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Want to climb Mt. Everest? Maybe find a new place... (1 Viewer)

This sure reads like greed and negligence by the Nepal gov't. A substantial increase in authorized permits and little (any?) regulations in who gets them. These dopes that don't know how to climb are literally killing people that do because they are the ones creating the bottle neck. I just wonder how much of an issue this has been in the past. I loosely follow climbing season each year and sure dont remember anything resembling this. 

 
MAC_32 said:
This sure reads like greed and negligence by the Nepal gov't. A substantial increase in authorized permits and little (any?) regulations in who gets them. These dopes that don't know how to climb are literally killing people that do because they are the ones creating the bottle neck. I just wonder how much of an issue this has been in the past. I loosely follow climbing season each year and sure dont remember anything resembling this. 
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This year the massive line is caused by the increasing number of permits and also the reduced window of time for going for the summit.  There have been less days of optimal weather to try to summit this year and thus the huge bottleneck when a good day finally arrived.  The other troubling aspect of this is that the climbers pay so much money to get to the summit that they are more likely to take the increased risk to get to the summit when some have no business trying.   

 
If they do build a tram up to a observation deck, I think they should build it 20 yards short of the peak.  Then allow people to suit up and climb the last 20 yards.  I'm actually surprised I'm beating Sir Richard Branson to this idea.  :moneybag:

 
MAC_32 said:
This sure reads like greed and negligence by the Nepal gov't. A substantial increase in authorized permits and little (any?) regulations in who gets them. 
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Foreign $$$ for expeditions is a huge part of the economy for the region.  There is a reason the Sherpas risk their lives doing this.  It's one of the only ways for these people to make good money.

 
TheIronSheik said:
If they do build a tram up to a observation deck, I think they should build it 20 yards short of the peak.  Then allow people to suit up and climb the last 20 yards.  I'm actually surprised I'm beating Sir Richard Branson to this idea.  :moneybag:
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see? then you would have CLIMBED IT!!!!

... and "summited"

cosign on this  :coffee:

 
skillz said:
This year the massive line is caused by the increasing number of permits and also the reduced window of time for going for the summit.  There have been less days of optimal weather to try to summit this year and thus the huge bottleneck when a good day finally arrived.  The other troubling aspect of this is that the climbers pay so much money to get to the summit that they are more likely to take the increased risk to get to the summit when some have no business trying.   
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Weather limiting the number of summit days is not a new thing though. This year may be less than average but it was in the range of potential outcomes. That's why I isolated the number of permits. Increasing it was reckless given the lack of regs. 

 
skillz said:
This year the massive line is caused by the increasing number of permits and also the reduced window of time for going for the summit.  There have been less days of optimal weather to try to summit this year and thus the huge bottleneck when a good day finally arrived.  The other troubling aspect of this is that the climbers pay so much money to get to the summit that they are more likely to take the increased risk to get to the summit when some have no business trying.   
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Honestly, compared to a lot of other experiences this seems cheap.   Put it up vs. going to the Masters, or Super Bowl or something like that.  

I would expect the cost to be an order of magnitude higher than just attending a marquee sporting event, but it isn't.

 
culdeus said:
Honestly, compared to a lot of other experiences this seems cheap.   Put it up vs. going to the Masters, or Super Bowl or something like that.  

I would expect the cost to be an order of magnitude higher than just attending a marquee sporting event, but it isn't.
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I thought climbing Everest cost you somewhere in the $15k to $25k ballpark.

 
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I ran the boston marathon. (Made it to the first mile marker)

I skied a black diamond in vail (walked up ten feet and put my skis on and came down).

I wrote a book. (Well at least like three paragraphs)

 
GroveDiesel said:
Sadly, many national parks are also becoming overcrowded. It's a weird balance because you want everyone to be able to enjoy our parks and have access, but that also ends up creating a less enjoyable experience when the crowds make it difficult to see anything.

