Everest

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts

BowSideChamp wrote: »

This is the crowd that Shay Lawless signed up with - https://www.sevensummittreks.com/trip/vvip-everest-expedition-service

Basically, you pay for some poor local Sherpas to carry you and all your gear up the mountain so you can take an Instagram photo.

The Simpsons took the piss out of this very thing in its golden era, over twenty years ago, with Homer being dragged up Mount Springfield. So, a mainstream show - albeit a very clever one in its heyday - was making fun of this a quarter century ago. I’m amazed at the naivety of some of the contributors to the GoFundMe campaign.

jasper100

Alrigghtythen wrote: »

Maybe he had achieved all he wanted to and chose not to return

Possibly. Putting it before wanting to see his second child born.

Wouldn't surprise me given a lot of these people step over dying people to get to the top.

Atoms for Peace

LollipopJimmy wrote: »

It's a massively valid point, a quick look at the comments will show you hat ordinary people in their naivety are donating thinking they are helping to locate a missing person not a body.

You can as sarky as you like but that's the truth of it and why people here are a little miffed. It's the deception

Surely well educated people with access to the internet would recognise the absurdity of sending a search party up to the death zone, or am I expecting too much.

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts

BowSideChamp wrote: »

This is the crowd that Shay Lawless signed up with - https://www.sevensummittreks.com/trip/vvip-everest-expedition-service

Basically, you pay for some poor local Sherpas to carry you and all your gear up the mountain so you can take an Instagram photo.

The following, from that company’s page is quite shocking:



Shouldn’t people considering attempting Everest be in great physical condition? I don’t think specialist knowledge is required to know that. I mean, I questioned my fitness before I climbed Croagh Patrick! And saying they can compensate for fear of risks? Even for top mountaineers, Everest is not risk-free.

tuxy

I like the bit abut having your own chef with fresh fruit and veg flown in by helicopter daily

jasper100

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts wrote: »

The following, from that company’s page is quite shocking:



Shouldn’t people considering attempting Everest be in great physical condition? I don’t think specialist knowledge is requires to know that. I mean, I questioned my fitness before I climbed Croagh Patrick! And saying they can compensate for fear of risks? Even for top mountaineers, Everest is not risk-free.

That's one of the underlying tones of this thread. Any person with money can buy their way to have a go at Everest.

Seamus had no real mountaineering experience that I can see. Apparently he watched videos of Everest at home and practiced by walking across ladders with crampons on in his back garden.

tuxy

jasper100 wrote: »

That's one of the underlying tones of this thread. Any person with money can buy their way to have a go at Everest.

Seamus had no real mountaineering experience that I can see. Apparently he watched videos of Everest at home and practiced by walking across ladders with crampons on in his back garden.

He took up mountaineering four years ago I believe, he had made it to the summit of Mera(6,476 m)
Most his fitness training was jogging in the Wicklow mountains and he also took a few trips to Scotland to train in snowy conditions.
He was turning 40 in July so unfortunately he didn't have time to gain the recommended amount of experience like climbing a less dangerous 8000m peak to see how the body deals with such extreme altitude.

liosnagceann75

jasper100 wrote: »

That's one of the underlying tones of this thread. Any person with money can buy their way to have a go at Everest.

Seamus had no real mountaineering experience that I can see. Apparently he watched videos of Everest at home and practiced by walking across ladders with crampons on in his back garden.

How much lower can you possibly go?

LollipopJimmy

redmgar wrote: »

On Queue

Are my points not reasonable or valid? Do you dispute anything I'm saying? Have you anything to add yourself?

Alrigghtythen

tuxy wrote: »

He took up mountaineering four years ago I believe, he had made it to the summit of Mera(6,476 m)
Most his fitness training was jogging in the Wicklow mountains and he also took a few trips to Scotland to train in snowy conditions.
He was turning 40 in July so unfortunately he didn't have time to gain the recommended amount of experience like climbing a less dangerous 8000m peak to see how the body deals with such extreme altitude.

Is there an age limit or why didn't he have time?

tuxy

Alrigghtythen wrote: »

Is there an age limit or why didn't he have time?

No, experience trumps age. A self imposed time limit. I'm sure his job kept him busy and he knew he would be very busy once his wife gave birth.

Muahahaha

pc7 wrote: »

Just to note, I'm being misquoted due to missing ' I didn't quote about camp 4, I said base camp/camp 1, thanks.

sorry didnt mean to misquote you, Ive fixed it now

Allinall

liosnagceann75 wrote: »

How much lower can you possibly go?

There appears to be no limits.

It’s pathetic.

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts

NIMAN wrote: »

To be fair, its not the Nepalese governments concern if rich, untrained Westerners want to hand over a small fortune to climb a mountain.

When you are an adult, its no-ones responsibility to babysit you, especially when experts warn you to do the right thing and you refuse.

The Nepalese government should be interested in protecting some their citizens though, the Sherpa ethnic group. Yes, these Sherpas have the choice to take part but are coming from a disadvantaged financial position and the Bryant Gumbel clip posted on this thread interviewed a young Sherpa who felt pressured to help an inexperienced climber up the mountain and lost all his fingers in the effort. So there’s more at stake here than just wealthy Westerners flinging money at Everest and ignoring expert advice.

SusieBlue said it!

SusieBlue wrote: »

God, seeing the video of the poor Sherpa struggling up the mountain with the monstrous bag of supplies & tents while the climbers followed hands free was hard to watch.
Awful to imagine what hardship a person has in life that they not only regularly scale Everest, but they do so carrying massive burdens & loads, putting themselves at even greater risk of death.
Forget Barretstown, the money should be donated to the Sherpas.

