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THREE PEOPLE DIE IN HORRIBLE TRAGEDY, MUST MOCK THEM TO COMPENSATE FOR OWN FEELINGS OF INADEQUACY!
You have a lot of learn about what constitutes a "horrible tragedy." It's May. On Everest. Death is as common as at a NYC hospital. These people are morons.
I've come to the conclusion that people who die climbing Mt. Everest are every bit as deserving of a Darwin Award as the apocryphal guy who strapped a jet engine onto his Impala.
It's certainly the end of climbing season but it's still considered an acceptable time to climb. I think the folks who climbed Everest were well aware death was a risk. Iirc roughly 15% of folks who reach the summit die. But that number is skewed by the folks who attempt to reach the peak but fail. Really hard to say what the actual number is. I plan on climbing Everest at some point. If it makes me a Darwin nominee so be it.
Wear pink polka dot climbing pants. Of the 100 bodies up there, you'll stand out and forever be known as Mr. Pink Polka Dot Pants."If you don't make it to Mr. Pink Polka Dot Pants by 11:30, you need to turn around and head back down. Do you read me? Over."
That's actually a pretty awesome idea.
It's the heart of climbing season, which is why people are having to sit around and wait their turns to advance at certain spots on the routes. It's bad enough for westerners and people from lower altitudes who are fit for it, but many of the people have no business whatsoever climbing to 25,000ft, let alone 28,000. It's absurd. It is Darwin Award stuff. Some of the Sherpas must look at these people coming over there and place bets on who is going to die.
I see what you did there.
Early June is considered the end of climbing season. I won't nitpick over whether it's the end of the season or in the heart or it, but it's close enough to argue either way. I don't know what kind of shape the foreigners were in. Many of the deaths do seem to stem from folks who are either in poor physical condition and/or hire a cheap guide. Everest isn't the place to pinch pennies. But I didn't see any mention of that in the article. The only alarming thing I saw in the article was folks beginning the ascent in the afternoon. That's really dangerous but it didn't specify if the folks who died were in that party. Perhaps I missed it. Sometimes deaths happen no matter what shape you're in or what company you use. Seems like a few assumptions are being made by folks.
I wasn't arguing about the season. I'm no expert on Everest or anything, I just know that most climbs occur in May every year and that this season started late. I'm just a recreational climber who has done some in the Rockies and Sierra, but the whole Everest thing has always been annoying to me. It doesn't help that both people I've met who have done it are jerkoffs. And the only assumption being made by me is that these people summitted or set out to summit Everest.
My take was that the optimal summiting period was delayed two weeks because of weather. This particular summit was still during peak season, but it was near the tail end. Peak climbing season ends May 31st, at least according to the article. And one of the dead climbers died from cerebral edema. Presumably he expended all of his energy on the climb and suffered the edema on the way down. It's very difficult to recover from that at 29,000 ft.
Yeah it's insane. It can easily run $75,000. Not uncommon to hear of someone blowing 6 figures. You and Apple Jack are right - it's heavily commercialized and jerkoff rich folks who have no business climbing a mountain try paying their way to the top. Even worse is when you hear of someone going the 'cheap' route ($30,000-ish). And stories of Everest being someone's first major trek are entirely too common. I don't have a lot of sympathy for those folks if they die out there.
I read about this last week when it happened, there are like 300 people waiting around in various base camps for a window of opportunity to scale the mountain. Personally I think they are all nuts but whatever floats your bhote.
He does. And they are well taken care of.
Wow, very cool. Any idea how much the trip cost him? When is he planning on taking K2? Which route did he take? How old is your cousin? Married? Can't imagine his wife was wild about him spending a year in an oxygen chamber.
That's not the point.
I'm sure it cost him a pretty penny. He not only had the actual cost of getting up there, but the additional cost of spending a month in the area acclimating to the altitude. We have to be talking close to $80K, but that's just a guess. The K2 climb should be happening very soon. Hell, it might be happening now. He's late-40s, married with two kids (both in their late teens). His wife is awesome. Gabriel provides a very nice lifestyle for his family, and I've always had the impression they understand his need to push himself. They're also very religious and active in the Keshet charity, so that probably plays a part in their faith that he'll be OK. He's on a mission from god.
From what I've read, K2 is significantly more difficult to climb than Everest, and there have been less than 75 people total who have done it.
What other risky activities should we avoid because you don't approve of them?
I think the number is closer to like 600 now. Kill rate is about 25% though.
Because I don't approve of them? None.
Sounds like my last visit to the Shark Pool
Yep. Your sinus issues are the only thing holding you back.
Nope. I plan on having surgery to clear my deviated septum, clear the polyps out of my nose and begin the journey up the mountain. I plan do have myself ready to go by age 40.
This source of tension between the rich folks and the hardcore climbers would make for a great movie. Oh wait, no it wouldn't.
maybe they can put one of those oxygen bars you see at the mall on Hillary's step.
It's that easy!
This right here, plus the ever increasing number of novice climbers, are the biggest problems facing Mt. Everest climbers today. They are handing out too many climbing permits for the sake of the almighty dollar and ignoring the dangers that are caused by long delays in the death zone.(altitudes higher than 26,000 ft). It also seems a slap in the face of experienced climbers to allow novice climbers on the mountain during this short window of a climbing season to summit Everest.
If it was so easy there wouldn't be so many deaths, especially from acute mountain sickness.
