5 ms·

Who cares? If a helicopter could reach the summit, I would take a helicopter. More people should drive to the north pole, too.

by db48x 2y ago

nemomarx 2y ago
The north pole is interesting, because everyone who raced to reach it the first time was using the most cutting edge stuff they had, right? I wonder how you'd do that experience now?
- db48x 2y ago
  Submarines are a popular choice but expensive. It's been done once in trucks (the Top Gear episode that I linked to earlier). People fly to the South Pole every year.
xarope 2y ago
The north pole is just a bunch of ice floes. So you can't drive there (unless you mean drive a boat (most likely an icebreaker!). It was very interesting to learn how they setup camp barneo each year, which only lasts for a few weeks, until it melts/drifts away, and they have to rebuild it each year Full reveal; they fly around searching for a big enough floe, parachute engineers and equipment in to build an airfield, or rather 2 or more, since invariably the ice cracks. I saw a major crack less than 2-3 yards away from my tent, when I woke up and walked out... erk.
- db48x 2y ago
  You can drive there. You might have to dig your way through an ice ridge or two, but it’s not impossible: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNkvASxfEWQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNkvASxfEWQ
  - xarope 2y ago
    Unless I'm missing something, the wiki says "They did not, however, reach the actual position of the North Magnetic Pole at the time which in 2007 was 150 miles away. They were also 1200 miles away from the geographical North Pole"?
    - db48x 2y ago
      True. You could still be the first to drive to where the magnetic pole was in 2007!
- ggreer 2y ago
  Some people have come close to driving to the geographic north pole, such as when Top Gear drove to the 1996 magnetic north pole.[1] Unless the ice gets thinner as one gets closer to the pole, the main limitation would be logistics, not falling through the ice. 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Gear:_Polar_Special https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Gear:_Polar_Special
rgmerk 2y ago
The problem is that while climbing Everest no longer requires elite-level mountaineering skill, it remains extremely dangerous, both for the people paying and the (mostly Nepalese) guides who take climbers up there. It seems that roughly 1% of people who attempt the summit die in the process; there are hundreds of bodies simply left on the mountain as it's too risky to retrieve them. There's every chance that this approach will lead to more fatalities as it will increase the proportion of inexperienced, unskilled climbers attempting the summit, with less opportunity for those unsuited for very high altitudes to pull out before dying.
- mp05 2y ago
  I'm curious where things tend to go wrong with the inexperienced people? Are we talking a general lack of fitness or just little/no real mountaineering skills? I feel like I've heard of some guys that did a 12 week program to prepare them, but don't recall the outcome. You certainly can't fake a lifetime of strong cardio fitness.
  - rgmerk 2y ago
    Both of the above, but also your body's ability to adapt to high altitude, which isn't just a question of general cardiovascular fitness. If you build up to climbing Everest more gradually you find this out in places and at altitudes where you can be saved. That said, Everest is an extremely dangerous place even for experienced mountaineers, though it's not the most dangerous . The second highest peak, K2, is so dangerous that roughly one person dies for every eight or so who reach the summit.
  - ghxst 2y ago
    I would imagine a lack of experience with gear and not knowing how to react to sudden weather changes might be 2 big reasons why things go wrong. These environments are not forgiving when panic sets in or you make a long series of minor mistakes, many stories like these when it comes to scuba diving as well (especially cave diving).
- db48x 2y ago
  So what? People take risks all the time. The guides are paid, so they must be getting enough to make the risks worthwhile.

Who cares? If a helicopter could reach the summit, I would take a helicopter. More people should drive to the north pole, too.

by db48x 2y ago

Who cares? If a helicopter could reach the summit, I would take a helicopter. More people should drive to the north pole, too.

nemomarx 2y ago

The north pole is interesting, because everyone who raced to reach it the first time was using the most cutting edge stuff they had, right? I wonder how you'd do that experience now?

db48x 2y ago
Submarines are a popular choice but expensive. It's been done once in trucks (the Top Gear episode that I linked to earlier). People fly to the South Pole every year.

xarope 2y ago

The north pole is just a bunch of ice floes. So you can't drive there (unless you mean drive a boat (most likely an icebreaker!). It was very interesting to learn how they setup camp barneo each year, which only lasts for a few weeks, until it melts/drifts away, and they have to rebuild it each year Full reveal; they fly around searching for a big enough floe, parachute engineers and equipment in to build an airfield, or rather 2 or more, since invariably the ice cracks. I saw a major crack less than 2-3 yards away from my tent, when I woke up and walked out... erk.

db48x 2y ago
You can drive there. You might have to dig your way through an ice ridge or two, but it’s not impossible: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNkvASxfEWQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNkvASxfEWQ
- xarope 2y ago
  Unless I'm missing something, the wiki says "They did not, however, reach the actual position of the North Magnetic Pole at the time which in 2007 was 150 miles away. They were also 1200 miles away from the geographical North Pole"?
  - db48x 2y ago
    True. You could still be the first to drive to where the magnetic pole was in 2007!
ggreer 2y ago
Some people have come close to driving to the geographic north pole, such as when Top Gear drove to the 1996 magnetic north pole.[1] Unless the ice gets thinner as one gets closer to the pole, the main limitation would be logistics, not falling through the ice. 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Gear:_Polar_Special https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Gear:_Polar_Special

rgmerk 2y ago

The problem is that while climbing Everest no longer requires elite-level mountaineering skill, it remains extremely dangerous, both for the people paying and the (mostly Nepalese) guides who take climbers up there. It seems that roughly 1% of people who attempt the summit die in the process; there are hundreds of bodies simply left on the mountain as it's too risky to retrieve them. There's every chance that this approach will lead to more fatalities as it will increase the proportion of inexperienced, unskilled climbers attempting the summit, with less opportunity for those unsuited for very high altitudes to pull out before dying.

mp05 2y ago
I'm curious where things tend to go wrong with the inexperienced people? Are we talking a general lack of fitness or just little/no real mountaineering skills? I feel like I've heard of some guys that did a 12 week program to prepare them, but don't recall the outcome. You certainly can't fake a lifetime of strong cardio fitness.
- rgmerk 2y ago
  Both of the above, but also your body's ability to adapt to high altitude, which isn't just a question of general cardiovascular fitness. If you build up to climbing Everest more gradually you find this out in places and at altitudes where you can be saved. That said, Everest is an extremely dangerous place even for experienced mountaineers, though it's not the most dangerous . The second highest peak, K2, is so dangerous that roughly one person dies for every eight or so who reach the summit.
- ghxst 2y ago
  I would imagine a lack of experience with gear and not knowing how to react to sudden weather changes might be 2 big reasons why things go wrong. These environments are not forgiving when panic sets in or you make a long series of minor mistakes, many stories like these when it comes to scuba diving as well (especially cave diving).
db48x 2y ago
So what? People take risks all the time. The guides are paid, so they must be getting enough to make the risks worthwhile.