Climbing Mt. Everest

[Formerly Rockymtnole]

This is the time of year when all the Everest news cranks up, but is anyone impressed by this feat anymore?

Seemed cool at one point, but now it feels like a glorified excursion, with rich people being hauled up the mountain by poor people for a photo op. Trashing the mountain, lines like Disney, people dying… just not impressed with it at this point.

Thoughts?

 

[HROT]

I’m hoping a FB friend does it and posts like “I did the impossible”. Just so I can comment, well it was your Sherpa’s 25th summit. And he carried your gear…..so.

But yeah, seems to be cliché from every tech entrepreneur etc. Maybe bring a body back down with you?

 

[Hoosierhawkeye]

This is the time of year when all the Everest news cranks up, but is anyone impressed by this feat anymore?

Seemed cool at one point, but now it feels like a glorified excursion, with rich people being hauled up the mountain by poor people for a photo op. Trashing the mountain, lines like Disney, people dying… just not impressed with it at this point.

Thoughts?

I agree, it's not that impressive anymore. When people started to pay Sherpas all it's required is a bunch of money and being in good physical shape.

 

[Kinnick.At.Night]

Reaching the summit of Everest is extremely impressive. And always will be.

 

[Hoosierhawkeye]

Reaching the summit of Everest is extremely impressive. And always will be.

Meh it's about the same as running a marathon but for rich people.

Yeah it takes being in shape and a lot of physical exertion but so many people have done it that it's lost it's meaning.

 

[Scruddy]

If I met someone who summited everest I'd definitely be impressed/wanna hear about it. Even if they got carried to the top by some sherpas like Homer Simpson did. When I was in college I had a classmate I befriended who was from Nepal. He offered to have me out to his home near the base of everest and I've always regretted not having taken him up on that.

 

[MeetTheFerentzes]

I’ll bet most people on this board couldn’t make it to the top of Mt. Elbert, much less Mt. Everest.

 

[Kinnick.At.Night]

Meh it's about the same as running a marathon but for rich people.

The use of supplementary oxygen has certainly made it attainable for many. Almost nobody climbs the world's tallest mountains anymore without it. The dangers involved will always impress me though.

 

[83Hawk]

I hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back in April, I thought that wasn't too bad for a 65 year old.

 

[CarolinaHawkeye]

To be honest, I won't be doing it anytime soon.

 

[Kinnick.At.Night]

Cool thread. It needs this video. Such a cool score in this film. I remember watching it and wondering about the various brands I saw on the gear being used. No internet back then to check them out.

 

[Jimmy McGill]

I got a buddy that lives in Alaska. He has done Denali several times.

I'll stick with my 13-14k feet climbs

 

[hawkeyetraveler]

I am an avid hiker and hiking even at 12K feet can be challenging due to oxygen levels. I am climbing Mt Whitney (tallest peak in the lower 48) in October and am already training hard for it.

Everest would be incredibly difficult no matter how little stuff you carry. It is impressive to me.

 

[OrlandNole]

Contrary to what you might think, this is not the line to OP's mom's house. This is the line to climb Everest.

 

[theiacowtipper]

I would be down to do the hike to base camp. That would be amazing.

 

[Jimmy McGill]

Contrary to what you might think, this is not the line to OP's mom's house. This is the line to climb Everest.

So true, the line is much longer at OP's mom's house. And the line doesn't have people with protective gear.

 

[DirtyJohns97]

I’ll bet most people on this board couldn’t make it to the top of Mt. Elbert, much less Mt. Everest.

I don't know about all that, I've been crushing Mt. Dew for years

 

[onlyTheObvious]

I would be down to do the hike to base camp. That would be amazing.

And see the tents and talk to all the climbers. Sort of like adventure hiking. I think that would be great.

The rest is too expensive and dangerous for me. Also the buzz of doing it isn’t all that great with Sherpas.

 

[billanole]

Meh it's about the same as running a marathon but for rich people.

Yeah it takes being in shape and a lot of physical exertion but so many people have done it that it's lost it's meaning.

Nah. It is not the same as a marathon.

 

[St. Louis Hawk]

I would be down to do the hike to base camp. That would be amazing.

Agree. It would be cool just to get there and then watch the teams go up from there.

Climbing it is impressive no matter the conditions. Anything that has about a 1% chance of dying is gonna be a no dawg for me.

 

[jamesvanderwulf]

Two More Feared Dead on Everest, Four Others Survive Close Call » Explorersweb

Four climbers nearly lost their lives near the summit of Everest when a snow slide dragged them into Tibet. They survived but two others are missing.

explorersweb.com

 

[Jimmy McGill]

When my buddy was deployed to an undisclosed location in Africa, I said I'd do Denali with him when he gets back.

His response: You'll die

 

[Dr. Phil Seuss]

This is the time of year when all the Everest news cranks up, but is anyone impressed by this feat anymore?

Seemed cool at one point, but now it feels like a glorified excursion, with rich people being hauled up the mountain by poor people for a photo op. Trashing the mountain, lines like Disney, people dying… just not impressed with it at this point.

Thoughts?

Any man who goes up there, even in the best of conditions, with sherpas and guides, is risking their life. Shit can and does go wrong.

I did a 40 mile trek through a rainforest with 8k feet of elevation gain and it wasn’t easy. I wouldn’t attempt Everest under any circumstances.