Though the biggest problem in parks isn't just the overcrowding, it's the lack of respect for the park and nature. Too many people treat it like a consumable product.
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Agreed. The national parks are getting ridiculous now. Still, my favorite national park is still empty and I love that. Death Valley

 
MAC_32 said:
I just wonder how much of an issue this has been in the past. I loosely follow climbing season each year and sure dont remember anything resembling this. 
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I know bottlenecks and slow climbers causing issues were mentioned during the Discovery Channel's "Everest: Beyond the Limit" series.  I think they mostly complained about some Korean teams on the show.  The show aired from 2006 to 2009.  I'm sure that problem has only gotten worse since then.

 
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Other than being physically extremely difficult, expensive, trashy (discarded oxygen bottles, feces, dead bodies, equipment) and crowded, it sounds like a great experience.  

 
My favorite Everest story is that of Shyra Shah-Klorfine. She was a wealthy Canadian woman who hired a company to take her to the peak of Everest. She was a below average climber with almost zero experience. She is famous for her website at the time that included images of her photoshopped onto peaks of various mountains. She had no business whatsoever attempting Everest. 

Her team advised her not to summit but she insisted. She made it but died on the way back down after begging for help from the same team who told her not to summit. There are photos out there of her body in the same yellow jump suit that she wore in her photoshopped pictures. 

What really irks me about this story is how her family insisted her body be brought back down further endangering the sherpas involved. They should have told them to pound sand. 

 
parasaurolophus said:
I ran the boston marathon. (Made it to the first mile marker)

I skied a black diamond in vail (walked up ten feet and put my skis on and came down).

I wrote a book. (Well at least like three paragraphs)
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You're a climber.  I'm a climber.  And I agree with you on this and disagree with my friend otb.  When I read the post, I thought that meant two summits from his friend, which would have put her in a very small group of women - fewer than 50 I'd guess.  Many would be names I'd know, so I was intrigued.  In any case, we who do this stuff (and when I say I do this stuff I do not mean anything like Everest!) definitely mean "climbed" to indicate we've reached the summit.

As for cost, it's $11k for a climbing permit IIRC.  Then usually $45k+ for a guide.  Of course that doesn't take into account travel costs, time getting acclimated before starting the climb, etc.

 
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krista4 said:
You're a climber.  I'm a climber.  And I agree with you on this and disagree with my friend otb outside of these unnecessary analogies.  When I read the post, I thought that meant two summits from his friend, which would have put her in a very small group of women - fewer than 50 I'd guess.  Many would be names I'd know, so I was intrigued.  In any case, we who do this stuff (and when I say I do this stuff I do not mean anything like Everest!) definitely mean "climbed" to indicate we've reached the summit.

As for cost, it's $11k for a climbing permit IIRC.  Then usually $45k+ for a guide.  Of course that doesn't take into account travel costs, time getting acclimated before starting the climb, etc.
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et tu, K4?

... et tu?

 
otb_lifer said:
semantics, in'nit?

i agree with "summited" as description for reaching the apex ... people can climb or scale and still come up very short - it's a big mountain, ya know?  :shrug:
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In the mountaineering world, people typically will say attempted Everest when describing a failure to reach the summit. But it’s clear climbing ain’t your cup of tea, which is why I asked for the clarification. Even making it to base camp is a big accomplishment, while summiting twice would place your ex in the company of elite alpinists.

Semantics aside, outdoorsy chicks are the best - adventurous, willing to suffer and get a little dirty. Plus they tend to be lower maintenance than their more civilized counterparts. My one friend used to say his future bride needed two qualifications: Willingness to sh!t in the woods, and return his calls. Ultimately he settled on the latter, but I’m proud to say my wife does both. I just wish she would talk to me, too.

 
krista4 said:
You're a climber.  I'm a climber.  And I agree with you on this and disagree with my friend otb.  When I read the post, I thought that meant two summits from his friend, which would have put her in a very small group of women - fewer than 50 I'd guess.  Many would be names I'd know, so I was intrigued.  In any case, we who do this stuff (and when I say I do this stuff I do not mean anything like Everest!) definitely mean "climbed" to indicate we've reached the summit.

