Everest

tuxy · 23-05-2019 11:38pm

bucketybuck wrote: »

Just below the death zone (not that there is a defined death zone of course) is still at a very high altitude, its still only 30% oxygen in the air. Base camp might only be 50% and the other camps less than that, but they are still better than hanging about just outside the death zone.

People have still died despite making it back to camp 4, camping higher than that after a summit would be just asking for trouble, and thats without getting into the other dangers such as bad weather or problems with supply.

Making it back to camp 2 means there is a good chance of helicopter evacuation in case of an emergency and this is the kind of thing insurance can cover.

holliehobbie · 23-05-2019 11:39pm

SusieBlue wrote: »

Felt very sorry for that poor young Sherpa who nearly died & lost all his fingers because his client was too arrogant to take his advice and abandon the climb when things went wrong.

He should have left the dumbass up there on his own for having such blatent disregard for not only his own life, but someone else’s. It’s just so ignorant and unjustifiable.

At least the American doctor has a conscience. It really is all about people's egos and money now though very sadly for the Sherpas.

Wildlife Actor · 23-05-2019 11:40pm

josip wrote: »

Reminds me of these hardy lads
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OBX25ix4eU&t=3s

Wow. That's the business end of super alpinism and a great short film. Gasherbrum II in winter with no O2, no sherpa support, no fixed ropes, avalanched on the way down, and they just get in with it. Less than 2% of everest summits match that for style. But most of our heroes on Everest have no interest in any of that because they'd get a blank look if they went boasting about Gasherbrum in the pub.

PhoenixParker · 23-05-2019 11:42pm

castletownman wrote: »

Looking at the picture of the queue is insane, but could they not make camp below the death zone (the name alone would deter me no end), and make the descent in due course, or is the window of opportunity so small that the side-effect of potential death was something you had to take?

And to think, I was despondent queuing for over an hour to get on the ferry to Ellis Island

There's a limited number of weeks every year when Everest is climbable and within those weeks there's a limited number of days with appropriate weather conditions.

Some years there are more climbable days then others. This year the weather has been bad and everything has got started weeks later than usual and even after starting (the route being fixed) the weather has been bad. The result is everyone who has a permit this year is trying to get to the summit on very few days.

It's a lethally dangerous and crazy situation.

bucketybuck · 23-05-2019 11:44pm

Its almost a shame that there isn't really a proper technical climb somewhere on the ascent, one that requires more than just dragging yourself forward on a rope. Even one difficult vertical climb would immediately filter out a substantial number of those making the attempt.

blackwhite · 24-05-2019 12:02am

bucketybuck wrote: »

Its almost a shame that there isn't really a proper technical climb somewhere on the ascent, one that requires more than just dragging yourself forward on a rope. Even one difficult vertical climb would immediately filter out a substantial number of those making the attempt.

Northern ridge had that with the 2nd Step. Until the Chinese decided to stick a ladder on it in the 70s!

Woodsie1 · 24-05-2019 12:04am

Dante7 wrote: »

Good vlog of an official Chinese team summiting in 2016.

https://youtu.be/ZeSqJK2Rais

Just watched that vlog,really good.

Did anyone spot the Chinese lad smoking at 7000m and 7350m:pac:...hard as nails that lad, must have some lungs.

Effects · 24-05-2019 12:14am

jasper100 wrote: »

Some talent. Not one of the bellends climbing everest today would have the ability to even think about doing it.

Shows what climbing everest has become.

But Alex is one of a kind and what he does is also really, really risky

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts · 24-05-2019 12:19am

SusieBlue wrote: »

Felt very sorry for that poor young Sherpa who nearly died & lost all his fingers because his client was too arrogant to take his advice and abandon the climb when things went wrong.

He should have left the dumbass up there on his own for having such blatent disregard for not only his own life, but someone else’s. It’s just so ignorant and unjustifiable.

I’m still thinking about that. That poor lad. He basically implied that had he descended without his client, his days with the expedition company would be numbered. That selfish client needlessly cost a man his fingers and almost his life. Who could live with themselves if they did that? There is no justification.

gozunda · 24-05-2019 12:23am

As to the need for supplemental oxygen.

