# Down's Syndrome kid "Climbs Everest"!!! No he didn't. Fark you, People Magazine and daddy. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 31, 2013, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downs-syndrome-kid-climbs-everest-no-he-didnt-fark-you-people-magazine-and-daddy/654452 "2013-03-31T18:54:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Cyros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@Cyros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyros)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2013, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downs-syndrome-kid-climbs-everest-no-he-didnt-fark-you-people-magazine-and-daddy/654452/41 "2013-04-01T16:07:42Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > I’m down with the OP on this. Do you have some sort of syndrome or something? ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2013, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downs-syndrome-kid-climbs-everest-no-he-didnt-fark-you-people-magazine-and-daddy/654452/42 "2013-04-01T16:15:28Z")
> [@Tollhouse](#): > > OP, > > So, it was not enough for him that he gets to have Down syndrome? He had to be all greedy and go on a vacation and shit, and to really rub it in he wore those cotton khakis , What nerve…the dad trying to help him accomplish something and taking pride in it? we all would feel alot better if he had stayed put in his special ed class He isn’t pitting the kid - he is pitting the reporting - which IS misleading - climbing Everest is usually synonymous with summitting. And he is pitting Daddy - who has made “news” out of an amazing moment (and honestly, getting even as far as Everest Base Camp is pretty amazing as vacations go) that can be had by anyone with sufficient dollars and takes no specialized skill to do. There isn’t any reason why a kid with Down Syndrome couldn’t make the climb up to base camp, as long as his health (particularly his heart, which I understand can be compromised) is in good enough shape. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2013, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downs-syndrome-kid-climbs-everest-no-he-didnt-fark-you-people-magazine-and-daddy/654452/43 "2013-04-01T16:19:15Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > I’m down with the OP on this. You’re down with OP’s peeve? ---
**Author:** ![Snow\_Pea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dbc845/32.png) [@Snow\_Pea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snow_Pea)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2013, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downs-syndrome-kid-climbs-everest-no-he-didnt-fark-you-people-magazine-and-daddy/654452/44 "2013-04-01T16:24:44Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > He isn’t pitting the kid - he is pitting the reporting - which IS misleading - climbing Everest is usually synonymous with summitting. And he is pitting Daddy - who has made “news” out of an amazing moment (and honestly, getting even as far as Everest Base Camp is pretty amazing as vacations go) that can be had by anyone with sufficient dollars and takes no specialized skill to do. There isn’t any reason why a kid with Down Syndrome couldn’t make the climb up to base camp, as long as his health (particularly his heart, which I understand can be compromised) is in good enough shape. Right. Here is the NY Daily News repeating the story with even more aggrandizement: **‘An amazing moment’: 15-year-old Oregon boy with Down syndrome scales Mount Everest** > **[‘An amazing moment’: 15-year-old Oregon boy with Down syndrome scales Mount...](https://www.nydailynews.com/2013/03/31/an-amazing-moment-15-year-old-oregon-boy-with-down-syndrome-scales-mount-everest/)** > > An Oregon teenage trailblazer scaled Mount Everest and may have walked away making Himalayan history. After 10 days and almost 70 miles, 15-year-old Eli Reimer triumphed when he reached one of two … Oh and now it was a “death-defying climb” (see article) :rolleyes: Anything to attract eyeballs and get clicks I guess. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2013, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downs-syndrome-kid-climbs-everest-no-he-didnt-fark-you-people-magazine-and-daddy/654452/45 "2013-04-01T16:28:21Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > The kid mistakenly climbed Chad Everett. After he dug him up? ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2013, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downs-syndrome-kid-climbs-everest-no-he-didnt-fark-you-people-magazine-and-daddy/654452/46 "2013-04-01T16:38:02Z")
Low muscle tone is one of the defining characteristics of Down Syndrome. Reaching the base camp may well have been a huge accomplishment for this kid. ---
**Author:** ![Snow\_Pea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dbc845/32.png) [@Snow\_Pea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snow_Pea)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2013, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downs-syndrome-kid-climbs-everest-no-he-didnt-fark-you-people-magazine-and-daddy/654452/47 "2013-04-01T16:44:33Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Low muscle tone is one of the defining characteristics of Down Syndrome. Reaching the base camp may well have been a huge accomplishment for this kid. No one is saying it wasn’t an accomplishment that the kid should be proud of. The pitting is for the outrageously misleading headlines and the Dad for turning this into a media circus. ---
**Author:** ![Tollhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e99b99/32.png) [@Tollhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tollhouse)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2013, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downs-syndrome-kid-climbs-everest-no-he-didnt-fark-you-people-magazine-and-daddy/654452/48 "2013-04-01T16:46:31Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > I must resist. I tried, it was too hard darn nerve of some