4 dead on Everest in two days, 10 for the season

[Kavvy]

Originally Posted by Superfraggle

The thing is that the vast majority of people who do Everest do so once. People who use vehicles do so over and over. So your odds for each in the end are about the same. You are absolutely right that people who drive once are at less risk than people who climb Everest once. But that's not how it works. Nobody drives once in their lifetime and never again.

Again, no comment on if the people are being selfish or not, but no, the odds are not about the same. It is apples and oranges.

[The Yen Man]

Originally Posted by Superfraggle

The thing is that the vast majority of people who do Everest do so once. People who use vehicles do so over and over. So your odds for each in the end are about the same. You are absolutely right that people who drive once are at less risk than people who climb Everest once. But that's not how it works. Nobody drives once in their lifetime and never again.

I don't think that's how it works. If that's the case, for every 100 times I drive, I have a 2 percent chance of dying. That does not sound right to me. That means each year, there are roughly 6 days that I should be dead. I've had my license for 14 years, or 728 weeks. Lets say I drive on average 5 days a week. That's 3,640 days I drive. 2% of that is 72 days. That means I should have been dead 72 times already. I've been in 2 minor accidents in 14 years.

Edit: Hmm, just rethought your argument again. I guess what you're saying is, in our lifetime, each person stands a 2% chance of dying in a car crash rather than each attempt at 2%. Still, given the amount of times we drive, I don't think it's a very good comparable stat they use.

[Phanuthier]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

I would also be impressed with someone like a blind person, or amputee making a summit. I think we can agree those are pretty special circumstances that are well past the "Ukranian-Canadian from Saskatchewan on a Tuesday".

You should check out Sender Film's "First Ascent" episode 5, Timmy O'Niell takes up his paralyzed brother Sean up technical/aid classic El Capitan, then mixed Ruth Gorge in Alaska.

[Cowperson]

Originally Posted by fotze

I will be the first person to walk across the North Korean border fully engulfed in a flame ball constructed out of bat dung and filled with rattlesnakes. I will be so proud of this I will go on a tour to explain my struggle and inspire others with it.....for a fee.

I would buy a ticket to watch you do that.

I wouldn't be interested in buying a ticket to hear you talk about it.

The George Mallory attributed quote of " . . . . . because its there" as a reason to go up the mountain can apply to a lot of daunting physical challenges. You just want to test yourself . . . at your own risk. I don't have a problem with that.

However, here was Edmund Hillary's take on the uptick in summit attempts on Everest:

"I personally, if I were a younger man, would not wish to be on an expedition with so many people around. Climbing Everest now is no longer the big challenge it was, but just a walkway with ladders and fixed ropes all along the route ..."

Cowperson

[CaptainCrunch]

I remember hearing a guest speaker at one of our user groups talk about climbing Everest twice, it was his dream to climb that mountain. The first time he got within 10 feet of his goal and it was clear that he was in real trouble (Altitude sickness) and his guide wouldn't let him do the last 10 feet because it could be fatal, so he turned back.

He returned years later and reached the summit and said everything after that moment of standing on top of that mountain was gravy.

One of our Clients Vp's climbed that mountain at the age of 67, he was ready to give up at one point and say screw this I'm too old and this is killing me. But his guide kept telling him to go up 5 more feet and see how he felt. He would go 5 feet and say, screw this I'm tired I want to go back, and the guide would move up 5 feet and say, dude its only 5 feet, get here and decide.

At one point he stated that he angrily confronted his guide, told him that he knew what he was doing, but he was worn out and turning around, and the guide turned around and pointed to the end of the travel which was 20 feet away.

But still that 20 feet took him forever in his mind.

I now that climbing Everest isn't the story that it used to be, but tails like these are very cool and very inspirational.

So when I'm having a bad night in the bar, instead of saying screw this, I'm tired, I'm going home alone, I mutter just talk to one more chick.

[Superfraggle]

Originally Posted by The Yen Man

Edit: Hmm, just rethought your argument again. I guess what you're saying is, in our lifetime, each person stands a 2% chance of dying in a car crash rather than each attempt at 2%. Still, given the amount of times we drive, I don't think it's a very good comparable stat they use.

That's more what I meant. The real point I was trying to make is that the odds of dying on an Everest attempt are actually fairly low. People just get a different impression because we hear more about the ones who die these days than the ones who succeed. The car crash thing was just a point of reference that pulled things off track.

[TheGrimm]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

I remember hearing a guest speaker at one of our user groups talk about climbing Everest twice, it was his dream to climb that mountain. The first time he got within 10 feet of his goal and it was clear that he was in real trouble (Altitude sickness) and his guide wouldn't let him do the last 10 feet because it could be fatal, so he turned back.

