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Messages 1 - 42 of total 42 in this topic |
Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Topic Author's Original Post - May 21, 2017 - 07:26am PT
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In a fairly strange BBC report, they say:
A famous feature of Mount Everest has collapsed, potentially making the world's highest peak even more dangerous to climbers.
Mountaineers said the Hillary Step may have fallen victim to Nepal's devastating 2015 earthquake.
The near-vertical 12-metre (39 ft) rocky outcrop stood on the mountain's southeast ridge, and was the last great challenge before the top.
It was named after Sir Edmund Hillary, who was the first to scale it in 1953.
British mountaineer Tim Mosedale confirmed the news of the Step's demise after reaching the summit on 16 May.
"It's official - The Hillary Step is no more," he wrote on Facebook.
"Not sure what's going to happen when the snow ridge doesn't form because there's some huge blocks randomly perched hither and thither which will be quite tricky to negotiate."
"It was reported last year, and indeed I climbed it last year, but we weren't sure for certain that 'The Step' had gone because the area was blasted with snow," Mr Mosedale wrote on Facebook.
He concluded: "This year, however, I can report that the chunk of rock named 'The Hillary Step' is definitely not there anymore."
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-39989992
Any rumors that The Hillary Step was destroyed on the orders of our President, who thought it was named for Hillary Clinton, are simply rumors, at this time.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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May 21, 2017 - 07:40am PT
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One small step for mountaineers....gone. One aluminum ladder step for well heeled clients...coming.
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Ben Harland
Gym climber
Kenora, ON
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May 21, 2017 - 07:43am PT
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I've stared at these before/after photos trying to make out exactly what's come down.
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Don Paul
Big Wall climber
Denver CO
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May 21, 2017 - 07:51am PT
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One aluminum ladder step for well heeled clients...coming.
Oh well, so much for climbing only with your hands and feet. I'm waiting for them to build a landing pad for a helicopter to make my ascent.
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Don Paul
Big Wall climber
Denver CO
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May 21, 2017 - 03:57pm PT
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Great story Norman, and colder than ever, helicoptering over 3 dead bodies frozen into the Khumbu icefall. Life goes on, I guess.
The 'Altitude' facebook page has this to report today:
Multiple fatalities on Everest:-
1. Slovak climber Vlad Strba died in C4, after an unsuccessful summit push. Strba originally planned to climb SW Face, however switched to normal route after his climbing partner had to cancel the expedition at last moment.
2. Australian Francesco Enrico Marchetti passed away at around 7500m on Northside. He was suffering from altitude sickness.
3. Roland Yearwood, a US climber, died near Balcony area today.
Lastly, another climber from India, Ravi Kumar,is reportedly missing since yesterday. He summited earlier that day.
What a horror show. I wish the Nepali government would shut all this down.
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ms55401
Trad climber
minneapolis, mn
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May 21, 2017 - 04:26pm PT
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you know, I'm amazed that the Half Dome cables route gets only 0.9 fatalities per year, or whatever the stat is. Everest gets (guess) perhaps 2.8 fatalities per year?
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gunsmoke
Mountain climber
Clackamas, Oregon
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May 21, 2017 - 05:09pm PT
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It appears that there have been five deaths from the cables since they were installed in 1919. Two of those deaths were when the stanchions were down. Four of the five were in wet or icy conditions.
The user SomebodyAnybody noted this link recently:
http://hikehalfdome.com/accidents/
Edit: That's about 0.05 per year. Safer than driving your car.
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Jon Beck
Trad climber
Oceanside
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May 21, 2017 - 05:32pm PT
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Safer than driving your car.
Driving your car up half dome is much more dangerous than hiking? nobody has died doing it
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Tom
Big Wall climber
San Luis Obispo CA
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May 21, 2017 - 09:04pm PT
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It was a busy day on Everest as intense winds eased up enough for dozens of people to try and reach the famed summit. About 70 people made it, according to the Himalayan Times.
It's hard to tell if that story came from USA Today, or The Onion.
Seventy people per day on the summit seems both ludicrous and absurd.
Driving your car up half dome is much more dangerous than hiking? nobody has died doing it.
