AIBU to wonder why the Everest climbing party became so spread out?

[JohnnyFedora]

The Sherpa that lasted 6 days on mount Everest alone is fascinating. Mostly because, why would a group of 3 be so far apart?

The man in the article says he passed Dawa and went ahead "50-100m"... And the third guy in the party was even further ahead.

Is it normal to separate the party when in such a dangerous environment??

I can't understand why the third unnamed hiker was so far ahead? Especially as it was in the "death zone"?

I haven’t read about this but the Sherpas are incredible!

It isn't hugely uncommon.

They were on the descent, so likely exhausted and running low on oxygen etc. I saw a statement put out by one of the climbers - he said that Dawa Sherpa had sat down to rest his back as he was carrying a lot. He went on ahead as he was low on oxygen and needed to get down quickly or risk his own life. It really can be every man for himself when you're up that high.

Dawa Sherpa's wife has been very critical of the rescue operation (or lack thereof...) pointing out that if it was an overseas climber the government would have done much more to help.

And she's right.

Five deaths on Everest this year, three of which were Sherpas. I know in Nepal mountaineering contributes a huge amount to the economy but something more needs to be done to protect the Sherpas who are doing the bulk of the work and make it possible for people to climb (not just on Everest, which I have very mixed feelings about) but throughout the Himalayas.

Probably depends on a load of factors. Surely there isn't any reason why Everest practicalities and tactics should be intuitive to non-climbers.

I think it’s a very selfish ego driven thing to attempt and I’m certain it’s mostly men.

I’ve read “into thin air” so I’m now an expert in mountaineering 😂

Anyway from reading that book there are a lot of Everest summiters just doing it as an ego trip just because they’ve got lots of money. Some people are good climbers, some less so, some are dragged up by Sherpa pretty much. There are such a range of abilities and people make what seems like very irrational decisions due to the lack of oxygen and combined with fatigue. In the book I mentioned, the author describes several point on summit day where he had to wait a long time for his party to catch him up.

This was in the news just a few days ago. I noticed it when browsing.

First Afghan woman summits Mount Everest (cnn.com)

Plenty of women climb it. And die trying to climb it.

This is very much my view after reading the book I mentioned. See also - the twats who went on the Titan submersible (19 year old boy excepted).

The best part of climbing Everest is you don't have to.

There are many many more men who climb it and the women tend to be seasoned and experienced climbers. The Silicon Valley millionaires:rich doctors looking for a hobby are mainly men

I'd be sooooo embarrassed to climb Everest as a rich-person thing. It is peak tourism in two senses: tourism on a peak but also the absolute peak of all the marketised tourist-industry 'experience day' simulacra of just being in a location and encountering it directly.

On the upside, though, actually dying on the mountain, which happens to quite a lot of the people who purchase the Everest Experience, does have something of the real about it. Very authentic.

Yes and they almost always leave a wife and young children back at home while they bugger off risking life and limb

It’s not all men. Alison Hargreaves died descending from K2 leaving two young children.

Ok. The ratio tells all though doesn’t it.

I judge her too anyway

I judge the men and women. I don’t think mountaineering compares with the forces, or being an astronaut or even a deep sea saturation diver, because those are actual jobs that have a general benefit to humanity, while mountaineering is just an extreme hobby when it comes down to it.

There are approximately 200 bodies littering the slopes of Everest - too difficult, risky and expensive to recover them and it really is every person for themselves up there.
I don’t understand the appeal- it’s been climbed thousands of times, it’s filthy and crowded. Far nicer climbs exist for the “amateur” climber to challenge themselves with and if you love the high mountain environment there are just as beautiful and less commercialised places to go.

I judge all of them. Bunch of selfish twats with too much money doing it for nothing but an ego trip/cock waggling, trashing the environment and the exploitation of a poorer country/Sherpa by the more wealthy. Human beings aren’t meant to be above 8000 metres it’s incredibly dangerous. If I met anyone who had climbed Everest I certainly wouldn’t be impressed, I’d think they were a twat.

K2 is more dangerous but at least attracts more serious proper mountaineers due to its difficulty and inaccessibility compared to Everest

This is the worst publicity stunt I've ever seen. Do they genuinely think any of the girls and women suffering now in Afghanistan will actually give a shit that they sent a female up Everest? How does this one woman on the summit have any direct impact on the quality of life in her country?

It’s not even impressive anymore is it? Im definitely not impressed. I feel sorry for any Sherpas who lose their lives helping these people.

Actually, she lives in ozz. She done it as a protest against the Taliban. She done it to show that Afghan women can do things. She is an anti Taliban activist.