The Inexcusable Travesty of Mt. Everest

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  • Gern Blansten
    Gern Blansten Mar-A-Lago Posts: 22,204
    The movie "Everest" did a really good job of reflecting what it is like to climb that thing.  If you have read Into Thin Air you will find the movie pretty close to what Krakauer  wrote about.  I believe he had a few issues with how the movie portrayed a few things (one being that the Russian guy apparently said that Krakauer wouldn't help him when the storm hit...Krak said he did help but the conditions were so horrible and he was so exhausted from reaching the summit that he was useless)
    Remember the Thomas Nine !! (10/02/2018)
    The Golden Age is 2 months away. And guess what….. you’re gonna love it! (teskeinc 11.19.24)

    1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago
    2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy
    2013: London ON, Wrigley; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE)
    2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston
    2020: Oakland, Oakland:  2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana
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  • PJ_Soul
    PJ_Soul Vancouver, BC Posts: 50,681
    hedonist said:
    PJ_Soul said:
    I don't even understand why so many climbers even want to do it at this point. Look at that ridiculous lineup to reach the peak. If I were them, that sight would turn me off of the desire to reach the peak at all. When you see that many people lined up to reach that goal you yourself are waiting to achieve ... I dunno, I feel like that would cause it to lose all meaning, psychologically or emotionally.
    Sounds a lot like what I've heard about PJ merch lines :whistle:
    Lol! You're right!
    With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,664
    The movie "Everest" did a really good job of reflecting what it is like to climb that thing.  If you have read Into Thin Air you will find the movie pretty close to what Krakauer  wrote about.  I believe he had a few issues with how the movie portrayed a few things (one being that the Russian guy apparently said that Krakauer wouldn't help him when the storm hit...Krak said he did help but the conditions were so horrible and he was so exhausted from reaching the summit that he was useless)
    Yeah, bummer that Krakauer took some flack for that.  He is (or was- maybe not doing it any more?) a great climber but doesn't hold up so well at 8,000 meters.  Not many do- even sometimes with supplemental oxygen  You have to be a bit of a physiological freak like Ed Viesturs who can do 8K meters without supplemental oxygen. 

    Where Krakauer excelled in climbing was the lower yet more technical stuff.  He talks about a lot of that in Eiger Dreams which is actually one of my favorite Krakauer books stories that are thrilling, sometimes scary, sometimes even funny.  Great stuff!
    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • Jason P
    Jason P Posts: 19,309
    hedonist said:
    PJ_Soul said:
    I don't even understand why so many climbers even want to do it at this point. Look at that ridiculous lineup to reach the peak. If I were them, that sight would turn me off of the desire to reach the peak at all. When you see that many people lined up to reach that goal you yourself are waiting to achieve ... I dunno, I feel like that would cause it to lose all meaning, psychologically or emotionally.
    Sounds a lot like what I've heard about PJ merch lines :whistle:
    It always boggles my mind that people will stand in line and miss most of a PJ show for a piece of paper. The last show at Wrigley I went to use the restroom 15 songs in and there was a line of over 100 people. I guarantee if you put a PJ merch tent atop Everest that we would lose at least 20 souls ...
    Be Excellent To Each Other
    Party On, Dudes!
  • Gern Blansten
    Gern Blansten Mar-A-Lago Posts: 22,204
    Jason P said:
    hedonist said:
    PJ_Soul said:
    I don't even understand why so many climbers even want to do it at this point. Look at that ridiculous lineup to reach the peak. If I were them, that sight would turn me off of the desire to reach the peak at all. When you see that many people lined up to reach that goal you yourself are waiting to achieve ... I dunno, I feel like that would cause it to lose all meaning, psychologically or emotionally.
    Sounds a lot like what I've heard about PJ merch lines :whistle:
    It always boggles my mind that people will stand in line and miss most of a PJ show for a piece of paper. The last show at Wrigley I went to use the restroom 15 songs in and there was a line of over 100 people. I guarantee if you put a PJ merch tent atop Everest that we would lose at least 20 souls ...
    lol....I bet you're right
    Remember the Thomas Nine !! (10/02/2018)
    The Golden Age is 2 months away. And guess what….. you’re gonna love it! (teskeinc 11.19.24)

    1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago
    2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy
    2013: London ON, Wrigley; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE)
    2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston
    2020: Oakland, Oakland:  2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana
    2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville
    2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana; 2025: Pitt1, Pitt2
  • Bentleyspop
    Bentleyspop Craft Beer Brewery, Colorado Posts: 11,426
    Jason P said:
    hedonist said:
    PJ_Soul said:
    I don't even understand why so many climbers even want to do it at this point. Look at that ridiculous lineup to reach the peak. If I were them, that sight would turn me off of the desire to reach the peak at all. When you see that many people lined up to reach that goal you yourself are waiting to achieve ... I dunno, I feel like that would cause it to lose all meaning, psychologically or emotionally.
    Sounds a lot like what I've heard about PJ merch lines :whistle:
    It always boggles my mind that people will stand in line and miss most of a PJ show for a piece of paper. The last show at Wrigley I went to use the restroom 15 songs in and there was a line of over 100 people. I guarantee if you put a PJ merch tent atop Everest that we would lose at least 20 souls ...
    If their member number is lower than mine I'm good with it
  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,664
    Renfield said:
    Gawd aweful!

