Climbing Everest (1 Viewer)

[JohnnyU]

Should make a reality TV show-- Stars Climb to the Stars

I nominate Justin Bieber and Keith Olbermann as contestants

Come on man !! You know there are so many stories about that mountain they could make a good movie (James Cameron perhaps?). I don't recall one Everest movie of note.

 

[culdeus]

At this point they may as well have an escalator. What a joke.

China really is missing a golden tourism opportunity. Escalator to Everest.

If it was so easy there wouldn't be so many deaths, especially from acute mountain sickness.

There is a difference between Easy and Dangerous.

It is easy to drive a car 120mph. That doesn't mean it isn't dangerous.

 

[JohnnyU]

http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/23/world/asia/nepal-everest-avalanche/index.html?hpt=hp_c2

Everest avalanche: American climber recounts how Sherpa saved his life

Kathmandu, Nepal (CNN) -- To set foot on Mount Everest is to risk death. Mountaineering tourists and their native Nepali guides both have this on their minds, as they straddle cavernous ravines in the ice.

But nothing could have prepared American climber Jon Reiter for last week's avalanche, the deadliest accident in the history of the world's highest peak.

"We've all seen death on the mountains," he told CNN. But to see so many limp bodies hanging from cables as helicopters brought them down the mountain shocked him.

Reiter was one of the fortunate ones. His Sherpa guide Dawa shoved him behind an ice block, when the icy avalanche thundered down, killing 13 Sherpa guidesFriday.

Three more Sherpas are missing and feared dead. Buddhist clergy commended all 16 souls Monday in a religious ceremony.

The search for those still missing has been suspended and it is doubtful it will resume, Nepalese officials said.

'Get down!'

"Get down! Get down!" Reiter heard Dawa Sherpa yell before the ice rushed past him.

The moment was like a flash, but Reiter remembers it in detail.

"You're already in the icefall, which is a pretty sketchy place," he said.

The possibility of danger in the shifting and changing ice masses riddled with fissures had his instincts on alert.

"You're crossing ladders and crevasses, and you're pretty aware of your surroundings," he said. Climbers are used to looking out to avoid getting hit by falling ice blocks, he told CNN's Chris Cuomo.

But when the ice avalanche broke loose from the Khumbu Icefall, it sent his mind racing.

"You could see it. I heard it, and I looked up, and I saw it break off the side of a shoulder, and you heard it crash down."

Seconds later, the valley was full of ice boulders; the path up the mountain obscured.

His Sherpa had saved his life.

Then Reiter asked himself: Is anyone under the ice?

Selfless Sherpas

Nearly a third of the group of 50 that had set out up the icefall was missing.

Radios began squawking, and Reiter heard terror in the Sherpas' voices as they spoke.

Dawa Sherpa was still standing.

"He did not dive himself," Reiter said.

Dawa tended to Reiter first. Then, the guide with 24 years of experience embarked on the grimmest task of his career.

"He spent his whole day that day digging his friends out of the snow and hooking them up to cables and flying them down the mountain," Reiter said.

At the end of a 16-hour day, Dawa Sherpa came by Reiter's tent before heading to bed to see if he was all right.

"These are such selfless people," Reiter said.

Emotional rubble

The mountaineering group milled around base camp Wednesday with a lot on their minds -- especially the families of the Sherpas who died.

"All those kids, whose dads aren't coming home," he said.

Many Sherpas left the camp to attend funerals and bury their dead friends. Most did not return, but Dawa came back to talk to Reiter.

He told the American climber that he wanted to stand by his side but that he could not continue. "Jon, I just can't go back up that hill" were his words, Reiter said.

Death has climbers taking inner inventory, Reiter said. "Thinking, reassessing life, reassessing our values."

What they do next is up to the Sherpas, he said. If they want the mountain closed, the climbers will all go home.

Lifeblood

But as the mountain can be deadly for the ethnic group indigenous to the cold peaks of the Himalayas, it is also the Sherpas' lifeblood.

