Comments on: Everest- Mountaineers overrun by hobby climbers

By: bowser

bowser — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 07:20:45 +0000

Let’s face it, many of those people have no business on Everest, but it’s because they don’t have the learned skills.

Every one of them is in superb physical shape. Most people could never, ever even hike up to 20,000 feet. I would bet that maybe 1 out of 200 or 300 could make it to that altitude.

By: RobVG

RobVG — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 00:10:47 +0000

Amen n/t

By: Jody

Jody — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 18:36:41 +0000

I am sorry Rob….I feel that way about raising children. Anyone can do it. Many should never attempt it.

By: bowser

bowser — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 08:52:49 +0000

A friend of mine climbed Kilimanjaro with us in 1996. He summitted Everest in 2002. In 2001 he looked for Mallory on the north side, and in 2003 he tried the north side ascent. He had to turn back after getting within 200 feet of the summit in order to help a person with a broken leg.

He said at that time the guides were taking people up who had never worn crampons, who had no skills, whose mountain climbing ability was limited to a large checkbook. After 2003 he swore to never go near those mountains again.

There is simply no time to get people up or down the one-way sections, such as the Hilary Step, and one person panicking can and will hold up several hundred people. And time is very, very precious.

The greed of the guides has been unbounded, and one can lay the guilt at the feet of the largest companies, the smallest companies and the world-class climbers who own the companies or who they hire. It’s simply a crime.

By: VelociraptorBlade

VelociraptorBlade — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 07:38:58 +0000

.... And the mountains won't respect you. I wonder if any of them pass Fischer's body anymore - or any of the other 200 bodies up there....