Mount Everest death sparks outrage

[JDrake]

that's sick

""Human life is far more important than just getting to the top of a mountain," Hillary was quoted as saying in an interview with New Zealand Press Association."
qft

o, wrong guy

 

[HN]

"death sparks"? :Q

 

[Mill]

I have to agree. They said he couldn't be saved, but why not take the chance. Is reaching the top of Everest really that important that you lose your humanity?

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: Mill
I have to agree. They said he couldn't be saved, but why not take the chance. Is reaching the top of Everest really that important that you lose your humanity?

:thumbsup:

Reaching the top of Mt. Everest is an admirable accomplishment, but giving up that accomplishment to try to save another man's life is far more admirable.

 

[notfred]

More than 1,500 climbers have reached the summit of Mount Everest in the last 53 years and some 190 have died trying.

Damn. You have greater than a 1/10 chance of dying if you try to climb that mountain.

 

[Ika]

very wrong. I can't see how people can just lose their humanity like that sometimes.

 

[Kalvin00]

Let's not forget that when you are at 29,000 feet, you are absolutely worn out. They might not have even been able to help the guy down anyways.

Edit: But not making an attempt when it is not storming viciously or something...thats lame.

 

[z42]

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: Mill
I have to agree. They said he couldn't be saved, but why not take the chance. Is reaching the top of Everest really that important that you lose your humanity?

:thumbsup:

Reaching the top of Mt. Everest is an admirable accomplishment, but giving up that accomplishment to try to save another man's life is far more admirable.

qft

I love the amputee guy saying it would have been impossible to carry him. Maybe if you stopped and gave him some oxygen he could have climbed down you selfish, overcompensating jerk.

 

[dainthomas]

Exactly. You can barely carry yourself, let alone someone else, at that altitude. Everyone knows the risks.

 

[BooGiMaN]

wow thats insane...how can you live with yourself after leaving someone to die....


i also heard that once prestine mount everest is now littered by thousands thousands of discarded oxygen bottles and campsites...people are just idiots

 

[dr150]

Time and again, enthusiast climbers have been shown to be EXTREMELY SELFISH when it comes to reaching the top of a rock.

This isn't the first time such an incident has happened.

It gives you a lot of faith in the goodness of humanity, doesn't it?..........not!

 

[HN]

Originally posted by: notfred

More than 1,500 climbers have reached the summit of Mount Everest in the last 53 years and some 190 have died trying.

Damn. You have greater than a 1/10 chance of dying if you try to climb that mountain.

there's something wrong with this math.

 

[mundane]

Originally posted by: notfred

More than 1,500 climbers have reached the summit of Mount Everest in the last 53 years and some 190 have died trying.

Damn. You have greater than a 1/10 chance of dying if you try to climb that mountain.

That doesn't take into account the failed non-fatal attempts. Wikipedia has slightly different figures, 1,919 : 179 but that's only as of 2003. They even have an entry for David Sharp

 

[Kalvin00]

Originally posted by: BooGiMaN
i also heard that once prestine mount everest is now littered by thousands thousands of discarded oxygen bottles and campsites...people are just idiots

It's not like anyone actually has the strength to carry them down, you know.

 

[Mill]

Originally posted by: Kalvin00
Let's not forget that when you are at 29,000 feet, you are absolutely worn out. They might not have even been able to help the guy down anyways.

Edit: But not making an attempt when it is not storming viciously or something...thats lame.

They weren't worn out enough not to summit.

 

[Baked]

More than 40 climbers are thought to have seen him as he lay dying, and almost all continued to the summit without offering assistance.

That's sick. Those 40 bastards are gonna get final destination on their asses.

 

[z42]

That's the problem I had with it too. They say they couldn't try to help more because of safety reasons for their own group, but basically it comes down to them wanting to make the summit more than saving the guy's life. I would imagine the oxygen of the 40 or more climbers who passed him while he was having trouble with his oxygen could have easily saved his life if a few of them would have stopped to help him instead of making the summit.

 

[Yossarian]

why didn't someone just strap his ass to a toboggan and give him a good push?

 

[JulesMaximus]

Those people are despicable. How do you put anything other than your own survival above that of another human being? :|

 

[Eeezee]

Originally posted by: z42

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: Mill
I have to agree. They said he couldn't be saved, but why not take the chance. Is reaching the top of Everest really that important that you lose your humanity?

:thumbsup:

Reaching the top of Mt. Everest is an admirable accomplishment, but giving up that accomplishment to try to save another man's life is far more admirable.

qft

I love the amputee guy saying it would have been impossible to carry him. Maybe if you stopped and gave him some oxygen he could have climbed down you selfish, overcompensating jerk.

They did try to give him oxygen. The article says so.

I think you all vastly underestimate a Mt Everest climb. Those conditions are harsh. Taking him to safety would have risked the lives of the entire party. You have to try and imagine the difficulty in making that decision before you judge these people. The one guy was a double amputee for christ's sake

 

[Eeezee]

Originally posted by: HN

Originally posted by: notfred

More than 1,500 climbers have reached the summit of Mount Everest in the last 53 years and some 190 have died trying.

Damn. You have greater than a 1/10 chance of dying if you try to climb that mountain.

there's something wrong with this math.

Not really, those numbers give a 12% chance of dying, that's greater than 1/10...

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Originally posted by: Mill

They weren't worn out enough not to summit.

That's why I don't find it a satisfactory excuse. I can't imagine how you could live with yourself after leaving this guy. I could see it if they were on their way down but continued because they couldn't help him, but to keep going up? That is truly cold-blooded and, IMO, inexcusably selfish.

 

[RCN]

I would have left him too...........

 

[Skiddex]

im no expert, but ive done a fair amount of reading on everest climbers and there is a kind of unwritten code of ethics for people that attempt the climb. everyone is so focused on their own survival that it isnt expected, or physically possible to tend to the fallen.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Originally posted by: Skiddex
im no expert, but ive done a fair amount of reading on everest climbers and there is a kind of unwritten code of ethics for people that attempt the climb. everyone is so focused on their own survival that it isnt expected, or physically possible to tend to the fallen.

It seems to me Sir Edmund Hillary has total credibility to comment on this, and he feels the climbers' behavior was unacceptable.