Saw most of this documentary as a kid at school - back when we were allowed to be proud of the achievements of people of the empire.
Funnily enough, Everest is one of the easier death zone mountains to climb. I was reading a blog a few weeks ago where some one was describing death zone conditions and how people who sit down are left to die - I was amazed at the comments from some calling those that walked past them monsters - when you are in the death zone, you use O2 faster than you can get it in the body and all of the mountineers I have talked to accept that it is part of mountain climbing at such altitudes - if you give up, you are going to die, as if anyone tried to save you, it would end up costing so many more lives.
They have a mindset that says
1. get up the mountain to the summit
2. if you are still alive, get back down
I think the human animal is losing something over the years if they cannot accept that some times, man will push himself to the limit and beyond to achive.
Yep. I realized that two minutes after I posted but couldn't be arsed to edit.
Yes.. I hear even with plenty of oxygen it's still really tough to ascend to 29,000 feet. Every step you take is like a monumental effort, and you have to take a breather every few feet, all the while you have -50 degree winds blasting over the top from all directions trying to blow you back off... loads of people made it as near as 500 feet from the summit yet failed and died... frozen in eternity up there. 150 bodies of the 250+ bodies are yet to be recovered.
I heard there were some plans to have a bit of a clean up on Everest over the next three climbing seasons but in all honesty, they would not make a dent in the mess that is up there, it is all down to cost.
Althought it was a good number of years ago now, I had a friend that was doing a polar expedition and one that was looking at raising the money to do Everest - the polar expedition was 10% of the cost of doing Everest.
I think for myself, if I did do it and died in the process, I would want to be left there. My Wife and family would understand it, but its not something I would do anyway - money and experience get in the way.
I heard there were some plans to have a bit of a clean up on Everest over the next three climbing seasons but in all honesty, they would not make a dent in the mess that is up there, it is all down to cost.
Althought it was a good number of years ago now, I had a friend that was doing a polar expedition and one that was looking at raising the money to do Everest - the polar expedition was 10% of the cost of doing Everest.
I think for myself, if I did do it and died in the process, I would want to be left there. My Wife and family would understand it, but its not something I would do anyway - money and experience get in the way.
Did you see this one yet? The recovery of the frozen body of the famous George Mallory...
Not seen that one but it does give a bit of evidence to Mallory getting to the top - my Father must have seen it as he is adamant Mallory was there first - my Father has done Killimanjaro, New Zealand Glaciers and was a cross country skier so he knows his shit.
Look at the way the body is preserved - when the human race is dead and gone, some of the last remnants will be left on mountains such as that, mumified and weather beaten, bridging time and showing the achivements of man.
Comments
Funnily enough, Everest is one of the easier death zone mountains to climb. I was reading a blog a few weeks ago where some one was describing death zone conditions and how people who sit down are left to die - I was amazed at the comments from some calling those that walked past them monsters - when you are in the death zone, you use O2 faster than you can get it in the body and all of the mountineers I have talked to accept that it is part of mountain climbing at such altitudes - if you give up, you are going to die, as if anyone tried to save you, it would end up costing so many more lives.
They have a mindset that says
1. get up the mountain to the summit
2. if you are still alive, get back down
I think the human animal is losing something over the years if they cannot accept that some times, man will push himself to the limit and beyond to achive.
Its Edmund BTW.
Yes.. I hear even with plenty of oxygen it's still really tough to ascend to 29,000 feet. Every step you take is like a monumental effort, and you have to take a breather every few feet, all the while you have -50 degree winds blasting over the top from all directions trying to blow you back off... loads of people made it as near as 500 feet from the summit yet failed and died... frozen in eternity up there. 150 bodies of the 250+ bodies are yet to be recovered.
Althought it was a good number of years ago now, I had a friend that was doing a polar expedition and one that was looking at raising the money to do Everest - the polar expedition was 10% of the cost of doing Everest.
I think for myself, if I did do it and died in the process, I would want to be left there. My Wife and family would understand it, but its not something I would do anyway - money and experience get in the way.
Did you see this one yet? The recovery of the frozen body of the famous George Mallory...
Look at the way the body is preserved - when the human race is dead and gone, some of the last remnants will be left on mountains such as that, mumified and weather beaten, bridging time and showing the achivements of man.
You seen this fella before?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/horizon/2001/iceman.shtml
I am sure the full documentary on him is on the web somewhere. Makes you think about where we came from, eh?