How did crowds cause a problem for Krakauer?

Mt Everest had been climbed many times before this party made their way up the mountain. Indeed, reading the book, one has the sense that the enterprise was a circus show with multiple teams climbing simultaneously and guide businesses established to insure that people be brought up the mountain and down again on a sightseeing basis. The crowds hindered the planning, communication and execution of the climb. There were even crowds on the Himalayan peaks turning the expedition into a sideshow rather than a serious ascent.