# 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:** 25
**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 18, 2023, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/481 "2023-05-18T20:07:23Z")
Make that 8. > **[Chinese climber dies above 8,000m on Everest, death toll reaches 8](https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/chinese-climber-dies-above-8000m-on-everest-death-toll-reaches-8)** > > A Chinese climber died while ascending the world’s highest mountain this morning, sources at the base camp said. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2023, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/482 "2023-05-18T22:44:30Z")
> [@Dorjan](#): > > > [@Biotop](#): > > > > first Asian person trying to make it to the top with a pacemaker > > When you’ve got to get THIS nitpicky with “firsts”, it’s probably time to find other lofty pursuits… New trails [are constantly being blazed](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/10/veteran-who-lost-both-legs-in-afghanistan-plans-everest-summit-hari-budha-magar). ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2023, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/483 "2023-05-18T23:01:31Z")
Don’t give anyone any ideas. That’s assuming they didn’t wear it under their gear, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2023, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/484 "2023-05-19T16:38:38Z")
Some guy just set the record for a non-Sherpa with his 17th ascent. > **[British climber scales Everest for 17th time, the most by a non-Sherpa guide](https://www.yahoo.com/news/british-climber-scales-everest-17th-130812897.html)** > > Kenton Cool first climbed Mount Everest in 2004 and has been doing it almost every year since then. Only Nepali Sherpa guides have scaled the peak more times than Cool. Veteran Sherpa guide Kami Rita climbed the mountain this week for a record 27th... ---
**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 19, 2023, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/485 "2023-05-19T18:52:57Z")
Now 9 deaths and a likely tenth. > **[Singaporean climber missing above 8,000m on Everest](https://thehimalayantimes.com/world/indian-american-climber-missing-above-8000m-on-everest)** > > An Indian Singaporean climber went missing near the South Summit on Mt Everest this afternoon. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2023, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/486 "2023-05-19T22:48:05Z")
Climbing Everest: worth being unemployed for. “A graduate of Boston University, Rebecca Long quit her job in financial services in Boston to take the Everest trip after her boss wouldn’t allow her to take leave”. > **[Boston woman summits Everest after fellow climber in expedition group dies -...](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/05/18/metro/boston-woman-summits-everest/)** > > A graduate of Boston University, Rebecca Long quit her job in financial services in Boston to take the Everest trip after her boss wouldn’t allow her to take leave, her twin sister said. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2023, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/487 "2023-05-19T23:41:33Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Climbing Everest: worth being unemployed for. As a geezer, that woulda surprised me when I was younger. But I have seen enough younger people these days who seem to be marketable enough that they switch jobs frequently with no apparent adverse consequences. One of my kids has discussed possibly saving up and then taking 6 months off from work to do one of the long US hikes. If she can’t get a leave of absence, she says she’ll just quit and look for work when done. She’s had something like 3 jobs in the past 5 years, each of them a significant promotion from the last, and has never been out of work between jobs other than a couple of weeks by choice. Not what folk did 20-30 years ago, but today, doesn’t strike me as all that odd. Me, I’ve been with the same employer for 36+ years! 🙄 ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2023, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/488 "2023-05-20T00:52:52Z")
> [@Dorjan](#): > > When you’ve got to get THIS nitpicky with “firsts”, it’s probably time to find other lofty pursuits… Well, they’ve already got a gay guy. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/K1Y6PchDYfw/hqdefault.jpg "Gay Mount Everest") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1Y6PchDYfw) ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2023, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/489 "2023-05-20T01:22:22Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > > [@Jackmannii](#): > > > > Climbing Everest: worth being unemployed for. > > As a geezer, that woulda surprised me when I was younger. But I have seen enough younger people these days who seem to be marketable enough that they switch jobs frequently with no apparent adverse consequences. Could be. But the financial sector (where she worked) is in contraction right now, and summer isn’t the best time to be out looking for work. > **[How The Banking Crisis And Summer Slowdown Will Affect Hiring](https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2023/05/05/how-the-banking-crisis-and-summer-slowdown-will-affect-hiring/?sh=457be2c560c2)** > > When too many people are looking for a new job during one of the slowest times of year, it will discourage people from continuing their job searches. The path of least resistance for many will be to enjoy late spring and summer, then reignite the... ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2023, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/490 "2023-05-20T01:53:42Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Some guy just set the record for a non-Sherpa with his 17th ascent. I can respect that guy, and that record. That is dedication. And he knows more about that climb than anyone other than the Sherpas (he probably knows as much, if not more). ---
