Annual Everest Thread: Well they always told me getting high was dangerous.

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Cojawfee: May 31, 2006; I think the US is dumb for not using Celsius

Do you think it was possible to see her brain dying through the sequence of selfies she took?

# ? Feb 20, 2016 00:23

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# ? Apr 19, 2024 02:50

Mega64: May 23, 2008; I took the octopath less travelered,

And it made one-eighth the difference.

Platystemon posted:

It was possible she needed more.

What’s the point of climbing Everest if you can’t take a bunch of selfies at the top?

This is the only pic she needed.

# ? Feb 20, 2016 00:24

Leperflesh: May 17, 2007

They should just run like, a huge tube up the mountain, with those little face masks that drop down from the overhead compartment in an airplane attached every ten feet, and just pump massive amounts of oxygen into the huge tube all the time. That way you don't have to carry bottles of oxygen and can just scrabble for a facemask anywhere at any time.

I mean. They're already running continuous ropes all the way up, how hard could it be? I'm sure nobody would ever accidentally cut or kink the tube, abruptly cutting everyone above them on the mountain off and thus killing them. Just like, make the tube really strong and thick.

# ? Feb 20, 2016 00:24

canyoneer: Sep 13, 2005; I only have canyoneyes for you

Leperflesh posted:

Not... exactly.

If you're climbing with oxygen and you run out while you're in the death zone, you are pretty likely to die. On the other hand, if you climb without oxygen, while you'll have a much harder time the whole way... you either acclimate, and then manage in the death zone without that danger from running out if you're delayed, or you don't acclimate, and never attempt the final summit. I believe there is a minority of climbers promoting this strategy of not relying on oxygen who basically make this argument.

Probably the "best" way to go would be to climb without regularly using supplemental oxygen, but having a tank available as an emergency treatment if you develop HACE/HAPE high up the mountain and will likely die without immediate oxygen.

(the real "best" way to go is to not climb the loving mountain)

Well, yeah, if you won the genetic lottery in that category like Reinhold Messner and can survive indefinitely at high altitude, go for it.
But if you need to suck down bottles of oxygen the entire time, maybe you should take up something safer like bull riding.

# ? Feb 20, 2016 00:27

Jose: Jul 24, 2007; Adrian Chiles is a broadcaster and writer

Someone post the story about the Pole? who onyl had vodka with him

# ? Feb 20, 2016 00:40

Oil of Paris: Feb 13, 2004; 100% DIRTY; Nap Ghost

Platystemon posted:

Is any summit considered harder than K2?

I know that Annapurna kills more climbers, but that�s mostly in avalanches. Avalanches don�t make the climb harder, they just add a Russian roulette element.

It is the most technically difficult 8000 ft mountain. There are of course more technical/difficult climbs, but K2 is indeed the most demanding Big rear end Mountain

# ? Feb 20, 2016 01:03

Oracle: Oct 9, 2004

Oil of Paris posted:

It is the most technically difficult 8000 ft mountain. There are of course more technical/difficult climbs, but K2 is indeed the most demanding Big rear end Mountain

the way I've heard it described, Everest doesn't care if you live or die.
K2 actively hates you and wants you dead.

# ? Feb 20, 2016 02:11

twerking on the railroad: Jun 23, 2007; Get on my level

Oil of Paris posted:

It is the most technically difficult 8000 ft mountain. There are of course more technical/difficult climbs, but K2 is indeed the most demanding Big rear end Mountain

Ahem, 8000 meter. The Matterhorn is more than 8000 feet.

# ? Feb 20, 2016 02:40

A Horse Named Mandy: Feb 9, 2007

canyoneer posted:

Well, yeah, if you won the genetic lottery in that category like Reinhold Messner and can survive indefinitely at high altitude, go for it.
But if you need to suck down bottles of oxygen the entire time, maybe you should take up something safer like bull riding.

Basically this. You can never tell how altitude will affect you, regardless of athleticism. Pairing achievements with what's basically a luck of the genetic draw adds a completely unnecessary level of risk. The moment Messner achieved Everest without bottled oxygen, it moved the goalpost to where that became the standard of people that were already essentially terrestrial astronauts with a higher mortality rate.

