In 2019, 11 perished—some while waiting in traffic jams to reach the top. There are just eight previous seasons in which the death toll has hit double digits: 1982 (11), 1988 (10), 1996 (15), 2012 (10), 2014 (16), 2015 (13), and 2019 (11). The climbing season on Everest may come to an end later this week.