**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:** [May 20, 2023, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/491 "2023-05-20T02:23:19Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > “A graduate of Boston University, Rebecca Long quit her job in financial services in Boston to take the Everest trip after her boss wouldn’t allow her to take leave”. You’re supposed to give up on your life’s dream for a job? ETA: I had to leave a job in the mid-1990s when they refused to give me any maternity leave or even an unpaid leave of absence. Should I have stayed and not had children? ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2023, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/492 "2023-05-20T03:50:11Z")
> [@wguy123](#): > > I can respect that guy, and that record. That is dedication. And he knows more about that climb than anyone other than the Sherpas (he probably knows as much, if not more). I don’t. People die waiting in line to get to the top. He’s been 17 times and it’s so important to him that he has to keep going and adding to the congestion and the trash? There are (a few) other mountains out there. Maybe he could try something new. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2023, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/493 "2023-05-20T06:29:43Z")
Totally agree ---
**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:** [May 20, 2023, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/494 "2023-05-20T07:00:07Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > One of my kids has discussed possibly saving up and then taking 6 months off from work to do one of the long US hikes. If she can’t get a leave of absence, she says she’ll just quit and look for work when done. My daughter did that. She quit her job to take 5 months for a road trip through all 49 land-connected states. Me, before I recently retired I worked for a company for 20 years. Kids are different today, I hear every mother say… ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2023, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/495 "2023-05-20T08:26:37Z")
My friend took a six month leave of absence from his engineering job to travel through Central America…in 1992 ---
**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 20, 2023, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/496 "2023-05-20T11:35:00Z")
And now a deaf/mute climber has gone missing. > **[Deaf Malaysian missing from Everest South Col, Piyali airlifted to Lukla from...](https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/deaf-malaysian-missing-from-everest-south-col-piyali-airlifted-to-lukla-from-makalu)** > > A deaf and mute Malaysian climber, who stood atop Mt Everest on May 18, has gone missing from South Col. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2023, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/497 "2023-05-20T19:39:35Z")
> [@Sunny\_Daze](#): > > I don’t. People die waiting in line to get to the top. He’s been 17 times and it’s so important to him that he has to keep going and adding to the congestion and the trash? There are (a few) other mountains out there. Maybe he could try something new. Yes, good points. I have climbed the same mountains multiple times (nothing like Everest), but I’ve typically done so from different approaches. Not sure why I didn’t think through my statement more. ---
**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 21, 2023, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/498 "2023-05-21T11:27:35Z")
> **[Australian engineer dies at Balcony area, Everest death toll reaches 10, two...](https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/australian-engineer-dies-at-balcony-area-everest-death-toll-reaches-10-two-still-missing)** > > An Australian climber died at the Balcony area above 8,000m on Mt Everest, expedition organizer has confirmed. A deadly week. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2023, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/499 "2023-05-21T13:59:01Z")
The Himalayan Times must struggle for headline stories outside of the April-May Everest climbing season. “No Deaths On Everest This Week” “Sherpas Prepare For Next Climbing Season” ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2023, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/500 "2023-05-21T14:28:06Z")
> [@Biotop](#): > > And now a deaf/mute climber has gone missing. > > [Deaf Malaysian missing from Everest South Col, Piyali airlifted to Lukla from Makalu - The Himalayan Times - Nepal's No.1 English Daily Newspaper | Nepal News, Latest Politics, Business, World, Sports, Entertainment, Travel, Life Style News](https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/deaf-malaysian-missing-from-everest-south-col-piyali-airlifted-to-lukla-from-makalu) So is that another first? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397.md?page=24) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397.md?page=26)