Everest Spring 2012 Disaster - All of this has happened before

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The Something Awful Forums > Main > General Bullshit > Everest Spring 2012 Disaster - All of this has happened before

THE LUMMOX: Nov 29, 2004

Dozens of climbers set out towards the summit last weekend, just some of the 300 climbers attempting the Southeast Ridge route this year.

Descending from the summit on Saturday

I was surprised there was no thread about this yet because I remember the previous Everest thread getting pretty long lots of people were interested.

So the 2012 season is off to a disastrous start with 4 people confirmed dead as well as a couple of near misses

Let's start with the first part of the best writeup I could find online, done by Outside Magazine which many of you will remember was the publication that sent Jon Kraukauer on one of the core expeditions in the infamous 1996 disaster which was immortalized in Into Thin Air which I would definitely recommend to anyone.

Full Story Here

Outside Online Magazine posted:

"THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I've seen it like this," says Onzchhu Sherpa, 31. Starting on the night of May 18 and going through the 20th, roughly 300 climbers, guides, and Sherpas crowded onto the upper slopes of Everest's Southeast Ridge. From the 19,000-foot shoulder of a neighboring peak, where I was watching, Everest appeared to be lit up like a Christmas tree with the headlamps of climbers converging from the mountain's north and south sides.

Onzchhu, Dawa Dendi Sherpa, and Temba Sherpa, along with their clients from outfitter Happy Feet had started out from the South Col, at 7,900 meters, at 8:30 p.m. on the 18th. Among their clients was Shriya Shah, a 33-year-old Canadian citizen who was originally from Nepal. Also climbing on the same permit were 16-year-old Nima Chhamzi Sherpa and her father, Dendi, 39, a climbing guide who'd already summited three times. Nima had climbed Lobuche (20,075 feet) the previous autumn, and was now on holiday from school trying to become the youngest woman to climb Everest.

Gradually, Nima and her father drifted ahead, summiting just after noon on May 19th. Despite their relatively late summit time, below them was a long string of other climbers, unwilling to quit. At the South Summit, just before 2 p.m., Nima and Dendi came across Shah, in her red-and-white down suit emblazoned with the Canadian maple leaf. With her were Temba and Dawa Dendi. Nima and Dendi urged Shah to turn back. By that point, she wasn't speaking, but was still signaling aggressively that she wanted to keep going up. Temba and Dawa Dendi had already been urging her to turn around. As Dawa Dendi and Onzchhu later recalled for me when I spoke to them earlier this afternoon at Happy Feet's camp, she'd repeatedly told Temba and Dawa Dendi, "No, I have to go; I have to go."

The two groups parted ways. Nima and her father headed down, while Shah and her Sherpas continued up and, according to Dawa Dendi, made the summit sometime after 2:30 p.m. on the 19th. By 9:30 p.m., they'd descended to the Balcony—where the route first hits the edge of the Southeast Ridge—at which point Shah's last oxygen bottle ran out, and she began to falter. She'd consumed nine bottles over the course of her climb, according to Happy Feet's Base Camp manager, Rishi Raj Kandel.

Temba and Dawa Dendi rigged up a rescue rope and attempted to lower her down the Triangular Face, the last major slope before descending climbers reach the safety of Camp IV, at 7,900 meters on the South Col. But at 10 p.m, still with climbers behind her, she collapsed a few meters away from the body of guide Scott Fischer, who died during the Everest 1996 disaster. Her Sherpas couldn't revive her. Dawa Dendi took the camera from Shah’s pocket—the same one she'd used to record her summit photos only hours before. The following day, he returned and photographed her body. Only a few eerie frames separate the triumphant summit photos and the crumpled figure draped in a Canadian flag.

UNFORTUNATELY, SHAH’S WASN’T the only death on the mountain. In all, over the course of the last several days, four climbers, possibly five, have died. Chinese Ha Wenyi, 55, who was climbing with Mountain Experience was found dead just below Shah on the Triangular face. German doctor Eberhard Schaaf, climbing with Asian Trekking, likely succumbed to high-altitude cerebral edema and died between the Hillary Step and South Summit. Both their bodies, along with Shah’s, have been roughly identified based on the colors of their suits, boots, and packs.

