Left to die at the top of the world

He could not have been saved as the man quoted. He could not be carried or lowered down. It is almost a physical impossibility for a human or humans to do that. The extra human athletic endurance needed would be too much. I have never heard of any such story where other climbers had such super strength to haul a dead weight down.
 

ohioboy said:
He could not have been saved as the man quoted. He could not be carried or lowered down. It is almost a physical impossibility for a human or humans to do that. The extra human athletic endurance needed would be too much. I have never heard of any such story where other climbers had such super strength to haul a dead weight down.
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well..there you go..you clearly know more than the experienced mountaineers who are furious about what's happened to this Porter/Sherpa...
 

ohioboy said:
I am basically quoting from Mountaineers who were confronted with such people near frozen. There are many youtube videos I have watched, mainly about Everest. I simply agree. They all said it can not be done.
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..and yet the mountaineers who were climbing on the mountain while this was happening... completely insist he could have been helped...
 
Listen its pointless arguing with me..I am the messenger..I read the article..I read and saw on the news the Mountaineers saying he could have been rescued... there's no more to be said..
 
You people are concerned about mountain climbers, but what about cavers? I mean those strange people who find a hole in the ground and go down to check it out, often squeezing through impossible spaces? AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
 
This incident is nothing new. It has been happening on Everest and the Big Seven Summits for a long as I can remember. You want to climb one of the Big ones. It's a risk you take. Everest still has frozen people from years ago that will never make it to a cemetery. Climbers often walk by people that died years before. Rescues are made all the time, when they can be made, but that's not possible in the most dangerous places above the death zone.

Climbers without the endurance it takes know they put the lives of others in danger if they expect to be rescued. They know this and understand it. I'm not defending the glory seekers here. The whole endeavor does have glory, but there is a whole different reason for unusual ethics involved in the adventure, and one's own safety comes first. It's just the way it is. These are poor countries, and mountain climbing is a huge source of revenue for the governments. There isn't a lot that the governments want to do to make it safer, such as limiting the number of climbers on a given day. They only rescue when they can.
 
I watched a programme recently about a man trying to find his brother's body lost for two years on Everest and learned that this attitude is actually how it is. People want more than anything to get to the top so they will ignore anyone fallen by the wayside. If they stopped to help, their own chances are ruined. I was so shocked to know this.

It's not right in any way, but it's the brutal reality.
 
An updated story:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66471990

"A well-known Norwegian mountaineer has denied accusations that her team climbed over an injured guide during a bid to break a world record.
The porter, named as Mohammed Hassan, had fallen off a ledge on Pakistan's K2 - the world's second-highest mountain.
Video posted on social media appears to show a group walking by Mr Hassan, who reportedly died a few hours later.
But Kristin Harila said she and her team tried everything to help him in dangerous conditions."
 
Rose65 said:
I watched a programme recently about a man trying to find his brother's body lost for two years on Everest and learned that this attitude is actually how it is. People want more than anything to get to the top so they will ignore anyone fallen by the wayside. If they stopped to help, their own chances are ruined. I was so shocked to know this.

It's not right in any way, but it's the brutal reality.
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I was horrified the first time I heard of the protocol, also. The tops of these mountains is such a harsh environment that logically no human should go there, but go there they must because it's not about logic or saving others. I doubt that anyone could survive more than two days near the top, even in the best of weather and all their gear. Just getting down requires all the strength and stamina you have left to haul your own exhausted body down to Camp 4, which is itself a horrible place to spend the night, and people have died there. All that convenience will still cost you $100,000.

The movie, Everest, follows the true story of the book titled "Into Thin Air" almost as close as Hollywood can get, although the book is much more detailed and describes events, causes, and outcomes much more clearly.

To make things worse, Everest is climbed by clogs of people every year, all stumbling over each other and making conditions even more dangerous. It's nuts up there and strewn with garbage.Everest.jpg
 
JustDave said:
I was horrified the first time I heard of the protocol, also. The tops of these mountains is such a harsh environment that logically no human should go there, but go there they must because it's not about logic or saving others. I doubt that anyone could survive more than two days near the top, even in the best of weather and all their gear. Just getting down requires all the strength and stamina you have left to haul your own exhausted body down to Camp 4, which is itself a horrible place to spend the night, and people have died there. All that convenience will still cost you $100,000.
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i both read the book which i agree gives much more detail ........ and have seen the movie........ as shown in both ...... this has gone from only elite athletic climbers................. to a hobby....... some super wealthy have convinced themselves........ they are ready for. Many even with training are not .... but 100,000 is alot to just make it to camp 4 etc..... so they push themselves etc. and not only have come back severely injured or died in this pursuit.

