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We need to start living on Mars, if only to give climbers new mountains to climb. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mountains_on_Mars_by_height https://en.w

We need to start living on Mars, if only to give climbers new mountains to climb. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mountains_on_Mars_by_height https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mountains_on_Mars_by_h...

NickNameNick 6y ago
I think it's going to be a while before we see "First ascent of Olympus Mons without supplemental oxygen"
wbl 6y ago
Olympus Mons is an easy climb with life support because it isn't very steep.
- Synaesthesia 6y ago
  Olympus Mons is almost the size of France and is 21 km high. Gentle slope but still, quite a hike.
  - SubiculumCode 6y ago
    Interesting, but how Texas turned into France has to be the bigger story ;)
    - yowlingcat 6y ago
      Well, my friend, it all began with an innocuous rebranding of "French Fries" to "Freedom Fries" on balmy afternoon...
    - Synaesthesia 6y ago
      When I was young I had a picture of Olympus Mons superimposed on Texas. It's pretty big
- SubiculumCode 6y ago
  that said. I'd put it on my cv.
- jamiek88 6y ago
  It is almost 8km up before you get to the gentle slope though so still a challenge even in 1/3 G
- vuciv1 6y ago
  Ah! Just a few days ago I wrote an article about what it would be like to climb on Mars! I learned about Olympus Mons in the process. It turns out that the surface area is equal to that of Italy's. There are a few interesting features like cliffs and craters, but you can probably just get around it. https://jerseyfonseca.com/blogs/climbingmars https://jerseyfonseca.com/blogs/climbingmars
twic 6y ago
As i understand it, the trouble with the Martian "mountains" is that, while some are very tall, they are typically also very wide, so they are less like mountains as we think of them, and more like slightly pointy plateaus. Check out the diameters in this list: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mountains_on_Mars https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mountains_on_Mars I couldn't find a good visual comparison of Martian and Terrestrial mountains.
- na85 6y ago
  Olympus is so wide you can't see the summit from the base. Because the summit is past the horizon.
- mkl 6y ago
  Part of the problem of comparison is the smaller diameter of Mars. Olympus Mons has such shallow slopes (~5°) that from the top you can only see the slope of the mountain itself, as everything else is below the horizon. https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/questions/25960/is-the-curvature-of-mars-visible-from-the-top-of-olympus-mons https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/questions/25960/is-the-c... However, Olympus Mons has a very definite edge most of the way around, formed by escarpments up to 8km tall, that you'd have to get up before you get to the gentle slope. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympus_Mons https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympus_Mons
  - Mountain_Skies 6y ago
    Between the distance and the lower gravity, sounds like it would be fun to mountain bike down, well, until reaching the 8km drop.
    - SubiculumCode 6y ago
      "Even though the surface gravity on Mars is only 3.7 meters/sec (compared to 9.8 meters/sec on Earth), the thin atmosphere means that the average terminal velocity hits a nail-biting 1,000 km/hour or so, compared to about 200 km/hour back home." -for those wondering if 1/3 gravity could make the fall not as dangerous. ....although I suppose you might have more of time at the beginning to stop your descent by grabbing onto something maybe
mhh__ 6y ago
Although Mars is probably the ultimate "because it's there", nature cannot be fooled - Everest has effectively been commercialised now, but the other 8kms like K2 regularly eat extremely experienced mountaineers for breakfast.
vuciv1 6y ago
Ah! Just a few days ago I wrote an article about what it would be like to climb on Mars! https://jerseyfonseca.com/blogs/climbingmars https://jerseyfonseca.com/blogs/climbingmars
- soared 6y ago
  You would likely enjoy the red Mars book series by Kim Stanley Robinson. One of the scientist kind of abandons her duties to just explore Mars in a rover!
  - vuciv1 6y ago
    Just looked it up, seems awesome. I'm almost done with what I'm currently reading, so I will pick this up next. Do you have any other recommendations? I've been looking for more stuff like this (futurist, adventure, sci-fi, not cheesy), but just haven't been able to find the right one.
    - SubiculumCode 6y ago
      I definitely recommend the series. Excellent excellent series. Coincidentally, I was out tonight at a used book store and I found and bought a copy of Red Mars (Book 1) to replace my lost copy. Ha!
    - soared 6y ago
      Yeah it’s great! New York 2142 by the same author was the first one I read and it was amazing. It’s nyc post global warming where everything is flooded. Interesting setting and adventure/business drama stuff.
      - SubiculumCode 6y ago
        I've lived in the same small town as Mr. Robinson for over a decade, despite that he's a bit of a local celebrity, I've never ever run into him. I was sure I'd see him at the Delta of Venus cafe....it seemed so reminiscent of some of the communities in the series, I was sure that there was some inspiration coming from some of the local Davis oddities.

