"Everest- Beyond the Limit" Discovery Channel

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karodrinker

Trad climber

San Jose, CA

Dec 28, 2009 - 12:20pm PT

I was so glad to see the show and their methods, as I am starting an el cap guide service. We string 3300 ft of rope over any route the client wants, then they jumar up! Now everyone can climb el capitan!! Who's in? I'm gonna be rich!!

Srbphoto

Trad climber

Kennewick wa

Dec 28, 2009 - 02:02pm PT

My favorite part of ep. 1 is the guy doing it without oxygen. He says it is the purest way of climbing, "without assistance".

You mean without assistance like all the aluminum ladders and fixed ropes?

Someone earlier mentioned that the athlete, Golden looked really pissed when he was told he couldn't continue, I can think of about 50,000 reasons why!

BTW I will not miss a show! After all, it is "the world's most dangerous mountain". Some really nice photography. Great avalanche footage. Unfortunately, the climbing/hiking images get repetitive.

My sympathy to the Sherpa who died and his family

reddirt

climber

Dec 28, 2009 - 05:06pm PT

Tami, I'd love to see a cartonn reflecting most of our thoughts on "conquering Ever$$$$t".

I'm about to go thru the worst traffic in order to pull plastic w/ a bunch of people who have been raving on their facebook pages about the recent Everest TV thing. Actually, I didnt know about the TV thing until someone posted this piece on their FB pg.

Riley, can't wait to *really* check out the Himalaya pics you *do* have. Doesn't sound like you went to see Everest & surroundings recently...Sounds more like you made a pilgrimage to Chomolungma & Ama Damblam that left an indelible mark on your soul.

426

climber

Buzzard Point, TN

Dec 28, 2009 - 07:16pm PT

I watched a few last night, it's funny the hyperbole such as "deadliest mountain on earth..."

Not %-wise...

It's kind of like being guided up anything...did you "really" "do it"?

Studly

Trad climber

Dec 28, 2009 - 07:49pm PT

I just bought and read the book "Paths to Glory", by Jeffrey Archer. It is about George Mallory's life. The book starts off with Conrad Anker finding the remains of George Mallory high on Everest back in 1999. Then goes back to 1892 fictionalizes somewhat the life of George Mallory all the way on his path to Everest. Very interesting reading and really puts in into perspective what these guys were up against at that time. It also made me think that Mallory and Irvine were possibly the first guys to summit Everest.
Edit: Radical, way to say it like it is bro. Wonderful people with way less possesions and way more soul.

GDavis

Social climber

SOL CAL

Dec 28, 2009 - 08:16pm PT

I have a copy of Ultimate Hump. I highly recommend it, best to show your non climbign friends.

reddirt

climber

Dec 29, 2009 - 11:27am PT

This song is SCREAMING for an Everest Parody...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEe_eraFWWs

Lambone

Ice climber

Ashland, Or

Topic Author's Reply - Dec 29, 2009 - 11:57am PT

I don't think there is anything wrong with any climber wanting to climb the tallest mountain in the world. What's so bad about that ambition? I'd like to climb it, will I? I dunno...but just like any other Cascade Volcano I wouldn't wanna go up the most traveled route with all the nOObs. That doesn't mean I have to knock down all the other acents of those people. It's their acheivement...beliddeling it is only boosting your own ego.

Stich,
You really make yourself look like an ass with this statement:

I watched the Erik Weihenmayer documentary yesterday and the images of being there were pretty cool. Although I have to say, Erik chose that peak for the very same ego-driven reasons everyone else seems to in my opinion.

Who the f*#k are you to comment on Erik's motivation to climb Everest? Do you know what it's like living as a blind climber? Do you know Erik, have you even met him?

You know what, I feel I should comment on this because I actually did meet Erik in the Hymilayas up on Ama Dablam as he was using that climb as preperation for Everest. He was humble, friendly, and listening talk of his dreams to climb Mt Everest was inspirational and moving to me. He was not driven by ego. He just wanted to try something hard, to test himself, and also to try something that no one believed a blind person could accomplish. Give him a break dude.