Then there’s the still unraveling case of Korean Song Wonbin. On May 19th, the 45-year-old from the Seoul National University team became combative and disoriented (eating snow). According to several credible reports, he likely fell over the edge of the mountain. Song was apparently wearing an orange suit, but no one I’ve talked to has yet to confirm an orange-suited body has been located. Instead, there appears to be a dead, and as-of-yet-unidentified climber in a yellow suit. Even more confounding is the fact that no climbing team here is currently missing a team member or employee. (It's possible that the climber in the yellow suit was attempting to climb Everest on his own, and was not a part of any team; given the condition of the body, it's highly unlikely that the climber died during a previous year.) As to whether or not the yellow-suited body could be the body of Song, I’m still not sure. Several sources I spoke with are pretty convinced that this isn’t a case of mistaken climbing suit color, i.e. the suit is definitely yellow and not orange.

At this point, until Song’s body is located, and/or the climber in the yellow suit is positively identified, we still don’t know if four or five people climbers have died over the course of the past several days. (A Czech climber also died earlier today, the 21st, high on neighboring peak, Lhotse.)

Seriously, read the whole thing!

The Guardian Everest 'traffic jam' could happen again, Nepal officials say

Honestly, as I read this my jaw dropped. It is exactly the same thing as happened in 1996 but this time these people don't have a freak storm to blame. Apparently the recommended turn back time has been moved back to 11am (I seem to remember it was ~2pm in 1996) but still a bunch of people attempted to summit after 230. Then what happened? Well they got stuck in a traffic jam behind a whole bunch of climbers who have little business being in the death zone....ran out of oxygen and collapsed on the mountain.

That the Canadian girl collapsed and died right next to the body of Scott Fisher (who died in 1996) really says it all. Apparently the Korean guy went delirious and started eating snow before falling off the side of the mountain to his death. A Chinese Climber died on The Mountain Experience team which appears to be run by none other than Russel Brice of "Beyond The Limit" fame.

So we've got 4 people dead already and Nepalese officials predicting a similar incident later this week as the weather breaks again and other groups make attempts. One might think they just issue less climbing permits but Everest is Nepals golden egg and they don't seem to have a problem with letting people die avoidable deaths as long as the tourist dollars keep rolling (can't say I blame them).

Batmans dad posted:

You should probably read this: http://sometimes-interesting.com/20...-mount-everest/

Best post ever made in an Everest thread

when worlds collide posted:

As promised, here's the scans from the book. I hope I'm not breaking some law or something, if so, I'll remove them. But I'm going to assume that folks on kindle paid for their copy, and don't get these, so I'm helping people! Yeah, that's the ticket.

Click for super ultra hugenormous.

Map with locations of fatal events

Harris, one of the lost guides (wow that scan really came out horribly, sorry)

Surprising to see superhuman Sherpas taking a breather

Can't help but think of his last phone call. Sad.

This lady makes me sad too Did her family get her body down? I can't remember

Scott, the other guide

THE LUMMOX fucked around with this message at Jun 2, 2012 around 02:16

# ? May 23, 2012 12:08

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# ? May 23, 2013 20:36

Cartoon Man: Jan 31, 2004

All these deaths are horrible, but I am curious what is the success to death ratio? If thats answered in the links of the OP, I'm not able to read them until I get home from work.

# ? May 23, 2012 12:22

Blistex: Oct 30, 2003; "When I see someone tilting my tables, I shoot the Bastard. That's my policy!"

Ugh! These threads are equal parts fascinating and frustrating.

Get people, who are driven to scale the summit, have paid tens of thousands of dollars to get there, are being watched by dozens of other people, and who have already bragged to all their friends back home that they're going to scale the mountain. Add to that oxygen deprivation and you have the perfect recipe for people dying up there instead of saving their lives by turning back.

I'm also going to recommend people read "Into Thin Air" it really gives you a good idea what these people are facing and what they are thinking.

# ? May 23, 2012 12:22

oneof27: May 27, 2007; DSMtalker

I think the first picture in the OP says it all. I used to be fascinated with Everest climbers, but the pictures in the OP really make me lose sympathy for these people. I hate to sound callous, but it's pure hubris.

# ? May 23, 2012 12:38

Cluricaun: Jul 31, 2009; Bang.

