The Summit on RTE1 Monday 9:30

MayoForSam

Good documentary about Ger McDonnell's tragic trip up K2 few years back just starting now on RTE 1, most dangerous mountain in the world.

It beggars belief that some folks will risk everything to attempt this type of climb but the thrill outweighs the fear I guess.

Missyelliot2

Watching the summit....excellent documentary. Am dizzy watching what these climbers do.....glad to be sitting on the couch.

Hitchens

is the footage actual film of what happened?

MayoForSam

Hitchens wrote: »

is the footage actual film of what happened?

Looks like real archive footage mixed with actors re-enacting certain scenes.

CFlat

Hitchens wrote: »

is the footage actual film of what happened?

Yea I was a bit confused by that, but I think its a mixture of live footage and reconstructions.

MJ23

Are we to feel sorry for this fella?

It's as crazy as a documentary on a fella trying to see how long he can keep his head in a furnace.

It's the family I feel sorry for. This inconsiderate man risking and losing his life to get to the top of a mountain.

Go for a walk on a beach, or run around a field or something.

flynnlives

CFlat wrote: »

Yea I was a bit confused by that, but I think its a mixture of live footage and reconstructions.

Why do that?

I think they've ruined it. I can't tell what's reconstruction and real.
For instance, the clips from 2003, are they even real?

This is taking away from getting into the story and connecting with the people.

Who is an actor and which scenes are real?
They could have easily added a "reconstruction" subtitle to these bits.

robbiezero

Did yer man just say something like:
"If we had reached the top, small article in newspapers, but because 11 climbers died, its all over the media"??

Hitchens

it seems to be pretty crowded with all the different teams

DaveR1000

just like motorbike racers - skiiers etc. the thrill is what they want - to them this is living - live and let live - they know the risks and make the choices.

Missyelliot2

DaveR1000 wrote: »

just like motorbike racers - skiiers etc. the thrill is what they want - to them this is living - live and let live - they know the risks and make the choices.

I don't understand why they want this so badly....but neither did I understand the surfers today in Sligo.
I suppose it's hard to comprehend (well for me- drinking tea at the mo!)

Hitchens

are those guys in the tent scenes actors or what?

Hitchens

Missyelliot2 wrote: »

I don't understand why they want this so badly....but neither did I understand the surfers today in Sligo.
I suppose it's hard to comprehend (well for me- drinking tea at the mo!)

can never understand how people drink tea

pm1977x

Cutting back to the old guy and his memories isn't adding anything for me, just keeps breaking the tension of the main story

flynnlives

Hitchens wrote: »

are those guys in the tent scenes actors or what?

Who knows?

Is that scene where they reach camp 4 which they've shown twice real?
Where Ger is knelt down.

Hitchens

geez, what's the blondie wan on about?

Call me Al

Gripping stuff.

Lunatics.. Obsessive lunatics...

hmmm

People don't call reaching the pinnacle of something, whether it's a mountain, their career or some other achievement, "reaching the summit" for nothing. The thrill of working hard to reach the top of a mountain is just amazing, unless you've ever done it you won't appreciate it. It's an activity that sucks you in, you start with hills, then go on to mountains, then realise bigger mountains are within your reach, and before long you're climbing things you never thought possible.

Climbers are aware of the dangers, but it's always in your mind that the "other guy" died because he did something stupid, or he wasn't prepared, or wasn't fit or whatever. They think they are taking calculated risks.

And at the end of the day, you climb a mountain and you'll probably achieve something that will be the summit (there's that word again) of your life, with a small risk of injury or death, or you could stay at home and hide from the world and die an unfulfilled life. Either way we're all dead at some stage.

BTW for 99% of Irish people who put a bit of work in, the summit of Carrauntoohill is achievable - you have to get fit, learn how to navigate or find someone who can, get the basic gear and go for it.

