# 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:** 61
**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 22, 2026, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/1202 "2026-05-22T19:18:56Z")
I’m watching Meru now. Am 30 minutes in to the 90 show and it is _ **BADASS** _. ---
**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 22, 2026, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/1203 "2026-05-22T19:50:11Z")
So there is a Meru Peak, Uttarakhand IND; and a Mount Meru TZA. This is the one in India not Africa (Tanzania). ---
**Author:** ![Eureka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/74df32/32.png) [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2026, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/1204 "2026-05-22T20:07:25Z")
I’ve been to Table Mountain. I got to the top via cable car. I was traveling with my grandmother (who had climbed Mount Kilimanjaro fifteen years before, probably in her late sixties) and a group. (Grandma needed a companion who could keep her on track. She didn’t need constant babysitting, but she needed more attention than a group of the sort she was traveling with was prepared to give, so I got invited. By the time of the South Africa trip, her health was such that when she said “I’ve climbed Mount Kilimanjaro” people looked over her head at me for confirmation that this was a thing she had done. ) I had no idea Table Mountain was so risky, although I except your opinion that most of them are idiots. Also, once upon a time, my grandmother, my parents, my little brother and I were in the Adirondacks, near Mount Marcy. The weather was . . . iffy, and some of us were a little tired after our previous day’s adventure canoeing across seven or eight ponds or lakes. We headed out, and met up with a park ranger on her way in, who had stationed herself nearish the trailhead, to encourage people to make good choices-- choices that would not result in her needing to rescue them. She recommended a spot that might have a view that was well short of the peak of Mount Marcy, and the group of us headed off. I don’t think we found the view, but we had a nice hike, and turned around at an appropriate time and headed back in. On the way, we saw a sign for Mount Marcy, and Grandma was triumphant because she’d found where we had made the wrong turn. Nope, no wrong turn. Just one elderly lady who didn’t know how to turn around before getting to the top, and a group who didn’t think hiking with her in that weather all the way to the top of Mount Marcy sounded like fun. 5,343 Feet Highest point in the Adirondacks, highest point in New York State. Not an impossible hike for an amateur, but would not have been fun for that group on that day. ---
**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 23, 2026, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/1205 "2026-05-23T00:03:56Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > The movie _Meru_ was a good documentary featuring hard-core climbing. They took a couple of cameras with them, too; the footage was not re-enacted. > [@commasense](#): > > If you want to watch a movie about a _really difficult_ climb, I recommend _Meru_ (2015), about Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin, and Renan Ozturk climbing a highly technical 20,000-foot peak in India. Those guys were crazy. Thanks for this recommendation. Meru was very good. ---
**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 23, 2026, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/1206 "2026-05-23T06:51:06Z")
More about Meru — Jon Krakauer’s narration is good too. ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2026, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/1207 "2026-05-23T17:17:07Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > Here, hold my beer, watch this…” I have been up some routes on that mountain that definitely require a beer after the exit from the way down. One was up a very, very unused valley where one person went 10 to 15m ahead, while the rest of us hid behind large boulders bcause of rockfall, and we did that stretch slowly, one by one, with the lead telling us the route. Meanwhile, loose rocks were raining down around us… Then the next person did the climb, again with the loose rocks raining down. It was quite scary, so I was pleased when we all got to the top. ---
**Author:** ![Section\_Maker\_Jupe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/section_maker_jupe/32/1424_2.png) [@Section\_Maker\_Jupe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Section_Maker_Jupe)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2026, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/1208 "2026-05-25T03:00:55Z")
Meru was really good. That route, that whole ascent with aids…the weather, the massive drops and exposure. Jeez… I think Jimmy Chin is one of the most unrecognized climbers around. His photography is awesome. Hard to believe he climbs with cameras as well as all the other gear. sidenote: Conrad Anker, the real “leader” of this trio, was the one who found George Mallory’s body during the 1999 > **[Mallory and Irvine Research Expedition](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mallory_and_Irvine_Research_Expedition)** > > The goal of the Mallory and Irvine Research Expedition of 1999 was to discover evidence of whether George Mallory and Andrew Irvine had been the first to summit Mount Everest in their attempt of 8–9 June 1924. Key objectives included finding Irvine's body and retrieving a camera that might hold proof of their summit success. Jochen Hemmleb, after reviewing historical records, pinpointed a search area based on a 1975 Chinese expedition report. The expedition was instigated by British climber Grah... Anker cowrote a book on the subject. ---
**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 25, 2026, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/1209 "2026-05-25T08:37:18Z")
> [@Section\_Maker\_Jupe](#): > > I think Jimmy Chin is one of the most unrecognized climbers around. His photography is awesome. Hard to believe he climbs with cameras as well as all the other gear. Agree 100%. He also filmed _Free Solo_ as Alex Honnold free solo’d El Capitan. To quote the wiki page, > “Prior to filming, directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin (then, wife and husband) struggled with the ethical ramifications and decisions behind creating Free Solo, knowing Honnold could die on camera.” … and … > “Ultimately, they decided to go through with the film and devoted some time to documenting its own production process, with Chin and his camera crew discussing the challenge of not endangering climber Alex Honnold by distracting him or putting any pressure at all on him to attempt the climb. According to Vasarhelyi, filming without endangering Honnold was achieved only thanks to careful planning and practice.” ➜ `https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Solo#Production` ■ ---
