbing season at Mount Everest kicks off in full force next month, but Sherpas won’t be the only ones helping mountaineers try for the summit. The New York Times reports that companies running expeditions up the world’s highest peak have been testing out drones that will be able to deliver up to 35 pounds of supplies—gear, oxygen canisters, meds, etc.—along treacherous climbing routes, as well as remove waste left by human interlopers. Business Insider notes the drones could also potentially be used to set up ladders, ropes, and other climbing apparatus in place of the Sherpas.
The Times notes that a delivery of goods from base camp to Camp I that would usually take seven hours of humans trudging up the mountainside takes just 15 minutes airlifted by a drone. Advocates hope the drones can help cut down on fatal accidents on Everest, which has seen an increasing amount of them as climate change causes snow to melt faster. “Sherpas bear enormous risks,” says Tshering Sherpa, who runs the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee that maintains one of Everest’s riskiest routes. “The drone makes their task safer, faster, and more efficient.”
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