Karen

Trad climber

So Cal urban sprawl Hell

Dec 29, 2009 - 12:27pm PT

I think it is elitist to say being guided up something is not, "doing it". So does that mean that every time I've followed a leader I've not really climbed the route? I still made the moves dude.

Yeah, some of the people I see in these shows are not so noble but to generalize about everyone who climbs Everest is just too harsh.

Lambone

Ice climber

Ashland, Or

Topic Author's Reply - Dec 29, 2009 - 12:51pm PT

The Hymilayan guide companies do a lot more then just help you walk up the mountain. Months in advance they arrange for all the logistics, transportation, hotels in katmhandu and along the trail, all the team equipment, food, organize the porters + yaks, sherpas, cooks, permits, monitor the weather, and provide a medic, rescue insurance and facilitate everything from A-Z.

When you are a client on a climb over there...you basically show up with your bag of personal gear and start walking and enjoy the ride. Not all guides, just like not all clients are created equal. When I worked as an assistant guide for a small time organization on Ama Dablam, one of our clients literraly had to be told when to urinate. And this was a 50+ year old grown man who'd been guided up Acconcagua and Denali. I couldn't believe it.

Josh Nash

Social climber

riverbank ca

Dec 29, 2009 - 03:53pm PT

it really seems like this topic of whom should not be up there gets brought up a lot. $40,000.00 to jumar up a mountain seems a little pricey to me.

Kyle Turner

Trad climber

Santa Rosa, CA

Dec 29, 2009 - 05:08pm PT

I think they should do a show on the sherpa's that fix lines to the top for the "paying" clients. Those guys are the mountaineers.

Lambone

Ice climber

Ashland, Or

Topic Author's Reply - Dec 29, 2009 - 06:10pm PT

Lamnbone - U climb Ama Dablam?..cool. Mostly fixed when you did it?? Or where u one of the first of the seasons.
A mini TR would be nice.

We tried, we didn't succed at gaining the summit, but it was a great expeience. It was Fall 2001 and I think there were 4 teams there along with us. I was only 23 at the time I think. We had a small team of 4 climbers + 2 clients + one Sherpa who was learning to be a mountaineer (i.e. he wasn't putting any ropes up), and a cook who organized the transport/lodging logistics.

When we arrived the MT Hardware team had been laying seige to the Mt fixing rope up every meter from Camp 1-Camp 3 to facilitate getting Erik W. safely up and down.

Our first week in camp Erik was pinned down by nasty weather at Camp 2 (which is a tiny platform for 2 I-Tents max) for 5 days or so. They were running out of provisions including Fuel. Team Mt Hardware wanted everyone in basecamp to help and go get him...which created a big fiasco considering he wasn't injured and we wern't aclimatized. We hiked gear up through the stormy weather to get our Camp 1 established and aclimatize.

Then a team of Spaniard 'hardmen' decided to go up and do the route Alpine Style in 3 days. nobody heard from them in 5 or 6 and when we got back up to our camp all our provisions food and fuel had been raided. Reminded me of the Goldilocks and the Three Bears story, "Hey, someones beeen using my fuel and it's all gone...hey someone's been eating my porrage,and it's all gone...hey someone's been sleeping in my bag and now it's ripped...etc,etc." Another setback.

Weather continued to be non-cooperative with regular cycles of wind and snow every afternoon. We weren't getting aclimatized fast enough. The Mt Hardware team left abandoning all their gear on the Mt, which I guess is the norm and the good stuff is cleared off by shepas at the end of the season to be sold in Kathmandu 'climbing shops.' The old ratty stuff is left to rot, and is pretty gross.

Eventually we were running out of time and went to make our summit bid. We ran into difficult mixed conditions in the "Grey Tower" above the end of Mt Hardware teams fixed lines which didn't quite extend to Camp 3. We had to come back down for more pins, screws, and line to fix. By that point we were pretty weak and worn out. Made one more go at it and were shut down late in the day just below camp 3. Our leader had to return to Katmhandu with a bad sickness. One of the clients Bob exploded a tent in camp 1 cooking with two stoves in the vestibule (hilarious story around the campfire)...and that was the final straw.