I've been of the opinion since reading Into Thin Air that Nepal should really just close the mountain for good and this is just another argument in favor of that idea as far as I'm concerned. Either that or just build a damned escalator all the way up so that anyone can just ride the Carousel of Pointlessness since at this point summiting Everest is really not that special or unique anymore.

# ? May 23, 2012 12:41

Aphrodite: Jun 27, 2006; MUNCH
MUNCH
MUNCH
MUNCH
MUNCH

So wait, is the guy from 1996's body still there?

# ? May 23, 2012 12:44

THE LUMMOX: Nov 29, 2004

^^^Yes. Most bodies are not removed because it is basically impossible to do anything except a laboured zombie shuffle in the death zone.

Cluricaun posted:

I've been of the opinion since reading Into Thin Air that Nepal should really just close the mountain for good and this is just another argument in favor of that idea as far as I'm concerned. Either that or just build a damned escalator all the way up so that anyone can just ride the Carousel of Pointlessness since at this point summiting Everest is really not that special or unique anymore.

But it's in Nepal's economic interest to get as many people on the mountain in a season as they can.

# ? May 23, 2012 12:45

SumYungGui: Aug 9, 2003

That last picture is kind of depressing. Trash (and bodies) strewn everywhere. That's got to spoil the view from up top.

# ? May 23, 2012 12:46

Macintyre: May 6, 2006; Slow Rider

Aphrodite posted:

So wait, is the guy from 1996's body still there?

It's nearly impossible to pickup & drag people out of the death zone. If you drop up there, anywhere, you're basically left for dead.

# ? May 23, 2012 12:47

Aphrodite: Jun 27, 2006; MUNCH
MUNCH
MUNCH
MUNCH
MUNCH

Oh, I thought she got down to a safe zone before she died.

# ? May 23, 2012 12:49

RandomPauI: Nov 24, 2006

SumYungGui posted:

That last picture is kind of depressing. Trash (and bodies) strewn everywhere. That's got to spoil the view from up top.

There are dead bodies in that last picture?

# ? May 23, 2012 12:50

Batmans dad: Jun 27, 2008

Aphrodite posted:

So wait, is the guy from 1996's body still there?

You should probably read this: http://sometimes-interesting.com/20...-mount-everest/

# ? May 23, 2012 12:52

Nnep: Jun 17, 2007; 3-2 2-0

Aphrodite posted:

So wait, is the guy from 1996's body still there?

Just about everyone who has died on everest is still there, google green boots cave.

# ? May 23, 2012 12:54

Taliaquin: Dec 13, 2009; What does Oracle do on her day off?

Aphrodite posted:

So wait, is the guy from 1996's body still there?

Bodies from the 1920s are still there (creepily preserved by the freezing conditions).

Seeing all the stuff linked in the OP, including that statement in the Guardian about the climbers prepping to make their summit bids this weekend makes me think Saturday is not going to end well.

All this news should be sobering for climbers (I'm not a climber, I just imagine it would be), but at the same time, the people on the mountain have got to be feeling summit fever by now, and the lack of oxygen and the stress brought on by being in such a huge crowd will no doubt influence some really bad decisions.

I'm an awful person. My first thought at seeing the thread title was excitement at the prospect of another Everest book club, especially since I'm reading another Krakauer book right now.

VV I agree that your friend seems to have a made a good call. Glad he's all right. After all the Everest book clubbing here last year, I have tremendous respect for people who turn back when they know it's too risky to go on. It must take a lot of strength to make that call.

Taliaquin fucked around with this message at May 23, 2012 around 13:13

# ? May 23, 2012 13:07

Walked: Apr 14, 2003; A DAMN fine gentleman dahling

:sips brotein:

DAMN fine

I know a guy who was one of the expeditions that cancelled their bid to summit this year because of the conditions.

Turns out it was a probable good call. He is admittedly a bit disheartened on the financial front; and this expedition turned back before all this happened.

Havent had a chance to talk to him aside from hearing that he's safe and working his way homeward.

It's terrible when poo poo like this happens, but even worse when other people have the foresight that couldve prevented this, too.

edit:
http://www.rockandice.com/news/1960...t-too-dangerous
This is the original story from when he turned back. About two weeks before things went not so well for others.

