Ben is a journalist, writer, National Geographic Explorer, and humanitarian who has been based in Nepal for over 20 years.
In addition to founding and leading two successful nonprofits in Nepal, Ben is an award-winning film producer and director.
His work includes The Last Honey Hunter (2017), which won 17 international awards including the Cartel Award for Best Documentary at the Camden International Film Festival.
Published
In his latest video dispatch, Ben Ayers discusses the big storylines that shaped the spring climbing season on the world’s highest peak this year
In his latest video dispatch, our Mount Everest reporter discusses the differences between climbing the world’s highest peak from Tibet versus from Nepal
In his latest video dispatch, Ben Ayers explains why climbers and guides frequently catch the dreaded “Khumbu Cough”
In his latest video dispatch, Ben Ayers offers advice on where to stay, what to eat, and how to manage the extreme altitude along the popular trek
In his latest video, Ben Ayers discusses the puffy coat, insulated pants, sleeping bag, and sunglasses that helped him thrive at 17,500 feet
In his latest video, Ben Ayers discusses the base and midlayer garments that kept him warm and dry at Mount Everest Base Camp, where temperatures fluctuate between balmy and below zero
In his latest video dispatch, Ben Ayers discusses the footwear that help his feet stay warm and dry during the 11-day hike to Mount Everest Base Camp
In his latest video dispatch, our Mount Everest reporter discusses the living conditions found at the foot of the world’s highest peak
Our Everest reporter explains the biggest stories from the 2025 season: fewer fatalities than in 2024, a narrow weather window, and multiple notable ascents
Mount Everest’s Icefall Doctors, the workers who build and maintain the route through the Khumbu Glacier, pursue a livelihood rooted in tradition and danger
Tyler Andrews shares details from his aborted attempt at the Mount Everest speed record. The American is making a second attempt at the FKT later this week.
Veteran guides share tips and tricks for avoiding or navigating the gridlock that always arises on the trail to the top
Our reporter has confirmed four fatalities, as well as multiple helicopter rescues from high on the peak
Do they climb the same route every year? Is it just a bunch of rich people up there? You have Mount Everest questions and we have answers.
After a Czech climber suffered altitude sickness on the world’s highest peak, a helicopter pilot executed a dramatic long-line rescue at Camp III at 24,000 feet
In his latest video dispatch, Ben Ayers interviews Viorel “Wally” Stirbu, who is back at Everest for his third attempt to reach the summit
In his latest dispatch, our Everest reporter explains the crucial work done by rope-fixing teams. Plus, one climber’s global triathlon ends at Everest.
Our Everest columnist shares some intel on how to avoid illness during the 11-day hike. Plus, a rest day adventure in the Himalayas.
Our writer stops by the Pangboche Monastery, a 600-year-old Sherpa religious center where Mount Everest climbers receive a blessing before their expeditions
In his latest dispatch from the hike to Mount Everest Base Camp, the writer discusses how the booming tourism industry has changed the communities along the route. Plus, how much does a hotel cost?
The writer became an aid worker for Mount Everest climbers during the devastating disaster. A decade later, he explores how the tragedy shaped Nepal—and his own life.
Italian pilot Simone Moro shares details of his recent lifesaving flight to the flanks the Himalayan peak
Our Everest correspondent recently attended a pre-climb meeting held by guiding company Seven Summit Treks in downtown Kathmandu
The Norwegian mountaineer discusses her ongoing search for Tenjen “Lama” Sherpa and Gina Rzucidlo, her mixed feelings on speed records, and the dark side of Internet fame
Climbing season is about to start on the world's highest peak, and Outside is headed to Base Camp to report on these and other stories
The number of fatalities on the world’s highest peak decreased in 2024 from a year ago. We asked guides and government officials why.
Two climbers fell to their deaths on Mount Everest on May 21 after an ice cornice collapsed. Eyewitness accounts and video clips provide an inside look at the disaster and frantic aftermath.
Abiral Rai, an IMFGA-certified guide on Mount Everest, takes us inside his daily grind, which includes ascending skyscraper-sized cliffs, carrying heavy bags of gear, and avoiding deadly hazards
The number of climbing permits issued by Nepal is down from 2023 as some expeditions have headed to China. But there’s bound to be drama on the world’s highest peak as climbers adjust to new regulations governing pollution and safety.
Pasdawa Sherpa and Dawa Ongju Sherpa helped Norwegian climber Kristin Harila reach the highest summits in 2022. Their bitter breakup highlights a power disparity between Sherpas and the clients that hire them.
The Norwegian mountaineer explains why women deserve equal support on the world’s highest mountains
The 36-year-old Norwegian is already ahead of Nims Purja’s schedule on the 14 peaks. She tells us her mission is to prove that high-altitude expeditions aren’t just a man’s game.
The “Savage Mountain” saw its busiest day ever earlier this week, as more than 100 climbers reached the summit
A bloody conflict between the Himalayan ‘ghost cats’ and Nepali shepherds is only partially to blame—and raises questions about their future
As a safe and drama-free season on Mount Everest comes to a close, mountaineers and guides ponder the mountain’s crowded future
Hundreds of mountaineers are taking advantage of clear conditions on the world’s tallest peak
Seven climbers from the Full Circle Everest team reached the peak on Thursday
Dozens of expeditions took advantage of favorable weather to reach the world’s highest point on Thursday
The alpinist navigated sheer descents amid whiteout conditions to complete the first descent of the world’s fifth-highest peak
A storm brewing off the coast of India has teams at Base Camp starting their bids for the summit this week
Several mountaineers have ambitious plans to climb multiple 8,000-meter peaks this season
Nepal’s Department of Tourism has issued roughly 30 percent fewer permits in 2022 than the record-breaking 408 it did a year ago
German mountaineer Jost Kobusch is chasing a seemingly impossible record on the world’s most famous peak
The Ukrainian Embassy has asked Nepali officials to block Russian mountaineers from the high peaks
Mountaineer Gelje Sherpa takes us inside his ambitious plan to open a new commercial route on the world’s sixth-highest peak
Despite Base Camp’s status as a super-spreader location, guides actually might have been safer on Everest than they would have been back home
The coronavirus has put climbers and workers in even more danger than usual