Technically, he died at Happy Isles. He was headed to the cables, to make the first automotive ascent of Half dome. For an unknown reason, his vehicle left the road and he plunged into the Merced River.
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fear
Ice climber
hartford, ct
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May 21, 2017 - 10:04pm PT
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If historical records are true then statistically it would seem you're less likely to die free-soloing the regular NW face of half-dome...
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clinker
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, California
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May 21, 2017 - 10:20pm PT
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Rock climbing in general compared to Alpine climbing is cruising in armored cars vs motorcycles.
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ß Î Ø T Ç H
Boulder climber
ne'er–do–well
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May 21, 2017 - 10:57pm PT
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10b4me
Mountain climber
Retired
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May 22, 2017 - 04:15pm PT
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Fake news
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rbord
Boulder climber
atlanta
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May 22, 2017 - 04:26pm PT
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Rockfall in the mountains?! Sacre bleu! Someone should start a gofundme to rebuild that sacred thing.
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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May 24, 2017 - 12:27pm PT
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Get used to it. Its the "circus in May". Happens each year.
Forget about Nepal banning it, its a huge cash cow.
As long as there are guided trips offered there will be a long list of aspirant clients with stars in their eyes, unable to envision what a dangerous zoo it will be (not to mention those that refuse to turn around at 2:00.)
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chainsaw
Trad climber
CA
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May 24, 2017 - 06:13pm PT
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Seems like the problem is guides and money. Why not send some other peak that has nobody on it? Answer: a self propelled adventure is one thing. Everest is a highway now. People who really wanna get into the sh#t might as well climb somplace else. Im just a douchbag who never climbed it. Im gonna do bear creek spire twice in a day and call it good!
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jeff constine
Trad climber
Ao Namao
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May 24, 2017 - 06:14pm PT
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Seems like the problem is OVERPOPULATION. Secret crags rule.
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rbord
Boulder climber
atlanta
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May 24, 2017 - 08:20pm PT
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Who says there's a problem?
Humans go up there and die. It's part of what appeals to humans about going up there in the first place. They can always stay home and sit on their couches.
If we're not willing to say that part of the problem is that part of what appeals to humans about going up there is that it's risky enough that they might die by going up there, it's hard for me take the idea of there being a problem of people dying up there very seriously ...
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crankster
Trad climber
No. Tahoe
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May 24, 2017 - 08:27pm PT
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You don't understand why people would want to climb the highest mountain on the planet? Huh?
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thebravecowboy
climber
The Good Places
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May 24, 2017 - 08:39pm PT
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Secret crags hidden in plain sight rule
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Jon Beck
Trad climber
Oceanside
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May 24, 2017 - 08:50pm PT
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If Whitney was the second highest peak in California a lot less people wold make that slog up.
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Tom
Big Wall climber
San Luis Obispo CA
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May 25, 2017 - 02:54am PT
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^^^^^^^^^^^
Glory seekers want "the best", without any other consideration of what is really "the best".
The nearby peaks, not Mt. Whitney, are more juicy, more difficult, and more delicious.
The same situation exists with respect to Mt. Everest, versus K2. The highest peak in the Alps is Mont Blanc; the juice, there, is the Matterhorn.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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May 25, 2017 - 06:05am PT
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It's not Everest against K2....it's the 8000 meter peaks against the 7000 meter peaks. The summits of the Ogre, Ogre 2, and Latok 1 are clearly much more difficult to attain than are the summits of any of the 8000 meter peaks, including K2.
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Gary
Social climber
Desolation Basin, Calif.
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May 25, 2017 - 07:11am PT
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If Whitney was the second highest peak in California a lot less people wold make that slog up.
Numbers matter. It would certainly be more exciting if Williamson or Humphreys was the highest peak in the lower 48.
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kunlun_shan
Mountain climber
SF, CA
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May 25, 2017 - 07:44am PT
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Warbler, if you look at the link to Alan Arnette's piece on the previous page, its not so clear that the Step is gone. Could just be drifted over.
As for the 4 latest deaths, according to Arnette, it could be inexperienced "guides" asphyxiating themselves and clients. Sounds like the new generation dragging tourists up the mountain, now includes teenagers and lowland Nepalis, rather than local Sherpas.
