Everest

Dante7

When Krakauer came down, he had a few spliffs.

Dante7

Another good one

https://youtu.be/6xn8d4Q5bh0

Dante7

I'm fifty one this year. If I thought I could climb to the highest point on our planet, I would absolutely go for it.

Crusty Jocks

Effects wrote: »

Except a lot of it is BS. It's just extreme tourism. Why bother queuing when there's much more rewarding and enjoyable challenges.

Such as?

IvoryTower

Dante7 wrote: »

Another good one

https://youtu.be/6xn8d4Q5bh0

The movie everest also based on that story, watched it last night

Road-Hog

Road-Hog wrote: »

Above is all well and good but if your goals/life time ambitions etc exploit others in the process (ie the sherpas) and endanger other people’s lives (sherpas and other climbers) then surely it would make you think twice about doing what you are doing......?

+1..........and if it means leaving behind young kids and a wife if you die in your ambition to “conquer” Everest !

I used to admire and respect genuine mountain climbers years ago scaling Everest. Not any longer . Now you simply buy your way there .

iamwhoiam

Crusty Jocks wrote: »

Such as?

There has to be a lot more enjoyable than this .

https://www.thesun.ie/news/4149454/moment-sherpas-desperately-try-to-rescue-female-everest-climber-54-who-collapsed-and-died-in-queue-on-crowded-mountain/

THIS is the distressing moment Sherpas desperately tried to rescue a female climber, 54, who collapsed and died in the queue on crowded Mount Everest.

Heartbreaking footage shows the female climber clinging on for her life while she is being pulled up by Sherpas.

BattleCorp

Dante7 wrote: »

I'm fifty one this year. If I thought I could climb to the highest point on our planet, I would absolutely go for it.

Would you go for it if you had a small child and your wife was pregnant and there was a possibility you would be coming home in a coffin or not at all?

I wonder what each person's % chance of death must be under in order to do something.

Not doing Everest in the scenario above seems like something most people would choose. Others however do.

We all have some percentage. Bungee jumping? Scuba diving? Crossing the road?

BattleCorp

Deleted User wrote: »

I wonder what each person's % chance of death must be under in order to do something.

Not doing Everest in the scenario above seems like something most people would choose. Others however do.

We all have some percentage. Bungee jumping? Scuba diving? Crossing the road?

The odds at which you are willing to do dumb sh1t should really significantly lengthen when you have a wife and small children depending on you.

BattleCorp

BattleCorp wrote: »

The odds at which you are willing to do dumb sh1t should really significantly lengthen when you have a wife and small children depending on you.

Well people obviously don't just stop taking all risks. People still go to track days, go skiing etc.

Stark

Deleted User wrote: »

Well people obviously don't just stop taking all risks. People still go to track days, go skiing etc.

The fatality rate for skiing is less than 1 per million ski days.

mattser

Deleted User wrote: »

Well people obviously don't just stop taking all risks. People still go to track days, go skiing etc.

While others hammer out their risk on their keyboards.

Stark

Stark wrote: »

The fatality rate for skiing is less than 1 per million ski days.

I'm simply giving examples. My original suggestion was that we all have percentages of accepted risk.

Nevermind.

iamwhoiam

Deleted User wrote: »

I'm simply giving examples. My original suggestion was that we all have percentages of accepted risk.

Nevermind.

You weigh up the risks and take the less risky options when you have a family to care for and support .Climbing Everest is it seems a huge risk compared to your examples .

kunst nugget

Dante7 wrote: »

This constant whinging from armchair commentators complaining about people climbing Everest is becoming annoying. If people don't understand why climbing to the highest point on our planet is such a goal, fair enough, but they should stop being so judgemental. The desire to push ourselves further and to take risks is ingrained in our DNA. Those same genes in their ancestors resulted in them having a cosy life today.

I, personally wouldn't attempt to summit Everest, but I totally get why someone would want to. To push yourself further. Challenge yourself. Achieve something in this short window of life that so few others have achieved. If humans didn't have this drive, we'd all still be living in caves.

This thread has been an eye opener for me in terms of seeing those images of people queuing to get to the top and seeing images of people dying in that queue is particularly shocking. And for what? Bragging rights when you meet people at dinner parties? Call me an armchair commentator all you want but I don't think that would be enough for me to justify leaving my children without a dad and my wife without a husband.

A guy that worked with me (he's retired now) travelled the world as a young lad, saving every spare penny he had to go climbing mountains. He was passionate about it and even now hitting his seventies, he spends his summers climbing the peaks around Ireland - it's a far cry from what he did as young lad but he still loves going up slopes and the gentle challenge of Irish hills and mountains is perfect for him now. For him, Everest was a crock of shít that had none of the challenge that exhilarated him as a mountaineer. He talked disparagingly about people queuing to get to the top, having Sherpas take all the risk laying out oxygen bottles at ahead different points for those who had paid enough to be up there. That held zero interest for him and I can see why after looking at everything I've seen on this thread.

B0jangles

iamwhoiam wrote: »

You weigh up the risks and take the less risky options when you have a family to care for and support .Climbing Everest is it seems a huge risk compared to your examples .

But you see you MIGHT get killed in a freak cushion accident while sitting quietly on the sofa , just as you MIGHT get killed if you play russian roulette while skydiving with a cyanide capsule held between your teeth so who are we to judge?

Most people look at the odds, at their personal circumstances and judge accordingly.

pc7

Stark wrote: »

The fatality rate for skiing is less than 1 per million ski days.

