Mount Everest

[Dunnoburt]

I'm probably really late to the party here and I suspect its because I have some kind of OCD but I've lately become absolutely captivated by Mount Everest and the individuals who attempt a summit, not being anywhere near inclined to attempt my local hill let alone this beast , I never realised just how many failed attempts there are, the sheer danger, the death zone, and the bodies, that lay there, preserved. The Sherpas, who in my opinion are the absolute stalwarts in laying lines/ladders etc. are risking their lives to fulfill the wishes of the wealthy, I'm really torn with how to feel about the whole Everest attempt. I dont even know why I'm posting (nobody home to share a thought with I suspect) but I've written so much now that I'm gonna post it anyway.....is it a case of the rich exploiting the poor?

Annapurna is the deadliest climb I think, statistically speaking - not many people have summitted which makes the ratio of those who died trying to those who have succeeded pretty bleak. Everest, because it is much more straightforward to climb and most people climb guided, on oxygen and fixed ropes, is much “safer” than most of the other tallest peaks.

I think it’s all bloody stupid and selfish tbh.

you say that like its a bad thing.

Alison Hargreaves got a lot of criticism for doing what she did, when she had two young children. I think it would have been much different if she had been male.

you say that like its a bad thing.
Yes, I think it’s selfish if you have kids at home to risk your life for jollies like that.
Little thought for others, the partner left worrying at home. Me, me, me.
I don’t think it matters if you’re male or female though.

Alberto was away from home again, this time on Everest. He had not been put off by the disaster on K2. She still finds his absences hard. "I understand that it is a very important thing for him to do what he really loves doing," she said. "But it means he is not at home with me and my children. It is still hard, even after all these years."

This is a Guardian quote from the wife of a survivor of the K2 disaster who had to wait hours to know if her husband had made it off the mountain alive or not. She was at home with their young boys at the time. How is that fair? It hasn’t stopped him either.

Sorry, the whole thing is beyond me, but I am certainly not in awe.

Edited to add - sorry, just googled a bit more and the article I quoted above was written in 2010, but the climber it mentioned died in 2017 in an avalanche on Nanga Parbat.
I’m sorry, I didn’t realise that; it’s just such a tragedy really.

I’m also a huge fan. Read so many books and watched so many documentaries on it. It’s such a dangerous place where one wrong step can send you over a crevice. Watched one documentary where the Sherpas just balanced what looked like a normal roof ladder across a large crevice and the climbers just had to walk across it! I’m petrified of heights and had to watch through closed fingers. Good to see others are fascinated by it too - my dh jokes about my obsession with it!

I’m also fascinated

for me that fascination started with watching the Everest movie someone else mentioned up top

it got me into thinking about the different bases and dangers - and how it gets so much starker and colder each base. By base 3 there’s nothing but a few tents.

its really fascinating

Do you have to “prove” your climbing experience before attempting Everest? Or do you literally just pay your money & turn up?

Sorry if it’s a daft question - I really have no idea?

Also, can any one stop you from climbing, is it “policed” in any way?

I honestly think they should close it completely, for environmental and conservation reasons. Horrible to think of the sheer volume of rubbish and contamination up there. The climbers’ fascination with the preserved bodies of the dead as a kind of extra thrill/signposts along the way is really ghoulish - Green Boots etc.

Really nobody needs to do any of it, especially not to contaminate and pollute a major environmental site, and the existing Sherpas could become a conservation force for assisting legitimate geographical research teams, helping clear the mountain of rubbish and maintaining it as a protected site. It’s a tragedy that it’s being allowed to be a free-for-all, essentially just for the money.

I hate the way the mountain has been littered with bodies. It should be left alone.

If you want to go to the place on earth closest to space, not queue for the summit and die trying, go to Chimborazo, Ecuador

the Nepal government say how many licenses are granted. Reputable guiding companies insist on relevant prior experience (some are not so scrupulous) so just flashing a bunch of cash as a total amateur wont work.

I can see the initial hype
now just fucking selfish

I think I've watched every documentary and YouTube video that I possibly can about Everest. I find it fascinating

I think I have found my tribe. I first went down the rabbit hole about 11 years ago.

It varies by expedition. Some companies only take experienced climbers. Others take anyone and teach basic skills as base camp such as using ice cleats and poles.

Look up Nirmal Purja OP. He’s a Nepalese/naturalised British climber who amongst other things lead the first winter ascent of K2.

There's a new method of climbing acclimatisation that is meant to cut the time down to about a week. Apparently the first group plan to go up this spring. I can't help think it sounds monumentally stupid.

I'm in awe of Everest itself and the earliest climbers. Not the stupid wealthy tourist climbers who take advantage of the Sherpas and treat it like a theme park.

Xenon gas is what they're using to try and climb it in just a week. Don't want the wealthy to have to take more than a week off work and inconvenience themselves do we........

They have just increased the price of a climbing permit substantially.

Hopefully this will cut the number of climbers which will make it safer.

Queueing for hours in subzero temperatures is what puts so many at risk. You need to keep moving at that elevation.

I don't have any sort of OCD but I often get really interested in things and watch and listen to as many documentaries and podcasts as possible. Everest was one of these and I too find it fascinating. I think the brave Sherpas need the rich people who come to Everest, without them they wouldn't have an income, but the amount of people attempting the climb should be capped. The Nepal government has just increased the cost of the licence needed to climb so that might slow demand down.

I watched a French film on Netflix called The Climb - I've been to the Everest region so it was great to see it on TV. It's based on Nadir Dendoune who climbed Everest without much experience.

https://maisonsensey.com/en/podcast-nadir-dendoune-the-trilogies-of-the-beautiful-01/

Not sure about the McDonalds but there is a Starbucks at Base Camp during the main season apparently