This from an account of David Sharpe who died on Everest

Using supplementary oxygen, with a mask connected to a tank of oxygen, at high altitudes only partially compensates for the thin air, and the only way that climbers experiencing the effects of altitude sickness can recover is to descend much lower as quickly as possible with supplementary oxygen. Above about 6,000 m (19,685 ft) is considered to be uninhabitable for any period of time as, physiologically, the human body is unable to survive such hypoxic conditions, much less adapt to them.

Even local climbers from the area around Everest who assist expeditions, referred to as Sherpas, and who are more acclimatized to higher altitudes, use supplementary oxygen at higher altitudes. Many climbers lose their lives due to the debilitating effects of very limited oxygen at high altitudes, and because the rescue of someone who is not mobile at high altitudes is extremely difficult and potentially fatal for both the rescuer and the climber.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Sharp_(mountaineer)

Climbers are advised to stay only a minimal amount of time above 8000 metres. Queues like that seen in the photo posted earlier means that there are significant delays and climbers end up spending too long in an high altitude / low oxygen environment and risk their lives in doing so.

mattser · 24-05-2019 12:23am

jasper100 wrote: »

Kazzehh wrote: »

For anyone looking for a little perspective on the motivation and thought processes of dedicated climbers - Free solo is starting on channel 4 now.

Some talent. Not one of the bellends climbing everest today would have the ability to even think about doing it.

Shows what climbing everest has become.

Surprised you haven't changed your username to bellend. It figures large in your vocabulary, and would be most appropriate.

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts · 24-05-2019 12:24am

holliehobbie wrote: »

At least the American doctor has a conscience. It really is all about people's egos and money now though very sadly for the Sherpas.

I found her hand-wringing to be disingenuous. She questioned the ethics of climbing Everest only after her own successful expedition and having been on two unsuccessful attempts previously where many people died. She was still dogged despite witnessing the hardships of the Sherpas. There was a striking lack of self-awareness there, IMO.

holliehobbie · 24-05-2019 12:37am

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts wrote: »

I found her hand-wringing to be disingenuous. She questioned the ethics of climbing Everest only after her own successful expedition and having been on two unsuccessful attempts previously where many people died. She was still dogged despite witnessing the hardships of the Sherpas. There was a striking lack of self-awareness there, IMO.

But she did give up two attempts to give medical assistance to people.

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts · 24-05-2019 12:46am

holliehobbie wrote: »

But she did give up two attempts to give medical assistance to people.

I think both those seasons were cancelled due to the adverse weather conditions that caused all the deaths. It didn’t come across like she voluntarily abandoned those attempts. And she still went back to try and summit after seeing how much danger the Sherpas put themselves in to set things up for tourists. It was good that she used her expertise but I think it would have remiss of her not to. Medicine is, IMO, a vocation and it would have been strange if she didn’t offer assistance. It came across a bit hypocritical for her to be questioning the ethics of climbing Everest when she was at the coalface when things went wrong and still was determined to make a summit attempt.

24-05-2019 7:14am

mattser wrote: »

Surprised you haven't changed your username to bellend. It figures large in your vocabulary, and would be most appropriate.

:D

jam_mac_jam · 24-05-2019 9:12am

Another two dead

https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/austrian-indian-climbers-die-on-mt-everest-as-death-toll-reaches-16/

maxsmum · 24-05-2019 9:17am

jam_mac_jam wrote: »

Another two dead

https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/austrian-indian-climbers-die-on-mt-everest-as-death-toll-reaches-16/

I think we should change our death notices to read 'breathed their last'... It's quite poetic.
Sort of masks the stupidity of a 65 year old trying to climb world's highest peak.

jasper100 · 24-05-2019 9:24am

jam_mac_jam wrote: »

Another two dead

https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/austrian-indian-climbers-die-on-mt-everest-as-death-toll-reaches-16/

More dumping to be done by the tourist board.

Yurt2 · 24-05-2019 9:26am

Old Jasper McBellend taking more joy in the deaths of perfect strangers I see. Hope you're having a nice Friday morning under that bridge of yours.