 

[pink shizzle]

Back when I was a personal trainer one of my clients had hiked Everest. He said he started the journey at 210, finished around 130-140 and was eating 10,000 calories a day. If I remember correctly he said from beginning to end it took him a couple months.

I dunno how accurate it all, but interesting. In his younger years he hiked what seemed like every crazy mountain.

 

[Colonoscopy]

I hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back in April, I thought that wasn't too bad for a 65 year old.

Did you score?

 

[QChawks]

Back when I was a personal trainer one of my clients had hiked Everest. He said he started the journey at 210, finished around 130-140 and was eating 10,000 calories a day. If I remember correctly he said from beginning to end it took him a couple months.

I dunno how accurate it all, but interesting. In his younger years he hiked what seemed like every crazy mountain.

I can believe it

It takes several weeks to get adjusted to the altitude

 

[Hawki97]

Meh it's about the same as running a marathon but for rich people.

Yeah it takes being in shape and a lot of physical exertion but so many people have done it that it's lost it's meaning.

It’s far more difficult than a marathon. It is however far less impressive then it used to be thanks to all the money and all the Sherpa support everyone needs and uses now. Still tough though. Most people would shit their pants over 6,000M.

For reference: Everest is 8000M+

 

[Jimmy McGill]

It’s far more difficult than a marathon. It is however far less impressive then it used to be thanks to all the money and all the Sherpa support everyone needs and uses now. Still tough though. Most people would shit their pants over 6,000M.

For reference: Everest is 8000M+

I'm going way out on a limb here, I claim no HORTER can accomplish Everest

 

[jamesvanderwulf]

I made it to the top of Mt. Trashmore in CR....without oxygen...

Of course the view of CR from the summit was worth the risk...

Mount Trashmore Summit Pavilion · 2201 C St SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404

âââââ · Park

www.google.com

 

[Hawki97]

I'm going way out on a limb here, I claim no HORTER can accomplish Everest

My guess is that is 100% correct. No offense.

 

[Jimmy McGill]

My guess is that is 100% correct. No offense.

I guarantee it is at the age of 45. Perhaps, when I got out of basic training. But even then, my body would not have been used to the altitude.

 

[funksouljon]

Had to look.....
6,664 different people have summited Everest for 11,996 summits, ....... Sherpas now dominate with a majority of summits.


It is physically impressive feat, but something I just don't care about.

 

[ICWestfan]

I’ll bet most people on this board couldn’t make it to the top of Mt. Elbert, much less Mt. Everest.

How many 14er's have you climbed? I had a chance to summit Mt. Princeton but it was after noon and starting to cloud up so I passed.

 

[hawkeyetraveler]

How many 14er's have you climbed? I had a chance to summit Mt. Princeton but it was after noon and starting to cloud up so I passed.

I attempted Quandry in late March. Had a spring snowstorm on the attempt. Made it maybe 2 miles up the trail and maybe 1,500 feet of gain. Couldn’t hack it due to altitude. The month prior I did the Grand Canyon rim to rim to rim hike (50ish miles 12K feet of gain over 4 days) without any issues at all. Hiking at altitude is different and WAY harder than most realize.

 

[ICWestfan]

I attempted Quandry in late March. Had a spring snowstorm on the attempt. Made it maybe 2 miles up the trail and maybe 1,500 feet of gain. Couldn’t hack it due to altitude. The month prior I did the Grand Canyon rim to rim to rim hike (50ish miles 12K feet of gain over 4 days) without any issues at all. Hiking at altitude is different and WAY harder than most realize.

Princeton has a "logging" road that gets you up to about 12K. Neighbors were driving up for some reason so I went along. We got to the trail that gets you to the summit, I don't believe it's really technical just a path straight to the top. But you don't want to be on it if there is rain or Tstorms about so I passed.

I believe Everest Base Camp is above 14K and you have to spend a couple of weeks "acclimating" at that altitude.

 

[sabula]

Meh it's about the same as running a marathon but for rich people.

Yeah it takes being in shape and a lot of physical exertion but so many people have done it that it's lost it's meaning.

Running the same as a marathon? I think not. I can't say as I know of there being up to 100 people that died while running a marathon. Climbing Mt Everest is still deadly.

 

[BioHawk]

After watching the documentary 14 Peaks on Netflix about that dude that climbed the highest 14 peaks on the planet in 6 months anything less seems inadequate.

 

[Hans81]

I’ll bet most people on this board couldn’t make it to the top of Mt. Elbert, much less Mt. Everest.

Lol

 

[onlyTheObvious]

Discovery channel use to have a show chronicling people’s attempts. I really enjoyed it.

 

[ThorneStockton]

I've been on a bit of an adventure kick in terms of my reading which lead to reading Into Thin Air and then going down a Everest rabbit hole.

This guy has collected some tremendous climbing videos, here is one short clip, but there are plenty of documentary style ones.

It's undoubtedly become more attainable to summit for those who have the resources. Climbing enthusiasts have been lamenting it for 20+ years, just like everyone remembers how this board used to be better.

The elevation and "death zone" of 8,000M+ is what will forever make Everest challenging and dangerous. If you're mildly curious about alpine sports, check out videos of K2, which is less known because it's slightly lower elevation but more technically challenging.