Also, best Everest story:

The Polish Guy posted:

In 2005, this middle aged Polish guy arrived at Base Camp without a permit to climb on Everest, but fully intended to try anyway, going unnoticed. He had very little money and basic equipment, but felt stong and capable enough to take on the mountain and at one point made it all the way through the Icefall and up to Camp I. Some of the larger guide services made note of his presence but he spoke little English, wasn't very friendly, and seemed to be able to take care of himself. So they left him alone and only saw him on the periphery while they looked after their clients. As we have seen from our limited time here, the Nepalis take their high dollar Everest climbing permits VERY seriously. But, we have also seen that if you were to go incognito enough, there is a good chance that you could go unnoticed. That is, unless a dramatic or tragic event changed your anonymous status quickly.

In 2005, something happened at Camp I that everyone prepares for, but almost never happens- a huge avalanche calved off of Everest's West Face that was large enough that it literally washed over Camp I. More or less a hundred year avalanche. Dozens of tents were flattened from the air blast alone, almost all were covered, and if you hadn't placed your tents on the high ground fingers (like where ours are located), you were in jeopardy. By some stroke of luck though, most climbers were down in Base Camp that day and at the time the avalanche struck, Camp I was almost deserted. The Polish Guy was unique- he had elected to stay in Camp I along with a small handfull of others that day. When the avalanche hit, he apparently jumped out of his tent to film the thousand tons of snow and ice as it moved in on Camp I- not exactly something that's recommended. But he was a tough old guy and must have thought he'd be ok. As an avalanche moves forward, it is preceeded by a wall air- a blast wave that pushes things down quickly and with force before the mass of snow comes along and washes everything in white and sweeps it along as the avalanche travels on it's way.

It was this wall of air that seems to have done the most damage to the Polish Guy, who had his camcorder pressed up to his face at the time he was hit. Out in front, the solid air slammed the camcorder with such force that it cut his face in many places and people afterwards wondered if you might be able to read "SONY" imprinted backwards on his forehead. Word of the avalanche reached Base Camp, and rescuers quickly pressed out, reaching the Camp I record time. Dazed and confused, the Polish Guy was already staggering down the mountain with only what he had on, still bleeding and face all smashed up. He clearly knew that he'd be found out and didn't want to pay a massive fine, thrown into a Nepali jail for climbing without a permit. As he passed several rescuers enroute down the Icefall, he gruffly waved off care and just kept on going. The confused rescuers didn't know what they would find up at Camp I, so they kept moving up and figured the Polish Guy would be taken care of by someone else further down below.

Upon arrival at Camp I, the rescuers found what remained of the Polish Guy's tent- just an old, small job barely bigger than a kitchen table. Peering inside, they found: gas for boiling water, and a very large bottle of vodka. That was it. Nothing more, nothing less. Gas and vodka. To climb Everest. The rescuers radioed that back, almost laughing in disbelief at how Spartan this guy's tent was. But by now the Nepali authorities knew about him and also knew he didn't have a climbing permit so they were actively looking for him with vigor. They didn't think it was very funny for sure. He wasn't in Base Camp, so the Nepalis figured he must still be coming down through the Icefall and focused their energy there. After a few hours he was nowhere to be found and they realized that despite their best efforts, he had somehow slipped the noose.

Several days later, the climbing community at Base Camp learned of his fate: Somehow, the Polish Guy had made it all the way to New Delhi, India and repatriated back to Poland from the Embassy there. New Delhi? Apparently, the Polish Guy had managed to walk close to 100 kilometers in the exact same climbing clothes that he had been wearing when hit in an avalanche at Camp I in the Western Cwm. Bleeding, injured, and only with the clothes on his back, he downclimbed through the Icefall, and no one noticed as he traveled all the way through the Khumbu Valley, out through Lukla and into Kathmandu.

From there, he likely took a bus across the border and all the way to New Delhi. He didn't have much money, so people speculate that he sold his climbing boots in Kathmandu for just enough money for bus fare to leave the country unnoticed. Even today, when you enter the Sagarmartha National Park gate near Lukla there is a picture of the Polish Guy looking all gruff and dazed on a ratty wanted poster that has likely been there since a few days after he ran off in 2005. My guess? He made it home, started putting back his loved vodka, told his tale to friends and family who called him a crazy nut, and he gave up on Everest completely.

A Horse Named Mandy fucked around with this message at 03:32 on Feb 20, 2016

# ? Feb 20, 2016 03:27

Tumble: Jun 24, 2003; I'm not thinking of anything!