As for cost, it's $11k for a climbing permit IIRC.  Then usually $45k+ for a guide.  Of course that doesn't take into account travel costs, time getting acclimated before starting the climb, etc.
Click to expand...
What type of climbing have you done?

 
Terminalxylem said:
In the mountaineering world, people typically will say attempted Everest when describing a failure to reach the summit. But it’s clear climbing ain’t your cup of tea, which is why I asked for the clarification. Even making it to base camp is a big accomplishment, while summiting twice would place your ex in the company of elite alpinists.
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it certainly ain't (my cuppa tea), ergo, i'm not hep at all to the "climber" jive/vernacular/jargon ... colloquialisms, if you will. 

so, when i said "scaled" i simply meant she made a couple attempts - now, she did tell me how far she made it each time, but, tbh, i really didn't give a #### - i mean, she coulda said "hey, i went as high as two Empire State Buildungs! (e.g.), and it all woulda been Greek to me  :shrug:

she did allow that after her first trek she cried nonstop for days, then pretty much intermittently for a few more weeks, because she made it further than she could have ever dreamt of ... and i was all like " ok, cooool ... soooo, when ya coming back to the City?" (yeah, i know - horrible bf/humanoid - hence the "EX gf" designation).

Terminalxylem said:
Semantics aside, outdoorsy chicks are the best - adventurous, willing to suffer and get a little dirty. Plus they tend to be lower maintenance than their more civilized counterparts. My one friend used to say his future bride needed two qualifications: Willingness to sh!t in the woods, and return his calls. Ultimately he settled on the latter, but I’m proud to say my wife does both. I just wish she would talk to me, too.
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my ex was that rare combo of high enough maintenance and grunge/punk/sculptor/tattoo artist ubĕr chik - but her heart always was back in the PNW, and all of the outdoorsy adventures she had growing up -  i knew her dream was to hit Everest at least once (and a nice inheritence secured two visits that i'm aware of).

glad to hear you found that dual qualifying lady to settle down with  :thumbup:  maybe if she perused this here thread she'd talk a blue streak to ya - Saludé  :banned:

 
otb_lifer said:
it certainly ain't (my cuppa tea), ergo, i'm not hep at all to the "climber" jive/vernacular/jargon ... colloquialisms, if you will. 

so, when i said "scaled" i simply meant she made a couple attempts - now, she did tell me how far she made it each time, but, tbh, i really didn't give a #### - i mean, she coulda said "hey, i went as high as two Empire State Buildungs! (e.g.), and it all woulda been Greek to me  :shrug:

she did allow that after her first trek she cried nonstop for days, then pretty much intermittently for a few more weeks, because she made it further than she could have ever dreamt of ... and i was all like " ok, cooool ... soooo, when ya coming back to the City?" (yeah, i know - horrible bf/humanoid - hence the "EX gf" designation).

my ex was that rare combo of high enough maintenance and grunge/punk/sculptor/tattoo artist ubĕr chik - but her heart always was back in the PNW, and all of the outdoorsy adventures she had growing up -  i knew her dream was to hit Everest at least once (and a nice inheritence secured two visits that i'm aware of).

glad to hear you found that dual qualifying lady to settle down with  :thumbup:  maybe if she perused this here thread she'd talk a blue streak to ya - Saludé  :banned:
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I was joking about her talking, as the wording of my post made it sound like she'd only need to return my friend's calls.

And I wasn't trying to criticize your posting, but was genuinely curious if you'd been involved with an extreme altitude superstar, much less one who was equally high in the lowlands.

 
Terminalxylem said:
I was joking about her talking, as the wording of my post made it sound like she'd only need to return my friend's calls.

