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

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

webmeister: Jan 31, 2007; The answer is, mate, because I want to do you slowly. There has to be a bit of sport in this for all of us. In the psychological battle stakes, we are stripped down and ready to go. I want to see those ashen-faced performances; I want more of them. I want to be encouraged. I want to see you squirm.

As a reformed precocious shithead child, holy poo poo I hate precocious shithead children

That said I don't want him to die - I just hope he has people around him that stop him from dying in his attempt like that idiot Canadian woman. And at least he's done some preparation by climbing other mountains.

# ¿ Apr 4, 2016 06:09

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# ¿ Apr 26, 2024 23:58

webmeister: Jan 31, 2007; The answer is, mate, because I want to do you slowly. There has to be a bit of sport in this for all of us. In the psychological battle stakes, we are stripped down and ready to go. I want to see those ashen-faced performances; I want more of them. I want to be encouraged. I want to see you squirm.

Alan Smithee posted:

What was your thing

Slightly inflated general knowledge and massively inflated ego, both of which mysteriously vanished at 13 when I discovered girls

Skeesix posted:

Well didn't the article say that his biggest mountain so far was Kilimanjaro?

Aconcagua is a fair bit higher than Kilimanjaro, and Elbrus is a much tougher climb than either. I've actually done Kili and it's really just a long hike - something that anyone with a decent level of fitness would be able to accomplish. There's no ladders, no scrambling, no treacherous rock faces, no threat of avalanche etc. I'm proud of it, but it's definitely not worth bragging about. And for reference, Kili's summit is about the same height as Everest Base Camp. A friend who's done both reckons that the Everest BC trek was harder than Kili.

# ¿ Apr 5, 2016 01:14

webmeister: Jan 31, 2007; The answer is, mate, because I want to do you slowly. There has to be a bit of sport in this for all of us. In the psychological battle stakes, we are stripped down and ready to go. I want to see those ashen-faced performances; I want more of them. I want to be encouraged. I want to see you squirm.

cyberia posted:

I was listening to this podcast the other day: Travel Tales: Rachel Brill. It's an interview with a woman who has climbed Kilimanjaro and Elbrus and is planning to do the Seven Summits. She is very upfront and honest about how unprepared she was for her first few climbs and how much climbing can suck. I'd recommend it for anyone who wants to learn more about the less glamorous side of climbing.

Something she mentioned was when she was climbing Kilimanjaro her water bottles froze when she was summiting. How do people handle that on Everest? I've honestly never thought about it before but now I am curious if there's a way to keep water liquid at high altitudes.

Keep it as close to your skin as possible, basically. When I did Kili my layers for the summit push were: thermal undershirt, camelbak, hiking shirt, fleece, down-jacket. I don't know for sure about Everest, but I'd imagine that's what most people do.

webmeister fucked around with this message at 03:22 on Apr 5, 2016

# ¿ Apr 5, 2016 03:20

webmeister: Jan 31, 2007; The answer is, mate, because I want to do you slowly. There has to be a bit of sport in this for all of us. In the psychological battle stakes, we are stripped down and ready to go. I want to see those ashen-faced performances; I want more of them. I want to be encouraged. I want to see you squirm.

He flew like that for two hours :psyduck:

# ¿ Apr 12, 2016 05:10

webmeister: Jan 31, 2007; The answer is, mate, because I want to do you slowly. There has to be a bit of sport in this for all of us. In the psychological battle stakes, we are stripped down and ready to go. I want to see those ashen-faced performances; I want more of them. I want to be encouraged. I want to see you squirm.

That spoiled brat kid is in for a serious shock if he wants to do any mountain climbing in Australia! Our highest mountain is 2200m and is about an hour's chairlift + leisurely walk from the carpark.

The last time I walked up, there was a stag party at the top - complete with 30 blokes drinking beer and the stag in a snazzy cocktail dress & heels combo.

# ¿ Apr 17, 2016 03:51

webmeister: Jan 31, 2007; The answer is, mate, because I want to do you slowly. There has to be a bit of sport in this for all of us. In the psychological battle stakes, we are stripped down and ready to go. I want to see those ashen-faced performances; I want more of them. I want to be encouraged. I want to see you squirm.

