Is it easier than when Hillary did it? Of course. Is it still incredibly dangerous, where every ascent is a serious gamble with you life? Yes.

There have, even in recent years, been disastrous years where entire parties have been lost. Here's a list of the deaths: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_deaths_on_eight-thousan...

Many more than that number come back down being carried by their friends, with lungs full of fluid, brain damage, black fingers/toes/hands/feet/noses which need to be amputated, or other serious injuries.

A fantastic read is "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer, which covers a really bad year for climbing on Everest.