Leading expeditions is how they feed their families. For many, the guides are the only breadwinners.

Ngima Sherpa, 26, for example, supported his three younger siblings and mother from the money he made taking foreign nationals around the mountain.

He was among the 13 dead whose bodies were taken around Kathmandu in a funeral procession Monday.

Ultimately, the guides may decide to forge ahead, but they may be out of business already. "The major expeditions pulled the plug," Reiter said. He predicted Everest would close to climbers this year.

And peak season is just beginning. Between May 15 and 30 is usually the best window for reaching the peak.

Foreign climbers spend between $40,000 and $90,000 each in their attempt to scale the mountain.

Nepal's government rakes in about $3 million from Everest climbers during the high season.

Sherpas make up to $6,000 per season. They also usually get a summit bonus if their clients reach the top of the 8,848-meter (29,029-foot) mountain.

Now they want to be paid in full even if the climbs are abandoned.

Discovery calls off coverage of Everest wingsuit jump

Mounting deaths

The mountain guides are not looking to quit their work, but they feel more is due to them for the risk they take.

They want to know that they're covered if something like this happens to them. They want higher life insurance payouts.

"It's overdue," Reiter said. Climbers want to see the Sherpas' demands met.

Until the late 1970s, only a handful of climbers reached the top each year. The number topped 100 for the first time in 1993. By 2004, it was more than 300. In 2012, the number was more than 500.

The deadliest year on Everest was 1996, when 15 people died. Another 12 climbers were killed in 2006.

Reiter doesn't think any of the climbers at the base camp would be able to reach the top of Everest this year.

The focus it takes to survive, he said, is gone.

 

[JohnnyU]

At this point they may as well have an escalator. What a joke.

China really is missing a golden tourism opportunity. Escalator to Everest.

If it was so easy there wouldn't be so many deaths, especially from acute mountain sickness.

There is a difference between Easy and Dangerous.

It is easy to drive a car 120mph. That doesn't mean it isn't dangerous.

That is an oversimplification analogy that doesn't come close to saying what it's like to climb that mountain. I doubt it is easy at all. Having said that, I do believe they need to kick the ladders down at the ice fall and make them have to cross the mountain crevices and go up the ice like Hillary had to. Maybe that would scare off some snotty rich kid novices.

 

[GTBilly]

Is there any actual climbing or is it just a hike?

 

[culdeus]

Is there any actual climbing or is it just a hike?

The ascent now is basically an escalator. The only risks are weather related when you have rich people with more money than time that try to push to the top on a timetable which the mountain won't allow.

I saw somewhere they were actually considering taking people up by helicopter to somewhere in the 18k range and letting them out to walk up to the top on O2, come back down and make it back to their hotel in time for a spa treatment.

 

[heckmanm]

Another avalanche - no climbs from the Nepal side this year

 

[Flying V]

Is there any actual climbing or is it just a hike?

The ascent now is basically an escalator. The only risks are weather related when you have rich people with more money than time that try to push to the top on a timetable which the mountain won't allow.

I saw somewhere they were actually considering taking people up by helicopter to somewhere in the 18k range and letting them out to walk up to the top on O2, come back down and make it back to their hotel in time for a spa treatment.

That's no advantage at all. There are 4 camps above that and without time to acclimate, it's impossible.

 

[JohnnyU]

http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/29/travel/mount-everest-base-camp-empties/

Looks like the Sherpas fear the Gods are angry or something and refuse to climb, so all the rich snotty climbers are shutting down too. The mountain is still open to climb, but we now know that unless the Sherpas carry their crap to the top, lay down ladders to cross the ice crevasses, and run a line to the summit, they simply aren't man enough to try to climb it like real climbers. You know, those from 1953 through the 1970s.

This says it all - "Without the Sherpas we cannot climb and there is nothing we can do about it," says Tessarolo.

"We made Everest a circus. This year the Sherpas decided that the show will not go on."

I know I've said it can't be easy to climb Everest and I still maintain that, and plenty die up there, but I have to post something someone else posted.

