The aesthetic value of a mountain landscape: a study of the Mt. Everest Trek

Among the most revered landscapes are those in mountain areas. However, the ‘mountain’ is an idealised western construct; where one's aesthetic understanding and appraisal of them predicates judgement. In Nepal, western exploration and appreciation of the Mt. Everest (i.e. Chomolungma) region is a recent development; commencing mid-twentieth century. This study investigates 10 landscapes found along the Mt. Everest Trek to identify the aesthetic value foreign tourists and local residents place on these mountain environments in 2002–2003. Fifty-three Australian tourists and 73 Sherpa evaluated 68 photographs that represented each landscape from which mean ratings, photo correlations and respondent perceptions of observed imagery were linked to a semantic differential scale. The study identified that the aesthetic value of landscapes found along the Mt. Everest Trek consists of a specific phenomenological structure. Yet, this structure is not limited to bio-physical features (e.g. mountains, trees) but also include concepts (e.g. wilderness) and emotion (e.g. excitement); all of which are discussed in terms of four aesthetic dimensions.