Life abandoned on Mt. Everest.

[472 R/T SE]

I found this on the Chiefs forum.  I was so intrigued by it that I spent the afternoon looking up the different climbers' who perished & climbing tall peaks in general.  Fascinating blog post on what goes on in Everest's "dead zone" along with some unbelievable pictures. Real fascinating stuff imo.

I guess this could be considered NSFW because of pictures of dead bodies.  So if you're squeamish don't check out the link.

http://godheadv.blogspot.com/2010/04/abandoned-on-everest.html

An informative video:  http://www.documentary-film.net/search/watch.php?&ref=132

"This morning, however, Green Boots had company. Sitting no more than two feet to the left of the corpse was a man who at first glance appeared to be dead. His gloved hands were on his knees, his hood and hat cast his face in shadow. The only feature visible was the man's severely frostbitten nose, already a greenish black hue. On closer inspection, the vapor from the man's breath could be seen rising.

What happened next entered the folklore of the highest mountain on earth. Every man interviewed gives a different story. What is certain is that every single one of the 40-odd climbers attempting the summit that day left the man in the cave, whose name was David Sharp, to freeze, either by choice, by ignorance, or by misjudging him as a corpse they already expected to see in that infamous cave.... "

[bakerhillpins]

I have seen several shows on this. It's basically a situation generated from the fact that Everest is now a tourist attraction.

If you haven't read or watched Into Thin Air it's worth it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Into_Thin_Air

[472 R/T SE]

From the comments:

"Juan 'Juanito' Oiarzabal holds the world record in 8000ers summits (21 in total) and has experienced many rescues on very high altitude. He told ExplorersWeb about Everest, "That mountain turned into a circus years ago, and it's getting worse – I don't have the slightest interest in going back there, ever. Moreover, I actually try to avoid reading on what's going on there – I simply don't care anymore." And about David Sharp, "It's a classic [on Everest] - someone is in trouble, and people pass by, not even taking a quick look at him."

I'll add Into Thin Air to must see.

[bakerhillpins]

it shows the corpse of mountaineer George Mallory, lost on Everest in 1924, and the state in which it was found in 1999 after 75 years

PBS had a Nova episode on George Mallory which was very interesting:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/everest/

[472 R/T SE]

I looked up "Into Thin Air".  The You Tube link at the bottom of the blog "The Dark Side of Everest Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5" talks about that expedition. 

George Mallory's body was mummified, there's a pic of it in that blog.  75 years up there & he still has skin.  They say the air up there does that.

[FLG]

I simply cant believe they blatantly left him there to die 

No feat whatsoever would stop be from helping someone in need, if that means risking my own life than so be it.

[1BAD68]

A friend of mine was talking about climbing Everest, he did some research and told me it cost about $50K to get permission and then you're on a waiting list.
I'm guessing thats probably why they walked past Sharp.

[bakerhillpins]

The blatant truth is that at those altitudes carrying yourself up and down a mountain is a feat in itself. Having to do so for yourself and a second person who is incapacitated is suicide. It's just the cold reality of pushing to the limits of what a person can do in an environment that can't support life longer than 48hrs (or how ever long it takes to deplete the store of oxygen in your system).

It's a difficult subject to discuss in the fire service (as well as others I am sure) and a situation I don't ever want to find myself in but there is a point at which you don't send good, courageous, and LIVING folks in after those who are lost. The situations that we have learned from are gruesome. 

The frequency of this sad situation is exacerbated by the fact that it's now a tourist attraction, that draws people that in all rights shouldn't be there in the first place. In the fire service we spend a great deal of time concentrating on how not to get into these situations and how to behave as a cohesive group if it does happen. The outcomes are not always what we hope for.

[Patronus]

$50K!!!? just to get on "the list"
anybody who's got that kinda money should stay up there

[472 R/T SE]

$50K!!!? just to get on "the list"
anybody who's got that kinda money should stay up there

There's cheaper guide services but like in life, you get what you pay for.  The cheaper outfits like to cut corners.  They said Sharp's guide service was the worst for leaving bodies up there. 

[NHCharger]

There was a series on the History Channel or NatGeo last year about these people who climb Everest. You couldn't PAY ME $50k to climb Everest, never mind shelling out that kind of money.

Wasn't there a teenager from America that climbed Everest last year?

[FLG]

I understand you cant completely risk your own life and both of you wind up passing on, but apparently there were a bunch of people that passed up this man (granted some probably thought he was dead and you cant blame em) but for the people that knew he was alive with all those people walking up the mountain that day im sure if a small group worked together he could have been saved.

[hemi68charger]

   Whao !!!! 

[472 R/T SE]

I understand you cant completely risk your own life and both of you wind up passing on, but apparently there were a bunch of people that passed up this man (granted some probably thought he was dead and you cant blame em) but for the people that knew he was alive with all those people walking up the mountain that day im sure if a small group worked together he could have been saved.

It was early morning, like 1am or so, so it was dark.  Most climbers didn't even see him there or thought he was just another corpse that littered the trail so they tried not looking at him.
The next morning some climbers pulled him out from under the cave & tried giving him oxygen.  They worked with him for a half an hour trying to get him to at least move.  It's said any kind of rescue needs the person to at least be able to walk.    

[John_Kunkel]

I simply cant believe they blatantly left him there to die 

No feat whatsoever would stop (b)e from helping someone in need, if that means risking my own life than so be it.

Watch the movie Touching the Void, a climber has to cut the rope of a fellow climber that threatens to pull him down an abyss...no other choice. A true story with an interesting ending.

[teamroth]

I simply cant believe they blatantly left him there to die 

No feat whatsoever would stop be from helping someone in need, if that means risking my own life than so be it.

That's my boy!

[bull]

Not to kill the mood here (get  it?) but all I see in that first link you posted is a bird sitting on a branch.

[472 R/T SE]

Firefox? 

[bull]

Firefox?  

Me? No, I don't use Firefox.

EDIT** Nevermind. It works on my wife's laptop but not on my desktop or the one at work for some reason.

[AKcharger]

That's why I don't climb mountians

[mikesbbody]

If the Body was so frozen, couldn't they use it as a Sled to get back down the Mountain?