Everest

Sonny noggs

If I wasn’t suspicious of the Charity Industry before, I certainly am now. Another charity to add to my list of DNF. Do Not Fund.

vicwatson

This is probably the most vile thread I’ve ever seen in AH, for many different reasons.

scoey

The national broadcaster shouldn't be advertising the gofundme if such a mission would put the lives of others at risk etc.

PokeHerKing

750k is quite the lofty target. I'd say his death in service with trinity is somewhere in the region of half a million if they need it.

Squatter

Sonny noggs wrote: »

If I wasn’t suspicious of the Charity Industry before, I certainly am now. Another charity to add to my list of DNF. Do Not Fund.

An kindly elderly neighbour of mine who was surviving on the State pension made the mistake of contributing to the said charity - and others - some years ago.

She was subsequently inundated with reams of expensively printed letters, brochures and other heart-string pulling pieces of literature from each of the charities, on a regular basis.

She eventually managed to get rid of the vultures by returning their letters unopened with "deceased" written on them. But it took her a very long time to get rid of the more persistent ones.

whiskeyman

vicwatson wrote: »

This is probably the most vile thread I’ve ever seen in AH, for many different reasons.

I think it's one of the best.

We are seeing real thoughts of our nations people on an emotionally charged news item.

Interesting to see how this is portrayed in the media is very different to people's thoughts.

RasTa

It took them 60+ years to find Mallory. Surprised they are trying to find his body. Waste of time and money, all donations should be given to the charity he was climbing for.

Cold? Yes but that's the climbing world and any experienced climber should be telling his wife that it's a waste of resources

meeeeh

I have mixed feelings about mountaineering. Coming from a country at the edge of Alps I know some people gave deep love four mountains. Eventually they end up doing 8000m climbs but thats after years if climbing lower peaks because they like standing on the top of the mountain. I was never big into climbing and yet even I felt the satisfaction when you climb somewhere a bit higher and look into the distance. It's completely different if you drive there or get a cable lift. Anyway seasoned mountaineers are usually well prepared but I suspect that even they sometimes ignore the risks because of cost and hard work that goes into the exhibition. But they are usually better prepared for the conditions. But it can turn into pushing for records and climbing parts nobody did before. A great example of sheer obsession and frankly madness is in the link below. Despite the climbing skills there is nothing great in behaviour like that.

https://rockandice.com/people/the-audacious-legacy-of-tomaz-humar/?cn-reloaded=1

However even worse are people with bucket list who think climbing Everest is just another thick along parachute jumping and shark diving. That's just selfish and stupid.

I came accross sponsored climbs before but I think charity angle is less common in central Europe. I think there is understanding people climb mountains because they want to and for no other reason. Representing it as charity thing would be considered cynical.

Nobelium

I came accross sponsored climbs before but I think charity angle is less common in central Europe. I think there is understanding people climb mountains because they want to and for no other reason. Representing it as charity thing would be considered cynical.

Agreed.

A real hero is not some selfish bored thrill seeking holidaymaker with too much time and money who climbs Everest for the buzz, but the many forgotten Irish people and their carer's that quietly get on with climbing an Everest every day of their lives.

Nobelium

Mr Lawless had attempted the mammoth climb to raise up to €25,000 for Barretstown, a charity dedicated to seriously ill children and their families.

I wonder what that charity would be able to do with € 750,000 ?

Atoms for Peace

vicwatson wrote: »

This is probably the most vile thread I’ve ever seen in AH, for many different reasons.

While I believe there is something admirable and heroic about pushing life to the limits; I despise the growing trend of self entitlement and lack of taking responsibility for ones actions. Yes its a tragedy but so is life in general, if you die doing what you love fair play but don't expect crocodile tears or funding from the general public.

The Tetrarch

The Tetrarch wrote: »

From a Google search the typical cost of climbing Everest is $45,000.

how does that work with the charity thing - you raise 70,000 k and the charity gets 25,000 and you get a free Everest trip?

