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Everest is littered with dead, exposed bodies

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Re: Everest is littered with dead, exposed bodies

#31

Post by checker659 »

burgerbrain wrote: post #3
ck2 wrote: post #2

Is it ego or the "human spirit" that makes people try the summit anyway? Some things I'll never understand in this world. How about just running a marathon instead?

I'm going to go with mental illness. These people arn't proving themselves, they're abandoning their humanity. It's not something to be celebrated.

As far as the Sherpas go, they are born into the mountains. It's their world. They scale the mountains because that's what they know how to do best. It's their way of life (just like your way of life might be being an entrepreneur).

Re: Everest is littered with dead, exposed bodies

#32

Post by [deleted] »

sliverstorm wrote: post #11
ck2 wrote: post #2

Is it ego or the "human spirit" that makes people try the summit anyway? Some things I'll never understand in this world. How about just running a marathon instead?

Depends on the person. The original climbers probably went for things like extreme personal challenge, or fame. I'm sure there are climbers now as well (now that climbing Everest has been commoditized a bit) who do it for the novelty.

[deleted]

Re: Everest is littered with dead, exposed bodies

#33

Post by rdl »

burgerbrain wrote: post #24
rdl wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd be willing to assume a lot more personal risk to be the first person to do something like land on Mars or summit Everest, especially if it's not even clear that it can be done, than to be the 50th. Even more so if there is some compelling scientific benefit to going (which, thanks to robotics, there really isn't anymore, at least for brief boot/flag-planting visits). There are extremely limited cases where it wou…

It's probably also worth noting that the first man to successfully scale Everest, Sir Edmund Hillary, has publicly voiced his disgust with those who leave their fellow climbers to die on the mountain.

I think it's ok to leave dead bodies on the mountain to make your ascent, but not ok to leave someone who could possibly be saved. Taking any substantial risks to the living to recover bodies is completely unacceptable -- Everest is as good a grave as any.

I wouldn't take the 4% risk of death from climbing Everest at all just to be #50 in a single climbing season, though. I'd be willing to accept a 50% risk of death to be the first person on Mars.

Re: Everest is littered with dead, exposed bodies

#34

Post by antidaily »

wooster wrote: post #27

I recently got back (almost exactly a month ago) from a month long climbing trip in Nepal with some friends. We had three guides, all three of whom have climbed Everest multiple times. One of our guides, who has summited 5 times, described Everest as his "bad habit". As a relative newbie to high altitude mountaineering (the highest I got was ~19,850 feet), climbing in Nepal was really, really hard. You are never warm…

tl;dr This guy pooped in a 8" hole.

Re: Everest is littered with dead, exposed bodies

#35

Post by mks »

Articles like this are very suggestive - of course while in the warm, in front of the computer everyone would try to rescue the poor climbers. However add difficult terrain, height, snow, fatigue and race with the clock and you have wholly different story. Consider how much effort is needed to transport someone by Mountain Rescue teams in lower mountains (Even seasoned climbers admit that you are pretty much solo on the high mountain. The strongest ones with highest morals have even tried helping some other party at these altitude but with very little effect. The moral choice is hard - would you put your life at very high risk just to attempt rescue with very little probability?

Re: Everest is littered with dead, exposed bodies

#36

Post by jasonkester »

My relatives sometimes ask whether I'm 'still doing that mountain climbing thing?'. I'm pretty sure they think that this is what I'm up to.

I'm sure I'd fall in love with high altitude mountaineering (all other aspects of climbing are so addictive that it follows) but I've always made a point of staying away. The statistics are all there to see. I'll stick with the rocks, thank you.

My personal rule is that if it's cold enough that I'm tempted to put a shirt on, it's too close to mountaineering and it's time to move south.

Re: Everest is littered with dead, exposed bodies

#38

Post by dkarl »

joe_the_user wrote: post #12

I had a friend describe his experience when climbing one of the highest peaks in South America. He said it was the most specular view he had seen in his life - he could literally see both the Atlantic and the Pacific simultaneously. But despite this, he was so physically miserable that he derived no joy from the experience at the time. Of course, that's still much lower the Everest.

I don't do anything spectacular, but I've learned not to expect much of my pictures when I do strenuous (for me) backpacking. Show people pictures of the view, wildlife, etc., and they say, "Wow!" "Beautiful!" "Oooh, I'm so jealous!" Show them pictures of me posing proudly on a peak with a beautiful view behind me, and they say, "Gosh, you look so tired!" "You look miserable! Was it worth it?" "Why do you do that? I'd rather go to the beach."

So I stopped showing people those pictures :-/

Re: Everest is littered with dead, exposed bodies

#39

Post by bambax »

wooster wrote: post #27

I recently got back (almost exactly a month ago) from a month long climbing trip in Nepal with some friends. We had three guides, all three of whom have climbed Everest multiple times. One of our guides, who has summited 5 times, described Everest as his "bad habit". As a relative newbie to high altitude mountaineering (the highest I got was ~19,850 feet), climbing in Nepal was really, really hard. You are never warm…

The article does not judge; in fact it says:

whatever the preparation and outlandish cost, perhaps it's not simply ruthless determination that makes someone abandon their team mates, and yet still have the energy to summit. In such alien conditions, utterly hostile to human life, climbers might face their own mortality. Under the spectre of pure, unadulterated fear, they must realize that they are beyond help as well as beyond helping anyone else.

If they don't, they fall among those who never leave, abandoned on Everest.

Re: Everest is littered with dead, exposed bodies

#40

Post by JacobAldridge »

zzleeper wrote: post #19
ck2 wrote: post #2

Is it ego or the "human spirit" that makes people try the summit anyway? Some things I'll never understand in this world. How about just running a marathon instead?

There is a certain beauty in mountain climbing that I doubt any marathon can compete with. That said, maybe they can just climb smaller--but also beautiful--mountains? 6k? 7km? Why does it has to be 8.8km?

Why does it has to be 8.8km?

Because it's there.

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