It's been ages since I've watched Ever-rest-rest-rest-rest but Medvetz came off okay from what I remember? IIRC most of the stupid poo poo was producers lionising him for knowing Hollywood people (biker builder to the STARS).

Obviously he was underprepared and blithely assumed willpower would make up for shortcomings in ability, but I think that describes the majority of people who attempt Everest.

# ¿ Apr 19, 2016 00:40

webmeister: Jan 31, 2007; The answer is, mate, because I want to do you slowly. There has to be a bit of sport in this for all of us. In the psychological battle stakes, we are stripped down and ready to go. I want to see those ashen-faced performances; I want more of them. I want to be encouraged. I want to see you squirm.

Dead Precedents posted:

He took his gloves off in an environment that hovers around 0 degrees Fahrenheit? Da gently caress is wrong with people?

It's almost like people can't think properly when their brains are starved of oxygen

# ¿ Apr 19, 2016 05:43

webmeister: Jan 31, 2007; The answer is, mate, because I want to do you slowly. There has to be a bit of sport in this for all of us. In the psychological battle stakes, we are stripped down and ready to go. I want to see those ashen-faced performances; I want more of them. I want to be encouraged. I want to see you squirm.

~Coxy posted:

So, what's the easiest 6500+ meter peak to summit?
Bonus points if it has porters I can hire to carry me up in a sedan chair.

Lenin Peak on the border of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan is probably the most-climbed, and is 7100m high.

There's also Muztagh Ata in western China at 7500m which doesn't require anything more than fitness and acclimatisation.

# ¿ Apr 20, 2016 06:56

webmeister: Jan 31, 2007; The answer is, mate, because I want to do you slowly. There has to be a bit of sport in this for all of us. In the psychological battle stakes, we are stripped down and ready to go. I want to see those ashen-faced performances; I want more of them. I want to be encouraged. I want to see you squirm.

tentative8e8op posted:

Buried treasure was discovered in a monastery near Everest!

_{Rongpo monastery and Everest}

Is this the monastery Michael Palin stayed at during his Himalaya series?

# ¿ May 9, 2016 01:54

webmeister: Jan 31, 2007; The answer is, mate, because I want to do you slowly. There has to be a bit of sport in this for all of us. In the psychological battle stakes, we are stripped down and ready to go. I want to see those ashen-faced performances; I want more of them. I want to be encouraged. I want to see you squirm.

mikemil828 posted:

Welp the white man-free Everest streak is over.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/05/12/climbers-reach-top-mount-everest-for-first-time-in-two-years.html?ICID=ref_fark

Wow, they're the first people to summit in two years!

Except for the Sherpas who did it a couple of days ago :ssh:

# ¿ May 13, 2016 02:22

webmeister: Jan 31, 2007; The answer is, mate, because I want to do you slowly. There has to be a bit of sport in this for all of us. In the psychological battle stakes, we are stripped down and ready to go. I want to see those ashen-faced performances; I want more of them. I want to be encouraged. I want to see you squirm.

Outrail posted:

Whats the odds they boast to their friends exactly this and totally downplay the Sherpa bit.

Probably, though 2 of the 3 westerners seem pretty experienced climbers (nearly 20 summits between them) so maybe not.

# ¿ May 13, 2016 02:28

webmeister: Jan 31, 2007; The answer is, mate, because I want to do you slowly. There has to be a bit of sport in this for all of us. In the psychological battle stakes, we are stripped down and ready to go. I want to see those ashen-faced performances; I want more of them. I want to be encouraged. I want to see you squirm.

Who is this person? Why would you go to Nepal, order a Thai seafood dish and expect perfection? :psyduck:

# ¿ May 13, 2016 04:40

webmeister: Jan 31, 2007; The answer is, mate, because I want to do you slowly. There has to be a bit of sport in this for all of us. In the psychological battle stakes, we are stripped down and ready to go. I want to see those ashen-faced performances; I want more of them. I want to be encouraged. I want to see you squirm.