RasTa

RasTa wrote: »

It took them 60+ years to find Mallory. Surprised they are trying to find his body. Waste of time and money, all donations should be given to the charity he was climbing for.

Cold? Yes but that's the climbing world and any experienced climber should be telling his wife that it's a waste of resources

they leave the bodies on Everest don't they? above a certain height anyways as simply too dangerous a mission to bring down a corpse

Mena Mitty

glasso wrote: »

how does that work with the charity thing - you raise 70,000 k and the charity gets 25,000 and you get a free Everest trip?

Sometimes called an ego trip.

beauf

Sonny noggs wrote: »

If I wasn’t suspicious of the Charity Industry before, I certainly am now. Another charity to add to my list of DNF. Do Not Fund.

We've had massive scandals with charities for as long as they've existed.

Similarly lots of personal adventures, sports activities, expeditions pretty much anything is funded by looking for donations.

How anyone is unaware of this before baffles me. People must walk around in a daze.

B0jangles

His poor family can't really be blamed for being desperate to get him home - they are hardly thinking rationally at this point, but it's not really on for the national broadcaster to publicize a fundraising campaign for something that's so likely to end in failure and could quite possibly to lead to even more deaths.

Raise the money for the charity he named - no better way to remember him.

meeeeh

beauf wrote: »

We've had massive scandals with charities for as long as they've existed.

Similarly lots of personal adventures, sports activities, expeditions pretty much anything is funded by looking for donations.

How anyone is unaware of this before baffles me. People must walk around in a daze.

Of course they are funded by donations and a lot of professional climbers would afterwards do talks, offer live stream of expeditions, write books and create buzz around their corporate sponsors. That's how they finance their expeditions. But they don't need to pretend they are doing it for charity. I think we all know charity angle us exploited like that but that doesn't mean we have to like it.

beauf

whiskeyman wrote: »

I think it's one of the best.

We are seeing real thoughts of our nations people on an emotionally charged news item.

Interesting to see how this is portrayed in the media is very different to people's thoughts.

You have the tabloid journalism looking for anything that gets attention.

You have people oblivious to how the world works taking the bait despite not knowing anything about any of it.

beauf

meeeeh wrote: »

..... I think we all know charity angle us exploited like that but that doesn't mean we have to like it.

This thread suggests people have no idea...

adox

I was always under the impression that rescuing bodies from Everest beyond a certain height was a near impossibility and hugely risky at lower levels.

Is there no one to advise the family on the realities? The go fund me page has hit six figures. Can that money be returned?

I have no climbing to experience whatsoever but was always fascinated by people wanting to climb the likes of Everest. The amount of work that is prepped for them, ropes ladders etc before they try and summit. The human traffic jams at times on the mountain. It all kind of took the romance out of it. Having said that, the sheer height and danger of it never lessened despite the climbers more or less being handheld up and down. Having said that I have nothing bit admiration for people who do manage it.

It all puts into perspective what an amazing feat it was by Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary.

It’s a very sad story. A hugely risky undertaking that has ended in tragedy. RIP to the climber and his family. I just hope that some common sense is brought to this sooner rather than later. If his remains are most likely unrecoverable then the family should be informed as soon as possible.

As stated at the start I am no climber and have no climbing experience so my opinions are purely based on reading and viewing and I have no real world experience in any of it.

beauf

B0jangles wrote: »

His poor family can't really be blamed for being desperate to get him home - they are hardly thinking rationally at this point, but it's not really on for the national broadcaster to publicize a fundraising campaign for something that's so likely to end in failure and could quite possibly to lead to even more deaths.

Raise the money for the charity he named - no better way to remember him.

This all does seem a bit odd. You'd assume the family and RTE would know that recovery is highly unlikely.

beauf

adox wrote: »

I was always under the impression that rescuing bodies from Everest beyond a certain height was a near impossibility and hugely risky at lower levels. ....

It is. That assuming they can be found. Which is unlikely.

I sympathise with the family but this gofundme is madness. €117k raised so far out of €750k goal. Imagine the good that money could do.