Oil of Paris posted:

It is the most technically difficult 8000 ft mountain. There are of course more technical/difficult climbs, but K2 is indeed the most demanding Big rear end Mountain

Oracle posted:

the way I've heard it described, Everest doesn't care if you live or die.
K2 actively hates you and wants you dead.

Actually, Annapurna and Kanchenjunga kill a higher percentage of those that make the attempt to climb them than K2 kills. In particular, the south face of Annapurna is considered one of the most intense, technical climbs on this planet.

But at that point it's just armchair arguments; all those mountains are pretty crazy to climb.

Tumble fucked around with this message at 03:51 on Feb 20, 2016

# ? Feb 20, 2016 03:46

Fallows: Jan 20, 2005; If he waits long enough he can use his accrued interest from his savings to bring his negative checking balance back into the black.

Mega64 posted:

This is the only pic she needed.

# ? Feb 20, 2016 05:23

peanut: Sep 9, 2007

Polish Guy owns.

# ? Feb 20, 2016 06:24

Platystemon: Feb 13, 2012; as a person who never leaves my house i've done pretty well for myself.

A Horse Named Mandy posted:

[Polish guy]

Great Scott, I was joking when I wrote:

Platystemon posted:

I�m sure it would be harder to climb Everest if you put on fifty kilograms beforehand or if you brought nothing to drink but brandy, but those handicaps aren�t laudable, they�re foolhardy.

# ? Feb 20, 2016 06:41

Cowman: Feb 14, 2006; Beware the Cow

I want someone to drown while climbing. I have no clue how it would happen and am pretty sure it would be impossible but the headlines would be loving hilarious. It would make one hell of a story.

Edit: Holy poo poo someone did drown :lol:

Masao Yokoyama found some water at a glacier and fell in and due to the heavy equipment he couldn't get out. Holy poo poo I thought it was impossible but there you go.

Edit 2: Someone else died in a snowboarding accident 350M from the summit. What the hell

Cowman fucked around with this message at 07:37 on Feb 20, 2016

# ? Feb 20, 2016 07:23

kim jong-illin: May 2, 2011

Cowman posted:

Edit 2: Someone else died in a snowboarding accident 350M from the summit. What the hell

I am assuming this is the guy who did a literal YOLO and snowboarded off the summit and, unsurprisingly, went missing.

e: this one -

quote:

Marco Siffredi (22 May 1979 � 8 September 2002) was a French snowboarder and mountaineer who hailed from a climbing family; his father was a mountain guide and his brother had died in an avalanche in Chamonix. He was the first to descend Mount Everest on a snowboard in 2001 via the Norton Couloir.[1][2] In 2002, he disappeared after making his second successful Everest summit, while attempting to snowboard the Hornbein Couloir.[2]

kim jong-illin fucked around with this message at 08:29 on Feb 20, 2016

# ? Feb 20, 2016 08:26

Cojawfee: May 31, 2006; I think the US is dumb for not using Celsius

Didn't someone tell him it was too dangerous and he said "gently caress you, old man" and started down Everest.

# ? Feb 20, 2016 08:39

Alan Smithee: Jan 4, 2005; A man becomes preeminent, he's expected to have enthusiasms.

Enthusiasms, enthusiasms...

I bet if you found his body there would be a can of mountain dew and smash mouth tickets

# ? Feb 20, 2016 09:18

Microwaves Mom: Nov 8, 2015; by zen death robot

Alan Smithee posted:

I bet if you found his body there would be a can of mountain dew and smash mouth tickets

truly deserved death.

# ? Feb 20, 2016 10:31

Kehveli: Apr 1, 2009; Push It Like You Push Your Girlfriend

There has been some discussion in these threads before about cave diving, so I thought this would be interesting to you guys:

In this feature length documentary the viewers are taken into a secret operation where a group of Finnish cave divers try to retrieve the bodies of their friends from deep inside underwater cave in Norway. Now they have to face the burden of their own fears during this life-threatening mission.

trailer:
https://vimeo.com/147601833

# ? Feb 20, 2016 21:57

Dead Precedents: May 5, 2005; Precedents come and go, but death goes on forever.

