If given a chance to climb Everest, would you do it?

[DaWhim]

recently, I finished a book called into thin air. after that, I don't think I want to try Everest.

the dangers of Everest include avalanches, crevasses, ferocious winds up to 125 mph, sudden storms, temperatures of 40°F below zero, and oxygen deprivation. In the ?death zone??above 25,000 feet?the air holds only a third as much oxygen as at sea level, heightening the chances of hypothermia, frostbite, high-altitude pulmonary edema (when the lungs fatally fill with fluid) and high-altitude cerebral edema (when the oxygen-starved brain swells up). Even when breathing bottled oxygen, climbers experience extreme fatigue, impaired judgment and coordination, headaches, nausea, double vision, and sometimes hallucinations. Expeditions spend weeks, sometimes months, acclimatizing, and usually attempt Everest only in May and October, avoiding the winter snows and the summer monsoons.

Between 1921 and 1999, Everest has been climbed by more than 900 people from twenty countries. More than 150 have lost their lives, the odds being one-in-six of not making it down alive. The dead are left where they perish because the effects of the altitude make it nearly impossible to drag bodies off the mountain. Those ascending Everest pass through an icy graveyard littered with remnants of old tents and equipment, empty oxygen canisters, and frozen corpses.

 

[FoBoT]

no thanks

maybe if they make it a Wii game, that might be cool

 

[Balt]

Losing fingers/toes/nose to frostbite just doesn't sound fun to me.

 

[Jeff7]

Nope. No point, really. Doesn't sound like much fun either. If I want a shot at dying of hypothermia, I'll wait until the dead of winter here in Erie, PA. Lowest recorded temperature was -18F, and it does tend to get fairly windy here. For oxygen deprivation, a plastic bag over my head would work. If I want hallucinations, there are always drugs.
There's also plenty of lab equipment on campus. I could crush my head with a compression/tension testing machine, have fun in the biology labs, or confirm the acceleration of gravity by jumping off of the steeple of the chapel.

Those ascending Everest pass through an icy graveyard littered with remnants of old tents and equipment, empty oxygen canisters, and frozen corpses.

Ah good, you don't need to bring along your own tents or extra food.

 

[SlitheryDee]

But it's there...

 

[yankeesfan]

I'd rather take an elevator.

 

[Kalvin00]

I love Into Thin Air

Such a good book But no, I probably wouldn't try..

 

[dartworth]

I read that book..:thumbsup:

Krakauer is a good story teller...

 

[DainBramaged]

I hate being cold. No thanks.

 

[KDOG]

Sounds cool though, I'd like to see how far I could get....

 

[uberman]

I've trekked in the Himilayas in October, a great time to see the mountains, clear cold skys. I've taken shelter in a teahouse near Anapurna during a snowstorm. I awoke in the morning to watch the sun rise and turn Anapurna red.

By the time my fingers got my camera out from under my clothes the red had turned to white. Cameras must be kept under clothes, film freezes. But, I did get my pic in front of Annapurna in the snow near Ghoropani.

 

[StrangerGuy]

Only if there is a teleporter to the summit.

 

[sponge008]

I see it as an amazing way to test my limits...maybe someday, iron will do for now .

 

[50cent1228]

hell yes i would love to try it

 

[uberman]

When I hiked the Grand Canyon my buddy went ahead to the top and I plodded along with another guy. They stood at the top yelling at us that there was ice cold beer at the bar atop the Bright Angel Trail.

That gave us more energy to get there and enlighten our friends that the pretzels were free. We're all hungry after a hike.

 

[johnjbruin]

isnt this analogous to "If given the chance, would you commit suicide?"

 

[Conky]

Originally posted by: johnjbruin
isnt this analogous to "If given the chance, would you commit suicide?"

Pretty much.

Besides, if I want to freeze my ass off I don't have to climb a mountain to do it. :laugh:

 

[BrunoPuntzJones]

I've been kinda turned off on it once I started watching that Everest thing on the Discovery Channel.

I always pictured it as this desolate wasteland no man can survive. A true test of the limit of man.

Then watching the show found out there are people that live and work on the mountain. Skinny wirey folk from that area that are adapted to that sort of living. They go and set up tents, put the oxygen bottles up, etc. for the climbers.

Kinda took the impressiveness out of it for me. Seeing camps of hundreds of people. I mean it's still hard as hell and not something most people can do, but seeing people who have jobs just helping other people climb was

 

[Elderly Newt]

Besides the fact that I'm not sure if I could, I'd still say no.

 

[Juno]

oh hell no...not even a slim chance!

 

[LaBang]

I'd have to think long and hard about it. Likely the answer would be no, but it depends on the opportunity. I have two friends that have summited, and I climb mountains and am an avid outdoors person. But Everest is a dangerous zoo. I'm not sure I'd go. And at the moment, I have no desire to.

 

[xanis]

Great book, but I don't think I would ever do it. Too much risk involved, and if I wanted to go climb a mountain and be cold doing it, I'll go hit up the Poconos in Northern PA.

 

[uberman]

Originally posted by: DaWhim
recently, I finished a book called into thin air. after that, I don't think I want to try Everest.

When I trekked in the Himalayas many people were motivated by this book, you might find it interesting, "The Snow Leopard."

Link For The Lazy

 

[DrPizza]

Depends... if there was a top-notch doctor there who examined me after I acclimated to the conditions, and stated that I was in phenomenol condition to attempt to summit, then sure. If I was having even the slightest trouble acclimating to the altitude, then heck no. I've climbed one relatively significant mountain in NY's adirondacks... The view was absolutely incredible.

 

[CKent]

God no, what's the point?