Climbing Mt Everest is for idiots!

Sea Filly

Ellis Dee wrote: »

* I always insist on calling the world's highest mountain by its correct name Sagarmatha, the one the Nepalese gave it centuries before an imperialist English git, Andrew Waugh, who was then the British Surveyor General of India, named it after his predecessor in the post, Sir George Everest. The latter had never even seen the mountain nor been aware of its existence.

Isn't there many local names for it? Hence why it was called Everest as on of the local names couldn't be settled on. Indeed, Everest himself was not keen on the name and believed it should be given a local name.

al28283

Sauve wrote: »

Very few people will understand the mentality.
They do it to feel alive, achievement, power, self pride, throwing off the mundanity of life.
I recently trained for and completed a 100k cycle. I wouldn't consider it a big achievement at all on a grand scale, I've already got my sights set on more, but as a personal challenge it was massive and I'm still getting a buzz from having done it.

People that say 'you're mental' simply don't understand the euphoria that comes from something like that. It feels so good it's scary sometimes.

(I'm fully aware of how crazy that sounds, but it's true )

Yea, but that's no excuse to leave some kids without a parent

kowloon

File the top off the thing, put a hotel on it. Then all the people looking for life affirming experiences off the beaten track can take up something new.
Somalian pirate weekend?

SomeFool

Sea Filly wrote: »

Isn't there many local names for it? Hence why it was called Everest as on of the local names couldn't be settled on. Indeed, Everest himself was not keen on the name and believed it should be given a local name.

I think it got named Everset because there was no access to Tibet or Nepal so the local names were unknown to the British surveyers at the time.

MisterEpicurus

I think the reason people get so euphoric from climbing it is because it's a legal high. Duh!

Atomicjuicer

All the excuses in this thread!

Is saving someone from death on everest not considered a worthy story for these folk?

Skip the summit, save some millionaire - still have a great story (and possibly try again later).

mossyc123

SomeFool wrote: »

Shur nobody should ever go anywhere or do anything so. I don't see why someone should drop their dreams and ambitions beacuse they have a family.

I do agree it was poorly thought out and poorly timed though but then not knowing the person or their situation maybe they would heve never had another chance to do it.

If your dreams/ambitions involve doing something potentially fatal and expensive the achievement of which would only serve to give you a personal high then you shouldn't do it.

From day 1 your kids are more important then you are, that's a fundamental that i'd like to pass on from my parents to the ones that may follow from me.

_AVALANCHE_

Dumb American brings his Bike up the Mountain with him.

My name is URL

_AVALANCHE_ wrote: »

Dumb American brings his Bike up the Mountain with him.

Those pictures say it all really.

hmmm

If I had busted a gut to get to the top of Everest, spending years in training and making sure my expedition was top notch, I'd walk past those who put little or no effort in and were collapsing on the route up. I'm not going to put myself at risk for someone who was completely unprepared.

The difference between the stories of (heroic) climbers helping others off K2 and people passing by on Everest is that the former were amongst fellow climbers who had got into trouble. Often it's just luck that separates the fortunate from the unfortunate, so in that case everyone knows they should do their utmost to assist those in trouble.

My name is URL

hmmm wrote: »

Often it's just luck that separates the fortunate from the unfortunate

That's deep, man :pac:

Jimoslimos

hmmm wrote: »

If I had busted a gut to get to the top of Everest, spending years in training and making sure my expedition was top notch, I'd walk past those who put little or no effort in and were collapsing on the route up. I'm not going to put myself at risk for someone who was completely unprepared.

Good on you for being able to distinguish between those lazy unprepared climbers and the 'real' type.:rolleyes:

DEFTLEFTHAND

There seems to be an attitude that Everest is only for the hipsters.

Why don't ya'll scale over to K2 where we're still 'keeping it real'.

joseph brand

hmmm wrote: »

If I had busted a gut to get to the top of Everest, spending years in training and making sure my expedition was top notch, I'd walk past those who put little or no effort in and were collapsing on the route up. I'm not going to put myself at risk for someone who was completely unprepared.

The difference between the stories of (heroic) climbers helping others off K2 and people passing by on Everest is that the former were amongst fellow climbers who had got into trouble. Often it's just luck that separates the fortunate from the unfortunate, so in that case everyone knows they should do their utmost to assist those in trouble.

hmmmmmm

Which is it Confucius?

Does anyone know if any of the dead climbers have received a Darwin award?

I could never climb Everest because I'm too whiny and I hate carrying heavy bags. That's why airports have trolleys. They don't even have beers or smokes up there, or music, sounds sh1te to me.

Apart from that, my wife wouldn't allow it. She would divorce me and take the kids, so I'd be even more whiny knowing that when I got home I'd have to deal with all that crap. That's if I survived. There's a good chance my 'team' would leave this cranky whinger on the slopes.

Ush1

It's usually some posh, beardy twat climbing a mountain, gets in difficulty by needlessly wanting to climb this thing, then other people have to risk their lives(emergency services) to save him.

JohnMarston

A more realistic, more safe goal is to climb Carrauntoohil, though you would still want to know how to navigate using a compass and map.

I'd well recommend it.

af_thefragile

Its adventure and extreme man and that's what I live for if you get what I mean...

*gulps Red Bull*

Dangerous Man

I just finished 'Into Thin Air' about an hour ago so felt the need to post. I think Krakauer was painfully honest in his assessment of what happened in 96. I don't think Broukeev came out looking too badly at all; on more than one occasion Krakauer calls his deeds 'heroic.'

Next, is 'The Climb.'

SomeFool

I highly, highly recommend Joe Simpsons 'Touching the Void'. Nothing to do with Everest the best mountaineering book I've ever read.

LH Pathe

Think you missed the point? Rolling back down is genius / will make you a genius