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Spider Savage
Mountain climber
The shaggy fringe of Los Angeles
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May 25, 2017 - 09:17am PT
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Yep. Those 4 in the tents sound like carbon monoxide as the most likely suspect. If it were really cold and windy they may have buttoned down and cooked their last batch of water.
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aspendougy
Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
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May 25, 2017 - 09:26am PT
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If you look at the numbers of inexperienced, medically compromised people coming to Yosemite, it is amazing that so few people do have problems on the Half Dome cables, and elsewhere. In fact, considering the number of visitors, Yosemite Valley has a good safety record. Compare Merced River deaths to the Kern.
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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May 25, 2017 - 10:37am PT
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Most of the idiots don't understand the hypothetical nature of "elevation".
Joke is on them. The "highest mountain on the world" is,..... in Equador.
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Curt
climber
Gold Canyon, AZ
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May 25, 2017 - 10:39am PT
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Most of the idiots don't understand the hypothetical nature of "elevation".
Joke is on them. The "highest mountain on the world" is,..... in Equador.
Or Hawaii, depending on how you like to measure.
Curt
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Jan
Mountain climber
Colorado & Nepal
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May 25, 2017 - 11:15am PT
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There are now reports coming in that the four people dead in their tents is a false story that somehow got propagated by a lowland Hindu reporter in Kathmandu. Time will tell.
Meanwhile there are plenty of well qualified Sherpas who occupy self owned companies in the middle ground between the expensive western companies and the cheapest available. I know these people personally as most of them are from one region, the Rolwaling Valley, a village that has produced over 60 Everest summiters.
A number of them are internationally certified mountain guides who have taken specialized training in Europe and America and one of them has just been certified as a Rainier Mountain Institute guide here in the U.S. Several of them have come to the U.S. and climbed Denali, one group did it twice in two days by two different routes.
No situation is ever all good or all bad, but you have to do your research ahead of time and in general, cheapest is not best.
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Abissi
Trad climber
MI
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Who's going to write the first guide book to the Hillary step
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fear
Ice climber
hartford, ct
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Guide book? That's quaint.
Need an Apple/Android app for this high altitude circus of death crowd.
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Largo
Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
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Any time you have a celebrated summit there are going to be people scrambling to get there, and plenty of dreamers trying to make a dollar helping them along the way. Can't really blame anyone - it's a monster effort either way. But it's starting to sound like a highway to hell.
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rbord
Boulder climber
atlanta
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Have the reasons that people want to scramble up there changed? Has the fact that people die up there changed? When the demerits outweigh the allure, it will reach an equilibrium.
But I'm not convinced that's really a function of the allure of reaching the summit or the risk of death - it's probably going to be more about the quality of the experience. And people have other options if they prefer a better quality experience.
Is summitting everest the solution to a problem that people have (a cure for boredom, a need for excitement, a sense of superiority/bragging rights, etc.)? IMHO, it's not much of a problem for us - it just is what it is. Humans went a long time without summitting everest, and I expect those folks who are driven away by the bad user experience will find some other way to make themselves OK.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Part of the allure is that people with a low skill set in climbing can claim bragging rights for what most of the lay public consider the ultimate feat in climbing.
With fixed ropes, guides, sherpas, oxygen and low technical difficulty anyone with sufficient coin who is in good shape has a decent chance of summiting.
A number of years ago I was in a shelter at Vinson Basecamp. Dick Bass, who wrote "The Seven Summits" was holding court. He was responding to critcism he received in "Into Thin Air." He said in his rather loud, authoritative voice..."I never said I was a climber. Hell, I can't even tie a knot."
So help out all of the Seven Summit guides....pony up the bucks and be the second person at your water cooler who can say that he/she climbed Everest.
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Kalimon
Social climber
Ridgway, CO
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If the Step is still there, the POTUS is going to remove it for good measure. The Nepalese people will pay for the cost.
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gonamok
climber
dont make me come over there
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i think most of us would love to have the chance to just be on that mountain if we could. I think that the business of running non climbers to the summit and back via a semi permanent network of camps, fuel and food dumps and fixed lines is unfortunate, but it fills a need
But honestly, if somebody gave me a ticket for one of those deluxe, guided cattle drives to the summit id jump on it in a heartbeat, so sanctimony on my part would be unseemly
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