AIBU to be blown away by this? TW - Deaths on Everest.

[Chefpig]

I have read a news article about the person who died on Everest 30 years ago, known as Green Boots and wondered if his body would have been preserved by the snow and icy conditions up there. After some reading, I believe his body would not have decomposed and so his face will be the same, still in his late 40's. Forever young.

Crikey. Poor guy!

One of the well known TV adventurer types, was it Ant from the SAS shows ?filmed his own attempt at Everest (I think weather turned them back) and there was a scene where one climber they were talking to doesn"t know how to lace his boots up properly, they tell him he needs to go back but he ignores them.

What blows me away are the sheer number of people traipsing up Everest - there's footage where it looks like a queue. I wonder if it minimalises the amount of effort needed.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0k1xkllknmo

this story solidified my belief that you should never trust a climber

It seems a very extreme way to try and kill yourself.

OH, my. Into Thin Air is pure fiction.

For instance, pretty much everything John Krakauer said about Sandy Pittman turned out to be untrue - easily disproven by photos taken that day - but men do love blaming women for their own fuck-ups.

The author has gotten caught in so many lies he's had to re-write the book several times and is still getting debunked.

Michael Tracy's done a series of videos on the subject.

I thought it was hilarious. But perhaps not a joke? 😂

Loads of posters reacted to my post when I said it was funny!!

Most climbers are selfish and self-absorbed. I have watched so many documentaries Touching the Void, The Dawn Wall, Everest, Free Solo, Mehru, 14 Peaks and so on - and whilst they are fantastic, there is ALWAYS an element of selfishness about the people who climb - especially Everest. Little thought or care for those who are left worrying about them, under-prepared with no consideration for the people who will have to put their lives at risk during a rescue effort, pressure on Sherpa's to climb in less than ideal conditions and just a lot of "it was the ultimate goal" and "It was the one peak left" - all such macho bullshit.

There is also an accepted 'coldness' (excuse the pun) in climbing when it comes to leaving injured or deceased colleagues on mountains. Simon Yates for example, gave up on Joe Simpson in 'Touching the Void' - wrongly as it turned out.

But it's all about me me me

He was AWFUL about Anatoli Boukreev as well. The man was a hero, and he tried to cast him in a villian role.

I will say that those attempting Everest aren't necessarily climbers. It's not a technical climb, and the Sherpas string fixed ropes so everyone is just jumaring their way up.

It's obviously still very dangerous due to altitude and weather, but it's no K2.

A fact that blew me away was that more people have climbed Everest than have achieved a sub 4 minute mile. The two feats were first achieved at a similar time I believe.

In 1923, famed mountaineer George Mallory uttered one of the most famous quotes of all time when asked why he was attempting to summit Mount Everest. “Because it's there,” he said.

Many of the more recent Everest climbers have "summited Everest" in the same way I might be able "run" a mile in 03:59 minutes if I wore roller skates and hung onto the back of someone's moped. 😆

Alison Hargreaves was at least an accomplished professional climber. Most of these twats on Everest are tech bros, high earning doctors etc just doing it because they have enough money to throw at it.

I can't pretend to know much about this, but I can't understand the point of doing it if you don't do much of the climbing yourself...where is the achievement? I can sort of understand experienced climbers who've trained hard for it wanting to do it but why do it if you're going to be practically carried up? And littering the place? Poor Sherpas!! It does indeed seem very selfish and pointless!

More people have been to the moon than the deepest ocean trench. (Because it's easier).

I find these Everest summiters similar to the idiots in the Titan submersible (the 19 year old pressured to go by his dad excepted). Total self centred over rich twats who would be better finding a sense of real purpose than doing something so risky, that doesn’t matter, and no one really cares about. Again other people risked their own safety trying to help them when their stupid endeavour predictably went tits up.

I recommend ‘Into Thin Air’ by Jon Krakauer about a famous failed commercial expedition in the 1990s that went disastrously wrong when the weather changed after they reached the summit. I learned for the first time about all the bodies up there. What possesses people to do these climbs and put all those sherpas’ lives in peril? Completely shocking.

Didn't Green Boots die in the same event? Second this though, it's a great book. They made a film about it too with Keira Knightley.

Freezer burn.

@CliantheLang- that was an interesting video but I can’t find parts 2 and 3. Were they ever posted on YouTube?

My thoughts exactly. Pure vanity.

’I climbed Everest’. Except you didnt. You needed guided help, people to carry you/things, oxygen etc.

That would be like saying I completed a marathon. Except someone carried me the last 10 miles.

I've read that! Dated but quite funny, I thought.

6 months is past the point of viability to this was technically manslaughter. That baby could've survived outside of her body if she only didn't risk both their lives to boost own ego. Just shocking