Kehveli posted:

There has been some discussion in these threads before about cave diving, so I thought this would be interesting to you guys:

In this feature length documentary the viewers are taken into a secret operation where a group of Finnish cave divers try to retrieve the bodies of their friends from deep inside underwater cave in Norway. Now they have to face the burden of their own fears during this life-threatening mission.

trailer:
https://vimeo.com/147601833

Man, gently caress cave diving. I think those people have a bigger death wish than the people tackling K2.

# ? Feb 20, 2016 22:23

Strep Vote: May 5, 2004; أنا أحب حليب الشوكولاتة

Kehveli posted:

There has been some discussion in these threads before about cave diving, so I thought this would be interesting to you guys:

In this feature length documentary the viewers are taken into a secret operation where a group of Finnish cave divers try to retrieve the bodies of their friends from deep inside underwater cave in Norway. Now they have to face the burden of their own fears during this life-threatening mission.

trailer:
https://vimeo.com/147601833

bunch of idiots saw what happened to Dave Shaw and decided that would be a good idea?

http://www.outsideonline.com/1922711/raising-dead

BONUS: Watch Dave Shaw die on youtube! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mF4iFJ-G74o

# ? Feb 21, 2016 03:57

TescoBag: Dec 2, 2009; Oh god, not again.

kim jong-illin posted:

I am assuming this is the guy who did a literal YOLO and snowboarded off the summit and, unsurprisingly, went missing.

e: this one -

I think the best part about this is that he'd sucessfully done it the year before. He was literally like "Snowboarding down Everest once wasn't hard enough let's see how I can make it harder"

How stupid do you have to be to do that?

There is however a video of a sherpa and some guy paragliding off of Everest then Kyaking to India which is genuinely amazing. They got explorer of the year from national geographic I think.

# ? Feb 22, 2016 17:18

canyoneer: Sep 13, 2005; I only have canyoneyes for you

TescoBag posted:

I think the best part about this is that he'd sucessfully done it the year before. He was literally like "Snowboarding down Everest once wasn't hard enough let's see how I can make it harder"

How stupid do you have to be to do that?

There is however a video of a sherpa and some guy paragliding off of Everest then Kyaking to India which is genuinely amazing. They got explorer of the year from national geographic I think.

They also got robbed by a gang of 30 dudes along the way because LOL India.

# ? Feb 22, 2016 18:23

Ivan Shitskin: Nov 29, 2002

How much is it going to cost me to get a big team of sherpas to haul me up the mountain inside of a sedan chair?

# ? Feb 24, 2016 10:28

BrutalistMcDonalds: Oct 4, 2012; Lipstick Apathy

Kenzie posted:

How much is it going to cost me to get a big team of sherpas to haul me up the mountain inside of a sedan chair?

Bonus points if it's pressurized.

# ? Feb 24, 2016 10:31

Alan Smithee: Jan 4, 2005; A man becomes preeminent, he's expected to have enthusiasms.

Enthusiasms, enthusiasms...

to your left there's green boots, which means we're a good ways into the death zone. And now if you look to your right there's the Idiot King....

# ? Feb 24, 2016 12:35

Double Bill: Jan 29, 2006

Omi-Polari posted:

Bonus points if it's pressurized.

Bonus points if you get them to build you a pressurized cabin at the summit.

# ? Feb 25, 2016 15:33

Pick: Jul 19, 2009; Nap Ghost

Have a fully enclosed pressurized escalator to the top.

# ? Feb 25, 2016 19:13

Honj Steak: May 31, 2013; Hi there.

Pick posted:

Have a fully enclosed pressurized escalator to the top.

If Mt Everest was in Switzerland they would have done this already

# ? Feb 25, 2016 19:21

Platystemon: Feb 13, 2012; as a person who never leaves my house i've done pretty well for myself.

Honj Steak posted:

If Mt Everest was in Switzerland they would have done this already

pre‐drilled for explosives in case of German invasion

# ? Feb 25, 2016 23:12

canyoneer: Sep 13, 2005; I only have canyoneyes for you

Honj Steak posted:

If Mt Everest was in Switzerland they would have done this already

Doesn't Switzerland already have this for the Eiger?

# ? Feb 26, 2016 00:17

c0ldfuse: Jun 18, 2004; The pursuit of excellence.

canyoneer posted:

Doesn't Switzerland already have this for the Eiger?