""They fix the climbing lines all the way to the summit of Mount Everest,

transport the equipment to make camp, climb next to their clients while
carrying their oxygen and food, and rescue those in danger."

All things considered, I would be embarrassed to say I climbed Everest."

 

[FreeBaGeL]

Should make a reality TV show-- Stars Climb to the Stars

I nominate Justin Bieber and Keith Olbermann as contestants

Come on man !! You know there are so many stories about that mountain they could make a good movie (James Cameron perhaps?). I don't recall one Everest movie of note.

They're making a full theatrical feature out of the Into Thin Air story called "Everest" in 2015. It has some pretty big names in it (Jake Gyllenhaal, Josh Brolin, Jason Clarke).

 

[JohnnyU]

Should make a reality TV show-- Stars Climb to the Stars

I nominate Justin Bieber and Keith Olbermann as contestants

Come on man !! You know there are so many stories about that mountain they could make a good movie (James Cameron perhaps?). I don't recall one Everest movie of note.

They're making a full theatrical feature out of the Into Thin Air story called "Everest" in 2015. It has some pretty big names in it (Jake Gyllenhaal, Josh Brolin, Jason Clarke).

Very interesting, thx for posting.

 

[bleachercreacher]

I found this link tonight and thought I'd share:

http://www.npr.org/2012/12/20/167621313/a-billion-pixel-tour-of-mount-everest

It's a 3.8 billion pixel image from Everest base camp. You can zoom in and out to get a good view of the khumbu icefall. It's hard to really get a sense of scale considering it's a picture, and you are already at 18,000 feet. However, once I realized that the little colored specs at the bottom were tents, I was like ####.

 

[krista4]

I found this link tonight and thought I'd share:

http://www.npr.org/2012/12/20/167621313/a-billion-pixel-tour-of-mount-everest

It's a 3.8 billion pixel image from Everest base camp. You can zoom in and out to get a good view of the khumbu icefall. It's hard to really get a sense of scale considering it's a picture, and you are already at 18,000 feet. However, once I realized that the little colored specs at the bottom were tents, I was like ####.

Wow, cool. Thanks for sharing. Eager to see it when they have the whole interactive map completed.

Mr. krista and I decided in April to do a trek just to base camp late this year. Did all the research, chose our company to hike with, etc. Literally the next morning is when the big avalanche occurred. I guess the base-camp treks are still going on, but we haven't booked yet; still deciding what to do.

If anyone is interested in this stuff and hasn't watched the Discovery Channel special on the avalanche, it's worth seeing but very sad. They were there filming when it happened because they had a crew with Joby Ogywyn (sp?), who was going to do a wing suit jump off Everest.

 

[FigJam]

Is there any actual climbing or is it just a hike?

The ascent now is basically an escalator. The only risks are weather related when you have rich people with more money than time that try to push to the top on a timetable which the mountain won't allow.

I saw somewhere they were actually considering taking people up by helicopter to somewhere in the 18k range and letting them out to walk up to the top on O2, come back down and make it back to their hotel in time for a spa treatment.

Thanks for chiming in on something you obviously know less than nothing about...

 

[culdeus]

Is there any actual climbing or is it just a hike?

The ascent now is basically an escalator. The only risks are weather related when you have rich people with more money than time that try to push to the top on a timetable which the mountain won't allow.

I saw somewhere they were actually considering taking people up by helicopter to somewhere in the 18k range and letting them out to walk up to the top on O2, come back down and make it back to their hotel in time for a spa treatment.

Thanks for chiming in on something you obviously know less than nothing about...

What exactly are you disputing?

 

[beer 30]

I found this link tonight and thought I'd share:

http://www.npr.org/2012/12/20/167621313/a-billion-pixel-tour-of-mount-everest

It's a 3.8 billion pixel image from Everest base camp. You can zoom in and out to get a good view of the khumbu icefall. It's hard to really get a sense of scale considering it's a picture, and you are already at 18,000 feet. However, once I realized that the little colored specs at the bottom were tents, I was like ####.

