More Than 200 Dead Litter Everest

More Than 200 Dead Litter Everest

There are regular reminders in the news just how dangerous climbing Mt. Everest can be, but Smithsonian drives that point home with a look at some of the mountain's more tragic stories. More than 200 people have died on its frozen slopes, and many have ended up preserved in the ice where they fell. And, in a somewhat macabre revelation, the magazine notes that some are even used by climbers as landmarks. It specifically references "Green Boots,"

Horrible, yes. But a reminder that no matter what - we're just not going to 'conquer' Mother Nature.

Green Boots was joined by David Sharp a decade later. The English climber stopped at the cave where he actually froze in place, immobile but still alive.

Some 40 climbers passed him, many possibly assuming he was Green Boots. When someone finally heard his faint moans, it was too later to save him. There's a full (and gruesome) gallery of many bodies on Everest at the website Altered Dimensions.

Wow, I’ll have to look into this - so unbelievable, but believable at the same time.

‘Because it’s there‘. I’ve never understood that answer to the question ‘Why did the man climb the mountain’... But then again - I’m not a mountain climber.

peace

Added note: The pics at the above link are horrific. Beware.

reply to post by silo13


I saw this on Reddit a couple of days ago. I had no idea. Just doesn't seem like a hobby I would like.

reply to post by GrantedBail

I have a sack of admiration for people who follow their dreams - but I just don't understand this sport. (Is that the right word)?

Sure, love the majesty of mountains - but - I can't understand trying to 'best' them.

I hope that comment offends no one.

peace

I've always been confused on something about the Summit attempts on Everest and really it is that mountain in particular. I've read about K-2 and McKinley but by far, the majority of books I managed to find while on the truck about climbing were Everest. A couple on the deadly 1996 season alone. (I refuse to ever watch that IMAX due to those accounts and what happened to make it) So this is what bugs me to wonder....

How many die coming DOWN the Mountain or turn back because weather is changing but hasn't actually changed yet? That is, given the efforts made for forecasting and projecting conditions on that mountain during the climbing season, I understand decisions based on what will soon be are necessary and frequent. So.... Isn't there a quicker way off the Mountain to drop altitude if weather hasn't closed in yet?

Is the air just too thin to consider..base jumping..as a way to get out of the 'death zone' when things are obviously starting to go sideways? Obviously my knowledge of climbing is confined to ladders and steps up a truck, but maybe someone on here has actually climbed one of the major peaks to know in practical terms?

Wow.

Another 200 reasons not to climb Mt. Everest.

That is just gruesome and bizarre.

I couldn't imagine leaving my loved one like that and would spare no expense to retrieve their body to spare them an eternal icy grave.

That's so macabre they have been left like that and are used as landmarks.

Such a petty pursuit. There's nothing to be gained, aside from a brief view (which is admittedly spectacular), from this endeavor for the betterment of the world or yourself as an individual.

They spend years preparing, tens of thousands of dollars, and have a chance of simply ending up grisly landmarks. And for what? Bragging rights? Their ego stroking means diddly to the grieving families they left behind.

I can drive less than an hour from my home and see remarkable vistas, the wide open ocean, dramatic thousand foot cliff faces, deep fjords, snowcapped mountains. For free, and with minimal risk to my life.

Maybe I'm just not a risk taker, but I'll never understand the ego on some people.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000

Obviously my knowledge of climbing is confined to ladders and steps up a truck, but maybe someone on here has actually climbed one of the major peaks to know in practical terms?

I've got my fingers crossed we'll have a 'climber' reply. I (obviously) know nothing and in that I'm facinated and repulsed at once.

Then again that might just be the answer to one of my questions of 'why' but I still want to hear more.

peace

Originally posted by silo13
reply to post by Wrabbit2000

 

Obviously my knowledge of climbing is confined to ladders and steps up a truck, but maybe someone on here has actually climbed one of the major peaks to know in practical terms?

I've got my fingers crossed we'll have a 'climber' reply. I (obviously) know nothing and in that I'm facinated and repulsed at once.

Then again that might just be the answer to one of my questions of 'why' but I still want to hear more.

Well I've only been climbing (Crags) for a couple of years, and I have to say I have had a groundfall when my gear ripped out, but ultimately the appeal is still there to climb things and get to the top. I guess Everest is appealing to so many but it's pretty much a tourist trap, and I enjoy climbing to get away from the crowds.

Ultimately, the best description I've heard about Everest is from Andy Kirkpatrick, from here:

My stock answer is to point out that I’m a climber, and that Everest isn’t a climb, but a walk. This usually gets the person at the other end a bit confused and flustered as they check their notes. “Yes” I usually continue “If you have to step over a dead body half way up then it’s classed as walk. On real climbs the bodies fall to the bottom”.

And other than the good views from the top, the appeal is also there to beat, not so much nature in general, but the conditions. Recently I ascended Ben Macdui, which is the second highest peak in the UK, in 2 foot of snow. While it's a really easy peak to do by worldwide standards (and I'd previously done it is summer conditions), it's ultimately an adventure and good experience. I was the most experienced person in my group of 6, having ultimately not really done that much in those conditions, a large part of the satisfaction was in getting everyone up and down incident free.

This was a really interesting article! Especially the part about what the hikers would do if one person wasn't able to go any further. That must tear them up inside, having to leave someone behind. Well, I hope it dos, anyway! Thanks for posting this, because it was a fascinating read, much more so that the encounters of one just climbing the mountain and coming back to tell about the trip.

Originally posted by silo13

Green Boots was joined by David Sharp a decade later. The English climber stopped at the cave where he actually froze in place, immobile but still alive.

Some 40 climbers passed him, many possibly assuming he was Green Boots. When someone finally heard his faint moans, it was too later to save him.

How horrible. Dying while everyone marches by, clueless. Reminds me of a Twilight Zone episode.