# ID this news story (Dimwit on Mt. Everest) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 1, 2019, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-news-story-dimwit-on-mt-everest/828779 "2019-02-01T11:49:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2019, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-news-story-dimwit-on-mt-everest/828779/1 "2019-02-01T11:49:53Z")
This is a news item I hazily remember reading 15 or so years ago: An idiot American rich girl went up Mt Everest, bringing such necessities as a battery-powered coffee grinder and three laptop computers. The expedition did not end well. Ring any bells? ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2019, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-news-story-dimwit-on-mt-everest/828779/2 "2019-02-01T12:07:32Z")
I guess that it was Sandy Hill. > [@](#): > > Controversy surrounding deaths during the 1996 disaster arose in numerous magazine articles and interviews with other survivors. Jon Krakauer, who was sent on the climb to report on the commercialization of Everest and the increasing number of rich clients without expertise,[13] later expanded his September 1996 Outside Magazine article into a book with the same title, Into Thin Air (1997).[2][3][9][14] But Hill and the others were highly experienced climbers.[15] Hill rebutted negative claims in various media outlets, including an interview with Newsweek, wherein she stated, “We behaved like a team at all times.”[16] Highly visible in the media before the climb, she believed she was “pigeonholed as a rich New Yorker”, which “painted such an easy picture of a villain right there.” > [Sandy Hill (mountaineer) - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandy_Hill_(mountaineer)) ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2019, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-news-story-dimwit-on-mt-everest/828779/3 "2019-02-01T12:11:40Z")
she had climbed before Everest and also she tried it 2 times before 1996 ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2019, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-news-story-dimwit-on-mt-everest/828779/4 "2019-02-01T12:22:32Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > she had climbed before Everest and also she tried it 2 times before 1996 Did you miss the part that said: _“Hill and the others were highly experienced climbers”_? I looked for the actual reports but was unable to find a link to Krakauer’s article in which he clearly portrayed her as a spoiled rich woman who had come for the ride. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2019, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-news-story-dimwit-on-mt-everest/828779/5 "2019-02-01T12:27:28Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > I looked for the actual reports but was unable to find a link to Krakauer’s article in which he clearly portrayed her as a spoiled rich woman who had come for the ride. I read the article online a few years ago, but it looks like Krakauer sued to have it taken down. > **[Into the courthouse: Jon Krakauer sues Outside Magazine](https://businessden.com/2017/12/04/courthouse-jon-krakauer-sues-outside-magazine/)** > > Boulder's own bestselling author last week sued Outside Magazine after it allegedly republished online his 20-year-old article about a deadly expedition on Mount Everest. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2019, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-news-story-dimwit-on-mt-everest/828779/6 "2019-02-01T12:30:46Z")
Addendum: Sandy Hill explains her coffee maker. [https://www.outsideonline.com/1827976/sandy-hill-51](https://www.outsideonline.com/1827976/sandy-hill-51) ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2019, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-news-story-dimwit-on-mt-everest/828779/7 "2019-02-01T12:37:28Z")
That’s clearly it, thanks! ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2019, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-news-story-dimwit-on-mt-everest/828779/8 "2019-02-01T12:49:28Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > I looked for the actual reports but was unable to find a link to Krakauer’s article in which he clearly portrayed her as a spoiled rich woman who had come for the ride. I pulled my copy of _Into Thin Air_ off the shelf. Here are some pertinent quotes (from Ch. 8). Note that Kraukauer calls her “Sandy Hill Pittman” as that was her married name at the time. > [@](#): > > In 1993, Beck [Weathers] had be in Antarctica making a guided ascent of Vinson Massif at the same time Pittman was climbing the mountain with a different guided group, and he recalled with a chuckle that “she brought this humongous duffel bag full of gourmet food that took about four people to even lift. She also brought a portable television and video player so she could watch movies in her tent. I mean, hey, you’ve got to hand it to Sandy: there aren’t too many people who climb mountains in that kind of high style”. Beck reported that Pittman had generously shared the swag she’d brought with the other climbers and that “she was pleasant and interesting to be around.” > > For her assault on Everest in 1996, Pittman once again assembled the sort of kit not commonly seen in climbers’ encampments. The day before departing for Nepal, in one of her first Web postings for NBC Interactive Media, she gushed, > > > [@](#): > > > > All my personal stuff is packed… It looks like I’ll have as much computer and electronic equipment as I will have climbing gear… Two IBM laptops, a video camera, three 35mm cameras, one Kodak digital camera, two tape recorders, a CD-ROM player, a printer, and enough (I hope) solar panels and batteries to power the whole project… I wouldn’t dream of leaving town without an ample supply of Dean & DeLuca’s Near East blend and my espresso maker. Since we’ll be on Everest on Easter, I brought four wrapped chocolate eggs. An Easter egg hunt at 18,000 feet? We’ll see! > > … > > Upon arrival in the Himalaya, Pittman appeared to adhere as closely as possible to the proprieties of high society. … When she reached the foot of Everest in early April, her pile of luggage included stacks of press clippings about herself to hand out to the other denizens of Base Camp. Within a few days Sherpa runners began to arrive on a regular basis with packages for Pittman, shipped to Base Camp via DHL Worldwide Express; they included the latest issues of _Vogue_, _Vanity Fair_, _People_, and _Allure_. (The omissions in the NBC quote are in Krakauer’s book; the omissions in the main text are mine.) Also note that Sandy Hill was 41 during the ill-fated 1996 expedition, so she wasn’t so much a “rich girl” at the time as a “wealthy socialite”. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2019, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-news-story-dimwit-on-mt-everest/828779/9 "2019-02-01T13:04:48Z")
