And you know this applies to Everest how?
I'm certain your arrogance would kill you on that climb, though your posts here do show that you're already operating at 2/3 oxygen anyway.
When the biggest barrier to completing a task is the long lines of out of shape senior citizens and bored housewives also completing the task then it's trivial.
With enough money anyone can be drop off at the peak with a helicopter.
I do think it's stupid to say that it's "easy" since a lot of people with money are doing it successfully. 30,000 people a year run the Boston Marathon, does that mean it's easy?You're still climbing 2 miles above base camp in -30 degree weather with a third of the oxygen that you're used to.
Would you rather take the elevator up to the observation deck of the Burj Khalifa or take the stairs up to the top of the next tallest building?
30,000 people a year run the Boston Marathon, does that mean it's easy?
we get it...you make lots of money
I do think it's stupid to say that it's "easy" since a lot of people with money are doing it successfully. 30,000 people a year run the Boston Marathon, does that mean it's easy?You're still climbing 2 miles above base camp in -30 degree weather with a third of the oxygen that you're used to.
I haven't done Everest because of the O2 garbage and queues but I have done another one of the other Himalayan treks in Nepal. They are no joke. At all. Sure they're well marked trails, have been done untold times, and you can have a porter, guide, etc but despite all that you're at serious altitude, donkeys and yaks will knock you 1000m off a cliff, there are rock slides and avalanches, it's 9 hours up hill per day most of the time, and then as if that's not bad enough it's far harder on the way down. My knees are still pissed off about my time in the Himalayas and I didn't do anything as hard as summiting Everest.
Those of you trying to downplay doing it should give it a whirl. Might sound easy on paper but when you're up there you're basically giving your body the middle finger day in and day out and hoping it doesn't tell you to fuck off and kill you. Nobody is going to carry you to the top. You have to do it yourself.
For those of you who might do it one day definitely invest in having others carry all your gear and take it slow. I went way too fast and that is NOT the way to do anything up there besides when you get to the top or are going over the passes and need to get back down quickly.
These treks are not guaranteed. I don't know what the numbers are but I can imagine that many have to abort. Too many idiots underestimate it and go up there out of shape or smoking weed and then find themselves in a world of hurt.
Good luck getting a helicopter ride to that altitude.
I've run marathons. They're not that hard, actually. I'd almost call them easy, at least for serious runners. Marathons are only hard if you care about your time. If you just want to avoid the time cut (which is a very generous 7 or 8 hours these days), they're not hard at all.
I haven't done Everest because of the O2 garbage and queues but I have done another one of the other Himalayan treks in Nepal. They are no joke. At all. Sure they're well marked trails, have been done untold times, and you can have a porter, guide, etc but despite all that you're at serious altitude, donkeys and yaks will knock you 1000m off a cliff, there are rock slides and avalanches, it's 9 hours up hill per day most of the time, and then as if that's not bad enough it's far harder on the way down. My knees are still pissed off about my time in the Himalayas and I didn't do anything as hard as summiting Everest.
I'm glad that you're able to, but most people can't run a marathon.
I hadn't thought about going down a mountain, but hiking down the Grand Canyon was more physically difficult than hiking back up. Its hard to simulate walking downhill for miles and miles...I haven't done Everest because of the O2 garbage and queues but I have done another one of the other Himalayan treks in Nepal. They are no joke. At all. Sure they're well marked trails, have been done untold times, and you can have a porter, guide, etc but despite all that you're at serious altitude, donkeys and yaks will knock you 1000m off a cliff, there are rock slides and avalanches, it's 9 hours up hill per day most of the time, and then as if that's not bad enough it's far harder on the way down. My knees are still pissed off about my time in the Himalayas and I didn't do anything as hard as summiting Everest.
Those of you trying to downplay doing it should give it a whirl. Might sound easy on paper but when you're up there you're basically giving your body the middle finger day in and day out and hoping it doesn't tell you to fuck off and kill you. Nobody is going to carry you to the top. You have to do it yourself.
For those of you who might do it one day definitely invest in having others carry all your gear and take it slow. I went way too fast and that is NOT the way to do anything up there besides when you get to the top or are going over the passes and need to get back down quickly.
These treks are not guaranteed. I don't know what the numbers are but I can imagine that many have to abort. Too many idiots underestimate it and go up there out of shape or smoking weed and then find themselves in a world of hurt.
Good luck getting a helicopter ride to that altitude.
I've run marathons. They're not that hard, actually. I'd almost call them easy, at least for serious runners. Marathons are only hard if you care about your time. If you just want to avoid the time cut (which is a very generous 7 or 8 hours these days), they're not hard at all.
The same reason people run marathons - to challenge themselves physically and mentally. And the view, of course.
Not sure what "cookie cutter middle class white suburbia" has to do with it
LOL @ everyone who thinks there's anything easy or routine about it. Given that only 1 out of 4 climbers actually summit, and that these climbers aren't just yuppies looking to throw cash around, I think some of you have your heads squarely up your asses.
What you describe is not running, that's walking.
With training most people can. I've run them too. And trained with people who I wouldn't expect to make it. And at the end of 16-18 weeks of training, they crossed the finish lines at 6.5 hours or so. So they did a slow pace sure, but they finished it. At that speed it's more like a speed walk IMO
What you describe is not running, that's walking.
That's pretty darn cool. Hadn't seen that before.
What he said.
True. Let's just say it's not hard to "complete" a marathon.
I wonder how many folks on ATOT could "complete" a marathon in under 6 hours. That's not very fast at all but I'll bet less than 25% of the people here could do it. Of course 99% of the people will say it's easy.
And FYI, the original reference to the marathon was to the Boston marathon. Those folks aren't running a 6-6.5 hour pace.
I hadn't thought about going down a mountain, but hiking down the Grand Canyon was more physically difficult than hiking back up. Its hard to simulate walking downhill for miles and miles...
Of course not, you need to qualify to get into Boston. I've always been tempted to try, but I'm too slow now. Back in my quick days I think I could have done it.
KT
Which is allowed in a marathon.