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Flip Flop
Trad climber
Truckee, CA
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May 12, 2014 - 02:59am PT
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Heh heh , you said Johnson. Heh heh. Now I speak some Chinese.
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Daphne
Trad climber
Northern California
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May 12, 2014 - 03:54am PT
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Thanks for posting this, Jan, I find it fascinating although I hardly know what to think about the helicopter. Does she explain her use of it on facebook?
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Jan
Mountain climber
Colorado, Nepal & Okinawa
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Topic Author's Reply - May 12, 2014 - 09:09am PT
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She arranged for the helicopter ride without a permit so she kept that secret until it was a fait accompli.
I'm sure though, if she lives through this, she'll have plenty to say.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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May 12, 2014 - 09:33am PT
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7 plus 2......So many people now with egos, time, money and bucket lists. Any means is acceptable for them. I doubt she plans to ski to the South Pole....you can fly there for about $30,000.
i doubt that any of them care about the process but I'm sure none of them will have trouble spewing about their "accomplishments" to an adoring an ignorant public.
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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May 12, 2014 - 09:39am PT
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If you really wanted to climb the worlds tallest mountain you would start at sea level and walk.
I don't care about her little chopper ride down low. Seems like she did it to make dying a little harder and not the climb a little easier.
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steve shea
climber
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May 12, 2014 - 10:09am PT
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Come on Donini. More, tell it like it is ! I can't add any more except that this adventure athlete garbage, xterra, adventure running group has found a new, well not so new, venue. Everest. Too bad it is a slog and not more difficult. Do you think any of these fools could have done what Loretan or Messner did? Hell no.
I did walk in once. it only adds a week. The biggest problem with the walk is not getting the $hits. Its more rural Nepal and not like the Jellystone Park aspect of Lukla, Namche and base camp.
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Bad Climber
climber
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May 12, 2014 - 10:42am PT
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Yes, Jim D., I'm so with you on this. Climb the icefall or go home. Jeez. The Big E is such a zoo.
Cleo seems a bit "out there" based on her Kanchenjunga ascent. Relying too much on Sherpas to bail her out, maybe? She reminds me a bit of that guy, Marshal, I think? He got up and down Kanchenjunga by the thinnest of margins, only surviving a deadly fall because one arm accidentally slipped around a fixed rope. I read that story and said, "That guy's gonna die in the mountains." The next year, he died on Everest.
I hope the ladies get down okay.
BAd
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jstan
climber
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May 12, 2014 - 11:48am PT
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A post from April 25 on the other thread.
I have found a source saying an Aircrane( power plant unspecified but probably the more recent and more powerful P&W) has carried a 2000 kg load to just under 29,000 feet. That's about two tons; a lot of trash. Nepal's climbing market is something like $25,000,000 a year just for Everest! And South Korea owns an Aircrane. South Korea might well be able to detail its aircraft to Nepal for the three month climbing season. If it did that Sherpa fixing the route could be airlifted over the Khumbu. At least that much could be cut out.
Really rich clients might even pay to go all the way to the summit. That trade by itself might pay for the chopper. And put every Nepalian through Harvard to boot.
In technical rock climbing we have chipping, top rope wiring and hang dogging, fixed draws, and............ But each person is still free to enjoy whatever it is they do. So let's concentrate here on something constructive that can be done. A short crosscut saw will even allow bodies to be brought down.
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sandstone conglomerate
climber
sharon conglomerate central
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May 12, 2014 - 11:53am PT
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The trash on the mountain..what a fuking disgrace.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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May 12, 2014 - 12:12pm PT
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Too bad Everest hasn't seen any climbers for a number of years....they're usually better at cleaning up after themselves.
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HighTraverse
Trad climber
Bay Area
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May 12, 2014 - 01:10pm PT
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I hardly know what to think about the helicopter I know exactly what to think of the helicopter. BS For several previously enumerated reasons. And a very bad precedent.
