Scantlings

CNN posted this photo today. It is said to show a line of 320 climbers waiting their turn on the peak of Everest. I can hardly imagine what it must be like to put in all the blood, sweat and tears to get so close and then have to stand on a very precarious ridge for hours to claim your two seconds of glory at the top of the world.



The metaphor part is that a lot of life is like that.

The link may or may not work: https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/24/asia/eve ... index.html

Disturbing. At least I won't die waiting for space at the fuel dock.

That's the tourist route. There's no line on the other side.

A friend of mine has summitted 14 times at last count. He's also done the two highest altitude rescues ever. He tells clients that, if they are on a summit day, and they come across someone who is suffering but can be saved, he's saving them. People with summit fever will step right over a person who is dying to bag their peak. Dave won't.

Many climbers are amongst the most selfish people I have ever met, and considering the business I'm in, that's saying something.

The book “Into Thin Air” highlighted a lot of the things that go bad when people are overly focused on the summit, and make decisions for commercial, instead of safety, reasons. It also touched on the negative environmental impact of the Everest fixation. I would have thought lessons would have been learned from the 1996 season. Looking at that line of people, it seems like they weren’t.

Rob McAlpine wrote:That's the tourist route. There's no line on the other side.

A friend of mine has summitted 14 times at last count. He's also done the two highest altitude rescues ever. He tells clients that, if they are on a summit day, and they come across someone who is suffering but can be saved, he's saving them. People with summit fever will step right over a person who is dying to bag their peak. Dave won't.

Many climbers are amongst the most selfish people I have ever met, and considering the business I'm in, that's saying something.

If you are referring to Dave Hahn I believe he now has 15 summits of Everest. Class guy. Lead the team that found Mallory.

kimbottles wrote:

Rob McAlpine wrote:That's the tourist route. There's no line on the other side.

A friend of mine has summitted 14 times at last count. He's also done the two highest altitude rescues ever. He tells clients that, if they are on a summit day, and they come across someone who is suffering but can be saved, he's saving them. People with summit fever will step right over a person who is dying to bag their peak. Dave won't.

Many climbers are amongst the most selfish people I have ever met, and considering the business I'm in, that's saying something.

If you are referring to Dave Hahn I believe he now has 15 summits of Everest. Class guy. Lead the team that found Mallory.

Yes. Dave is a sweetheart. He's been pro patrol at Taos for many years.

I've experienced how hard it is to schlep around at the tops of 14ers and the delights of acute altitude sickness from driving and flying to high places. Sitting up there in a line of 300 people waiting to summit and feeling your reserves dropping toward the red is one of the least pleasant things I can imagine doing with my time and money.