Crusty Jocks

D.Q wrote: »

Really don't understand why they need to have his actual dead body there. What difference does it make?

Having the body of a loved one back home to bury or cremate does give an enormous amount of comfort to families. I’ve been through this personally due to an accident and it does give some comfort, why? who knows as it’s just a lifeless corpse that really doesn’t look anything like the person you knew.

That said it’s not a god given right that at any cost, including risking other people’s lives that the body be returned or every effort made to do so. The family/fundraisers seem to think so though...this is wrong. He made some very poor decisions of his own and it cost him his life, it shouldn’t cost any more lives.

Plenty of elderly people still living here who had loved ones forced to emigrate and died wherever they were but relatives could not afford to have the body repatriated and they’d just have to accept as much.

boombang

I advocate keeping threads I open and engaging in frank discussion, but some people are simply being jerks here.

tea and coffee

Ireland on Everest updated their FB page this morning to reflect the change in circumstances.

bobbyg

jasper100 wrote: »

Apart from the guy 32 minutes ago. And 2 more earlier today.

Because they leave comments they believe are supportive you believe they think he is alive. Fair enough

wrestlemaniac

Let me start by saying that some of the posts here are completely and utterly disrespectful to Seamus and the Lawless family, using language such as 'bellend'.

Anyway, as has already been mentioned Noel Hanna has led a team that includes Jenny Copeland back up the mountain.

Hanna was asked on 3 seperate occasions not to go back up, but felt a personal responsibility to see if an extraction was possible.

Crusty Jocks

wrestlemaniac wrote: »

Let me start by saying that some of the posts here are completely and utterly disrespectful to Seamus and the Lawless family, using language such as 'bellend'.

Anyway, as has already been mentioned Noel Hanna has led a team that includes Jenny Copeland back up the mountain.

Hanna was asked on 3 seperate occasions not to go back up, but felt a personal responsibility to see if an extraction was possible.

Some very poor decision making can be made at high altitudes, I’d say being asked on three separate occasions not go back up and ignoring this is not poor decision making...it’s idiotic. Nothing honourable about it.

ahnowbrowncow

jasper100 wrote: »

That's one of the underlying tones of this thread. Any person with money can buy their way to have a go at Everest.

Seamus had no real mountaineering experience that I can see. Apparently he watched videos of Everest at home and practiced by walking across ladders with crampons on in his back garden.

From a quick search he spent a month in the himalayas in 2017 and climbed Mera Peak (6,500m) and Island Peak (6,300m). He also climber Denali (6,200m) in 2018.

Im pretty sure that doesn't count as 'no real mountaineering experience'.
There are people climbing everest with zero experience.

I fully agree with what's being said about the gofundme page and the lack of transparency and risking more lives to recover the body of someone that knew the risks involved.
But is it too much to ask people to voice these concerns with a bit more decorum?

Hoboo

Crusty Jocks wrote: »

Some very poor decision making can be made at high altitudes, I’d say being asked on three separate occasions not go back up and ignoring this is not poor decision making...it’s idiotic. Nothing honourable about it.

It's like a massive tragedy waiting to happen.

Alrigghtythen

Hoboo wrote: »

It's like a massive tragedy waiting to happen.

Unbelievable they'd be so foolish

banie01

Hoboo wrote: »

It's like a massive tragedy waiting to happen.

Look, I've made my own feelings on the GFM and Mr Lawless' choices clear.
That said...
Let's hope that Hanna and co return from their search safe and sound.
Impaired decision making is a factor at altitude and I can understand that he may feel a sense of duty to Mr Lawless' and his family, but I do hope that won't lead to further loss.

recedite

wrestlemaniac wrote: »

Let me start by saying that some of the posts here are completely and utterly disrespectful to Seamus and the Lawless family, using language such as 'bellend'.

Anyway, as has already been mentioned Noel Hanna has led a team that includes Jenny Copeland back up the mountain.

Hanna was asked on 3 seperate occasions not to go back up, but felt a personal responsibility to see if an extraction was possible.

"Extraction" ??
I think that's a term normally associated with swooping down in a Blackhawk helicopter and rescuing somebody in the nick of time.

bobbyg

recedite wrote: »

"Extraction" ??
I think that's a term normally associated with swooping down in a Blackhawk helicopter and rescuing somebody in the nick of time.

No it's not.

knucklehead6

bobbyg wrote: »

No it's not.

To the keyboard warriors on here that’s exactly what image it conjures up.

jasper100

bobbyg wrote: »

Because they leave comments they believe are supportive you believe they think he is alive. Fair enough

No, they leave comments thinking he is alive, like this one earlier today, and there were others today.

Please God let him be found alive

Ultimate Seduction

Life must be fun on the couch Jasper you sick sad ****

jasper100

ahnowbrowncow wrote: »

From a quick search he spent a month in the himalayas in 2017 and climbed Mera Peak (6,500m) and Island Peak (6,300m). He also climber Denali (6,200m) in 2018.

Im pretty sure that doesn't count as 'no real mountaineering experience'.
There are people climbing everest with zero experience.

I fully agree with what's being said about the gofundme page and the lack of transparency and risking more lives to recover the body of someone that knew the risks involved.
But is it too much to ask people to voice these concerns with a bit more decorum?

He skipped the 8000M warmup climb, which is recommended to ensure you can even cope above 8000M.