**Author:** ![Section\_Maker\_Jupe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/section_maker_jupe/32/1424_2.png) [@Section\_Maker\_Jupe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Section_Maker_Jupe)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2026, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/1210 "2026-05-25T15:40:20Z")
Free Solo, been saving that one for awhile. (in a similar vein of all or none risk taking, Dark Wizard is up for viewing, the story of alpinist/climber/wingsuit flyer Dean Potter) Honnold appears in it as well. I have not watched it yet. > **[Watch The Dark Wizard | HBO Max](https://www.hbomax.com/shows/dark-wizard/76e78c26-21c9-45b4-b84b-4c3e1f8ff763)** > > Watch The Dark Wizard on HBO Max. Plans start at $10.99/month. Directed by Peter Mortimer and Nick Rosen, this four-part documentary series is an up-close and unflinching look at the jaw-dropping feats and personal turmoil that defined the life of... ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2026, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/1211 "2026-06-04T10:16:35Z")
Some good news … > **[Mount Everest: Sherpa guide found alive after going missing for six days](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgz2yjl4y3o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss)** > > Cleaners found Dawa Sherpa crawling towards Base Camp six days after he went missing at a higher altitude. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2026, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/1212 "2026-06-04T16:30:46Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > ETA: from that Birmingham lady’s LTE: “The boulders should be reduced to proper steps and the last section should have hand holds for safety.” She claims she and her family have a lot of backpacking/hiking experience. Where do they hike that there are stairs and handrails??? Not that I’m the lady in question, but I have seen/hiked trails at Devil’s Lake State Park in Baraboo, WI that have some in especially steep places on particular trails (they also have a lot of trails that don’t that are much easier, including at least one wheelchair accessible trail). Cumberland Gap also has a few places with railings. Whether or not railings and handholds are appropriate to a particular location, in my opinion, depends on a lot of factors, from willingness to fund such things to expected users of such trails. But yes, there are places that have such features on their hiking routes. ---
**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:** [June 4, 2026, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/1213 "2026-06-04T18:59:11Z")
> [@pjd](#): > > Some good news … > [Mount Everest: Sherpa guide found alive after going missing for six days - BBC News](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgz2yjl4y3o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss) This is amazing. It makes [Beck Weather’s](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beck_Weathers#Mount_Everest) survival seem trivial in comparison. I hope he shares his story of how he was able to survive and climb down. ---
**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:** [June 4, 2026, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/1214 "2026-06-04T20:01:55Z")
That’s wonderful! A good news story at last. ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2026, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/1215 "2026-06-05T04:52:49Z")
I am so happy for him. I am waiting for the full story. His team summitted late on the 28th with 2 climbers and 2 sherpas and he somehow got left behind. An interview with one of the climbers said they took three days to get down which makes little sense since the ladders were pulled on 5/29 and there was no indication of the entire team being still above the Khumbu Icefall. They helicoptered another team from camp 2 so it is unlikely they would have ignored four other people still coming down and the climber made no mention of having to cross the Icefall without ladders. I want to see the full timeline. ---
**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:** [June 5, 2026, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/1216 "2026-06-05T13:27:33Z")
Busy day on Everest Thursday, > ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2026, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/1217 "2026-06-05T15:49:27Z")
That must be an old post. The climbing season is over and the ladders were pulled on 5/29. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2026, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/1218 "2026-06-05T15:56:24Z")
Jeeze. Reminds me of Chilkoot Pass in the Klondike. How exclusive can an ascent be with hundreds of people a day? [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/46/ChilkootPass_steps.jpg) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/46/ChilkootPass_steps.jpg) ---
**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:** [June 5, 2026, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/1219 "2026-06-05T16:41:34Z")
It was May 20. > **[Record 274 climbers summit Everest from Nepalese side in single day](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/21/record-climbers-summit-everest-from-nepalese-side-in-single-day)** > > Climbers take advantage of clear weather after threat of ice fall on normal route delayed start of spring season ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2026, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/1220 "2026-06-06T15:22:50Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > How exclusive can an ascent be with hundreds of people a day? Well, it’s not hundreds per day. It was hundreds on _that day_. But from what I can tell that day had over 50% of the yearly total for this year. And many of those have done it multiple times (one person was going for the record and summited for the 32nd time). So while it’s certainly not as exclusive at is used to be, the total number of people that have summited Everest is only in the thousands. Possibly approaching 10,000 soon. I would say doing something that fewer than 10k people have ever done is pretty damn exclusive. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2026, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397/1221 "2026-06-08T02:35:31Z")
> [@Jas09](#): > > I would say doing something that fewer than 10k people have ever done is pretty damn exclusive. To the extent exclusivity is the issue, that’s fair enough. But is it really the issue? I can count on one hand the number of people who have stepped out my door and run 5 miles in the past year, so that’ super exclusive. But of course no one cares (or anyway, I hope no one cares). Personally, I think climbing Everest is just a meme. People spent a few decades trying really hard to summit Everest, then a couple guys actually did it. At the time it was impressive, and IMHO it’s just been riding that wave ever since. I only hope that in my lifetime people will come to see how utterly banal climbing Everest is. I mean, find another challenge already. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397.md?page=60) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everest-just-dont-do-it/755397.md?page=62)