Walked fucked around with this message at May 23, 2012 around 13:10

# ? May 23, 2012 13:08

THE LUMMOX: Nov 29, 2004

Batmans dad posted:

You should probably read this: http://sometimes-interesting.com/20...-mount-everest/

Wow this is a pro read. Added to the OP

# ? May 23, 2012 13:08

Ireland Sucks: May 16, 2004

Cartoon Man posted:

All these deaths are horrible, but I am curious what is the success to death ratio? If thats answered in the links of the OP, I'm not able to read them until I get home from work.

208 attempted it and 6 died so almost 3%. Historically the mountain has a 4-6% death rate, which I assume has improved in the recent years of highly paid tourist companies babysitting climbers using the latest gear.

Ireland Sucks fucked around with this message at May 23, 2012 around 13:12

# ? May 23, 2012 13:10

BattleMaster: Aug 14, 2000; Rodents of unusual size? I don't think they exist.

Blistex posted:

Ugh! These threads are equal parts fascinating and frustrating.

Get people, who are driven to scale the summit, have paid tens of thousands of dollars to get there, are being watched by dozens of other people, and who have already bragged to all their friends back home that they're going to scale the mountain. Add to that oxygen deprivation and you have the perfect recipe for people dying up there instead of saving their lives by turning back.

I'm also going to recommend people read "Into Thin Air" it really gives you a good idea what these people are facing and what they are thinking.

Everest is just as deadly as ever but there seems to be this perception that you can climb it as a fun vacation. For instance, one of the recent victims, Eberhard Schaaf, was 61 years old. Everest has killed young and healthy people, why didn't anyone dissuade him from trying to make the climb? Someone needs to be there to tell people that just because they have the money, it doesn't mean it's something they can necessarily do.

# ? May 23, 2012 13:11

wutheringbites: Nov 3, 2008

One of the things I found most unsettling, and didn't realise until I started reading, was how climbing Everest destroys you to the point where you can get false memories and hallucinations, and remember a bunch of things that didn't even happen, like conversations or the presence of a person who wasn't even there.

I know there have been a whole bunch of cases where people have pressed on despite being advised not to and it being too dangerous or late, and have then died- I've always wondered how much of that was desperation (wanting to have made it to the top after coming so far and spending so much) and how much was due to their mental faculties being so broken down that they can't calculate the risks anymore.

wutheringbites fucked around with this message at May 23, 2012 around 13:21

# ? May 23, 2012 13:14

Toriori: Jan 4, 2012; No Yanda's allowed

Batmans dad posted:

You should probably read this: http://sometimes-interesting.com/20...-mount-everest/

Man, that is nuts.

I wonder how well the bodies are preserved since they're somewhere so cold. Basically if you're face and entire body was covered, you'd be a mummy.

# ? May 23, 2012 13:17

Ireland Sucks: May 16, 2004

BattleMaster posted:

Everest is just as deadly as ever but there seems to be this perception that you can climb it as a fun vacation. For instance, one of the recent victims, Eberhard Schaaf, was 61 years old. Everest has killed young and healthy people, why didn't anyone dissuade him from trying to make the climb? Someone needs to be there to tell people that just because they have the money, it doesn't mean it's something they can necessarily do.

Young and healthy people are notorious for being more vulnerable to exhaustion in mountaineering than older people. They push themselves beyond their capabilities too fast and youth/fitness does nothing to prevent altitude sickness, the most severe form of which (cerebral oedema) being what killed him. Sure there are limits but as sports go, climbing is nice that it remains comparatively very accessible to experienced people who reach their 60s.

# ? May 23, 2012 13:21

kazmeyer: Jul 26, 2001; 'Cause we're the good guys.

wutheringbites posted:

One of the things I found most unsettling, and didn't realise until I started reading, was how climbing Everest destroys you to the point where you can get false memories and hallucinations, and remember a bunch of things that didn't even happen, like conversations or the presence of a person who wasn't even there.

I know there have been a whole bunch of cases where people have pressed on despite being advised not to and it being too dangerous or late, and have then died- I've always wondered how much of that was desperation (wanting to have made it to the top after coming so far and spending so much) and how much was due to their mental faculties being so broken down that they can't calculate the risks anymore.

Hypoxia. Basically, above a certain point, your brain begins to turn to pudding, and there's nothing you can do to stop it except either get up and get down before your dying brain cells render you a zombie or wake the gently caress up and turn the gently caress around.

