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I really feel sad for these sherpas that have to work as care givers for these unprepared losers from the west (most of them seem to be) that just want to impre

I really feel sad for these sherpas that have to work as care givers for these unprepared losers from the west (most of them seem to be) that just want to impress their kin back home. I suggest the book "Into Thin Air" (and the movie version "Everest") if you want to know more about how the commercial side of Everest climbing works (and about a really sad tragedy).

kabwj 7y ago
I feel really sad for the bitter people who call others losers for enjoying things they don’t enjoy or can’t do.
- Copenjin 7y ago
  They are losers because they try to emulate things that someone did before them at the risk of their life and enduring unimaginable hardships in that case, but using every modern means possible to make the climb a few orders of magnitude easier (sherpas or guides placing oxygen canisters all around for them or literally dragging people up the mountain when they can't stand it anymore but hey they paid for it) just to brag about it. Personally I don't care about doing it this way and I'm pretty sure I couldn't do it how real mountaineers do. I'm not bitter, I just think that what they are doing is a farce. Kudos to those that attempt the ascent after years of real training and knowing what they do.
- SimonPStevens 7y ago
  I agree with you sentiment in general about not chastising people for enjoying things you don't enjoy, but in this case it's different. If you enjoy rock climbing or mountain hiking you go to one of thousands of other mountains. There are plenty of places that are more challenging if that is what you crave. Literally the only reasons to climb Everest in the modern day is because you want the egocentric talking point of having climbed the highest mountain. That or you like queuing at high altitude.
hodgesrm 7y ago
> I really feel sad for these sherpa that have to work as care givers for these unprepared losers from the west (most of them seem to be) that just want to impress their kin back home. Do you climb mountains? It's hard to explain the motivation if you don't do it yourself. Most people I know who have done big climbs are not trying to impress their kin. George Mallory answered the question why with "Because it's there." That's still about the best answer.
- Copenjin 7y ago
  That's not the kind of people I'm referring to, I was talking about unqualified "climbers"[1], like those cited by John Oliver or some of those of the Rob Hall expedition. [1]https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2147998/Mount-Everest-deaths-Shirya-Shah-Klorfines-words-dying-base-camp-save-me.html https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2147998/Mount-Evere...
  - hodgesrm 7y ago
    Unqualified or unlucky? It's hard to say from the article you cited; bad weather and crowding also seem to have been factors. 8000m peaks have high rates of fatalities under the best of conditions. But this is true of any large mountain range. Take the Alps for example. On one day in the summer of 1979 12 people died on climbs around Chamonix, which is a single valley. It was a beautiful day with ideal climbing conditions around much of Mt. Blanc. I remember it well, because I was in the valley watching helicopters bringing down bodies all afternoon. Most of the deaths were on the Tour Ronde. [1] The uppermost of 3 climbing parties fell on a steep couloir and took out two parties below them. Perhaps the first party was unqualified but the second and third parties? [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tour_Ronde#Events_and_incidents https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tour_Ronde#Events_and_incident...
- TheSpiceIsLife 7y ago
  There’s climbing mountains, and then there’s paying $50,000 to line up to climb past a bunch of bodies that were never recovered, presumably because people pay $50,000 to summit Everest, not to retrieve dead bodies. What kind of brain injury do you have to have to want to pay $50,000 to stand in line for that?
webaholic 7y ago
Don't be. It is a very well paying job which rewards the efforts put in.

kabwj 7y ago

I feel really sad for the bitter people who call others losers for enjoying things they don’t enjoy or can’t do.

Copenjin 7y ago
They are losers because they try to emulate things that someone did before them at the risk of their life and enduring unimaginable hardships in that case, but using every modern means possible to make the climb a few orders of magnitude easier (sherpas or guides placing oxygen canisters all around for them or literally dragging people up the mountain when they can't stand it anymore but hey they paid for it) just to brag about it. Personally I don't care about doing it this way and I'm pretty sure I couldn't do it how real mountaineers do. I'm not bitter, I just think that what they are doing is a farce. Kudos to those that attempt the ascent after years of real training and knowing what they do.
SimonPStevens 7y ago
I agree with you sentiment in general about not chastising people for enjoying things you don't enjoy, but in this case it's different. If you enjoy rock climbing or mountain hiking you go to one of thousands of other mountains. There are plenty of places that are more challenging if that is what you crave. Literally the only reasons to climb Everest in the modern day is because you want the egocentric talking point of having climbed the highest mountain. That or you like queuing at high altitude.

hodgesrm 7y ago

> I really feel sad for these sherpa that have to work as care givers for these unprepared losers from the west (most of them seem to be) that just want to impress their kin back home. Do you climb mountains? It's hard to explain the motivation if you don't do it yourself. Most people I know who have done big climbs are not trying to impress their kin. George Mallory answered the question why with "Because it's there." That's still about the best answer.

Copenjin 7y ago
That's not the kind of people I'm referring to, I was talking about unqualified "climbers"[1], like those cited by John Oliver or some of those of the Rob Hall expedition. [1]https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2147998/Mount-Everest-deaths-Shirya-Shah-Klorfines-words-dying-base-camp-save-me.html https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2147998/Mount-Evere...
- hodgesrm 7y ago
  Unqualified or unlucky? It's hard to say from the article you cited; bad weather and crowding also seem to have been factors. 8000m peaks have high rates of fatalities under the best of conditions. But this is true of any large mountain range. Take the Alps for example. On one day in the summer of 1979 12 people died on climbs around Chamonix, which is a single valley. It was a beautiful day with ideal climbing conditions around much of Mt. Blanc. I remember it well, because I was in the valley watching helicopters bringing down bodies all afternoon. Most of the deaths were on the Tour Ronde. [1] The uppermost of 3 climbing parties fell on a steep couloir and took out two parties below them. Perhaps the first party was unqualified but the second and third parties? [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tour_Ronde#Events_and_incidents https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tour_Ronde#Events_and_incident...
TheSpiceIsLife 7y ago
There’s climbing mountains, and then there’s paying $50,000 to line up to climb past a bunch of bodies that were never recovered, presumably because people pay $50,000 to summit Everest, not to retrieve dead bodies. What kind of brain injury do you have to have to want to pay $50,000 to stand in line for that?

webaholic 7y ago

Don't be. It is a very well paying job which rewards the efforts put in.