Mt. Everest....

[tharbert]

Guy names Apa has crested Everest 21 times.

[Dantilla]

While I used to have an inkling that it would be cool to climb Everest someday, reading Jon Krakauer's book about the storm and multiple deaths in 1996 convinced me that I have no business there.

I recently read that there is now cell service on Everest. That completely killed any desire for me.
I like wilderness with solitude- Not bumping into other people.

Scott Fischer, one of the guides who perished in 1996 was a friend of a friend. His sherpa, Lopsong, left Nepal for the first time in his life to attend Scott's funeral in Seattle. While he was here, I took him up in my little airplane, and flew over the Olympics and Cascades. While nothing more than speed bumps to a guy who lives at 13,000 feet, it was a neat experience for both him and I.

Lopsong has since lost his life in an avalanche.

The Himalayas are no place for a weekend hiker like me.

[Drisump]

I've been to Nepal and trekked to 18,000 ft on a couple of occasions. In doing so I have witnessed some of the extreme downsides of adventure tourism. Guides, even good ones primary job is to allow the client to achieve the goal that has been set out....in this case, summiting Everest. Convention is that if you're not standing on the peak at noon, turn around. But nowadays there are actual traffic jams at the Hillary step from which it is a very short trip to the top. People have been in line for hours waiting to get to the top. It seems that more often than not, the fatalities are on the way down, people summiting too late or burning up all their oxygen/energy reserves just getting to the top. Because the summit can only be reached a handful of days a year, the push for the top is often results in large amounts of people setting out from camp four at the same time.... and getting to the bottlenecks at the same time. Anyway, you would think that people that weren't on the summit by noon (after passing all those frozen bodies), they would respect their situation and retreat. Being a type A doesn't always carry the day....Even if it's not a highly technical climb, it's still fricking high. Cheers

[flatbutt]

It is only my opinion but if I were a guide I like to think that I'd refuse to take people over the age of 50 on such an expedition. Taking people in their 60's and 70's is just stupid. IMHO

[dan79brooklyn]

I don't think age has too much to do with it:

73-year-old becomes oldest woman to climb Mount Everest

Seventy-three year old Tamae Watanabe broke her own record and became the oldest female in the world to conquer Mount Everest. She first scaled the tallest mountain in the world in 2002 when she was 63.

73-year-old becomes oldest woman to climb Mount Everest - NY Daily News

[widgeon13]

My wife's sister climbed (made the summit) Gasherbrum I about 20 years ago. She was the only female in the group of ten climbers, it took six weeks. They needed 250 sherpa to get all the equipment to the various camps. She gives an absolutely amazing slide presentation about the trip.

When she was enroute to Pakistan she traveled through JFK airport and met my wife (her sister) and gave her her last will and testament before departing the country. That's when we all knew it was very serious business.

Good for her but not my cup of tea. I'll take military assignment in a combat zone any day.

[Dottore]

Originally Posted by Drisump

I've been to Nepal and trekked to 18,000 ft on a couple of occasions. In doing so I have witnessed some of the extreme downsides of adventure tourism. Guides, even good ones primary job is to allow the client to achieve the goal that has been set out....in this case, summiting Everest. Convention is that if you're not standing on the peak at noon, turn around. But nowadays there are actual traffic jams at the Hillary step from which it is a very short trip to the top. People have been in line for hours waiting to get to the top. It seems that more often than not, the fatalities are on the way down, people summiting too late or burning up all their oxygen/energy reserves just getting to the top. Because the summit can only be reached a handful of days a year, the push for the top is often results in large amounts of people setting out from camp four at the same time.... and getting to the bottlenecks at the same time. Anyway, you would think that people that weren't on the summit by noon (after passing all those frozen bodies), they would respect their situation and retreat. Being a type A doesn't always carry the day....Even if it's not a highly technical climb, it's still fricking high. Cheers

Yes its crazy. I've been to Katmandu a couple of time and watched the group leaders argue about time slots etc. Of course there are permits involved and a lot of baksheesh. But its the holy grail for climbers and there seems to be an endless number willing to pay $75k +\- to be taken to the top. I'm told by a serious climber friend that 80 percent of the people that climb Everest really have no business being there. But money talks.

[VINMAN]

Climbing has become a complete joke. I started climbing back in the early 80's.( rock, ice) back then, it was still a purist thing. Very few did it. It wasnt popular.
Rock climbing was still something that had some sense of solitude. Then in the 90's it became a "sport". Which basically ruined it. Used to be able to go to one of the local crags and maybe see 2 or 4 other climbers all day, now you have to wait in line to get a turn at a certain route. Same thing with verticle ice.

Alpine climbing was even more of a rare thing, Ive never done any Himalayan level stuff, just climbs here, Rainier, Hood, Tetons, Washington. Had a Denali climb planned but had to cancel it due to lack of time off. The big peaks were only climbed by the elite guys back then. Messner, Bonnington, Scott, Haston, Whittaker, Lowe etc..... Then all of a sudden for some reason it became a trendy yuppie thing. Which again, destroyed the purity of it. Mountaineering now is all about "first ascents" who is the oldest, youngest, blind, crippled, tallest, shortest, LBGT, whoever... to climb a peak.
As far as Everest goes, it isnt even close to being the most technical peak , especially the "tourist route". Anyone is any kind of good physical help can pretty much be carried up now. and claim to have "conquered" it. These "guide services" have basically trashed the moutain. ( although there have been a few expeditions to perform major cleanups).

Just another thing ive always enjoyed, but now hate because of becoming mainstreamed.