First goon to drop a sick burn on Mt Everest without supplementary oxygen

# ¿ May 13, 2016 08:20

webmeister: Jan 31, 2007; The answer is, mate, because I want to do you slowly. There has to be a bit of sport in this for all of us. In the psychological battle stakes, we are stripped down and ready to go. I want to see those ashen-faced performances; I want more of them. I want to be encouraged. I want to see you squirm.

Gargamel Gibson posted:

First Canadian woman of South Asian origin.

She did actually make the top though. So it'd have to be:

First Canadian woman of South Asian origin to summit and return to base camp while not in a coffin

# ¿ May 13, 2016 13:17

webmeister: Jan 31, 2007; The answer is, mate, because I want to do you slowly. There has to be a bit of sport in this for all of us. In the psychological battle stakes, we are stripped down and ready to go. I want to see those ashen-faced performances; I want more of them. I want to be encouraged. I want to see you squirm.

Yeah it's basically that. Your body is literally falling to pieces, and you're getting so little oxygen that rational decisions just aren't possible. If you've spent years focusing on the goal of summiting, your brain isn't going to accept turning back as an answer. Even super-experienced mountaineers get summit fever.

If you've ever had to chaperone a ridiculously drunk friend home from a night out, that's basically what the sherpas are doing.

# ¿ May 15, 2016 08:04

webmeister: Jan 31, 2007; The answer is, mate, because I want to do you slowly. There has to be a bit of sport in this for all of us. In the psychological battle stakes, we are stripped down and ready to go. I want to see those ashen-faced performances; I want more of them. I want to be encouraged. I want to see you squirm.

The first African-American to summit was also the first black woman to summit, in 2006. And nobody cared :smith:

edit; the first black African was a guy named Sibusiso Vilane from South Africa who summited in 2003.

# ¿ May 17, 2016 06:14

webmeister: Jan 31, 2007; The answer is, mate, because I want to do you slowly. There has to be a bit of sport in this for all of us. In the psychological battle stakes, we are stripped down and ready to go. I want to see those ashen-faced performances; I want more of them. I want to be encouraged. I want to see you squirm.

Platystemon posted:

Still less dumb that �hurr durr Mauna Kea is taller if you count the portion under the ocean [and fail to count the portion of Everest below the ocean because � ?]�

Because Everest is a long long way from an ocean (it just sticks out of a continental plate). Mauna Kea is literally just one rock that goes all the way down to the sea floor.

Not saying I agree with it, but it's a pretty significant difference.

# ¿ May 17, 2016 09:11

webmeister: Jan 31, 2007; The answer is, mate, because I want to do you slowly. There has to be a bit of sport in this for all of us. In the psychological battle stakes, we are stripped down and ready to go. I want to see those ashen-faced performances; I want more of them. I want to be encouraged. I want to see you squirm.

That irritating Australian girl summited yesterday:
http://www.smh.com.au/queensland/aussie-teen-poised-to-crack-everest-record-20160520-gp0fgy.html

Though she hasn't made it down yet.

# ¿ May 21, 2016 14:48

webmeister: Jan 31, 2007; The answer is, mate, because I want to do you slowly. There has to be a bit of sport in this for all of us. In the psychological battle stakes, we are stripped down and ready to go. I want to see those ashen-faced performances; I want more of them. I want to be encouraged. I want to see you squirm.

Arsenic Lupin posted:

Thirty people are ill with frostbite and/or altitude sickness. Rob Gropel, widower of Dr. Maria Strydom, is injured and making the descent.

Of the Seven Summits, how do those rank in difficulty?

I can't speak for Denali or Ararat, but I've done Kilimanjaro and a friend who climbed with me has done Aconcagua as well. As long as you're reasonably fit and take proper acclimatisation precautions (climb high, sleep low, take it slowly etc) it's pretty easy. Summit day on Kili is about 15 hours of walking (7 hours from high camp -> summit, 3 hours back down, then another 5 hours down to the low camp) but the 7 hours uphill is just trudging up a moderately steep hill in the dark.

You don't need crampons or safety lines or anything like that, so yeah. Easy mode, like others said.

# ¿ May 23, 2016 01:18

webmeister: Jan 31, 2007; The answer is, mate, because I want to do you slowly. There has to be a bit of sport in this for all of us. In the psychological battle stakes, we are stripped down and ready to go. I want to see those ashen-faced performances; I want more of them. I want to be encouraged. I want to see you squirm.