Hitchens

I think that you would need to have some experience of mountain climbing to understand this documentary fully, the way it is presented

Missyelliot2

This is a brilliant documentary. Fair dues to all concerned!

PropJoe10

This is really gripping. I'd be interested to know how much is real footage and how much is reconstructed though.

mosstin

robbiezero wrote: »

Did yer man just say something like:
"If we had reached the top, small article in newspapers, but because 11 climbers died, its all over the media"??

Yup. Shook my head in disbelief at that one too.

mosstin

hmmm wrote: »

People don't call reaching the pinnacle of something, whether it's a mountain, their career or some other achievement, "reaching the summit" for nothing. The thrill of working hard to reach the top of a mountain is just amazing, unless you've ever done it you won't appreciate it. It's an activity that sucks you in, you start with hills, then go on to mountains, then realise bigger mountains are within your reach, and before long you're climbing things you never thought possible.

Climbers are aware of the dangers, but it's always in your mind that the "other guy" died because he did something stupid, or he wasn't prepared, or wasn't fit or whatever. They think they are taking calculated risks.

And at the end of the day, you climb a mountain and you'll probably achieve something that will be the summit (there's that word again) of your life, with a small risk of injury or death, or you could stay at home and hide from the world and die an unfulfilled life. Either way we're all dead at some stage.

BTW for 99% of Irish people who put a bit of work in, the summit of Carrauntoohill is achievable - you have to get fit, learn how to navigate or find someone who can, get the basic gear and go for it.

Eh, Carrauntoohil is a hill.

Call me Al

I'm a bit confused as to the layout of people on the mountain now it's night time. Gave the Sherpas just packed up and left them all to head off to camp 4? Are they all supposed to use the ropes that have now been cut? If so are the Sherpas fine using only their picks and crampons?

hmmm

mosstin wrote: »

Eh, Carrauntoohil is a hill.

Everyone has to start somewhere. And it's a real mountain, despite what a cranky Edmund Hillary said

Hitchens

Call me Al wrote: »

I'm a bit confused as to the layout of people on the mountain now it's night time. Gave the Sherpas just packed up and left them all to head off to camp 4? Are they all supposed to use the ropes that have now been cut? If so are the Sherpas fine using only their picks and crampons?

is Charlie Bird a sherpa?

An Capall Dubh

Hitchens wrote: »

geez, what's the blondie wan on about?

That's Jennifer Aniston.

Eight Ball

Bunch of clowns imo, selfish clowns.

Kristopherus

MJ23 wrote: »

Are we to feel sorry for this fella?

It's as crazy as a documentary on a fella trying to see how long he can keep his head in a furnace.

It's the family I feel sorry for. This inconsiderate man risking and losing his life to get to the top of a mountain.

Go for a walk on a beach, or run around a field or something.

A wonderful display of ignorance of what motivates mountaineers:rolleyes::mad:. And the film was produced with the full consent of the McDonnel family.

Missyelliot2

Poignant and sickening that the Sherpas felt that as they were paid by the mountaineers....they felt 'owned' by them

Hitchens

does there seem to be an atmosphere of bitterness permeating the documentary?

Tigerandahalf

It is a very interesting documentary. Is it all about glory or just climbing for enjoyment?
The Sherpa guy comes across as the most level headed.

MayoForSam

The mountain wins in the end, mind you Mr. Kim didn't exactly help the situation.

flynnlives

What happened to the Italian who's tent got destroyed?

did he take the Dutch guys advice and **** off down the mountain?

The Dutch guy doesn't come out well in this tragedy.

He survived cause their was an interview with him but then his story ended.


This is a great documentary but it lacks clarity. The reconstruction stuff mixed in with real footage is confusing.

Hitchens

looks like there might have been a few porkies being told

MJ23

Kristopherus wrote: »

A wonderful display of ignorance of what motivates mountaineers:rolleyes::mad:. And the film was produced with the full consent of the McDonnel family.

Yeah, motivation that got him killed.