    I respect life and I wish no one harm or ill will but this kind of thing brings out the most callous feelings in me that way.   The main National Geo article photo there says it all.  In one word: disgusting.  I find it very hard to feel badly about those who perish in such a case as this.
    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • Renfield
    Renfield NYC NY Posts: 1,054
    edited May 2019
    brianlux said:
    Renfield said:
    Gawd aweful!

    I respect life and I wish no one harm or ill will but this kind of thing brings out the most callous feelings in me that way.   The main National Geo article photo there says it all.  In one word: disgusting.  I find it very hard to feel badly about those who perish in such a case as this.
    I understand what you are saying.
    Might change... serious changes/restrictions are needed.
    https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2019/05/29/world/asia/mount-everest.amp.html
    The commercialization of Mt Everest has been mounting for years. I noticed it from 1996 onward.  Those lines are like the ones I wait in to ride The Incredible Hulk at Universal. Shameful. 
    Post edited by Renfield on
  • Meltdown99
    Meltdown99 None Of Your Business... Posts: 10,739
  • Meltdown99
    Meltdown99 None Of Your Business... Posts: 10,739


    Fucking America...now you added a Starbucks on mt everest...is no place on earth safe from your shitty coffee. 
    Give Peas A Chance…
  • Meltdown99
    Meltdown99 None Of Your Business... Posts: 10,739
  • Thoughts_Arrive
    Thoughts_Arrive Melbourne, Australia Posts: 15,165

    Adelaide 17/11/2009, Melbourne 20/11/2009, Sydney 22/11/2009, Melbourne (Big Day Out Festival) 24/01/2014
  • PJ_Soul
    PJ_Soul Vancouver, BC Posts: 50,681
    edited May 2019
    What else are they supposed to do? All of their lives are at risk. That is why Everest climbers have always just gone by the dead. Some have managed to take bodies with them on their way down, but I never heard of a climber who stopped their own climb because of a dead body. Because really, why? The person is dead - nothing anyone can do about that. They're not all about to throw tens of thousands of dollars and a life long dream away, and also, in some case, further risk their own safety, because they stop to mourn over someone's dead body. That makes sense to me that they just keep going - it's not like they are strolling through a park and coming upon a corpse. Now it's a whole other issue if the person is still alive! And yes, people have died up there because climbers didn't stop to help someone in trouble. Now THAT is fucked.
    Post edited by PJ_Soul on
    With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
  • Bentleyspop
    Bentleyspop Craft Beer Brewery, Colorado Posts: 11,426
    PJ_Soul said:
    What else are they supposed to do? All of their lives are at risk. That is why Everest climbers have always just gone by the dead. Some have manages to take bodies with them on their way down, but I never heard of a climber who stopped their own climb because of a dead body. Because really, why? The person is dead - nothing anyone can do about that. They're not all about to throw tens of thousands of dollars and a life long dream away, and also, in some case, further risk their own safety, because they stop to mourn over someone's dead body. That makes sense to me that they just keep going - it's not like they are strolling through a park and coming upon a corpse. Now it's a whole other issue if the person is still alive! And yes, people have died up there because climbers didn't stop to help someone in trouble. Now THAT is fucked.
    Nice to see someone gets it
  • Meltdown99
    Meltdown99 None Of Your Business... Posts: 10,739
    I do get.  The gist of the tweet is that greed and ego are more important than human lives.  
    Give Peas A Chance…
  • mcgruff10
    mcgruff10 New Jersey Posts: 29,125
    What else are they supposed to do?  Pretty sure this has been sop for years.  
    I'll ride the wave where it takes me......
  • PJ_Soul
    PJ_Soul Vancouver, BC Posts: 50,681
    edited May 2019
    I do get.  The gist of the tweet is that greed and ego are more important than human lives.  
    I think everyone got what it was trying to say. I just don't think that the tweet is apt at all, for the reasons I already said. The dead person and probably the Nepalese government were the only ones responsible for his death, not the other climbers walking past his body. The dead climber certainly placed his own ego before his own life, and certainly the license fee was more important to Nepal. Those climbers being accused of something in the Tweet didn't do anything wrong IMO... not until they die because of it, anyway, and then they only would have hurt themselves and their families, not anyone else.
    Post edited by PJ_Soul on
    With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
  • benjs
    benjs Toronto, ON Posts: 9,379
    I do get.  The gist of the tweet is that greed and ego are more important than human lives.  
    You mean human bodies. They’re dead. They knew no one would jeopardize their lives to carry their corpse down if they failed at their own “ego-driven” pursuit. 
    '05 - TO, '06 - TO 1, '08 - NYC 1 & 2, '09 - TO, Chi 1 & 2, '10 - Buffalo, NYC 1 & 2, '11 - TO 1 & 2, Hamilton, '13 - Buffalo, Brooklyn 1 & 2, '15 - Global Citizen, '16 - TO 1 & 2, Chi 2

    EV
    Toronto Film Festival 9/11/2007, '08 - Toronto 1 & 2, '09 - Albany 1, '11 - Chicago 1
  • Gern Blansten
    Gern Blansten Mar-A-Lago Posts: 22,204
    https://allthatsinteresting.com/george-mallory-body

    This was crazy....the people that found Sir Edmund Hillary's body
    Remember the Thomas Nine !! (10/02/2018)
    The Golden Age is 2 months away. And guess what….. you’re gonna love it! (teskeinc 11.19.24)

    1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago
    2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy
    2013: London ON, Wrigley; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE)
    2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston
    2020: Oakland, Oakland:  2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana
    2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville
    2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana; 2025: Pitt1, Pitt2