Climbing Everest is Not Climbing

total BS, there were boom and bust cycles long before the internet existed. Back in the 80s they said that sunny weather for the Rose Bowl parade would cause 10k people to move to California. Can you really blame the TV? The population was migrating to the coasts long before social media.

Climbing went mainstream before the widespread use of the internet. What did climbers do before social media? I remember pouring over the new climbs each month in Climbing Magazine. Any yeah, the mags had the slander going on too. It is just real time now, instead of monthly installments.

Jim: I don’t think the question posed is about ascending into the “death zone.” The question is what to call the process currently in use to get people there. Depends on your definition of what climbing is.

Go do it, come back and tell us how “trivial” it is. I know plenty of hard ass climber that have...and haven’t reached the top.

GENEVA—Saying they had no real problem with wealthy thrill-seekers failing in their efforts to scale the tallest mountain on earth, the entire human population admitted Tuesday that they are, in fact, completely fine with rich people dying on Mount Everest. “These guys shelling out a hundred grand to climb a 29,000-foot peak with a team of Sherpas are obviously aware that many people have died in the attempt, so they kind of know what they’re getting into, right?” said Cleveland resident Richard Warvil, echoing the sentiments of the world’s 7.7 billion people, who acknowledged the deaths of affluent amateur climbers who voluntarily ascend to heights at which oxygen stops reaching the brain don’t really upset them all that much. “At a certain point, you’re kind of bringing it on yourself. Plus, if you have that much disposable income and, of all the things you could do with that money, you choose to spend it on this—well, we’re actually okay with you dying. It may sound harsh, but we’re gonna get along just fine without you.” At press time, sources confirmed no candlelight vigils were being held at the foot of Mount Everest.