# Everest: Just Don't Do It **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 22, 2016, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397 "2016-05-22T21:31:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 17
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/321 "2022-04-17T00:18:44Z")
If a person can get up there and down there, then getting a body out is not impossible. Difficult, maybe. > [@Broomstick](#): > > To further illustrate the point - I once had a coworker who suffered a stroke due to severe altitude sickness… in Colorado. I got sick just hiking/scrambling to Mt Whitney. 😵 😳 Wasn’t too bad, just harfed and had to take a nap. > [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > (JAQ, who thinks people can climb Everest all they want, and perhaps die trying knowing the risks, but I wish they wouldn’t leave so much trash while doing it) Yeah. Look, wanna climb it? Good on ya. More $$ for sherpas and the Economy of Nepal. But everything has to come off the Mountain _or don’t go._ O2 bottles, bodies, etc. Too hard? Then- don’t go. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/322 "2022-04-17T01:01:28Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I got sick just hiking/scrambling to Mt Whitney. Yeah, I barfed on my way to the summit on Mt. Whitney, too. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/323 "2022-04-17T01:05:45Z")
> [@Crane](#): > > > [@TroutMan](#): > > > > but this is the first book that gave me a good picture of them in my head. > > Does he cover how much it costs to have so much fun? I remember from Into Thin Air, what was the cost? I remember the license just to climb above base camp was maybe $60,000? And that was way back in 1995. For just the license. Then there’s the cost of all the gear, and then paying the Sherpas to haul your gear to base camp and also to stage your gear above at the four camps. And the cost of travel to Kathmandu, and the cost of all the training beforehand. Just a swag, but in today’s dollars that could be approaching a quarter million dollars. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/324 "2022-04-17T01:09:51Z")
(Secret Handshake) 👋 ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/325 "2022-04-17T01:12:55Z")
Say what? ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/326 "2022-04-17T03:34:28Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > Just a swag, but in today’s dollars that could be approaching a quarter million dollars. No, it’s definitely not quite that expensive yet. The permit is $11K from Nepal and $7K from Tibet. Adding in the rest, it’s probably $40-80K for most people. You also have to factor in being away from work for 2-3 months and all the training costs. > **[How Much Does it Cost to Climb Mount Everest? – 2023 Edition | The Blog on...](https://www.alanarnette.com/blog/2023/02/02/how-much-does-it-cost-to-climb-mount-everest-2023-edition/)** ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/327 "2022-04-17T04:22:25Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > If a person can get up there and down there, then getting a body out is not impossible. > > Difficult, maybe. Getting up there and down there is difficult. Getting up there and down there while carrying a frozen mummy is damn foolhardy at best, and more likely to result in there now being two frozen mummies on the mountain to be picked up. There’s a reason the more famous Everest bodies tend to sit there until they either fall/get pushed off a ledge, or are buried by snow and ice. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/328 "2022-04-17T04:39:54Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Getting up there and down there while carrying a frozen mummy is damn foolhardy at best, and more likely to result in there now being two frozen mummies on the mountain to be picked up. They have carried ill people down. Now you can say that a DB is not worth the trouble. Fine. In that case, then- do not go up the mountain. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Librarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_librarian/32/402_2.png) [@The\_Librarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Librarian)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/329 "2022-04-17T07:34:39Z")
After watching “14 peaks” I have a dim view of western “mountain climbers”. It is more than telling that the “traffic jam” photos were published by one of them (one of the sherpas not working for the tourists). Somehow the instagram climbers all made photos without the queue. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/330 "2022-04-17T14:48:20Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > Say what? The secret handshake was for me…unless you _also_ got sick on Mt. Whitney? ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/331 "2022-04-17T15:19:36Z")
> [@wolfman](#): > > All I really need to do is figure out how to build the jet-pack. 😉 I’d vote for the helicopter option with a thermos of hot chocolate. I can almost understand the challenge of being the first person to do it. Maybe. But there is nothing pleasant about the experience. The best you can hope for is a nice view of mountains with snow on them. BFD. I don’t see masochism as much of an accomplishment. Maybe Musk can set up rides in one of his booster rockets that land and take off from the summit. And a luge you can slide all the way down on. That would be fun… ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/332 "2022-04-17T15:21:12Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > > [@Bullitt](#): > > > > Say what? > > The secret handshake was for me…unless you _also_ got sick on Mt. Whitney? Oh. Nope. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/333 "2022-04-17T15:28:11Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > And a luge you can slide all the way down on. That would be fun… I always wanted to be like Howard Hughes and spend a ton of money to make a helicopter/hybrid that can land and take off from the summit. Just because. I could have fun rescuing trapped climbers and carting trash off as a bonus. But a luge run! I’m in. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/334 "2022-04-17T15:30:12Z")
I see people climbing walls at the gym, too. They must be real masochists, as there isn’t even a beautiful mountain around. > [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > I always wanted to be like Howard Hughes and spend a ton of money to make a helicopter/hybrid that can land and take off from the summit. Just because. I could have fun rescuing trapped climbers and carting trash off as a bonus. It was not hard to find official photos of a test pilot landing on the summit of Everest: [https://web.archive.org/web/20120205102005/http://www.eurocopter.com/everest/](https://web.archive.org/web/20120205102005/http://www.eurocopter.com/everest/) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/WXNXSvnCtKA/maxresdefault.jpg "World Record - Mount Everest AS350 B3 landing") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXNXSvnCtKA) He did it more than once, and rescued some climbers, too. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/335 "2022-04-17T15:47:53Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > I see people climbing walls at the gym, too. They must be real masochists, as there isn’t even a beautiful mountain around. that would be true if they were oxygen starved and frozen in the process. Otherwise I’d call it entertainment infused exercise which would would be a health related activity. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/336 "2022-04-17T15:49:35Z")
Climb Everest in the new climbing suit! You can even watch Netflix while waiting in the summit queue. > **[World’s First Fully-Contained Climbing Suit Deployed on Everest this Season](https://www.google.com/url?q=https:%2F%2Fwww.climbing.com%2Fnews%2Ffully-contained-climbing-suit-to-debut-on-everest%2F&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwjlurnuuJv3AhXNp3IEHZ83CCYQxfQBegQIBBAC&usg=AOvVaw2hIs2sTy-HCg4N7hC1_YN7)** > > Ever wanted to climb an 8,000er while watching Netflix and sipping hot cocoa? This new suit combines luxury and alpine adventure. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/337 "2022-04-17T16:05:17Z")
> [@Biotop](#): > > Climb Everest in the new climbing suit! You can tell it’s a joke article because of the 720p comment. That and the incredibly low price. $12K?? More like 500K, maybe a cool million, if it could actually do what it says. Though I like the idea. A suit like that, if it worked, would have many more uses than letting pasty middle age guys climb mountains. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2022, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/338 "2022-04-17T17:29:41Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > It was not hard to find official photos of a test pilot landing on the summit of Everest Here would be my reaction to nearing the summit, after weeks and tens of thousands of dollars spent, and seeing that Helo land there: _Well… GODDAMMIT!_ ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2022, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/339 "2022-04-19T02:50:49Z")
I’m holding out for the virtual computer game where you get points for each margarita consumed. The more you drink the higher you get. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2022, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/340 "2022-05-08T16:04:25Z")
Another climber has died on Everest. Aged 55. > **[Russian climber dies at camp on Mount Everest, Nepali official says](https://www.reuters.com/world/russian-climber-dies-camp-mount-everest-official-2022-05-08/)** > > Pavel Kostrikin died at Camp I, the first reported death of a foreigner in the climbing season that began in March. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397.md?page=16) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397.md?page=18)