Wasabi the J posted:

It's really the scummiest thing, all jokes aside. Tact is not a value for these outfits, as "professional" as they are; they consistently will take .01 microseconds to slander another outfit that makes the exact same risk decisions simply because it wasn't them.

I don't think this is necessarily true though. I may be wrong, but I think the more expensive operations will have things like more staff, better gear, more experienced guides/Sherpas etc. I'm not saying those people wouldn't have died if they'd climbed with a different company, but it's possible they would've had better odds of survival.

Remember that a guy who died in 2006, David Sharp, was climbing with the absolute cheapest available operator and had no proper gloves, no oxygen, no Sherpa guides and no radio either. The same company also lost three other climbers as well as two Sherpas in the same season.

# ¿ May 23, 2016 09:03

webmeister: Jan 31, 2007; The answer is, mate, because I want to do you slowly. There has to be a bit of sport in this for all of us. In the psychological battle stakes, we are stripped down and ready to go. I want to see those ashen-faced performances; I want more of them. I want to be encouraged. I want to see you squirm.

Ville Valo posted:

Google tells me it's "The Girl Who Climbed Everest: The Inspirational Story of Alyssa Azar, Australia's Youngest Adventurer"

I've managed to track down a sample chapter:

quote:

When I was young I liked walking up hills. I don't really know why, I just did. So I climbed up lots of hills. Then I decided to climb Everest, because I like climbing things. So I climbed Everest too. It was very cold and very hard, but I did it all by myself and with no help from anyone else

# ¿ May 25, 2016 06:12

webmeister: Jan 31, 2007; The answer is, mate, because I want to do you slowly. There has to be a bit of sport in this for all of us. In the psychological battle stakes, we are stripped down and ready to go. I want to see those ashen-faced performances; I want more of them. I want to be encouraged. I want to see you squirm.

zedprime posted:

You could climb Everest, or you could take 80,000 doses of ecstasy.

I'd love to live in a world where ecstasy only costs 62c a pill

# ¿ May 26, 2016 01:53

webmeister: Jan 31, 2007; The answer is, mate, because I want to do you slowly. There has to be a bit of sport in this for all of us. In the psychological battle stakes, we are stripped down and ready to go. I want to see those ashen-faced performances; I want more of them. I want to be encouraged. I want to see you squirm.

canyoneer posted:

Dude I work with summited Kilimanjaro a few years ago. Non technical hike, just high elevation with thin air and a lot of walking uphill.

One of the guys in his group brought a celebration cigar. He pulled it out, lit it up, and took a long drag. While grinning, he slumped over and passed out.

They all laughed their heads off and nearly passed out themselves. Guy was fine

I've done Kili, and yeah it's something anyone with moderate physical fitness can do.

For reference, the summit is only a few hundred metres higher than Everest base camp (5895m vs 5390m).

# ¿ Jun 1, 2016 07:06

webmeister: Jan 31, 2007; The answer is, mate, because I want to do you slowly. There has to be a bit of sport in this for all of us. In the psychological battle stakes, we are stripped down and ready to go. I want to see those ashen-faced performances; I want more of them. I want to be encouraged. I want to see you squirm.

axeil posted:

Is the hike technically challenging? In that, are there any rocky/tricky sections where you need to do more than just walk forward?

Not at all. I did Machame route which has one two-hour period of scrambling up a reasonably steep rock face, but otherwise it's just hiking. It's a bit annoying when it snows near the top, but usually not enough for crampons or anything.

# ¿ Jun 6, 2016 11:41

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# ¿ Apr 26, 2024 23:58

webmeister: Jan 31, 2007; The answer is, mate, because I want to do you slowly. There has to be a bit of sport in this for all of us. In the psychological battle stakes, we are stripped down and ready to go. I want to see those ashen-faced performances; I want more of them. I want to be encouraged. I want to see you squirm.

I know everyone tries to summit when the jet stream has died down and it's not too windy, but pretty much anyone photo of someone at the summit with a flag shows you how windy it is. Except this one, for some reason!

# ¿ Jun 30, 2016 07:04

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