Climbing Everest during the Pandemic ...

[Stephanie]

I do not remember how many bottles of O2 each Client / each Sherpa uses to get up ,

and to get back down .. I could be way off , so I’d rather You look it up .

My question : in Nepal and in neighboring country India 🇮🇳 , people are dying for

lack of O2 canisters , lack of Oxygen support .

This year I believe the Nepali govt had issued in excess of 300 ( ? ) individual

climbing permits : that’s the foreign paying Clients .

Then each commercial expedition would have usually at least 1 to 1 client / Sherpa ratio ,

the better outfits would provide 2-3 support personnel ( Sherpas ) for each Client .

Add them all up : how many people ? How many canisters of lifesaving O2 !?

: I just caught up on the Bahraini expedition : they haven’t even traversed the Icefall

( first stage on the climb ) yet , “because they’re practicing using their equipment at base camp .”

> Amateurs buying their way to the clouds , how many canisters of O2 , ... ?

Is this not Immoral ? Amoral ? While thousands are dying for a breath , others right there

using up lifesaving resources in pursuit of what ? : the Mountain will be there Next year !

Those unfortunates ill now , will not be .

Where is the human priority !??

[Stephanie]

“Forty-three teams have been permitted to scale Everest during this year’s spring climbing season and will be assisted by about 400 Nepalese guides.”

[Stephanie]

I looked it up ( remembered it right ) :

“Allow 4 to 6 hours for descent. If staying one hour at the summit, we are looking at a time span of 15 to 21 hours. If your average use of oxygen is 2,5 l/m, you'll need at least 4-5 POISK bottles to be sure.”

^^^ that’s a seasoned mountaineer’s pace , w no hold-ups .

^^^ that’s assuming there’s no backup , no waiting in line like we saw the pics two years ago ;

that’s assuming there’s no illness or injury , no Altitude Sickness , cerebral edema , pulmonary edema ;

no mishap where one might be in a position of wanting to / needing to help another ... : Time !!!

Now add up the numbers : 300+ already permitted mostly novice climbers ( take longer = need more O2 ) ,

plus their assigned 400+ Sherpas : many of whom will be tasked with saving lives of the above mentioned

novice fools , therefore needing more O2 than stated in the article ..

Is it not Immoral to do This during the pandemic that is needing help while so many dying ?

: All those canisters and Oxygen to help the ones in Kathmandu not all that too far away ?

Or the ones dying for a breath in India ?

Where is human priority ?

[clarelad]

I looked it up ( remembered it right ) :

“Allow 4 to 6 hours for descent. If staying one hour at the summit, we are looking at a time span of 15 to 21 hours. If your average use of oxygen is 2,5 l/m, you'll need at least 4-5 POISK bottles to be sure.”

^^^ that’s a seasoned mountaineer’s pace , w no hold-ups .

^^^ that’s assuming there’s no backup , no waiting in line like we saw the pics two years ago ;

that’s assuming there’s no illness or injury , no Altitude Sickness , cerebral edema , pulmonary edema ;

no mishap where one might be in a position of wanting to / needing to help another ... : Time !!!

Now add up the numbers : 300+ already permitted mostly novice climbers ( take longer = need more O2 ) ,

plus their assigned 400+ Sherpas : many of whom will be tasked with saving lives of the above mentioned

novice fools , therefore needing more O2 than stated in the article ..

Is it not Immoral to do This during the pandemic that is needing help while so many dying ?

: All those canisters and Oxygen to help the ones in Kathmandu not all that too far away ?

Or the ones dying for a breath in India ?

Where is human priority ?

You thinking climbing Everest

[steve6304]

It's all about the money, and making lot's of it, I would have thought that after these deaths and lockdown's there would have been a little more compassion for fellow human being's and save these vital resources for those that REALLY need it, obviously I'm wrong......

[sg471]

There are some shocking documentaries about Everest. Stepping over dead bodies all the way up, of people who were left to die so the rest could get to the top to take photos and take credit for the hard work of the Sherpas who helped them up there.

[Stephanie]

You thinking climbing Everest

When I was in Nepal first time and got to go on the mountain ( only to First Camp

but through the incredible Khumbu Icefall !! Amazing just amazing ! ) I was quite

obsessed with the idea of going back and do an expedition and climb it .

Then life gets in the way , and apparently it wasn’t That deep in my psyche to

relentlessly pursue that thought : rock climbing in warm weather suited me just fine

and gave me the thrill and Adrenalin without the cold and discomfort .

Get up 6am ( before high heat hits ) , climb ‘til noon , meander down for food ,

maybe jump in ocean or the pool , siesta in my hammock and once the temp cools

do another 2-4 hrs of climbing . Dinner , drinks , meet ppl , dance , sleep , and repeat x

Do for about 5 days then rest day .

Took my mind off the Mountain , but do still go back to the country ( Nepal ) : I So love

the treks which too now are being destroyed in Khumbu region .

: will have to find a new Neverland ... >> Burma / if they don’t kill each other is a beautiful

country and still relatively untouched - except by the chinese .

Sorry for going on like so , it just brings up so many memories xx

I wish I had my photos of Mt. Everest with me , but they’re in Dub .

[Westsidex]

Funny how ppl talk about climbing mountains. It's getting back down is the problem.

Westside

[Stephanie]

There are some shocking documentaries about Everest. Stepping over dead bodies all the way up, of people who were left to die so the rest could get to the top to take photos and take credit for the hard work of the Sherpas who helped them up there.

Once you’re in the Death Zone and you falter : another could try to save you only by sacrificing himself .

It’s understood :

When you go up there , you’re on your own and can Not count on anyone to risk themselves For you .

: if you’re Lucky your outfit assigned you more than one Sherpa so that They might try to save you .

There’s no mercy up there , and very little room for compassion even if in your heart you’d want to save

another : you’d likely both perish . : Many o’ times half dead get left behind . No choice .

There’s Green Boots - he’s been there for decades and has become a ‘landmark’ on the trail ...


: on the other hand there was huge scandal and outrage some years ago when some 40 people

walked right by a man who was sitting and mostly unresponsive but still alive . Huge ( rightfully so )

ethical discourse emerged from that situation mainly because ( I believe ) there was a Team that

also just walked by him .

As an individual you cannot help another . But if it’s a Team , by all means imo should’ve forfeited

the Summit Push and tried to save that man - especially as ( if I recall correctly ) it was early in the

season and very likely that Team would’ve had another weather window for another attempt .

It’s been a while , but if you google ‘amputee Everest climb dying climber’ or something like that ,

it will prob bring up the story . There was also a video film on YouTube about The Who / when / how x



/ a lot of my .. well many of my rock climbing friends have also dabbled in mountaineering , few

of them having climbed Everest and other high peaks , hence my still deep interest in the subject

and some knowledge xx

[Stephanie]

Funny how ppl talk about climbing mountains. It's getting back down is the problem.

Westside

Exactly !

Most die on the way down - fatigue , summit-fever having subsided they’re tired exhausted ,

become careless or stayed on the top just few mins longer than should’ve ..

I think ( it’s fuzzy ) the ‘get-yo-ass-Down’ time is 2pm . You gotta turn around no matter

even if you’re just 20 yards from ‘the peak’ . Gotta turn around and scuttle . Many don’t

have the willpower to abandon the peak when they’re ‘so close’ .

Now with more on the mountain and more inexperienced , there’ll be more dead .

But :

Money Money Money .. and human hubris .