He returned years later and reached the summit and said everything after that moment of standing on top of that mountain was gravy.

One of our Clients Vp's climbed that mountain at the age of 67, he was ready to give up at one point and say screw this I'm too old and this is killing me. But his guide kept telling him to go up 5 more feet and see how he felt. He would go 5 feet and say, screw this I'm tired I want to go back, and the guide would move up 5 feet and say, dude its only 5 feet, get here and decide.

At one point he stated that he angrily confronted his guide, told him that he knew what he was doing, but he was worn out and turning around, and the guide turned around and pointed to the end of the travel which was 20 feet away.

But still that 20 feet took him forever in his mind.

I now that climbing Everest isn't the story that it used to be, but tails like these are very cool and very inspirational.

So when I'm having a bad night in the bar, instead of saying screw this, I'm tired, I'm going home alone, I mutter just talk to one more chick.

Comparing the chicks you pickup at a bar to Mt. Everest conjures up some pretty spectacular images for what it's worth.

[GP_Matt]

Can you imagine the issues in Canada if a guiding company posted that on average they had two customers in a hundred die while under their care?
And sometimes guides die on the mountain. What would OH&S and WCB do to your company if you had a record like that? There is no way to spin a 2% death rate for a single attempt at an activity as an acceptable level.

The war in Afghanistan saw 129000 NATO soldiers and about 3000 deaths or about 2.3 percent of soldiers died during their tour. Considering that a tour in Afghanistan is significantly longer than an ascent of Everest on average day you are in more danger climbing than fighting.

[Northendzone]

perhaps the Captain should pimp himself out for corporate gigs - it would be inspiring to here about how on a certain night it would appear like he was going home for the taffy pull, when BAM!!! the zeros in on the chick that was a 2 at 10 takes here home and she polishes his hitch and then takes him for a wild ride. he can also deal with the aftermath of trying to remove his arm from around her and get her quickly out of his house......

[taco.vidal]

Heres the numbers from Wikipedia on how many people have successfully climbed Everest. Im surprised at how low the number is. I didnt think it would put you in such rare company.

By the end of the 2010 climbing season, there had been 5,104 ascents to the summit by about 3,142 individuals. 80% of these ascents took place since 2000. In 2007, the record number of 633 ascents has been recorded, by 350 climbers and 253 sherpas.[58]

[TheGrimm]

I just think it's effin funny how we all consider it a huge deal while the sherpas call it a job and do it all the time.

[Reaper]

Originally Posted by Superfraggle

http://www.adventurestats.com/tables...stAgeFat.shtml

According to this link, out of 10094 attempts, there have been 207 fatalities. 2.05%. For comparison, 2.09% of people worldwide die from road traffic accidents. Yet somehow you don't hear people talking about the selfishness of the passengers every time someone dies in a car accident.

Not many people have to climb Everest when they want to pop out to go shopping. Climbing Everest is an avoidable thing.

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by taco.vidal

Heres the numbers from Wikipedia on how many people have successfully climbed Everest. Im surprised at how low the number is. I didnt think it would put you in such rare company.

What's with the huge numbers in 2000?

[Handsome B. Wonderful]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

I wonder if eventually the garbage problem could be taken care of by robots? No concern about human fatigue in that scenario. I would also wonder if they would remove the bodies from up there?

How exactly would you power these robots?

[Bigtime]

Originally Posted by kunkstyle

What's with the huge numbers in 2000?

I think you are misreading the quote, 80% of the total summits have taken place since 2000.

[La Flames Fan]

National Geographic has had a blog going for some time about a NatGeo/NorthFace team on Everest. It's been fascinating to read the daily blog updates on the NatGeo iPad Magazine.

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ev...s_everest_cory

Another article from today...

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/n...st_jam20120524

Everest is a soap opera.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by kunkstyle

What's with the huge numbers in 2000?

"If we make it through Y2K, I'm going to do something crazy!"

[Bigtime]

Originally Posted by Handsome B. Wonderful

How exactly would you power these robots?

Hey I'm just the idea guy, you figure that part out.

[Reaper]

Originally Posted by Handsome B. Wonderful

How exactly would you power these robots?

The first dead body the robot picked up should power it for the rest of the day...

[Zevo]

Originally Posted by Superfraggle

The thing is that the vast majority of people who do Everest do so once. People who use vehicles do so over and over. So your odds for each in the end are about the same. You are absolutely right that people who drive once are at less risk than people who climb Everest once. But that's not how it works. Nobody drives once in their lifetime and never again.

Maybe I'm not understanding this, but are you saying that 2% of people that have ever driven a car die in car accidents? If so, that sounds like an absurd statement to me.