Everyone who attempts Everest should be aware of the not-insigificant chance of dying up there (I believe 6% for those who summit, 1% for those who go above base camp). And also aware that your body will probably remain on the mountain (250+ bodies still there, out of ~300 deaths).

Seamus is gone. Taking donations of €750k and risking more lives to bring a frozen body home is irresponsible.

silverharp

Deleted User wrote: »

I sympathise with the family but this gofundme is madness. €117k raised so far out of €750k goal. Imagine the good that money could do.

Everyone who attempts Everest should be aware of the not-insigificant chance of dying up there (I believe 6% for those who summit, 1% for those who go above base camp). And also aware that your body will probably remain on the mountain (250+ bodies still there, out of ~300 deaths).

Seamus is gone. Taking donations of €750k and risking more lives to bring a frozen body home is irresponsible.

I looked up a number and they said about 2% overall but goes up with age, 50 or 60 somethings the mortality rate goes up to 1 in 4.

Im generally in favour of badassary , whether its sailing solo around the world, going to the poles , mountain climbing etc but there is something about Everest , above a certain level your body starts "dying". To me the risk reward isn't there.

seamus

B0jangles wrote: »

His poor family can't really be blamed for being desperate to get him home - they are hardly thinking rationally at this point, but it's not really on for the national broadcaster to publicize a fundraising campaign for something that's so likely to end in failure and could quite possibly to lead to even more deaths.

Raise the money for the charity he named - no better way to remember him.

Pretty much how I feel about it. You can know all the risks and realities, but I can only imagine the pain and frustration of having this happen and having insurance companies and expedition leaders tell you there's nothing they can do.

Hopefully they gather some perspective before they hit the 750k and decide to give it to Barrettstown.

In a strange way it might be comforting to consider that the bodies of anyone who dies on Everest will outlast everyone else on earth.

jasper100

shamrock55 wrote: »

It's about time they stop people from climbing everest altogether

I believe less people have swam the English channel, a tougher challenge and perfectly safe.

I never bought into these overseas charity treks, hikes, climbs etc.

Its almost as people are being asked to subsidise somebodies trip of a lifetime.

I doubt the charitable person sees much of it after everybody gets paid along the way for administering it.

no.8

jasper100 wrote:

I believe less people have swam the English channel, a tougher challenge and perfectly safe.

I could very well be wrong here but how do you know that they are comparable? Swimming across the English channel is not perfectly safe by any stretch, that's nonsense.

RIP to this man, he was certainly qualified for the climb but succumbed. It's not all down to how many times you've climbed an 8000m+ mountain.

meeeeh

silverharp wrote: »

I looked up a number and they said about 2% overall but goes up with age, 50 or 60 somethings the mortality rate goes up to 1 in 4.

Im generally in favour of badassary , whether its sailing solo around the world, going to the poles , mountain climbing etc but there is something about Everest , above a certain level your body starts "dying". To me the risk reward isn't there.

Biology teacher in my high school was 13th woman in the world to climb to the top of Everest in the nineties. Her husband is accomplished climber and I think they were first couple who climbed together. All admirable achievements except they had three young kids at the time. (Two are doing some sort of climbing now too). For me that's a bit too much of a risk to take once you have children but then who knows what pushes people to go for challenges like that.

tuxy

seamus wrote: »

Pretty much how I feel about it. You can know all the risks and realities, but I can only imagine the pain and frustration of having this happen and having insurance companies and expedition leaders tell you there's nothing they can do.

Hopefully they gather some perspective before they hit the 750k and decide to give it to Barrettstown.

In a strange way it might be comforting to consider that the bodies of anyone who dies on Everest will outlast everyone else on earth.

Is there any chance a group of Sherpas would take on the job of retrieving a body for €750,000?

There are still people donating with messages saying they hope he makes it back safe and sound. Many people believe he may be alive because of the way the gofundme is worded.

Squatter

meeeeh wrote: »

who knows what pushes people to go for challenges like that.

Behind the blather and smokescreens it's nothing more than pure selfishness.