7 and counting this week alone.
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He said it was an extraordinarily selfish thing for him to do. He was a very good speaker. He said he was hallucinating that he was in his living room and then he looked at his hand and it was a frozen block of marble (he had lost his glove). Said to himself, "If I don't move right now, I will never move again."
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Unfortunately, it is such an assembly line now that it takes away the mystique. Most of the fun of mountaineering is the solitude (at least in my opinion). That looks utterly annoying - waiting in line for a Disney ride.
That leaves a horrible combination, all the risk of death is still solidly there, but you get none of the magic.
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If you survive, you'll probably lose some digits and for what? Bragging rights? It's insane.
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At least for some.
You probably know that feeling when you've lost all enjoyment of the climb, and basically all your energy, but you only have 500 feet more to go. You push. The summit draws you. It represents the will to overcome, perserverence. You don't do it to brag to anyone. You do it for you. Like Ricky Bobby.
Now, remembering that feeling - think about it on a grand scale - the tallest mountain in the world. Everest represents the ultimate test of your will, the will to beat death itself.
And the Sherpas? Whatever. If they didn't want a bunch of thrill seekers hiring, them out, they shouldn't have decided to live next to the world's tallest mountain.
I am all for "radical self-reliance" and pushing oneself past their previous breaking point. This isn't that. It's just nuts.
Climbers want to hire Sherpas, Sherpas want to be hired by climbers.
Why is the climber the bad guy here?
Jackasses paying to go up the mountain is good for the Sherpas. It doesn't make the pursuit by these idiots any less stupid. And they aren't doing it as an act of charity, but selfish self-aggrandizement.
putting your life at risk, while also putting other lives at risk is wrong and assholish.
Putting their life at risk and putting others lives at risk?
Or is that better because there is ticket revenue from all the people that want to see them crash and possibly die?
I agree that the quantity of climbers on Everest is ridiculous any more. I kind of think you guys are overthinking the "selfish" point of it. All sports are selfish, I suppose. They are all about seeking some thrill. Some sports put people's lives at risk. Still, all involved (including racing and climbing) know and accept the risks.
Hiring a Sherpa has nothing to do with selfishness. It probably puts fewer lives at risk to have one.
Not the jackasses who are paying them.
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Some chick dumped you for a guy that climbed Everest.
I'm with you bro. Let's go kick his ass.
You kicking someone's ass.
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Link: https://darwinawards.com/
It’s partially weather, obviously, but it’s mostly because for most of the year the jet stream dips down below the summit, so anyone on it would get blown right off.
The whole thing is nuts...but sorta fascinating.
the jet stream was big component of the weather
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A bunch of rich guys and gals pay dirt poor people in Nepal to "guide them" to the top. In the process, many of those desperate poor people have died over the years guiding these jerks who can't make it on their own to the top.
Probably the most notorious example of these twits in recent history was the David Sharp incident from 2006. Sir Edmund Hillary pulled no punches in demolishing these guys.
Link: https://allthatsinteresting.com/david-sharp
I don’t think it is a matter of just wanting to reach the top at all costs...near the summit, people barely have enough energy to help themselves. Trying to carry someone out would mean that both people die. At least says John Krakauer and the other people who write about such things.
Not defending the stupidity and pointlessness of the whole venture. But everybody knows the risks - and the rules - before they ascend.
went back down to the base. I think that's essentially what Hillary was saying. Instead, they reams of these children walked by and continued up. On the way back, it was two Sherpa guides who tried to rescue Sharp and cried when they realized they could not bring him down. You understand who are the human beings in this situation and who are not. Everest is a haven for rich twerps who pay indigenous people to tow them to the top and then guide them back down so they can go home and brag about scaling Everest. And they rationalize paying Sherpa to risk their lives for them by the fact that they pay the Sherpas and they are poor anyways. Yeah, just like some people pay bums to knock each other's teeth out for entertainment.