• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

4 die on Mt Everest after reaching Summit

Bateluer

Bateluer

Lifer
http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/21/world/asia/everest-deaths/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

Four people died while coming down the southern slope of the mountain during the weekend after reaching Mount Everest's 8848-meter (29,028 foot) summit, officials said.

The victims have been identified as Ebehard Schaaf, 61, a German medical doctor; Sriya Shah, 33, a Nepali-born Canadian woman; Song Wondin, a 44-year-old man from South Korea; and Wen Ryi Ha, 55, of China, according to officials with the tourism and civil aviation ministry and at the base of the mountain.
Click to expand...

And the comments at the bottom, usually showcasing the dumbest people can get and still have a pulse, really make me sick.

"Spoiled rich kids."
"Should have donated the 50K it took for this to the local village.'
"Its been done before, why bother?"

In their defense, it takes a lot of effort and training, personal motivation, skill, and dedication to even attempt to climb any mountain. The mere fact that these people had the courage to try makes them better than 99% of the people posting comments in the article.

Also

n Saturday a 73-year-old Japanese woman, Tamae Watanabe, had climbed the mountain from the northern side on the Tibet-China border to become the oldest woman on the summit.
Click to expand...

Better than 99% of people anywhere.
 
Bateluer said:
http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/21/world/asia/everest-deaths/index.html?hpt=hp_t1



In their defense, it takes a lot of effort and training, personal motivation, skill, and dedication to even attempt to climb any mountain. The mere fact that these people had the courage to try makes them better than 99% of the people posting comments in the article.
Click to expand...

That used to be true. Now it's pretty much just tourism. The Sherpas lug up the equipment, the Sherpas set ladders over the crevasses and affix safety ropes. The Sherpas carry up the oxygen bottles. The Sherpas make the camp and cook the food. The "climbers" walk on a marked, sanitized trail. And the comments are right. Thanks to tour operators and bottled oxygen that type of mountain climbing is just a hobby for bored rich people.
 
They may be 99% better than me, but i'm 100% more alive.


Anyone in half assed shape and 50K can do Everest now.
 
As a moderately experienced backpacker and beginner mountaineer, I understand the need to do something spectacular. Climbing gets in your blood, and the adrenaline is out of this world.

Having said that, I am comfortable bouncing around Colorado 14ers and the mountains of the Northwest. No way in hell would I put my life in that kind of risk to satisfy my own desires. I think Everest and other risky objectives is selfish. Not only do those climbers leave behind families and friends, but they risk lives of the local search and rescue teams.
 
grohl said:
As a moderately experienced backpacker and beginner mountaineer, I understand the need to do something spectacular. Climbing gets in your blood, and the adrenaline is out of this world.

Having said that, I am comfortable bouncing around Colorado 14ers and the mountains of the Northwest. No way in hell would I put my life in that kind of risk to satisfy my own desires. I think Everest and other risky objectives is selfish. Not only do those climbers leave behind families and friends, but they risk lives of the local search and rescue teams.
Click to expand...

I agree. Saw a news special on Everest and its victims, and all the children left behind without parents. Sad. 🙁
 
HendrixFan said:
Part of the reason there are so many deaths (relatively) on Everest is that so many inexperienced people go up there as some sort of midlife crisis thing.
Click to expand...

Because getting that corvette convertible just isn't good enough to satisfy the ego anymore. You gotta do something "extraordinary" where none of your friends got the balls to do, so you can teabag them when you come back from your Everest trip.
 
grohl said:
As a moderately experienced backpacker and beginner mountaineer, I understand the need to do something spectacular. Climbing gets in your blood, and the adrenaline is out of this world.

Having said that, I am comfortable bouncing around Colorado 14ers and the mountains of the Northwest. No way in hell would I put my life in that kind of risk to satisfy my own desires. I think Everest and other risky objectives is selfish. Not only do those climbers leave behind families and friends, but they risk lives of the local search and rescue teams.
Click to expand...

mountain climbing is just dumb. what happens when your mid-climb and have to poop? how do you relieve yourself? do you guys wear diapers while climbing? i'm going through midlife crisis and would never want to climb a stupid mountain.
 
My uncle used to do a lot of mountain climbing. He never did Everest, but he climbed in the Alps and Alaska. The last mountain he attempted was McKinley/Denali. They got half way up and a wicked storm closed in. They sheltered in place and survived. Another group that that tried to push on through the storm (not affiliated with his group) lost a couple members. He decided he was done after that.
 
Why not create a pressurised shaft to the top of everest and have a motorized lift so people can just go to the top and back down.
 
I too wanna die trying to get to place where literally thousands of people have been before me. Yay midlife crisis.

thread_backfire.gif
 
Last edited:
Bateluer said:
http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/21/world/asia/everest-deaths/index.html?hpt=hp_t1



And the comments at the bottom, usually showcasing the dumbest people can get and still have a pulse, really make me sick.

"Spoiled rich kids."
"Should have donated the 50K it took for this to the local village.'
"Its been done before, why bother?"

In their defense, it takes a lot of effort and training, personal motivation, skill, and dedication to even attempt to climb any mountain. The mere fact that these people had the courage to try makes them better than 99% of the people posting comments in the article.

Also

Better than 99% of people anywhere.
Click to expand...

That comment would carry more weight if, oh, I don't know... they were still alive? :sneaky:

Not sure the point of this post. You want to kill yourself on a mountain, be my guest, but don't expect me to give a shit. 😛
 
My biggest gripe with the Everest extreme/adventure/tourism thing is the mounds of stuff left behind at the camps. I don't know if any progress has been made cleaning it up, but a film I saw a few years ago was pretty shocking. Literally piles of spent bottles, ripped up tents, rope, and not a few corpses.

As far as the people who died, the only civilized reaction is to be sorry that it happened. At the same time, it's not like someone getting hit by a truck. They hung it out there, and nature bit it off.
 
Markbnj said:
My biggest gripe with the Everest extreme/adventure/tourism thing is the mounds of stuff left behind at the camps. I don't know if any progress has been made cleaning it up, but a film I saw a few years ago was pretty shocking. Literally piles of spent bottles, ripped up tents, rope, and not a few corpses.

As far as the people who died, the only civilized reaction is to be sorry that it happened. At the same time, it's not like someone getting hit by a truck. They hung it out there, and nature bit it off.
Click to expand...

that's a good point. also consider the miles of shit piled up in antarctica that will never get cleaned up.
 
Bah, real men climb Annapurna:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annapurna_I

As of 2007, there had been 153 summit ascents of Annapurna I, and 58 climbing fatalities on the mountain.[6] This fatality-to-summit ratio (38%) is the highest of any of the eight-thousanders.
Click to expand...

D:

In all seriousness I'm sorry for the people who died, but they knew the risks they were taking. Climbing enormous mountains isn't my thing but I can understand the desire to do it.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top