I don't think that Everest was the best example (though it did get the point across). Part of enjoying the splendor of Everest is having a decent respect for the harshness of nature, and the danger of the climb. If you just put a cable car up there that takes you to the top, then you hardly have the same awe and respect for nature. It just becomes a tourist attraction.<p>This has nothing to do with status (at least <i>my</i> opinion doesn't). The same thing happens with many of our natural wonders when we turn them into tourist attractions. Even as far back as the 1800s, Europeans were disgusted with the way that Americans had turned Niagara Falls from a natural wonder into a tourist trap.