I stopped going off piste as I got older (maybe wiser!) and as more people starting wearing helmets I started wearing one as it was good common sense. I still enjoy skiing, I still ski black runs but just stick to the proper runs.

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts

B0jangles wrote: »

But you see you MIGHT get killed in a freak cushion accident while sitting quietly on the sofa , just as you MIGHT get killed if you play russian roulette while skydiving with a cyanide capsule held between your teeth so who are we to judge?

Most people look at the odds, at their personal circumstances and judge accordingly.

Those things are vanishingly unlikely. Dying on Everest? Not so much.

When a Sherpa lives but loses all his fingers because an obstinate client refuses to turn back, I’ll gladly judge. What goal is worth costing another person their fingers? And if the Sherpa had abandoned the fool to die, he’d probably have been criticised for that.

EDIT: you were being sarcastic, yes?

BattleCorp

B0jangles wrote: »

But you see you MIGHT get killed in a freak cushion accident while sitting quietly on the sofa , just as you MIGHT get killed if you play russian roulette while skydiving with a cyanide capsule held between your teeth so who are we to judge?

I've no problem judging.

If you needlessly go up a mountain doing something that has significant odds of you being killed, while you have a wife and very young family at home, then yeah, I'll judge you as being a stupid fcuker who should really think more about those left behind.

B0jangles

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts wrote: »

Those things are vanishingly unlikely. Dying on Everest? Not so much.

When a Sherpa lives but loses all his fingers because an obstinate client refuses to turn back, I’ll gladly judge. What goal is worth costing another person their fingers? And if the Sherpa had abandoned the fool to die, he’d probably have been criticised for that.

EDIT: you were being sarcastic, yes?

Oh, most definitely :pac:

The whole 'literally any activity MIGHT kill you therefore this particular extremely high-risk leisure activity is directly comparable to this extremely low-risk (and necessary for everyday existance) activity...' argument is so asinine

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts

For anyone who is interested, here is a gofundme campaign in support of Sange Sherpa, the guy I mentioned a few posts above, who lost all his fingers. He’s already had surgery, it seems, but I’m sure there are ongoing costs.

https://ie.gofundme.com/HopeforSange

B0jangles wrote: »

Oh, most definitely :pac:

Whoops!

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts

pc7 wrote: »

I stopped going off piste as I got older (maybe wiser!) and as more people starting wearing helmets I started wearing one as it was good common sense. I still enjoy skiing, I still ski black runs but just stick to the proper runs.

It’s bad but whenever I hear about a celebrity dying or being injured skiing, I always just think “Oh, off on an off-piste adventure, were they?”. But Natasha Richardson, Liam Neeson’s late wife, was having a beginner’s lesson when she picked up the head injury that sadly killed her.

B0jangles

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts wrote: »

For anyone who is interested, here is a gofundme campaign in support of Sange Sherpa, the guy I mentioned a few posts above, who lost all his fingers. He’s already had surgery, it seems, but I’m sure there are ongoing costs.

https://ie.gofundme.com/HopeforSange



Whoops!

That's a very bloody decent cause - hope it raises enough to carry out the surgery and leave enough over to support him and his family for a very long time.

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts

B0jangles wrote: »

Oh, most definitely :pac:

The whole 'literally any activity MIGHT kill you therefore this particular extremely high-risk leisure activity is directly comparable to this extremely low-risk (and necessary for everyday existance) activity...' argument is so asinine

It’s up there with people saying to me re: my terminal illness “Sure any of us could get hit by a bus tomorrow!”.

Chances of either of us being hit by a bus tomorrow or ever: almost zero

Chance of me dying sometime in my fourth decade: virtually 100%

And people who say that often look so pleased with themselves, like they haven’t just said something incredibly trite and insensitive. A friend of mine’s response to that is “Imagine your feet being encased in concrete whilst the bus is purposefully coming at you. That’s what it’s actually like for me”.

J Mysterio

This is interesting.

Indian Police couple found lying about summiting Everest and fired.

Link

Stark

That reminds me of something else. What do people make of Killian Jornet, the ultra mountain runner who claims to have summited Everest twice in the space of a week without oxygen, by "running" up and down it? (well not quite running it but certainly hiking up with a very aggressive time goal). I've followed the guy for a few years and he certainly has a lot of verified achievements that most people would think of as "superhuman" but going for a "run" in the Death Zone seems just too crazy to believable.

tuxy

Dante7 wrote: »

I'm fifty one this year. If I thought I could climb to the highest point on our planet, I would absolutely go for it.

Is it because you see the long queues and feel like you are missing out?
A bit like waiting in line for the latest iPhone?
Also what is stopping you? Most people have a house or car they could sell to get the funds together. Even at 51 you could probably get a short term loan.

nc6000

Stark wrote: »

That reminds me of something else. What do people make of Killian Jornet, the ultra mountain runner who claims to have summited Everest twice in the space of a week without oxygen, by "running" up and down it? (well not quite running it but certainly hiking up with a very aggressive time goal). I've followed the guy for a few years and he certainly has a lot of verified achievements that most people would think of as "superhuman" but going for a "run" in the Death Zone seems just too crazy to believable.

He explains it here.....

https://youtu.be/-lADz-ngBvs

Boom_Bap

There's also Wim Hof who got to 7000+ ft in just shorts but had to stop due to a foot injury.