Do you have a question about Mount Everest, Nepal, or adventuring in the Himalayas? Drop your inquiry in the comments section of this post. Ben Ayers, who is stationed at Everest Base Camp, will write you an honest answer.
Ben Ayers is once again stationed at Mount Everest Base Camp (Photo: Outside)
Published May 13, 2026 02:16PM
This spring, we are once again stationed at Mount Everest Base Camp to report on the climbing season on the world’s highest peak. Our longtime Everest reporter, Ben Ayers, is living out of a tent at 17,500 feet, and rubbing elbows with the climbers, expedition operators, mountain workers, and guides who make up the Everest industry.
It’s Everest, so there’s plenty of drama, controversy, and heroic feats of mountaineering to follow.
Ayers has already published a wide variety of stories from Base Camp. He broke the news of the tragic death of a barrier-breaking Nepali guide. He profiled River Ahmed, a 30-year-old Afghan who survived a massacre by the Taliban as a teenager and is now hoping to be the first woman from Afghanistan to reach the summit. He took a deep dive into the controversy over Everest’s new cargo-carrying drone service. And he’s writing live updates on all of breaking news from the peak.
Ayers is an expert in all things Everest and Nepal. He’s lived part-time in the country for the last 28 years. He’s lost track of the number of times he’s completed the 40-mile trek from the town of Lukla in the Himalayan foothills up to Base Camp and back. And he’s seen Nepal and the Mount Everest industry grow and evolve over the decades.
As a special perk for Outside+ members Ayers is here to answer any questions you may have about Mount Everest, Nepal, or the guiding industry. There’s no question too basic, too hardcore, or too in-the-weeds for him to answer! What do Everest climbers eat? How do they poop? How much trash is really in Base Camp? Ask away.
Feel free to post your inquiries in the comments section of this story between Wednesday, May 13, and Wednesday, May 20. Ayers will answer your inquiries in between his reporting. Remember: there is a 12-hour time difference between Nepal and U.S. Mountain Standard Time, so patience is advised!
