Want to climb Everest? Get to the back of the long, long queue at the base

[editor]

Insane!

Every now and again some remarkable picture, eloquent and unusual, makes its way around the world. One of the latest is this one, showing human overcrowding on Mount Everest, the world's highest mountain. It was taken by Ralf Dujmovits, an experienced mountaineer who had turned back from the summit of Everest because of dangerous conditions, only to be "astounded and horrified" by the site of this long queue of tourist or hobby climbers trudging upwards.

He says the sight gave him the "oppressive feeling that some of the people in the picture would soon be dead." Four of them were. Others ended up crowding the hospitals of Kathmandu being treated for hypothermia and frostbite.

http://theonlinephotographer.typepa...2012/06/random-excellence-ralf-dujmovits.html

 

[editor]

Guardian piece:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/may/30/everest-mountaineer-crowding-hobby-tragedy#_

 

[Teaboy]

I knew it was quite easy to organise a trip to base camp but I didnt know there were these vast groups going further. A couple of freinds of mine went to base camp, they felt dreadfully sick for a bit and couldnt leave quick enough, great holiday guys.

 

[Dr Jon]

Insane!

Yeah.
Struggling through all that ice & snow - sod that! You can fly around Everest in a plane for a hundred dollars or so and be back in Kathmandu in time for lunch.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Was in The Mirror a couple of weeks ago

ike dots on the landscape, almost 300 climbers and their guides wait in line at more than 25,000ft for the final assault on Everest – hours before the world’s highest mountain claimed another four lives.

The photo, taken by Ralf Dujmovits for Outside Magazine, is a stark portrait of how crowded Everest has become with climbers paying £50,000 a time to reach the summit.

But they use up vital oxygen as they wait for up to three hours at such bottlenecks, blamed for this month’s deaths.

Treacherous weather on the unforgiving mountain clears up only for a short time, leaving small windows of opportunity for dozens of climbers to attempt the summit.

The four who died were Ha Wenyi, 55, from China, Canadian Shriya Shah-Klorfine, 32, German Eberhard Schaaf, 61, and 44-year-old Song Won-bin from South Korea.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/queue-of-300-climbers-pictured-on-everest-853488

 

[not-bono-ever]

I think these days, if you have the $$$, then you can effectively be dragged up to the peak and get that particular to do item ticked off the list

Obv. if you have read Into Thin Air, then you realise that even being dragged up is still a stupidly risky business

 

[weltweit]

I didn't know the authorities were letting that many people up there at the same time. When I have read about Everest expeditions of the past there are often more than one team on the mountain at the same time but never that many.

 

[weltweit]

Every now and again some remarkable picture, eloquent and unusual, makes its way around the world. One of the latest is this one, showing human overcrowding on Mount Everest, the world's highest mountain. It was taken by Ralf Dujmovits, an experienced mountaineer who had turned back from the summit of Everest because of dangerous conditions, only to be "astounded and horrified" by the site of this long queue of tourist or hobby climbers trudging upwards.

He says the sight gave him the "oppressive feeling that some of the people in the picture would soon be dead." Four of them were. Others ended up crowding the hospitals of Kathmandu being treated for hypothermia and frostbite.

Dujmovits describes the craze to ascend Everest at any cost a "mass hysteria," and has pleaded with the Nepalese government for stricter regulations.

In every walk of life you have people who consider themselves better than the others that also partake of their sport or pastime.

 

[trashpony]

I'm amazed there is so little control. My dad got nearly as far as base camp about 10 years ago and said it was like a factory, churning out groups of people determined to get there, despite not really being fit or experienced enough. Him and his mate turned back at the hut before because they'd decided the West is too achievement oriented. They were both in their late 60s at the time!

 

[Teaboy]

In every walk of life you have people who consider themselves better than the others that also partake of their sport or pastime.

Yeah and in every sport you have people who are better then others at it.

 

[Dandred]

Yeah and in every sport you have people who are better then others at it.

I think you missed the "consider themselves better" in that post.

 

[equationgirl]

Crazy, truly crazy.

 

[not-bono-ever]

Everest isnt a climb - its a long cold walk with a high likelyhood of death

 

[a_chap]

When I was told "fewer people have rowed across the English Channel than have climbed Mount Everest" I took that to mean rowing the English Channel was in some way difficult.

 

[Dowie]

In every walk of life you have people who consider themselves better than the others that also partake of their sport or pastime.

Well he was right, he turned back while some of these less experienced climbers ended up in serious trouble and/or dead.

 

[Voley]

Obv. if you have read Into Thin Air, then you realise that even being dragged up is still a stupidly risky business

Spot on. That disaster was caused by a bottleneck of people on one of the final stages (can't rememberwhere exactly but it might've been the Hilary Step). No lessons learned by the looks of things.

 

[friedaweed]

What they really need to do is put a train line in and build a cafe at the top

 

[Giles]

What they really need to do is put a train line in and build a cafe at the top

Good idea! It would save people the hassle of climbing all that way and possibly getting out of breath, getting their fingers and toes frozen off, or dying.

The cafe would probably need double-glazing though. And piped oxygen.

Giles..

 

[friedaweed]

Good idea! It would save people the hassle of climbing all that way and possibly getting out of breath, getting their fingers and toes frozen off, or dying.

The cafe would probably need double-glazing though. And piped oxygen.

Giles..

All these thing are possible. I'm going to see if I can get a Prince's Trust small business loan to kick things off

 

[twistedAM]

What they really need to do is put a train line in and build a cafe at the top

Is that Pike's Peak in Colorado? I did that and was back in Colorado Springs in time for for lunch (after a croisandwich in the cafe at the top). It's only about 14,500ft but I was dizzy at the top though I was susceptible to altitude sickness which ruined a few days skiing over the years.

 

[friedaweed]

Is that Pike's Peak in Colorado? I did that and was back in Colorado Springs in time for for lunch. It's only about 14,500ft but I was dizzy at the top though I was susceptible to altitude sickness which ruined a few days skiing over the years.

Snowdon dude Another ruined mountain

 

[twistedAM]

Snowdon dude Another ruined mountain

It's amazing how people are fascinated with mountains. I went to McKinlay base camp in Alaska (it was part of work and also I'd never been on a plane that landed on skis) and the amount of people was incredible. We set off on the plane again and were at the peak in the minute. I was back in Talkeetna a few minutes after that for a good dinner, loads of Anchor Steam and a game of volleyball in the pub garden at 2am in broad daylight, all of which sounds better than climbing a mountain.

 

[friedaweed]

It's the sense of achievement, being out there in pure nature or in my case a day away from the rest of the world. I don't do the busy ones. Every time someone asks me to take them up Snowdon I walk them up Carnedd Llewelyn

 

[dylanredefined]

No idea myself nearest I got is walking up a big hill/ small mountain in Scotland with far too much on my back.The view was tremendous
and there was a sense of achievement of being alive.Soon crushed by being able to see exactly how far and how many hills we had to cover to get to where we had to be.

 

[twistedAM]

It's the sense of achievement, being out there in pure nature or in my case a day away from the rest of the world. I don't do the busy ones. Every time someone asks me to take them up Snowdon I walk them up Carnedd Llewelyn

I see your point entirely. Seems a bit of a paradox to be experiencing nature on a crowded peak.
I've a mate who is really into climbing and did some godforsaken peak in Alaska which isn't well known on the tourist trail but is apparently x times more dangerous than McKinlay. I guess that's why a lot of these chumps don't do K2.