Nepal/China - 10 People in 9 Days Die on Mt. Everest as 320 pack dense trail "death zone", May 2019

[Suglo]

I’m surprised there is no “ peak rage “ ? ? happening up there.

They can barely put one foot in front of another. My bet is that the rage comes out once they are down at base camp.

 

[Trident]

They can barely put one foot in front of another. My bet is that the rage comes out once they are down at base camp.

Rage? Should there be rage? Didn't these people know what they were getting into before they paid how many thousands of dollars? Didn't they realize there is no longer any glory in lines of people trampling on the blood, sweet and tears of those who actually battled the elements to conquer the peak? Don't they know that what they are doing is nothing more than standing in line at WalMart on black Friday?

The glory is gone guys, donate your money to the homeless.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Climbers who 'want to check the box' blamed for Everest's deadly month

"There are lots of climbers who just want to check the box so that they can say they’ve been to the top of the world."

 

[fabvab]

Sure, rich folk can just hire someone to haul their oxygen. And why turn away anyone who has $10,000 to spend for an ego trip? Everest is a cash cow for that area, with tourism.

y
Some people have hired Sherpas to basically drag/carry them up Everest as needed.

$10,000 is just cost for the permit. Actual costs are up to 6-9 times that amount. Sherpas need the money and will take the risk.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Mandy Moore completes trek to Mount Everest base camp amid deadly climbing season

Mandy Moore's "inner mountain girl" has peaked!

The "This Is Us" actress, 35, successfully completed her trek into Mount Everest's Base Camp, which sits 17,600 feet above sea level, on Monday morning.

"There is so much magic in these mountains. They represent adventure in the grandest form and in a language all their own," she captioned an Instagram picture of herself, Eddie Bauer alpine guide Melissa Arnot and friends Ashley Streicher and Chase Weideman jumping for joy at their destination...

 

[borndem]

y
Some people have hired Sherpas to basically drag/carry them up Everest as needed.

$10,000 is just cost for the permit. Actual costs are up to 6-9 times that amount. Sherpas need the money and will take the risk.

Yes, indeed. If you go with a reputable (check it out first) guide service, they take care of everything -- hauling your stuff to base camp, fixing the ropes on Everest (which everyone will use!!), your oxygen (approx $450.00 to$650.00 a tank) and the hook-up, food, Sherpas to help on the way up & down, usually a medic for the group, etc., for aroun $60,000.00 per climber. More and more less reputable and experienced guide services are now getting into it, and who knoze what about their experience and their staffs, and who knoze what they provide for the climbers.
I hope we will get more details on this horror after things sort out a bit, but we may not.

 

[fabvab]

Also the book Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster is a 1997 bestselling non-fiction book written by Jon Krakauer. This was made into a movie, called Everest about the 1996 venture where many died trying to ascend the peak. It was made in IMA format and is chilling to watch. 8 died in that season, including Rob Hall, a guide from NZ who had summited for the fifth time. He actually was able to speak to his pregnant wife from the summit before he died. Last words to her "Sleep well, my sweetheart. Please don't worry too much." His body is still up there, just below the South Summit.

Into Thin Air by Krakauer is one of my very favorite books. I thought it gave me so much more inside info than the movie did...I had little knowledge of what it took to climb Everest. It prompted me to read several other books on high altitude climbs.

 

[Gunslinging Granny]

Try to imagine the participants of any other sport stepping over dead bodies just so they can get to the "finish line". It's difficult to imagine because it wouldn't happen. Why are dead humans meaningless to these climbers?

 

[Trident]

Try to imagine the participants of any other sport stepping over dead bodies just so they can get to the "finish line". It's difficult to imagine because it wouldn't happen. Why are dead humans meaningless to these climbers?

I don't believe dead humans are meaningless to these climbers. I believe they are considered an acceptable risk of the climbing "sport". I further believe the bodies are a reminder of the risks, a warning of everyone's mortality, a risk these "climbers" are willing to take.

 

[zecats]

Into Thin Air by Krakauer is one of my very favorite books. I thought it gave me so much more inside info than the movie did...I had little knowledge of what it took to climb Everest. It prompted me to read several other books on high altitude climbs.

I enjoyed it too, as well as the IMAX movie. Virtual experience is often the best. It's as close as I ever want to get to the top of Everest, or any other mountain that I can't drive up (Pike's Peak, Mount Washington, for example.)

 

[Snoods]

Climbers who 'want to check the box' blamed for Everest's deadly month

"There are lots of climbers who just want to check the box so that they can say they’ve been to the top of the world."