[masraum]

I was curious so I did a little crude research. At the time, I found that about 10000 people had made it to the summit and about 1000 had died trying. 10% is what I consider really crappy odds, especially when I suspect any group that goes up probably consists of at least 10 people.

[widgeon13]

Originally Posted by VINMAN

Climbing has become a complete joke. I started climbing back in the early 80's.( rock, ice) back then, it was still a purist thing. Very few did it. It wasnt popular.
Rock climbing was still something that had some sense of solitude. Then in the 90's it became a "sport". Which basically ruined it. Used to be able to go to one of the local crags and maybe see 2 or 4 other climbers all day, now you have to wait in line to get a turn at a certain route. Same thing with verticle ice.

Alpine climbing was even more of a rare thing, Ive never done any Himalayan level stuff, just climbs here, Rainier, Hood, Tetons, Washington. Had a Denali climb planned but had to cancel it due to lack of time off. The big peaks were only climbed by the elite guys back then. Messner, Bonnington, Scott, Haston, Whittaker, Lowe etc..... Then all of a sudden for some reason it became a trendy yuppie thing. Which again, destroyed the purity of it. Mountaineering now is all about "first ascents" who is the oldest, youngest, blind, crippled, tallest, shortest, LBGT, whoever... to climb a peak.
As far as Everest goes, it isnt even close to being the most technical peak , especially the "tourist route". Anyone is any kind of good physical help can pretty much be carried up now. and claim to have "conquered" it. These "guide services" have basically trashed the moutain. ( although there have been a few expeditions to perform major cleanups).

Just another thing ive always enjoyed, but now hate because of becoming mainstreamed.

Dead on, well said!

[VINMAN]

The two best books on Everest are

Everest: Southwest face

Everest the Hard Way

Both by Chris Bonnington. Southwest Face was the book that started my interest in climbing. I found it sitting in a garbage pail when I was in Scout camp. I still have that same book 34 yrs later. One of my cherished possesions.

[LakeCleElum]

A professor that lives in my town was part of this recent debacle. He survived. Article describes the delay and "Choke Point" getting down out of the "Death Zone":

CWU professor assists Mount Everest climbers | Yakima Herald-Republic

[cmccuist]

How long before a hedge fund manager or Beverly Hills plastic surgeon will be able to strap on his leathers and ride his Harley to the summit?

It seems like the Sherpas do all the work and basically drag these fools to the top.

[Tishabet]

Originally Posted by VINMAN

Climbing has become a complete joke. I started climbing back in the early 80's.( rock, ice) back then, it was still a purist thing. Very few did it. It wasnt popular.
Rock climbing was still something that had some sense of solitude. Then in the 90's it became a "sport". Which basically ruined it. Used to be able to go to one of the local crags and maybe see 2 or 4 other climbers all day, now you have to wait in line to get a turn at a certain route. Same thing with verticle ice.

Alpine climbing was even more of a rare thing, Ive never done any Himalayan level stuff, just climbs here, Rainier, Hood, Tetons, Washington. Had a Denali climb planned but had to cancel it due to lack of time off. The big peaks were only climbed by the elite guys back then. Messner, Bonnington, Scott, Haston, Whittaker, Lowe etc..... Then all of a sudden for some reason it became a trendy yuppie thing. Which again, destroyed the purity of it. Mountaineering now is all about "first ascents" who is the oldest, youngest, blind, crippled, tallest, shortest, LBGT, whoever... to climb a peak.
As far as Everest goes, it isnt even close to being the most technical peak , especially the "tourist route". Anyone is any kind of good physical help can pretty much be carried up now. and claim to have "conquered" it. These "guide services" have basically trashed the moutain. ( although there have been a few expeditions to perform major cleanups).

Just another thing ive always enjoyed, but now hate because of becoming mainstreamed.

Former mountain guide here (though never anything as big as Himalayas, craziest I ever for was the alps) and I cannot agree more with this post. The sport guys have really taken over what used to be "my" thing, everyone shows up with gym skills and cannot figure out why i would go trad. Same goes for more pedestrian (pun intended) pursuits like backpacking.

[shinrai]

'thought this was pretty cool.....everest in a bazillion pixels...

https://s3.amazonaws.com/Gigapans/EBC_Pumori_050112_8bit_FLAT/EBC_Pumori_050112_8bit_FLAT.html

you can zoom in on the climbers/camps etc.
needless to say incredible.
here's a map for those who've never seen the way up.....

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MH6jhudoj_c/TloZX1mQVCI/AAAAAAAAAAo/Fq9yP9hQw2U/s1600/elevationBig.jpeg

[BeyGon]

I have a woman friend in Hermosa Beach that has been to base camp three times, she went this year, while she was gone I saw reports of the plane crash and others that died. I was glad to hear from her when she got back. She said this was the last time for her, even base camp is quite a trek, she said she is too old. I guess lots of people go just to get to base camp, as high as you can go without permits and the $. I believe she is the "pack in - pack out type".
She and a woman friend went up Kilimanjaro 20 years ago, she hasn't done that one again.

[VaSteve]

I read somewhere but didn't see it posted here....once you are in the death zone you pretty much make a deal with yourself that it really is almost do or die. F that. Crazy, not for me thanks.

[Rtrorkt]

Read "Into Thin Air" by Krakauer

[alf]

Went to base camp with my son and brother a couple of years ago. Off season, we were the only people there. Landcruser all the way there, except for the last 100m, and that was a trek since we were not yet acclimated. Beautiful place and yes, we got 5 bars on the cell phone thanks to China Mobile.