And it's a combination of the two, definitely. A lot of the climbers who have died on Everest simply should have known better, but either due to financial pressure, hypoxia, or both, simply went on far longer than they should have and paid the price for it.

# ? May 23, 2012 13:26

WHERE IS MY COFFEE: Apr 22, 2009; WHO PUT THAT UP THERE
YOU GUYS ARE ASSHOLES

If I had $25,000, I think I'd spend it on doing something that hadn't been done before hundreds of times. People remember the first person to do this or that, not the oldest/youngest/purplest person. You can still get in the Guinness Book of World Records if you eat enough jelly beans; you don't have to become part of a cemetery for rich athletes.

# ? May 23, 2012 13:28

THE LUMMOX: Nov 29, 2004

Walked posted:

I know a guy who was one of the expeditions that cancelled their bid to summit this year because of the conditions.

Turns out it was a probable good call. He is admittedly a bit disheartened on the financial front; and this expedition turned back before all this happened.

Havent had a chance to talk to him aside from hearing that he's safe and working his way homeward.

It's terrible when poo poo like this happens, but even worse when other people have the foresight that couldve prevented this, too.

edit:
http://www.rockandice.com/news/1960...t-too-dangerous
This is the original story from when he turned back. About two weeks before things went not so well for others.

See this is super confusing because in that article it said that Russel Brice's company Himalayan Experience called off their expedition but if you read the Outside article in the OP as well as the link on Russel Brice's name in the OP, it shows that he owns another company called Mountain Experience which did make a summit attempt and the Chinese climber who died was on their team.

So either there are two Russel Brice's or he has his name on a company he doesn't actually run or....I dunno. It's confusing.

And a quote from that article to make your blood boil.

quote:

Schaffer also reports that rockfall struck the face of a Sherpa named Lhakpa Nuru, 26, working for Summit Climb. Melissa Arnot, a paramedic at Camp II, suspected a traumatic brain injury: Nuru's jaw was broken, his eye badly injured and he was disoriented. She recommended a helicopter rescue; however, Summit Climb's expedition leader, Arnold Coster, and the company's in-country agent, Everest Parivar Expeditions, said they had no money for the rescue and were refusing to front the $5,000 bill to get this injured Sherpa to a proper medical facility. "I told him to look me in the eye and tell me this guy's life isn't worth $5,000," said paramedic Melissa Arnot. Finally, after 45 minutes of negotiations, a helicopter was ordered and arrived, picking up Nuru and bringing him to Kathmandu.

THE LUMMOX fucked around with this message at May 23, 2012 around 13:53

# ? May 23, 2012 13:41

troubled teen: Aug 24, 2004; yay for me...kinda

THE LUMMOX posted:

See this is super confusing because in that article it said that Russel Brice's company Himalayan Experience called off their expedition but if you read the Outside article in the OP as well as the link on Russel Brice's name in the OP, it shows that he owns another company called Mountain Experience which did make a summit attempt and the Chinese climber who died was on their team.

So either there are two Russel Brice's or he has his name on a company he doesn't actually run or....I dunno. It's confusing.

And a quote from that article to make your blood boil.

I don't think Mountain Experience is Russel Brice's company...I think the confusion comes from that the current staff appears to be his former head Sherpas:

http://www.mountainexperience.com.np/content/staff.html

Phurba Tashi was the main Sherpa for all 3 of the seasons of the show.

# ? May 23, 2012 14:00

Fluffy Bunnies: Jan 9, 2009; Half Dog.

Half Horse.

All Awesome.

WHERE IS MY COFFEE posted:

If I had $25,000, I think I'd spend it on doing something that hadn't been done before hundreds of times. People remember the first person to do this or that, not the oldest/youngest/purplest person. You can still get in the Guinness Book of World Records if you eat enough jelly beans; you don't have to become part of a cemetery for rich athletes.

If I had $25,000 I'd probably pay it to someone to smack me every time I talked about getting near Everest.

I don't really feel bad for the people that are stupid enough to run up there and get themselves killed, but god drat, it must be hell on the families.

# ? May 23, 2012 14:06

THE LUMMOX: Nov 29, 2004

troubled teen posted:

I don't think Mountain Experience is Russel Brice's company...I think the confusion comes from that the current staff appears to be his former head Sherpas:

http://www.mountainexperience.com.np/content/staff.html

Phurba Tashi was the main Sherpa for all 3 of the seasons of the show.