DaveR1000

Excellent Documentary about people doing what they love:

“The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing, and becomes nothing. He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he simply cannot learn and feel and change and grow and love and live.”



Rest in Peace to them all

dirkmeister

Marco seems to be changing his story a bit here.

Hitchens

fair play to Ger, you never leave a wounded comrade

Missyelliot2

Must be such a comfort to his clan.

Eight Ball

DaveR1000 wrote: »

Excellent Documentary about people doing what they love:

“The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing, and becomes nothing. He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he simply cannot learn and feel and change and grow and love and live.”



Rest in Peace to them all

Yeah nice quote but gimme a beach and a cold beer over that crazy s h I t any day.

dirkmeister

Hitchens wrote: »

fair play to Ger, you never leave a wounded comrade

His partner made a comment there, it was so close to being a heroic rescue mission, but some ice fell and then it's a huge controversy.

Tigerandahalf

Quite amazing that the different groups would have gone up the mountain together, given that they hardly knew each other, their strengths or weaknesses.

PropJoe10

That was a very moving and gripping program. RIP Ger McDonnell.

mewso

DaveR1000 wrote: »

“The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing, and becomes nothing. He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he simply cannot learn and feel and change and grow and love and live.”

For every 4 people who attempt to climb K2 1 dies. That quote can easily be reversed to suggest that people who want to take that kind of risk are missing something in their lives and continually chase some kind of fulfillment that will never be found. Live and let live I say but it's condescending bull**** to suggest someone who doesn't fancy the 1 in 4 odds of dying is somehow soulless. Great soundbite though.

Tigerandahalf

mewso wrote: »

For every 4 people who attempt to climb K2 1 dies. That quote can easily be reversed to suggest that people who want to take that kind of risk are missing something in their lives and continually chase some kind of fulfillment that will never be found. Live and let live I say but it's condescending bull**** to suggest someone who doesn't fancy the 1 in 4 odds of dying is somehow soulless. Great soundbite though.

I think it was 1 in 4 who have reached the summit die afterwards on the descent.

DaveR1000

mewso wrote: »

For every 4 people who attempt to climb K2 1 dies. That quote can easily be reversed to suggest that people who want to take that kind of risk are missing something in their lives and continually chase some kind of fulfillment that will never be found. Live and let live I say but it's condescending bull**** to suggest someone who doesn't fancy the 1 in 4 odds of dying is somehow soulless. Great soundbite though.

I don't have the urge to climb it either and am not soulless - I think that quote and its used by a lot of thrill seekers etc. applies to them rather than the rest of us mortals to express themselves to maybe make us understand why they do it.

afro man

Hitchens wrote: »

fair play to Ger, you never leave a wounded comrade

some decision to make ?? but was it right to try and descend with three injured climbers a lot of the documentary worked on speculation and possibilities to which we will probally never find out and only the poor souls who lost their lives and those who survived really only know what happened.

dirkmeister

afro man wrote: »

some decision to make ?? but was it right to try and descend with three injured climbers a lot of the documentary worked on speculation and possibilities to which we will probally never find out and only the poor souls who lost their lives and those who survived really only know what happened.

Did the Irish man who Ger helped down Everest not say that there was an unwritten code that if you were with someone who looked like they might not make it that you were to look after yourself and leave them?

EoghanIRL

It was rather controversial in the end for ger. As the wife said , if the Korean team members had survived then it would be one of the greatest rescue stories . But in the end he ended up being killed. I thought he would have stuck to the code . It's impossible to say if he made the right decision or not .

Utopia Parkway

dirkmeister wrote: »

Did the Irish man who Ger helped down Everest not say that there was an unwritten code that if you were with someone who looked like they might not make it that you were to look after yourself and leave them?

Yes. That high up trying to help others in bad situations is just seen as putting your own life in danger. And look what happened to poor Ger I guess.

Can't be an easy decision to make though to just ignore someone who might be injured or dying.