That's pretty f'n cool

 

[FreeBaGeL]

Is there any actual climbing or is it just a hike?

The ascent now is basically an escalator. The only risks are weather related when you have rich people with more money than time that try to push to the top on a timetable which the mountain won't allow.

I saw somewhere they were actually considering taking people up by helicopter to somewhere in the 18k range and letting them out to walk up to the top on O2, come back down and make it back to their hotel in time for a spa treatment.

Thanks for chiming in on something you obviously know less than nothing about...

What exactly are you disputing?

Are you implying that people would go from 9000 feet to the peak and back down in one day? Because yea, that's pretty much impossible.

Even if you took altitude considerations out of it, the trek from base camp to peak and back is 25 miles with 20,000 feet in elevation change (10k up, 10k down).

I'm in pretty good shape (work out every day, run 7+ miles every other day through the mountains at altitude) and a 12 mile round-trip hike with 10,000 feet in elevation change (5k up, 5k down) that maxes out at 11,000 does a number on me.

As long as your body holds up to the altitude, Everest is an "easy" climb for mountain climbers who are used to much more technical stuff. For the average person in very good shape it's still going to be, by far, the toughest thing you've ever done in your life and a lot of people aren't going to be able to do it. Acting like it's a casual stroll through the neighborhood is very disingenuous.

 

[culdeus]

Is there any actual climbing or is it just a hike?

The ascent now is basically an escalator. The only risks are weather related when you have rich people with more money than time that try to push to the top on a timetable which the mountain won't allow.

I saw somewhere they were actually considering taking people up by helicopter to somewhere in the 18k range and letting them out to walk up to the top on O2, come back down and make it back to their hotel in time for a spa treatment.

Thanks for chiming in on something you obviously know less than nothing about...

What exactly are you disputing?

Are you implying that people would go from 9000 feet to the peak and back down in one day? Because yea, that's pretty much impossible.

Even if you took altitude considerations out of it, the trek from base camp to peak and back is 25 miles with 20,000 feet in elevation change (10k up, 10k down).

I'm in pretty good shape (work out every day, run 7+ miles every other day through the mountains at altitude) and a 12 mile round-trip hike with 10,000 feet in elevation change (5k up, 5k down) that maxes out at 11,000 does a number on me.

As long as your body holds up to the altitude, Everest is an "easy" climb for mountain climbers who are used to much more technical stuff. For the average person in very good shape it's still going to be, by far, the toughest thing you've ever done in your life and a lot of people aren't going to be able to do it. Acting like it's a casual stroll through the neighborhood is very disingenuous.

I guess you didn't actually read my post.

 

[FreeBaGeL]

Is there any actual climbing or is it just a hike?

The ascent now is basically an escalator. The only risks are weather related when you have rich people with more money than time that try to push to the top on a timetable which the mountain won't allow.

I saw somewhere they were actually considering taking people up by helicopter to somewhere in the 18k range and letting them out to walk up to the top on O2, come back down and make it back to their hotel in time for a spa treatment.

Thanks for chiming in on something you obviously know less than nothing about...

What exactly are you disputing?

Are you implying that people would go from 9000 feet to the peak and back down in one day? Because yea, that's pretty much impossible.

Even if you took altitude considerations out of it, the trek from base camp to peak and back is 25 miles with 20,000 feet in elevation change (10k up, 10k down).

I'm in pretty good shape (work out every day, run 7+ miles every other day through the mountains at altitude) and a 12 mile round-trip hike with 10,000 feet in elevation change (5k up, 5k down) that maxes out at 11,000 does a number on me.

As long as your body holds up to the altitude, Everest is an "easy" climb for mountain climbers who are used to much more technical stuff. For the average person in very good shape it's still going to be, by far, the toughest thing you've ever done in your life and a lot of people aren't going to be able to do it. Acting like it's a casual stroll through the neighborhood is very disingenuous.

I guess you didn't actually read my post.