On his bio page on the Himalayan Experience website, Russel Brice is listed as owner/operator of Mountain Experience.

# ? May 23, 2012 14:19

Cluricaun: Jul 31, 2009; Bang.

Fluffy Bunnies posted:

If I had $25,000 I'd probably pay it to someone to smack me every time I talked about getting near Everest.

I'd totally go to Nepal, walk around the town at the base of the mountain and see prayer flags, have some tea, grow a beard....basically live in a Patagonia commercial, and then go the gently caress home. I don't climb anything more challenging than the climbing wall at the rec center, so to me going to Nepal and seeing Everest and deciding that I must get to the top of that bad boy is like going to the aquarium and seeing a great white shark and deciding that I absolutely have to ride that thing around like a rodeo rider. Sure it's cool and challenging and all but I'm not going to kill myself because something seems like a challenge.

# ? May 23, 2012 14:26

Rondette: Nov 3, 2009; Your friendly neighbourhood Postie.

Oooh goody, another Everest thread! I just read about this latest news this morning and was going to post it in the old thread but it had been closed, thanks THE LUMMOX for starting a new one.

A word of warning to anyone who wasn't around for the thread last year- this gets addictive. I couldn't give two fucks about mountain climbing before the last thread, by the end of it I had bought all these-

as well as watching loads of stuff on youtube and other websites.

I hope this thread is as interesting as the last one, and get loads more book recommendations! I'd recommend all of the above, although I think 'High Crimes' is the weakest of the 4, he comes off as a bit moany.

'Dark Summit' is great too, especially Lincoln Hall's story. This passage gave me chills first time I read it- suffering with exhaustion, Hall is left on a ridge after attempts to move him were unsuccessful. He is alone on the mountain, waiting to die as the sun sets...-

quote:

Up on the ridge, once he was alone, Hall believed he heard a voice informing him there was a nook among the rocks where three women had made a camp and were waiting for him.But there were no women here, no campsite. In fact, now there was no one, not even the Sherpas. The light was seeping from the sky, the intense azure afternoon softening into layers of pink and purple and gold. Hall lay on his side, facing the horizon, detatched from his own circumstances, dimly appreciating the extraordinary view, drifting into the evening's transcendental moment. Above him, along the crest of the ridge, the winds were blowing hard, lifting the familiar flag of snow and ice from the summit. For a short period the mountain burned red under the last rays of the day, then the colour bled out and Everest returned to darkness.

spoiler He survives (barely) and by his account is then attacked by the Sherpas as they descend with him

As for the TV program, as long as you don't mind incessant reminding about Tim Medvitz's bloody motorbike crash, it's a good watch too. The film crew were up there in 2006 when 11 people died, it makes you understand a little better about people's motivations for going up there and why they want to get to the top.

Rondette fucked around with this message at May 29, 2012 around 08:43

# ? May 23, 2012 14:30

kith_groupie: May 11, 2007; Let's get clean and smart

Rondette posted:

Oooh goody, another Everest thread! I just read about this latest news this morning and was going to post it in the old thread but it had been closed, thanks THE LUMMOX for starting a new one.

A word of warning to anyone who wasn't around for the thread last year- this gets addictive. I couldn't give two fucks about mountain climbing before the last thread, by the end of it I had bought all these-

Same here. I never considered myself a real life adventure reader, but based on the last thread I got Into Thin Air and I was hooked. Read Dark Summit and High Crimes too. It's amazing how many people who try to climb that mountain are literally insane, like that Romanian guy who beat up his Sherpa wife at base camp, or that South American guy who is a straight up sociopath.

Everyone should read Into Thin Air. It's amazing.

# ? May 23, 2012 15:13

Drighton: Nov 30, 2005

WHERE IS MY COFFEE posted:

If I had $25,000, I think I'd spend it on doing something that hadn't been done before hundreds of times. People remember the first person to do this or that, not the oldest/youngest/purplest person. You can still get in the Guinness Book of World Records if you eat enough jelly beans; you don't have to become part of a cemetery for rich athletes.

True, but anyone can contest your Guinness record and beat it. Everest is almost like the peewee soccer of records: Some of these things are so specific, it just seems like everybody gets one.