Perhaps the countries selling access permits and such look the other way to if this Increases the danger for all ..........
as MORE people decide to do this ..........the need for Sherpa increases and it sounds like form various news i read on this ... this man was not outfitted with proper gear or oxygen for the environment.
My best guess is this is an item that pays better then average for that country / area and maybe the rich who view this as a bragging right if they make it might be generous ..... but the risk is still there.
the photos show a thin one person wide shelf and a line of others perhaps needing to descend often with just enough energy to try to get to a place of safety or ability to breathe and perhaps think clearly......
 
VaughanJB said:
An updated story:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66471990

"A well-known Norwegian mountaineer has denied accusations that her team climbed over an injured guide during a bid to break a world record.
The porter, named as Mohammed Hassan, had fallen off a ledge on Pakistan's K2 - the world's second-highest mountain.
Video posted on social media appears to show a group walking by Mr Hassan, who reportedly died a few hours later.
But Kristin Harila said she and her team tried everything to help him in dangerous conditions."
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except all the people who reported this man being left unattended and seriously injured, accused Kristin Harila and her group of being the first to walk over him, and ignore him completely in their quest to reach the top first, and then 15 minutes after arriving at the bottom threw a noisy party....
 
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VaughanJB said:
An updated story:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66471990

"A well-known Norwegian mountaineer has denied accusations that her team climbed over an injured guide during a bid to break a world record.
The porter, named as Mohammed Hassan, had fallen off a ledge on Pakistan's K2 - the world's second-highest mountain.
Video posted on social media appears to show a group walking by Mr Hassan, who reportedly died a few hours later.
But Kristin Harila said she and her team tried everything to help him in dangerous conditions."
Click to expand...
hollydolly said:
except all the people who reported this man being left unattended and seriosuly injured accused Kristin Harila and her group of being the first to walk over him, and ignore him completely in their quest to reach the top first, and then 15 minutes after arriving at the bottom threw a noisy party....
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Interesting. There's enough finger pointing in those two accounts to cause alarm. So I'm wondering why finger pointers only reported the inaction of others, without saving Mr. Hassan themselves? If they were close enough to take pictures, they were close enough to help. But you know... debating news reports is almost like debating fairy tales.
 
ohioboy said:
All I can say is, I do not know how any human can even get to the top! To me that takes a Superman in and of itself. Then the trek down! It just astonishes me!
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Imagine the worst case of exhaustion you have ever experienced. Now lower the temperature 150 degrees F, while climbing up a 45 degree slope in a gale wind, and your brain is operating at one quarter throttle so you're not even sure what you are doing. It's more than just climbing, you literally have to will your foot to take a step, or you end up standing in one spot until someone reminds you to lift your foot, plant it, and push with the other foot. You may also be hallucinating and believe you are a penguin... or even a giraffe, but you'll be OK if you just lay down an take a nap.
 
People who do this spend about $75,000 to $100,000. They sign a waiver stating that they know the dangers and won’t expect to rely on others to save them. Why should anyone risk their own life for someone foolish enough to do this. You’ve got to be an extreme risk taker to even want to do this and dying is one of those risks these people take. This isn’t a camping trip they’re on. It’s every man/woman for them self. The desire to do this boggles my mind. It’s like a death wish.
 
PeppermintPatty said:
People who do this spend about $75,000 to $100,000. They sign a waiver stating that they know the dangers and won’t expect to rely on others to save them. Why should anyone risk their own life for someone foolish enough to do this. You’ve got to be an extreme risk taker to even want to do this and dying is one of those risks these people take. This isn’t a camping trip they’re on. It’s every man/woman for them self. The desire to do this boggles my mind. It’s like a death wish.
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Yes, I think part of the thrill might be the ultimate risk involved, or for others, the bragging rights are worth the risk, and for others, getting to the top is just something they have to do. I doubt that most people who make the attempt are in the category of not knowing what they are doing, but there are so many doing it these days, there could be some of those too.
 
JustDave said:
Yes, I think part of the thrill might be the ultimate risk involved, or for others, the bragging rights are worth the risk, and for others, getting to the top is just something they have to do. I doubt that most people who make the attempt are in the category of not knowing what they are doing, but there are so many doing it these days, there could be some of those too.
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Adrenaline junkies. The ultimate thrill IS death defying. That’s the rush they are risking their lives for. Bragging rights if they succeed but most know their chances are about 50-50.
I think all sports extremists are adrenal junkies. These people thrive doing what they do and when you really think about it, dying doing what they loved to do is a great way to go.
 
PeppermintPatty said:
Adrenaline junkies. The ultimate thrill IS death defying. That’s the rush they are risking their lives for. Bragging rights if they succeed but most know their chances are about 50-50.
I think all sports extremists are adrenal junkies. These people thrive doing what they do and when you really think about it, dying doing what they loved to do is a great way to go.
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You reminded me of those Titanic people.
 

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