Macabre dead body photos on Everest

Wow. I can't imagine wanting to do something, knowing how much of a risk there is to losing fingers/toes at a minimum, much less risking life. These hardcore climbers don't seem to regret losing a finger or a toe at all. From the presentation I saw with Diemberger, it seemed like it was just all part of the experience.

On the other hand, the pictures are just stunning, and I bet the thrill of climbing a peak like that is many orders of magnitude greater than the thrill I get out of completing a marathon.

That's Beck Weathers. Krakauer's amazed account of Weathers' stubborn refusal to give up and die is one of the most fascinating parts of Into Thin Air.

redux wrote:

Azaleas wrote:

One of the guys who survived the '96 disaster on Everest:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IGNqUzXtnjM/TzdPKscLqEI/AAAAAAAAAi8/f4N5gPRRz2E/s1600/beck-weathers01.jpg

If that's the face of courage, I'll remain a coward.

These guys are kinda different:

I once cut off the ends of my frostbitten fingers. Although I’d contracted minor frostbite on more than one expedition, this particular occasion resulted in amputation on parts of my fingers. I didn’t have to do it myself. I was back home, waiting for the operation, but it wasn’t planned for five months after the trauma (they wait for the half-damaged skin to be strong again, as it forms the new flaps). But waiting with these mummified talons was horrible. It hurt to touch anything and I became miserable. So I did it at home with a saw

http://natgeotraveller.co.uk/how/interview/61246/

If you are going to climb it, do so without oxygen.

Ed Viesturs, the first American to summit all 14 8000+ meter peaks and was able to summit without oxygen.

What I didn't know, is that he ran his first ever marathon at age 47 in 3:15 (2006 NYC).

I've climbed stuff at around 22,000 ft.

It's pretty crazy being so high. People ask me what it is like to be so high up. The best I can come up with is imagining staying all night. Then do 6 shots of tequila and go to the track and run mile repeats.

She was a hot babe so she is the exception that proves the rule.http://88.img.v4.skyrock.net/4088/7774088/pics/709853371_small.jpg

michael furey wrote:

Chantal Mauduit? According to Krakauer and Viesturs, she passed out "stone cold" very near the top of Everest in 1995 and was brought down.

I have had frostbite on my fingertips, ears and nose and it was not fun. The ear episode put me in the hospital and was painful.

I agree that the world class climbers just consider loosing body parts as part of the game.

Not to mention potential lung damage and brain damage being above the death zone for too long.

Twistleton wrote:

These guys are kinda different:

I once cut off the ends of my frostbitten fingers. Although I’d contracted minor frostbite on more than one expedition, this particular occasion resulted in amputation on parts of my fingers. I didn’t have to do it myself. I was back home, waiting for the operation, but it wasn’t planned for five months after the trauma (they wait for the half-damaged skin to be strong again, as it forms the new flaps). But waiting with these mummified talons was horrible. It hurt to touch anything and I became miserable. So I did it at home with a saw

http://natgeotraveller.co.uk/how/interview/61246/

The British health care system explained.

broken arrow wrote:

Messner did not get through unscathed. He has lost all of his toes to frostbite. He seemed to walk perfectly fine though.

Interesting guy and the first man to conquer all of the 8000 meter peaks. Also as you know, the first man to solo Everest without oxygen.

More than his toes... he also lost his brother.

Creepiest part to me is the dead body shown in Advanced Base Camp among the tents.

Bad Wigins wrote:

[quote=carnivore69]

It is known and understood that if you run into trouble that high and are no longer able to move on your own, you are finished, no matter how many people are on the mountain near you.

Lincoln Hall proved that wasn't true[/quote]

Not true - Hall was moving under his own power. From Wikipedia:

"Hall's survival and rescue on the mountain, while extraordinary, is not unprecedented. It was, however, especially poignant due to the death days earlier of UK climber David Sharp who had died nearby. It was observed that no attempt was made to rescue David Sharp, although it was apparent that, while unconscious, he was still alive while other climbers passed him and continued on their own ascents. However, unlike David Sharp, Hall was conscious and able to walk, two factors that allowed for his rescue."

F*ck that. F*ck every bit of trying to climb Everest. I'd like to think I'm a thrill seeker, but there is a difference between being adventurous and being suicidal.

High Wire wrote:

She was a hot babe so she is the exception that proves the rule.

http://88.img.v4.skyrock.net/4088/7774088/pics/709853371_small.jpg

michael furey wrote:

Chantal Mauduit? According to Krakauer and Viesturs, she passed out "stone cold" very near the top of Everest in 1995 and was brought down.

Mauduit was dragged down from the South Summit at 28,700 feet to just above the Balcony at around 27,700 feet. But she was able to move under own own power from there down to the South Col, and then down the rest of the mountain the next day. She was mobile above 27,000 feet after MANY shots of dexamethasone.

Hot, and dead (died in 1998 in an avalanche).

I don't see the accomplishment in climbing Everest. Any reasonably fit person with enough money and lucky with the weather should be able to do it. It's kind of like Russian roulette. You spin the chamber and pull the trigger and you survived it, but big deal.

Lyndon LaRouche wrote:

The odds of dying on Everest are pretty low. The odds of dying on Annapurna are 35%, K2 25%, vs 1.3% for Everest.

Wrong.

If you want high quality/low risk, and are willing to put in the time, go for something like climbing the Nose on El Capitan or Astroman or a 5.13 sport climb. Slogging for summits is for yaks, not humans.

My saw is better than the docs wrote:

Twistleton wrote:

These guys are kinda different:

I once cut off the ends of my frostbitten fingers. Although I’d contracted minor frostbite on more than one expedition, this particular occasion resulted in amputation on parts of my fingers. I didn’t have to do it myself. I was back home, waiting for the operation, but it wasn’t planned for five months after the trauma (they wait for the half-damaged skin to be strong again, as it forms the new flaps). But waiting with these mummified talons was horrible. It hurt to touch anything and I became miserable. So I did it at home with a saw

http://natgeotraveller.co.uk/how/interview/61246/

The British health care system explained.

isn't it also like this in Britain if you have toothache?

I recently heard from somebody who worked in the UK a few years ago, that dental care is free.

Lorenzo the Magnificent wrote:

http://www.altereddimensions.net/places/dead-bodies-mount-everest.aspx

Dead climbers. Creepy.

Cold