kids , especially disabled ones,being “handed” an opportunity If i cant afford to go , then dammit, nobody else should be able to, especially disabled kids :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Tollhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e99b99/32.png) [@Tollhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tollhouse)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2013, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downs-syndrome-kid-climbs-everest-no-he-didnt-fark-you-people-magazine-and-daddy/654452/49 "2013-04-01T16:50:35Z")
> [@kambuckta](#): > > So this kid (who btw would most likely never have a chance in hell of actually scaling Everest for medical reasons) does something pretty damned cool all the same, and his dad expresses his pride in the achievement, and this arouses ‘stabby’ feelings in the OP? > > Seriously? > > :rolleyes: I agree…it takes all kinds of people I suppose… ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2013, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downs-syndrome-kid-climbs-everest-no-he-didnt-fark-you-people-magazine-and-daddy/654452/50 "2013-04-01T17:04:57Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > 17,600 feet… > [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > Yes, it was a 10 day hike, 70 miles uphill. But that’s all it was, a difficult uphill hike. I’ve done a couple walk up 14,000 peaks in Colorado. Base to tip for Mt. Bierstadt is about a 2,400 foot gain over 3 miles, and Gray’s peak is just over 3,000 feet over 3.5 miles (my car got me the first 6,000 feet or so between my front door and the trail heads). Weird shit happens to you at only 14,000 feet that you don’t experience at 11,000. I’d have to agree getting to 17,600 over 70 miles & 10 days would qualify as a “difficult uphill hike” worthy of accolades, especially when done by someone with a disorder that often affects heart function. Fucking awesome this guy did it, nothing but props. Good luck hauling _my_ fat ass around at those altitudes for that long. But the OP gets a “Mostly True” and my full support for pitting an inappropriately reported story that had good merit in its own right. “Climbed Mt. Everest” means “Stood on the pointy bit with nowhere else to go but down.” Other wise I can say I scuba dived the Marianas Trench because I once used an aqualung in the Pacific Ocean. ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2013, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downs-syndrome-kid-climbs-everest-no-he-didnt-fark-you-people-magazine-and-daddy/654452/51 "2013-04-01T17:21:35Z")
[QUOTE=FoxNews] But there’s more to Eli Reimer’s journey than just that amazing accomplishment. Eli, 15, is believed to be the first person with Down syndrome to reach **the** base camp of the mountain. [/QUOTE] Bolding mine. [There are two base camps on Everest.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everest_Base_Camp) > [@](#): > > There are two base camps, each on opposite sides of Mount Everest. South Base Camp is in Nepal at an altitude of 5,364 metres (17,598 ft) and North Base Camp is in China at 5,150 metres (16,900 ft). These camps are rudimentary campsites on Mount Everest that are used by mountain climbers during their ascent and descent. South Base Camp is used when climbing via the southeast ridge, while North Base Camp is used when climbing via the northeast ridge.[4] > > Supplies are carried to the South Base Camp by sherpas or porters, and with help of animals, usually yaks. The North Base Camp has vehicle access (at least in the summer months). Climbers typically rest at base camp for several days for acclimatization; to reduce the risks and severity of altitude sickness. That said, I was in Puno, Peru and the elevation there is 3830 meters. As a flat-landed Minnesotan, I was definitely not acclimatized for that area and even walking on a flat city street would have me catching my breath. (I was in good shape before getting there, but that climate sickness and acclimatization can hinder anyone.) Now take into account that the Matterhorn is 4478 meters high and that we are sitting at a computer saying “it’s not that hard”. I’d reckon it is still quite hard. The reporting should have been better though. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2013, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downs-syndrome-kid-climbs-everest-no-he-didnt-fark-you-people-magazine-and-daddy/654452/52 "2013-04-01T17:28:44Z")
> [@bump](#): > > That’s just dumb. It’s called “Down’s” syndrome because [Dr. John Langdon Down](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Langdon_Down) described it first in the medical literature. You know, most people have to work to earn a syndrome. This guy was just handed one. ---
**Author:** ![cerberus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cerberus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cerberus)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2013, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downs-syndrome-kid-climbs-everest-no-he-didnt-fark-you-people-magazine-and-daddy/654452/53 "2013-04-01T17:36:51Z")
Nobody counts base camp. This is a matter of bad reporting by media who are incompetent in mountaineering. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2013, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downs-syndrome-kid-climbs-everest-no-he-didnt-fark-you-people-magazine-and-daddy/654452/54 "2013-04-01T17:39:27Z")
> [@Snow\_Pea](#): > > Right. > > Here is the NY Daily News repeating the story with even more aggrandizement: **‘An amazing moment’: 15-year-old Oregon boy with Down syndrome scales Mount Everest** > > [‘An amazing moment’: 15-year-old Oregon boy with Down syndrome scales Mount Everest – New York Daily News](http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/ore-teen-syndrome-scales-mount-everest-article-1.1303959#ixzz2PEHIuxBphttp://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/ore-teen-syndrome-scales-mount-everest-article-1.1303959?localLinksEnabled=false) > Oh and now it was a “death-defying climb” (see article) :rolleyes: > > Anything to attract eyeballs and get clicks I guess. :rolleyes: If its actually that dangerous, dad has a child endangerment issue. Kids aren’t permitted to go beyond base camp. There are upper and lower age limits. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2013, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downs-syndrome-kid-climbs-everest-no-he-didnt-fark-you-people-magazine-and-daddy/654452/55 "2013-04-01T17:44:28Z")