ThatWasTheJoke.txt

# ? Feb 26, 2016 00:55

ZombieLenin: Sep 6, 2009; "Democracy for the insignificant minority, democracy for the rich--that is the democracy of capitalist society." VI Lenin

[/quote]

Cojawfee posted:

Didn't someone tell him it was too dangerous and he said "gently caress you, old man" and started down Everest.

I'm at work and too lazy to look it up, but as I remember the story after he made summit the weather sort of turned and visibility was poo poo.

At some point he decides to snowboard down anyway when his team is advising him not too, and he walks off in the wrong direction with his snowboard never to be seen again.

That's how I remember the story. Whether or not my memory is accurate at all is another question entirely.

# ? Feb 26, 2016 15:34

elwood: Mar 28, 2001; by Smythe

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-3465726/Climbers-make-winter-ascent-Pakistans-Killer-Mountain.html

quote:

Climbers from Pakistan, Spain and Italy have become the first mountaineers to scale Nanga Parbat, Pakistan's "Killer Mountain" and second highest peak after K2, in winter, a mountaineering official said Friday...

# ? Feb 26, 2016 16:44

shame on an IGA: Apr 8, 2005

elwood posted:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-3465726/Climbers-make-winter-ascent-Pakistans-Killer-Mountain.html

Kinda surprised they announced before getting back down.

# ? Feb 29, 2016 02:05

gohuskies: Oct 23, 2010; I spend a lot of time making posts to justify why I'm not a self centered shithead that just wants to act like COVID isn't a thing.

Himalayan Times reports that the ice doctors are returning to the Icefall to start working on the route:

quote:

Nepal�s experienced �ice doctors� were preparing today to return to Everest to ready the mountain for the upcoming climbing season, almost one year after a huge earthquake triggered a deadly avalanche.

Eight of the mountaineers and their support teams were performing prayers at the bottom of Everest before leaving for base camp to fix routes through a treacherous icefall for climbers, a top official said.

�Starting from March 7, the expert team will continue opening expedition routes and fix ladders and ropes for the upcoming season,� Nishan Shrestha, CEO of the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee, which manages the peak, told AFP.

Nepal is hoping the April-May season will see climbers return to the world�s highest peak, providing much-needed revenue to the impoverished country. Nepal has been hard hit by falling tourism following last April�s earthquake which killed nearly 9,000 people.

The quake triggered the April 25 avalanche which left 18 people dead at Everest base camp. It was the second in as many years after 16 Nepali guides lost their lives on the icefall in 2014, sparking a shutdown of the peak.

Ice doctors, highly-skilled mountaineers, are the first men on the peak every season, using ropes and ladders to build a route across plunging crevasses and constantly shifting ice, including the dangerous Khumbu icefall.

Some returned in September to prepare for the autumn season, when just a few climbers attempt the summit.

But they are needed again for the spring season when hundreds of climbers normally take advantage of good weather conditions on Mount Everest.

# ? Feb 29, 2016 21:35

SulfurMonoxideCute: Feb 9, 2008; I was under direct orders not to die
🐵❌💀

shame on an IGA posted:

Kinda surprised they announced before getting back down.

I'm not, because if they didn't make it out alive, their achievement could be contested and they wouldn't be around to defend themselves.

# ? Feb 29, 2016 22:05

The Zombie Guy: Oct 25, 2008

How long would I have to go to school to become an ice doctor?

If there's an avalanche on Everest, could they be sued for malpractice?

Can an ice doctor prescribe a tasty snowcone or ice pack instead of drugs?

# ? Mar 1, 2016 11:37

Take the plunge! Okay!: Feb 24, 2007

The Zombie Guy posted:

How long would I have to go to school to become an ice doctor?

If there's an avalanche on Everest, could they be sued for malpractice?

Can an ice doctor prescribe a tasty snowcone or ice pack instead of drugs?

Read this in Seinfeld voice.

# ? Mar 1, 2016 17:40

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# ? Apr 19, 2024 02:50

SulfurMonoxideCute: Feb 9, 2008; I was under direct orders not to die
🐵❌💀

http://adventureblog.nationalgeogra...nt&sf21802294=1

Nat Geo is reporting that a bunch of idiots didn't listen to the Mountain God's words and we're expecting a busy season.

# ? Mar 1, 2016 22:56

The Something Awful Forums > Archives > General Bullshit > Annual Everest Thread: Well they always told me getting high was dangerous.

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