Luxuries bring peak closer to home

QOMOLANGMA BASE CAMP, Nepal - Wi-Fi, baked goods and trendy coffee: gone are the days of deprivation at the base camp of Qomolangma (known in the West as Mount Everest), with hipster perks and modern conveniences ensuring life is cushier than ever on the roof of the world.

The Khumbu glacier at the foot of Qomolangma transforms every spring into a high-altitude metropolis of surprising luxury for the hundreds of climbers aiming for the peak of the world's highest mountain.

Canned food and bulky satellite phones are a thing of the past.