What exactly from your post are you disputing that I missed?

 

[culdeus]

Is there any actual climbing or is it just a hike?

The ascent now is basically an escalator. The only risks are weather related when you have rich people with more money than time that try to push to the top on a timetable which the mountain won't allow.

I saw somewhere they were actually considering taking people up by helicopter to somewhere in the 18k range and letting them out to walk up to the top on O2, come back down and make it back to their hotel in time for a spa treatment.

Thanks for chiming in on something you obviously know less than nothing about...

What exactly are you disputing?

Are you implying that people would go from 9000 feet to the peak and back down in one day? Because yea, that's pretty much impossible.

Even if you took altitude considerations out of it, the trek from base camp to peak and back is 25 miles with 20,000 feet in elevation change (10k up, 10k down).

I'm in pretty good shape (work out every day, run 7+ miles every other day through the mountains at altitude) and a 12 mile round-trip hike with 10,000 feet in elevation change (5k up, 5k down) that maxes out at 11,000 does a number on me.

As long as your body holds up to the altitude, Everest is an "easy" climb for mountain climbers who are used to much more technical stuff. For the average person in very good shape it's still going to be, by far, the toughest thing you've ever done in your life and a lot of people aren't going to be able to do it. Acting like it's a casual stroll through the neighborhood is very disingenuous.

I guess you didn't actually read my post.

What exactly from your post are you disputing that I missed?

I think you are not understanding that I was making two separate points, separated by a space. These are called paragraphs. Read in that light maybe you can come around on what I was trying to say.

 

[FreeBaGeL]

Can someone decode this guy for me?

 

[krista4]

Can someone decode this guy for me?

It appears to be very boring fishing, best as I can tell.

 

[culdeus]

Can someone decode this guy for me?

I'm not sure what you aren't following. The ascent is easy now. It's neither technical, nor challenging from a logistics perspective. With enough money you can have someone practically carry you to the top from the base. This isn't even in dispute anymore.

The fact they had some avalanches this year doesn't really change anything. It certainly doesn't make the climb tougher.

 

[dickey moe]

An accomplishment that became a status symbol.

 

[FreeBaGeL]

Can someone decode this guy for me?

I'm not sure what you aren't following. The ascent is easy now. It's neither technical, nor challenging from a logistics perspective. With enough money you can have someone practically carry you to the top from the base. This isn't even in dispute anymore.

The fact they had some avalanches this year doesn't really change anything. It certainly doesn't make the climb tougher.

It's not technical or difficult for a mountain climber that spends their weekends climbing K2. It's still extremely difficult for your average joe, even with someone carrying all your gear and tying all the ropes. Go climb Mt Whitney in California which eliminates the altitude issue, has a much shallower slope (half the elevation change over the same distance), and takes place on well maintained hiking trails with literally zero technical ability required beyond being able to walk. Tell me how easy it is and then consider that everything about it is going to be 5x as difficult on Everest. Again, easy for climbers, not easy for your average joe. Acting like it's a walk through the neighborhood is just insane.

And you're not getting out of your second paragraph. You said that they were talking about choppering people up to 18k so people could make a quick run to the top and be back in time for their spa appointment. How close to the top do you think 18k is?

Hint: It's 11,000 vertical feet and about 4 days away. Probably more than 4 days if you were skipping the acclimatization of getting up to 18k by riding up in a chopper.

 

[culdeus]

Can someone decode this guy for me?

I'm not sure what you aren't following. The ascent is easy now. It's neither technical, nor challenging from a logistics perspective. With enough money you can have someone practically carry you to the top from the base. This isn't even in dispute anymore.

The fact they had some avalanches this year doesn't really change anything. It certainly doesn't make the climb tougher.

It's not technical or difficult for a mountain climber that spends their weekends climbing K2. It's still extremely difficult for your average joe, even with someone carrying all your gear and tying all the ropes. Go climb Mt Whitney in California which eliminates the altitude issue, has a much shallower slope (half the elevation change over the same distance), and takes place on well maintained hiking trails with literally zero technical ability required beyond being able to walk. Tell me how easy it is and then consider that everything about it is going to be 5x as difficult on Everest. Again, easy for climbers, not easy for your average joe. Acting like it's a walk through the neighborhood is just insane.