And I wasn't trying to criticize your posting, but was genuinely curious if you'd been involved with an extreme altitude superstar, much less one who was equally high in the lowlands.
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nah, man ... i took zero umbrage to anything you posted - matter of fact, i appreciated that you fleshed out the lingo for a layman such as myself to better grasp. 

as far as the wife talking shtick, that's all it was - just a go at the phrasing you used 

 
Cut the number of permits in half and charge double (triple?).  People will still pay it and Sherpas will still get paid.

 
krista4 said:
You're a climber.  I'm a climber.  And I agree with you on this and disagree with my friend otb.  When I read the post, I thought that meant two summits from his friend, which would have put her in a very small group of women - fewer than 50 I'd guess.  Many would be names I'd know, so I was intrigued.  In any case, we who do this stuff (and when I say I do this stuff I do not mean anything like Everest!) definitely mean "climbed" to indicate we've reached the summit.

As for cost, it's $11k for a climbing permit IIRC.  Then usually $45k+ for a guide.  Of course that doesn't take into account travel costs, time getting acclimated before starting the climb, etc.
Click to expand...
Haha. Now I understand why he was arguing with me so much. I didn't even piece together he was the one that told the story of the girlfriend. The post a couple above my complaint earlier had a link to a news article that said

Australian paraplegic climbs Mount Everest in a wheelchair
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I thought holy crap! That's amazing. So I started reading the article. Realized I was click baited, because he went to base camp and if you look at the photos it shows lots of dude pushing/maneuvering his wheelchair. So I have no doubt dude is in amazing shape and could turn my head clean off with those arms, it just isn't the same thing. 

Somebody else mentioned people climbing without any experience. So I googled that and came upon a story of a photographer(david east) and it said he climbed everest and his experience was nothing more than a couple 5k's(or something similar). Again I thought, holy crap. He too went to base camp, not the top. 

That's why I mentioned clicking on an article and being misled. 

Makes way more sense now why he was so defensive.

 
parasaurolophus said:
Haha. Now I understand why he was arguing with me so much. I didn't even piece together he was the one that told the story of the girlfriend. The post a couple above my complaint earlier had a link to a news article that said

I thought holy crap! That's amazing. So I started reading the article. Realized I was click baited, because he went to base camp and if you look at the photos it shows lots of dude pushing/maneuvering his wheelchair. So I have no doubt dude is in amazing shape and could turn my head clean off with those arms, it just isn't the same thing. 

Somebody else mentioned people climbing without any experience. So I googled that and came upon a story of a photographer(david east) and it said he climbed everest and his experience was nothing more than a couple 5k's(or something similar). Again I thought, holy crap. He too went to base camp, not the top. 

That's why I mentioned clicking on an article and being misled. 

Makes way more sense now why he was so defensive.
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Yep, it's ridiculous that people think summiting is easy. Even with the best equipment, sherpas, etc., doing anything at high altitude is extremely difficult.

I was just at Pike's Peak a few days ago. You can drive to the summit, but a fair number of people were seated with their heads in their hands, nauseated and dizzy from the altitude. And that's less than half the height of Everest. 

 
Terminalxylem said:
Yep, it's ridiculous that people think summiting is easy. Even with the best equipment, sherpas, etc., doing anything at high altitude is extremely difficult.

I was just at Pike's Peak a few days ago. You can drive to the summit, but a fair number of people were seated with their heads in their hands, nauseated and dizzy from the altitude. And that's less than half the height of Everest. 
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I have climbed three 14ers. Mt. Massive being one of them, which i think is third highest and one of the longer ones too. Had no issues. 

When i tried climbing quandary, which is much easier, i got terrible altitude sickness. I thought i was going to die. Couldnt see, lots of vomiting, it was just brutal. After about 12 hours in the room in breckenridge, we got in the car and drove toward denver to get lower.

As we approached idaho springs it was like a switch flipped and i felt so much better. Was dehydrated from the puking and not being able to drink water, but just night and day. 

Its crazy what elevation can do and it is unpredictable af. 

 
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