> [@stpauler](#): > > That said, I was in Puno, Peru and the elevation there is 3830 meters. As a flat-landed Minnesotan, I was definitely not acclimatized for that area and even walking on a flat city street would have me catching my breath. (I was in good shape before getting there, but that climate sickness and acclimatization can hinder anyone.) Now take into account that the Matterhorn is 4478 meters high and that we are sitting at a computer saying “it’s not that hard”. I’d reckon it is still quite hard. The reporting should have been better though. I’d say it partly depends on how much you’re pre-acclimatized, at least until you hit 14000. There are places you can stay at in America at around 10,000 feet which should help if you stay there for a week or so. If so, the first two days would be easy, for me at least. i’ve gone from 9000 to 14000 and back in a single day. Once you get up to 17000, that would be hard for most anyone. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2013, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downs-syndrome-kid-climbs-everest-no-he-didnt-fark-you-people-magazine-and-daddy/654452/56 "2013-04-01T17:45:22Z")
I would have more sympathy for the OP if it was better focused on the media reaction, and maybe gave more praise for the kid, who still made it 17,000 feet. IN that regard the OP is a fail for me. ---
**Author:** ![Tollhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e99b99/32.png) [@Tollhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tollhouse)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2013, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downs-syndrome-kid-climbs-everest-no-he-didnt-fark-you-people-magazine-and-daddy/654452/57 "2013-04-01T17:57:48Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > I would have more sympathy for the OP if it was better focused on the media reaction, and maybe gave more praise for the kid, who still made it 17,000 feet. IN that regard the OP is a fail for me. I totally agree. The OPs bitter comments about how the kid was “handed” the opportunity (instead of what? coming up with the money himself? most kids dont pay for their own trips, wth? It comes off as a bitter rant that someone got to do something that some people cant afford as in"if i cant afford it, then dammit, nobody else should get to go" and the rest, The way in which the OP wrote it, made it sound more like it was about hating on the kid Even though he did not get to the very top, for god sake, he has a disability, it was still a big accomplishment just be happy for him and move on. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2013, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downs-syndrome-kid-climbs-everest-no-he-didnt-fark-you-people-magazine-and-daddy/654452/58 "2013-04-01T18:00:56Z")
> [@Snow\_Pea](#): > > No one is saying it wasn’t an accomplishment that the kid should be proud of. The pitting is for the outrageously misleading headlines and the Dad for turning this into a media circus. . > [@curlcoat](#): > > I’m not getting why this is such a big deal, other than it’s a kid and he has the disability of the month. Otherwise, climbing up to base camp isn’t all that hard is it? I’m not sure this was such a great achievement. . > [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Was it really that much? According to [this,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everest_Base_Camp) climbers usually start at Lukla, at an elevation of 9300 feet. Base camp is about 17,600 feet, so that’s a climb of just 8300 feet. Assuming a trail grade of 8%, that’s a hike of about 20 miles. A healthy, well-acclimated adult can do that in three days with a moderately heavy pack. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2013, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downs-syndrome-kid-climbs-everest-no-he-didnt-fark-you-people-magazine-and-daddy/654452/59 "2013-04-01T18:11:39Z")
> [@Enderw24](#): > > You know, most people have to work to earn a syndrome. This guy was just handed one. Yeah, but to be fair, it was second-hand from a sibling; a hand-me-Down('s) syndrome. ---
**Author:** ![Kelevra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/97f17d/32.png) [@Kelevra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kelevra)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2013, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downs-syndrome-kid-climbs-everest-no-he-didnt-fark-you-people-magazine-and-daddy/654452/60 "2013-04-01T18:17:59Z")
You can still die of altitude sickness at base camp. In The Discovery Channel show Beyond The Limit a young Sherpa died from altitude sickness on the way to base camp. [http://press.discovery.com/emea/dsc/programs/everest-beyond-limit-2/](http://press.discovery.com/emea/dsc/programs/everest-beyond-limit-2/) A brief look around the internet found this story of an experienced Sherpa who also died at base camp. [http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/04/19/experienced-sherpa-guide-dies-at-everest-base-camp/](http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/04/19/experienced-sherpa-guide-dies-at-everest-base-camp/) That said, the kid did something I’d love to do, but he didn’t scale Mt. Everest. Kelevra [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downs-syndrome-kid-climbs-everest-no-he-didnt-fark-you-people-magazine-and-daddy/654452.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downs-syndrome-kid-climbs-everest-no-he-didnt-fark-you-people-magazine-and-daddy/654452.md?page=4)