Wikipedia posted:

Göran Kropp of Sweden became the first person to ride his bicycle all the way from his home in Sweden to the mountain, scale it alone without the use of oxygen tanks, and bicycle most of the way back.

Seriously? I suppose if I decided to contest this record, I would get the first American record? Could another Swede steal his record by completing the bike ride back?

# ? May 23, 2012 15:39

zoux: Apr 28, 2006

kith_groupie posted:

Everyone should read Into Thin Air. It's amazing.

I snagged this on Kindle after the last Everest thread, and I ended up reading it straight through in few hours, it's a very compelling book. Also you learn about Beck Weathers, who is the most I Shouldn't Be Alive guy ever.

Not Everest, but North Face (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Face_%28film%29) is film about another horrible climbing disaster, the 1936 attempt of the North Face of the Eiger in the Austrian Alps. It used to be on Netflix streaming, but it's worth tracking down if you're into these types of stories.

# ? May 23, 2012 15:45

A Buttery Pastry: Sep 4, 2011

Drighton posted:

Seriously? I suppose if I decided to contest this record, I would get the first American record?

I would be mightily impressed by an American riding his bike all the way from the US to Mount Everest.

Drighton posted:

Could another Swede steal his record by completing the bike ride back?

He would be the first Swede to ride his bike to Everest and all the way back. Completely different record. Would be kind of funny though if people had to start out at his house specifically.

# ? May 23, 2012 15:52

NoneSuch: Jun 5, 2010; oh not this time.
your act of being the
goodguy is over

Even if I had the ability to climb Everest I don't think I'd want to just for the fact it's so drat grizzly. I couldn't will myself to walk past so many corpses and keep going up as everything inside me would be screaming "You might end up as one of them if you keep going!"

# ? May 23, 2012 15:59

colonel_korn: May 16, 2003; Good Nuz, Everyone!

One of the most interesting things to me from Krakauer's book was how... anticlimactic his description of summitting was (which happened just before the poo poo really hit the fan). Even though he made it to the summit without much trouble, he was so exhausted and delirious from the trip up that he just sort of looked around for a moment, snapped a couple of perfunctory photos and then started descending (since there was a huge lineup of people behind him as well). Sort of makes it seem like the 2-3 week ordeal to get up to the top really wasn't worth it.

# ? May 23, 2012 16:22

Percipient Badger: Mar 21, 2008

Said it last Everest thread and i'll say it again;

# ? May 23, 2012 16:26

The Corporate: Jul 7, 2009

NoneSuch posted:

Even if I had the ability to climb Everest I don't think I'd want to just for the fact it's so drat grizzly. I couldn't will myself to walk past so many corpses and keep going up as everything inside me would be screaming "You might end up as one of them if you keep going!"

I wouldn't want to climb Everest because years of SA discussion threads and Discovery Channel documentaries have conditioned me to characterise every single climber on the mountain bar the sherpas as overentitled glory-seeking shitheels whose company would be more testing to my mental health than the lack of breathable oxygen.

# ? May 23, 2012 16:28

Omnicarus: Jan 16, 2006

zoux posted:

I snagged this on Kindle after the last Everest thread, and I ended up reading it straight through in few hours, it's a very compelling book. Also you learn about Beck Weathers, who is the most I Shouldn't Be Alive guy ever.

Beck Weathers has nothing on Joe Simpson in terms of I Shouldn't Be Alive.

Edit: The same Joe who did North Face. Really amazing guy actually and seems to be super nice.

# ? May 23, 2012 16:32

ChuckMaster: Jul 13, 2006; Evil baby bunnies cannot be fed solid food until after the first week.

This is why when that young kid went to summit a bunch of people thought it would be a really bad idea. It's good that he made it, but the risk involved seems silly for even an adult to try.

Everest isn't even that technical of a climb. The only skill is "did the air pressure changes give you a stroke? Did you run out of air? Did a freak storm hit you? No? Congratulations!"

If you're going to risk life and limb with no chance of rescue, you might as well be doing space flight. Otherwise there are plenty of awesome things to do on the ground.

# ? May 23, 2012 17:08

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# ? May 23, 2013 20:36

Jack's Flow: Jun 6, 2003; What happen then, Mr Bones?
if be you cares to say.

That guy sitting frozen, but alive, next to Green Boots? What a horrible, horrible fate.

# ? May 23, 2012 17:26

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