Snow Garden · 24-05-2019 9:29am

maxsmum wrote: »

I think we should change our death notices to read 'breathed their last'... It's quite poetic.
Sort of masks the stupidity of a 65 year old trying to climb world's highest peak.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/nepal/9279824/73-year-old-becomes-oldest-woman-to-climb-Mount-Everest.html

A 73-year-old Japanese woman has become the oldest female to scale Mount Everest, breaking the record she set a decade ago.

She has also climbed McKinley (Denali), Mont Blanc, Kilimanjaro and Aconcagua.

Ms Watanabe's bid had been driven by a rivalry with another Japanese climber, Eiko Funahashi, who was similarly aiming to set the record for being the oldest woman to reach the summit. Ms Funahashi, 72, was last reported to be awaiting a break in the weather before attempting the southeast ridge route, which is considered the easiest route to the top.
Ms Funahashi had failed in two previous efforts to reach the peak, in 2006 and 2010.

The oldest man to reach the summit is Nepalese climber Min Bahadur Sherchan, who was 76 when he completed the climb in 2008.

I'll be honest, I have huge respect for these people.

jasper100 · 24-05-2019 9:35am

Yurt! wrote: »

Old Jasper McBellend taking more joy in the deaths of perfect strangers I see. Hope you're having a nice Friday morning under that bridge of yours.

I am just stating the facts dude. I aint the one issueing permits knowing full well I will be arranging to dump some of their bodies off a cliff afterwards.

I think its a cynical and disgusting operation and the unsuitable people who go there are a lot of the problem.

Should places like barretstown be associating themselves with such reckless fundraising efforts?

Yurt2 · 24-05-2019 9:38am

jasper100 wrote: »

I am just stating the facts dude. I aint the one issueing permits knowing full well I will be arranging to dump some of their bodies off a cliff afterwards.

I think its a cynical and disgusting operation and the unsuitable people who go there are a lot of the problem.

Should places like barretstown be associating themselves with such reckless fundraising efforts?

Direct your ire at the people who manage the mountain, the Nepalese government. You've been polluting this thread with crassness and disrespect for days now.

If I wanted someone 'who tells it like it is' I'd watch Trump on YouTube on loop for 10 hours.

redmgar · 24-05-2019 9:40am

A grown adult using the phrase bellend, bet they are great craic. Something a 12 year old would have said in the early 90s.

maxsmum · 24-05-2019 9:40am

One of the documentaries mentioned anyone over 50 has physiologically double the risk of dying. So while I'm impressed at their efforts, I wouldn't say I respect them.
At least they've lived a longer life and probably don't have dependants anymore.

redmgar · 24-05-2019 9:41am

jasper100 wrote: »

I am just stating the facts dude.

And dude......jaysus.

mattser · 24-05-2019 9:41am

Snow Garden wrote: »

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/nepal/9279824/73-year-old-becomes-oldest-woman-to-climb-Mount-Everest.html

She has also climbed McKinley (Denali), Mont Blanc, Kilimanjaro and Aconcagua.

I'll be honest, I have huge respect for these people.

Absolutely. They have more to do with their lives than be couch potato keyboard warriors.

bucketybuck · 24-05-2019 9:42am

jasper100 wrote: »

I am just stating the facts dude.

You are just repeating the same tired point over and over. They dump the bodies over the side and out of the way, yeah we know, everybody knows. Who is that passive aggressive crap even supposed to be directed at?

jam_mac_jam · 24-05-2019 9:43am

mattser wrote: »

Absolutely. They have more to do with their lives than be couch potato keyboard warriors.

Again, you don't have to be a high altitude climber not to be a couch potato. Its not one or the other.

Tomw86 · 24-05-2019 9:55am

Any update on the renewed rescue attempt of Mr. Lawless's body?

redmgar · 24-05-2019 9:57am

Tomw86 wrote: »

Any update on the renewed rescue attempt of Mr. Lawless's body?

Not as yet according to the media reports. The search resumed yesterday.

Everest

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