And you're not getting out of your second paragraph. You said that they were talking about choppering people up to 18k so people could make a quick run to the top and be back in time for their spa appointment. How close to the top do you think 18k is?

Hint: It's 11,000 vertical feet and about 4 days away. Probably more than 4 days if you were skipping the acclimatization of getting up to 18k by riding up in a chopper.

The 18k I pulled out of my ### from memory. Fact is, they are trying to find ways to get the rich pricks in and out faster. I don't know what the practical limit of a helicopter is I thought 18k was about it, but there are entrepreneurs looking at this as an option for a "day hike" so their clients can say they've done everest.

From a quick google the B3 Helicopter has a practical ceiling of 23k in good weather.

 

[Bob Magaw]

Everest ('15 film), pretty well done 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everest_(2015_film)

Based on the '96 disaster (what a clusterfunk)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996_Mount_Everest_disaster

Beck Weathers was a Texas pathologist that was one of the survivors (though paid a terrible price), writing a memoir titled Left For Dead: My Journey Home From Everest

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beck_Weathers

Two of the lead Western organizers/guides died

Rob Hall, had just completed his fifth summit ascent, at the time of his death a record for a non-Sherpa climber 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_Hall

Scott Fischer

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Fischer

 

[FreeBaGeL]

The movie sucked. 

 

[Bob Magaw]

Generally good reviews, obviously individual opinions are subjective.

 

[dparker713]

The 18k I pulled out of my ### from memory. Fact is, they are trying to find ways to get the rich pricks in and out faster. I don't know what the practical limit of a helicopter is I thought 18k was about it, but there are entrepreneurs looking at this as an option for a "day hike" so their clients can say they've done everest.

From a quick google the B3 Helicopter has a practical ceiling of 23k in good weather.

If the goal was just to get people to the top, you could design a jump jet to get people up and down without any climbing.

 

[culdeus]

Dropping like flies this year.  

Hope the ego trips were worth it for the rest of them.

 

[krista4]

Melissa Arnot just became the first American woman to summit without supplemental oxygen, and also broke her own record for the most summits by an American woman (now six).  At least someone's having a good year.  There was also the feel-good story, war veteran amputee who made it up a few days ago.

 

[Bucky86]

Wasn't one of the deaths a vegan trying to prove vegans can do anything?

 

[krista4]

Wasn't one of the deaths a vegan trying to prove vegans can do anything?

She was trying for the Seven Summits - think she had already done 4-5 of them.  Apparently vegans can die on Everest just as well as the other five people so far this year.  

 

[culdeus]

She was trying for the Seven Summits - think she had already done 4-5 of them.  Apparently vegans can die on Everest just as well as the other five people so far this year.  

I believe up to 6 depending or not whether you count sherpas as people.

 

[krista4]

I believe up to 6 depending or not whether you count sherpas as people.

That's what I had:  "the other five people" = total of six.  Or are you saying there are six others?  Is there another - three Indian climbing team, one Sherpa, vegan, Eric Arnold is what I knew of.

 

[culdeus]

That's what I had:  "the other five people" = total of six.  Or are you saying there are six others?  Is there another - three Indian climbing team, one Sherpa, vegan, Eric Arnold is what I knew of.

my reading comprehension is not the best, that's the count afaik.  

 

[krista4]

my reading comprehension is not the best, that's the count afaik.  

Terrible year in any case.  Ugh.

 

[mr. furley]

By the way, my cousin climbed Everest last year. And he raised over $150K for special needs children.

' “That was as high as you can get on the planet.” "

agree to disagree

 

[joffer]

Is it cold at the top?

 

[Bucky86]

Is it cold at the top?

Nah man. You're closer to the sun that it's actually hot. Like Palm Springs in July.