NickNameNick 6y ago

I think it's going to be a while before we see "First ascent of Olympus Mons without supplemental oxygen"

wbl 6y ago

Olympus Mons is an easy climb with life support because it isn't very steep.

Synaesthesia 6y ago
Olympus Mons is almost the size of France and is 21 km high. Gentle slope but still, quite a hike.
- SubiculumCode 6y ago
  Interesting, but how Texas turned into France has to be the bigger story ;)
  - yowlingcat 6y ago
    Well, my friend, it all began with an innocuous rebranding of "French Fries" to "Freedom Fries" on balmy afternoon...
  - Synaesthesia 6y ago
    When I was young I had a picture of Olympus Mons superimposed on Texas. It's pretty big
SubiculumCode 6y ago
that said. I'd put it on my cv.
jamiek88 6y ago
It is almost 8km up before you get to the gentle slope though so still a challenge even in 1/3 G
vuciv1 6y ago
Ah! Just a few days ago I wrote an article about what it would be like to climb on Mars! I learned about Olympus Mons in the process. It turns out that the surface area is equal to that of Italy's. There are a few interesting features like cliffs and craters, but you can probably just get around it. https://jerseyfonseca.com/blogs/climbingmars https://jerseyfonseca.com/blogs/climbingmars

twic 6y ago

As i understand it, the trouble with the Martian "mountains" is that, while some are very tall, they are typically also very wide, so they are less like mountains as we think of them, and more like slightly pointy plateaus. Check out the diameters in this list: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mountains_on_Mars https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mountains_on_Mars I couldn't find a good visual comparison of Martian and Terrestrial mountains.

na85 6y ago
Olympus is so wide you can't see the summit from the base. Because the summit is past the horizon.
mkl 6y ago
Part of the problem of comparison is the smaller diameter of Mars. Olympus Mons has such shallow slopes (~5°) that from the top you can only see the slope of the mountain itself, as everything else is below the horizon. https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/questions/25960/is-the-curvature-of-mars-visible-from-the-top-of-olympus-mons https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/questions/25960/is-the-c... However, Olympus Mons has a very definite edge most of the way around, formed by escarpments up to 8km tall, that you'd have to get up before you get to the gentle slope. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympus_Mons https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympus_Mons
- Mountain_Skies 6y ago
  Between the distance and the lower gravity, sounds like it would be fun to mountain bike down, well, until reaching the 8km drop.
  - SubiculumCode 6y ago
    "Even though the surface gravity on Mars is only 3.7 meters/sec (compared to 9.8 meters/sec on Earth), the thin atmosphere means that the average terminal velocity hits a nail-biting 1,000 km/hour or so, compared to about 200 km/hour back home." -for those wondering if 1/3 gravity could make the fall not as dangerous. ....although I suppose you might have more of time at the beginning to stop your descent by grabbing onto something maybe

mhh__ 6y ago

Although Mars is probably the ultimate "because it's there", nature cannot be fooled - Everest has effectively been commercialised now, but the other 8kms like K2 regularly eat extremely experienced mountaineers for breakfast.

vuciv1 6y ago

Ah! Just a few days ago I wrote an article about what it would be like to climb on Mars! https://jerseyfonseca.com/blogs/climbingmars https://jerseyfonseca.com/blogs/climbingmars

soared 6y ago
You would likely enjoy the red Mars book series by Kim Stanley Robinson. One of the scientist kind of abandons her duties to just explore Mars in a rover!
- vuciv1 6y ago
  Just looked it up, seems awesome. I'm almost done with what I'm currently reading, so I will pick this up next. Do you have any other recommendations? I've been looking for more stuff like this (futurist, adventure, sci-fi, not cheesy), but just haven't been able to find the right one.
  - SubiculumCode 6y ago
    I definitely recommend the series. Excellent excellent series. Coincidentally, I was out tonight at a used book store and I found and bought a copy of Red Mars (Book 1) to replace my lost copy. Ha!
  - soared 6y ago
    Yeah it’s great! New York 2142 by the same author was the first one I read and it was amazing. It’s nyc post global warming where everything is flooded. Interesting setting and adventure/business drama stuff.
    - SubiculumCode 6y ago
      I've lived in the same small town as Mr. Robinson for over a decade, despite that he's a bit of a local celebrity, I've never ever run into him. I was sure I'd see him at the Delta of Venus cafe....it seemed so reminiscent of some of the communities in the series, I was sure that there was some inspiration coming from some of the local Davis oddities.