On Day 1, the provided dataset focused on mountaineering expeditions. It contained four tables:
- Expeditions Table – Details about each mountaineering expedition, including routes, success rates, hired personnel, accidents, and logistics.
- Members Table – Information on individual climbers, including nationality, role (hired or expedition member), summit success, oxygen use, and fatalities.
- Peaks Table – Data on mountains, including height, location, first ascents, and restrictions.
- References Table – Citations from books, journals, and other sources documenting expeditions.
In Tableau, a relationship data model was used, as shown below.
The Members and References tables were related to Expeditions using the Expedition ID. The Peaks table was related to Expeditions via the Peak ID field. A helper table, Sherpa_Tibetan, was created with two fields:
- A calculated Member ID field, derived from the climber’s first name, last name, and date of birth, to establish a connection with the Members table.
- A categorical field, Sherpa/Tibetan, which contained two values: Sherpa or Tibetan, created to aid in visualisations.
The data story focused on hired personnel trends in mountaineering expeditions, broken into three key sections:
- Hired personnel fatality rates – Examining death rates among hired helpers over time to assess the risks they faced.
- Climber safety with vs. without hired personnel – Analysing whether hiring local help increased climbers’ chances of survival.
- Expedition success rates with vs. without hired personnel – Evaluating how the presence of hired help impacted overall expedition success.
Key Findings:
- Fatality Rates Among Sherpas and Tibetans: Sherpas, historically the backbone of high-altitude expeditions, suffered higher fatality rates in the early days of climbing. However, since the 1980s, fatalities among Tibetan workers have increased, at times surpassing those of Sherpas.
- Climber Death Rates: In the early years, climber deaths were higher when hired personnel were involved, possibly due to overreliance on support while attempting climbs beyond their capabilities. Since the 1980s, however, overall death rates have evened out, regardless of whether hired help was used. This suggests that modern climbing techniques, improved equipment, and commercial expedition structures have made independent climbing safer.
- Hired Personnel and Expedition Success: significant portion of climbers still reach the summit without direct assistance.