Abandoned on Everest

[the Talking Can]

http://godheadv.blogspot.com/2010/04...n-everest.html

Fascinating blog post on what goes on in Everest's "dead zone" along with some unbelievable pictures.

NSFW warning...not because they're all graphic, but there are pictures of dead, frozen bodies.

You have to be crazy...

This morning, however, Green Boots had company. Sitting no more than two feet to the left of the corpse was a man who at first glance appeared to be dead. His gloved hands were on his knees, his hood and hat cast his face in shadow. The only feature visible was the man's severely frostbitten nose, already a greenish black hue. On closer inspection, the vapor from the man's breath could be seen rising.

What happened next entered the folklore of the highest mountain on earth. Every man interviewed gives a different story. What is certain is that every single one of the 40-odd climbers attempting the summit that day left the man in the cave, whose name was David Sharp, to freeze, either by choice, by ignorance, or by misjudging him as a corpse they already expected to see in that infamous cave....

[siberian khatru]

A river, a mountain to be crossed
The sunshine in mountains sometimes lost
Around the south side, so cold that we cried
Were we ever colder on that day, a million miles away
It seemed from all eternity

"Move forward" was my friend's only cry
In deeper to somewhere we could lie
And rest for the the day with cold in the way
Were we ever colder on that day a million miles away
It seemed from all eternity

The moments seemed lost in all the noise
A snow storm a stimulating voice
Of warmth of the sky of warmth when you die
Were we ever warmer on that day a million miles away
We seemed from all eternity

The sunshine in mountains sometimes lost
The river can disregard the cost
And melt in the sky the warmth when you die
Were we ever warmer on that day a million miles away
We seemed from all of eternity

[Silock]

Originally Posted by Donger

Like I said, try to get her down.

That's FAR easier said than done. In several technical sections, there are ladders that must be scaled. How do you do that with someone that's unconscious, while everyone there is struggling with a lack of oxygen (and therefore, strength)? Not to mention it's not like there's a lot of room to maneuver, as most of the sections above 22,000 feet are single-file.

[Sofa King]

Those pictures are creepy. i couldnt imagine having places on mountains named after the dead people that are still sitting there, in plain view.

[Donger]

Originally Posted by Silock

That's FAR easier said than done. In several technical sections, there are ladders that must be scaled. How do you do that with someone that's unconscious, while everyone there is struggling with a lack of oxygen (and therefore, strength)? Not to mention it's not like there's a lot of room to maneuver, as most of the sections above 22,000 feet are single-file.

They should make an emergency kit that has something like what the Mars Pathfinder had. Insert freezing person, inflate bag and push down mountain.

[Reerun_KC]

Originally Posted by Donger

They should make an emergency kit that has something like what the Mars Pathfinder had. Insert freezing person, inflate bag and push down mountain.

I bet you could sell tickets on that ride...

[Fish]

Originally Posted by Donger

They should make an emergency kit that has something like what the Mars Pathfinder had. Insert freezing person, inflate bag and push down mountain.

..... brilliant... a self-inflating emergency Zorb. If you don't make it, you get an exciting ride 10,000 feet down the side of the mountain...

Better odds than sitting there freezing...

[Donger]

I don't understand the music, but check out 2:30 in to see what I'm referring to:

[Skyy God]

Originally Posted by Donger

They should make an emergency kit that has something like what the Mars Pathfinder had. Insert freezing person, inflate bag and push down mountain.

I'm sure that would be totally feasible to carry at 27K feet....

[Hydrae]

Interesting article. The comments were almost as interesting. Great post, thanks!

[mlyonsd]

Originally Posted by Silock

That's FAR easier said than done. In several technical sections, there are ladders that must be scaled. How do you do that with someone that's unconscious, while everyone there is struggling with a lack of oxygen (and therefore, strength)? Not to mention it's not like there's a lot of room to maneuver, as most of the sections above 22,000 feet are single-file.

Someone should take a saw and leave it there. Everyone that passes a corpse should hack off a piece and bring it down with them.

[Silock]

Originally Posted by Donger

They should make an emergency kit that has something like what the Mars Pathfinder had. Insert freezing person, inflate bag and push down mountain.

LOL

That would be a hell of a ride. It would be like a 20 mile ride, because you wouldn't stop until you got ALL the way down.

In all seriousness, though, I hate how all these "reports" on Everest make it seem like people are just walking by on a leisurely hike, watching other people die. IT's not like that. It's hard, serious shit. If rescuing someone were that easy, people would do it all the time. Most rescue attempts are abandoned, and it's not because people don't care about the dying. It's because it's just too hard. There are too many inexperienced climbers and expedition leaders up there on Everest.

I'd love to scale Everest one day. I won't, though, because in addition to having zero climbing experience, even if you do everything perfectly right, you can STILL DIE.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by MIAdragon

Id LOVE to attempt Everest.

I have zero interest in doing something like that. Zero. It doesn't sound fun at all, there's a chance you could die just because of bad luck, and it's become enough of a cliche that telling people you climbed Mt. Everest would probably garner no more than a shrug and a "that's cool" comment.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by Donger

I don't understand the music, but check out 2:30 in to see what I'm referring to:

On a slightly different note, Mt. Everest is now a cliche, but imagine being at a party and telling people that you climbed a 50,000 foot mountain. ON MARS! That would buy serious credibility.

[Over-Head]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

I have zero interest in doing something like that. Zero. It doesn't sound fun at all, there's a chance you could die just because of bad luck, .

That and jumping out of a perfectly good working airplane hoping a piece of silk is gonna save my ass from going THUMP!!

[Over-Head]

Originally Posted by Silock

LOL

That would be a hell of a ride. It would be like a 20 mile ride, because you wouldn't stop until you got ALL the way down.

.

need a test run volunteer