We bailed. A week later a huge Serac broke off just above camp 3 and killed some climbers. I heard a polish team attempting to paraglide from the Summit made a summit attempt but were shut down by rock hard blue ice on the upper Headwall. This was in the Fall, no one summited that season.

We used the fixed lines when we could because it was there. %90 of the time I climbed and just use a jug on the line for a running belay. A couple of pitches I straight jugged. It was just faster that way.

We walked out with our heads low, but happy everyone was safe, but it turns out the team leader was in the hospital with salmonila poisoning...he nearly died. The mountain was beautiful and I loved being there and swore to return someday. But overall the politics and drama in base camp and trash on the route (old ropes and terrible anchors) left a bad taste in my mouth. Next time i will aclimatize on something lower and easier first, that way you don't waste so much time and energy trying to aclimatize on the mountain itself because the hike from Basecamp to Camp 1 is like 6 grueling miles and 4,000ft elivation gain. A big day. I have talked to fokls who did like the Kala Patar trek then went and ran up the ropes on Ama Dablam in like 3 days. That's the way to do it. Anyone treking the Khumbu trek should really take a day and hike upto Camp 1 on Ama Dablam, it's a sight to be seen and non-technical up to that point.

Being in Nepal and experiencing the sights, and culture, and local people were life changing for me as well. It was my first time out of the US, and inspired me to go back to college and get a degree in Geography because I realized I didn't have a f*#king clue what was going on in the world. One of the best experiences of my life. There are a lot more stories including another month guiding another peak in the Langtang region.

GDavis

Social climber

SOL CAL

Dec 29, 2009 - 06:25pm PT

I second that a Guide and being led up something are way different because the relationships are not mutual. Of course, most of the routes I climb these days i am the one leading up, but it has always seemed to me that I had "done" a route when I felt that I could have done it. If someone led me up "you asked for it" and I didn't take any falls, I couldn't have claimed to have the experience of having done the route. Likewise, if a friend of mine wants to lead the entire Nutcracker and I follow him, its probably understandable that I didn't miss a huge opportunity in leading it.

I tend to laugh off a lot of the nonsense of everest, but a naughty, NAUGHTY side of me always wonders what that would be like....

GDavis

Social climber

SOL CAL

Dec 29, 2009 - 06:47pm PT

How 'bout I do the first toilet-descent, sitting on a lou wearing a pair of welded pants. Ball gag, heck I could bring a ballcock!

Robbie

Trad climber

Cheyenne, WY

Dec 29, 2009 - 06:47pm PT

parking garage: beyond the limit

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNXwMeI2iTk

reddirt

climber

Dec 29, 2009 - 07:12pm PT

"I think it is elitist to say being guided up something is not, "doing it". So does that mean that every time I've followed a leader I've not really climbed the route? I still made the moves dude."

I climb pretty often w/ a friend of mine who's a aspirant guide. Sometimes we trade leads, sometimes they lead more than 1/2 the climb... it's tooooootally different than what he does when he's guiding a client. Unless I decide to fall into role playing mode & start whining or talking shite or start quoting Viesturs off the top of my head.

There are definitely times when the word "client" is a pejorative...

BUT people hiring guides is good for guides. And what's good for the few friends I have that are guides & aspirants, is good enough for me. I fully support them making a living doing what they love. THAT is priceless. Having them provide safe passage for clients who would have otherwise not seen/climbed what they climbed or worse have their souls unknowingly sucked away by cubicles & death-by-powerpoint... that is deliverance & salvation!

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Erik Weihenmayer climbing Everest is a good thing. He's maxing out his on the parameters of his abilities. (He may have an advantage on the ladder over heights-o-phobic everest bidders/clients).

I think Erik Weihenmayer climbing Naked Edge is even more amazing. No sherpas/porters/O2 needed.

edit: Not sure if its Everest related but the Weihenmayers did adopt a kid from Nepal.
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all that positivity aside...

I know I should live and let live but I have reached a point of no return it w/ the sheer number of people I'm running into who are spooging themselves silly over the Discovery Channel thing.