My first wife and I walked in all the way from the Sun Khosi to Dingboche (heavy snowstorms closed the trail from there). Now you can take a bus or plane to Jiri. Fair enough. The expedition companies would be glad to set you up to walk from there. Walk in with your porters, get acclimatized, spend some $ with the locals, have a wonderful experience. Aww damn......you'd have to take another two weeks off work. They should close Lukla airport to tourists/climbers except for emergency services. Less beer in Lukla might be a good thing.
In My Not So Humble Opinion
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Elcapinyoazz
Social climber
Joshua Tree
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May 12, 2014 - 01:23pm PT
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I'm thinking the real solution to the whole ice fall ladder/chopper things is a catapult/winsgsuit/parachute combo. Huck their gear in there in some neon orange painted FISH texas luggage, then huck the "adventurer" right after the bags.
Would also solve the pesky issues of basecamp boredom, just point it the other way, strap on your wingsuit, and huck up about 3000', put on your skis and get some turns back to camp.
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StahlBro
Trad climber
San Diego, CA
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May 12, 2014 - 01:37pm PT
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She choppered in without the Heli-pad Doctors fixing the landing?
Gnarly...
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Guck
Trad climber
Santa Barbara, CA
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May 12, 2014 - 02:56pm PT
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Climbing Everest alone is no easy feat. The technical demands might be low, but it still takes enormous stamina to do it alone, no matter where you start from. I wonder how many of the ones with BS comments have ever done high altitude mountaineering. I bet most of them would not make it to the South Col, even starting from Camp 2. I have great admiration for the two women and wish them the best!
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steve shea
climber
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May 12, 2014 - 03:44pm PT
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I wish they would vacate the mountain. They are cheating, poaching, setting a bad example and possibly creating an incident which will have far reaching consequences. And they broke the permit agreement with the clandestine helo trip. I bet Elizabeth Hawley will regard these as non ascents. Asterisk ascents at best.
I have been to altitude many times; above 8000m sans O's a few times too. I guess style is not as important to some. But no way will a helo ascent be good juju. Talk about pissing on the puja!
Now back to the regularly scheduled nonsense.
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The Larry
climber
Moab, UT
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May 12, 2014 - 03:52pm PT
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That would be cool.
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HighTraverse
Trad climber
Bay Area
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May 12, 2014 - 04:00pm PT
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I bet most of them would not make it to the South Col, even starting from Camp 2. I have great admiration for the two women and wish them the best! Yeah......I sure couldn't make it to the South Col. But hundreds have summited, ever since 1953. Many without oxygen.
Bugger those who need a chopper to get up to C2.
What is needed is much better monitoring of the Khumbu icefall and Nepali cojones to close the route to all when it's in bad condition. So there might be years no one gets past the icefall?
Tough S**T
Conrad Anker canceled his ascent plans last year when it was unsafe.
Why do adventure tourists feel they are entitled to get to the summit regardless of how it's done? Just because they've spent $15 - $25K?
I say build a telepherique from Kalla Pattar and dam the Dudh Khosi to power it. Fly 'em into Namche and they'll only have to walk for 3 days. 40% will fall over from altitude sickness. The rest can take videos from the pressurized gondolas.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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May 12, 2014 - 04:05pm PT
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DMT...Larry, you guys are onto something. Complete the three ring circus....already has the highest via ferrata, the zipline combined with a high line to Lhotse rounds things out. I'm sure there must be a 500 ft. cliff for base jumping and hacky sack comps for basecamp.
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HighTraverse
Trad climber
Bay Area
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May 12, 2014 - 04:07pm PT
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the zipline combined with a high line to Lhotse I'll pay $10K for that! But only if you guarantee a clear day.
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jstan
climber
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May 12, 2014 - 04:14pm PT
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It takes real discipline to solo the Big E. Goren Kropp bicycled there and back from Stockholm. Unaided. But the discipline really showed up when he decided how many underwear bottoms he had to carry. He divided the number by four. Each bottom can be reversed front to back and then also turned inside out. When he described his strategy every woman in the audience groaned audibly "EEWW!" Beats me why.
We lost a real gem when Goren died.
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