I read a tweet that said “Pro tip: Put “climbing Mt Everest” LAST on your bucket list.”

I love how it’s everyone else’s fault. Everyone climbing Everest is pointing fingers at everyone but themselves.

 

[borndem]

Into Thin Air by Krakauer is one of my very favorite books. I thought it gave me so much more inside info than the movie did...I had little knowledge of what it took to climb Everest. It prompted me to read several other books on high altitude climbs.

Same here, fabvab -- A well-written book about which I knew nothing. I, too, have since read many books on climbing Everest. Always with some bad outcomes and some great ones. There were no amateurs in the group with which Krakauer climbed, but there were some heart-wrenching bad outcomes. I can't imagine Everest being anyone's first climb. And Krakauer's schedule for the summit bid was crowded, but nothing at all that resembled this unbelievable number of climbers.

To me, it would be like driving Daytona with a blindfold -- and I know nothing about Daytona, except there are a lot of race cars going fast in a big bunch -- and they are all professionals who have to qualify to participate, and there are many crashes but the drivers have fire retardant suits, crash helmets, cars built to withstand a bad crash, the best equipment and staff, a clean-to-start-with racetrack, super-duper fire engines and fire-fighting materials, and rescue professionals who can reach a driver in trouble in probably less than three minutes. And if a driver gets in trouble or just wants to stop racing for that day, all s/he has to do is drive into the pit area and get out of the car.

 

[Sulamith]

Into Thin Air by Krakauer is one of my very favorite books. I thought it gave me so much more inside info than the movie did...I had little knowledge of what it took to climb Everest. It prompted me to read several other books on high altitude climbs.

I need to read that! I loved "Into the Wild" and "Under the Banner of Heaven".

 

[MimosaMornings]

All that trash. The line of people.
Takes away the beauty of the mountain. JMO

 

[Trudie]

I’m surprised there is no “ peak rage “ ? ? happening up there.

Well, there’s been a lot of deaths over the years, all from lack of oxygen???

 

[gregjrichards]

Climbers who 'want to check the box' blamed for Everest's deadly month

"There are lots of climbers who just want to check the box so that they can say they’ve been to the top of the world."

I find it really difficult to get into the mindset of being willing to risk my life to do this as I’m very risk-averse. I just don’t understand it especially those who have children.

 

[PrairieWind]

I need to read that! I loved "Into the Wild" and "Under the Banner of Heaven".

You absolutely should read it. Its an incredible book. First of all Krakauer is a great writer, and second its just a compelling story.

I don't blame people for wanting to climb Everest and going and trying. If that is their goal in life, they should pursue it. I do perhaps blame Nepal for allowing the mountain to be that crowded. They are issuing the permits, they should maybe consider limiting the number. But, its their country; their decision. But they should let climbers know how crowded the mountain will be before they get there.

 

[borndem]

All that trash. The line of people.
Takes away the beauty of the mountain. JMO

And the mountain, called Chomolungma, which means "Goddess Mother of the Land" in Tibetan language is sacred to the Tibetans and to the Napalese. The mountain is known in Nepal as Sagarmatha, which means "sky head," and it is also regarded with much respect.

It is a shame, but in some ways understandable, that the poor country of Nepal has let the need for money intrude on their respect for their great mountain. Tibet may be in the same boat, but I don't know much about how Tibet handles the yearly climbers.

 

[PrairieWind]

And the mountain, called Chomolungma, which means "Goddess Mother of the Land" in Tibetan language is sacred to the Tibetans and to the Napalese. The mountain is known in Nepal as Sagarmatha, which means "sky head," and it is also regarded with much respect.

It is a shame, but in some ways understandable, that the poor country of Nepal has let the need for money intrude on their respect for their great mountain. Tibet may be in the same boat, but I don't know much about how Tibet handles the yearly climbers.

Nepal is one of the poorest countries in Asia. And they get a lot of their economy from Everest related tourism. Tibet is controlled by China. China doesn't seem to be issuing anywhere near the number of permits, but they don't really need the money. I can't confirm this, but I believe most of the deaths recently have been on the Nepalese side. Both main routes are susceptible to bottlenecks of climbers at certain locations, but there seem to be many more climbers on the South/Nepal route.

 

[mickey2942]

SO is sitting here by the tv, with the dog, his most strenuous exercise is taking a 15 year old dog out to the mail box once a day. We saw the line at Everest, I told him if he had an extra $500,000 HE could climb Everest!

He decided not this year.