Also note that Sandy Hill, though clearly idiosyncratic, belonged to the team that managed to get up and back with everybody intact - it was the team that John Krakauer belonged to that lost (IIRC) two guides and a number of paying members. Into Thin Air is a great book BTW ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2019, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-news-story-dimwit-on-mt-everest/828779/10 "2019-02-01T21:56:56Z")
> [@Aspidistra](#): > > Also note that Sandy Hill, though clearly idiosyncratic, belonged to the team that managed to get up and back with everybody intact - it was the team that John Krakauer belonged to that lost (IIRC) two guides and a number of paying members. Nitpick: The Mountain Madness team did not lose a paying customer. They did however lose their founder and chief guide, the legendary Scott Fischer, who was unable to complete his descent and died of exhaustion and blizzard not far from the summit. To hear Krakauer describe Fischer’s severe sickness in Camp IV, he should not have attempted the summit. (Being tired and sick seems to be normal for anyone high on Everest, but Fischer was far below his usual strength.) Mountain Madness also lost a sherpa who suffered high altitude pulmonary edema while hauling supplies prior to the summit, and passed away a few weeks later. The Adventure Consultants team also lost its leader, along with another guide and two clients. The two guides lost their lives in an unsuccessful attempt to rescue a client who probably should have been turned back before the summit. > [@Aspidistra](#): > > Into Thin Air is a great book BTW Yes; definitely a good read. Krakauer tells the fascinating story with minimal embellishment, letting the drama play out by itself. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2019, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-news-story-dimwit-on-mt-everest/828779/11 "2019-02-01T22:12:40Z")
The 2015 film _Everest_ is also a good telling of the ill-fated expedition. There are definitely parts that are easier to follow if you’ve read Krakauer’s account first. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2019, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-news-story-dimwit-on-mt-everest/828779/12 "2019-02-02T03:33:41Z")
> [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > An idiot American rich girl went up Mt Everest… She actually accomplished a lot in her life. Her death was a calculated risk. Why is she, compared to other climbers deaths, a “dimwit” and an “idiot”? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2019, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-news-story-dimwit-on-mt-everest/828779/13 "2019-02-02T04:34:52Z")
> [@MikeS](#): > > I pulled my copy of _Into Thin Air_ off the shelf. Here are some pertinent quotes (from Ch. 8). Note that Kraukauer calls her “Sandy Hill Pittman” as that was her married name at the time. > > > [@](#): > > > > Upon arrival in the Himalaya, Pittman appeared to adhere as closely as possible to the proprieties of high society. … When she reached the foot of Everest in early April, her pile of luggage included stacks of press clippings about herself to hand out to the other denizens of Base Camp. Within a few days Sherpa runners began to arrive on a regular basis with packages for Pittman, shipped to Base Camp via DHL Worldwide Express; they included the latest issues of Vogue, Vanity Fair, People, and Allure. It seems to me that there’s a semi-deliberate conflation of two things to “enhance” the story. As best I can tell, Hill only brought all that equipment up to Base Camp at 18k feet. That doesn’t seem particularly strange; climbers spend several days there anyway, and there’s no reason not to be somewhat comfortable. The fact that DHL apparently delivers to Base Camp is perhaps additional evidence that it’s not really a big deal. There are several cities around the world at nearly the same altitude. I don’t see any evidence that she brought more than her small coffee pot up beyond Base Camp. But of course the usual retelling of the story leaves out that distinction. > [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > She actually accomplished a lot in her life. Her death was a calculated risk. Why is she, compared to other climbers deaths, a “dimwit” and an “idiot”? What’s even more remarkable about her death is that she’s still alive. ---
**Author:** ![JB99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/439d5e/32.png) [@JB99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JB99)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2019, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-news-story-dimwit-on-mt-everest/828779/14 "2019-02-02T04:53:35Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > She actually accomplished a lot in her life. Her death was a calculated risk. Why is she, compared to other climbers deaths, a “dimwit” and an “idiot”? What? ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2019, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-news-story-dimwit-on-mt-everest/828779/15 "2019-02-02T05:01:50Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > What’s even more remarkable about her death is that she’s still alive. Damn these spoiled socialites. They can’t even be bothered to die like the rest of us. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2019, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-news-story-dimwit-on-mt-everest/828779/16 "2019-02-02T20:18:58Z")
> [@Aspidistra](#): > > …Into Thin Air is a great book BTW Absolutely. There are still scenes which I distinctly remember, years after reading it. > [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > …What’s even more remarkable about her death is that she’s still alive. Wow! That’s _almost_ unprecedented. ---
**Author:** ![Mangosteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2019, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-news-story-dimwit-on-mt-everest/828779/17 "2019-02-02T21:50:34Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > It seems to me that there’s a semi-deliberate conflation of two things to “enhance” the story. > > As best I can tell, Hill only brought all that equipment up to Base Camp at 18k feet. That doesn’t seem particularly strange; climbers spend several days there anyway, and there’s no reason not to be somewhat comfortable. The fact that DHL apparently delivers to Base Camp is perhaps additional evidence that it’s not really a big deal. There are several cities around the world at nearly the same altitude. Everest Base Camp is an incredibly isolated place and can not be compared to cities in the world that share its altitude. One must first fly into Lukla (9300’) and hike down into the valley and away from the direction of Everest in order to sleep at a more comfortable altitude. From there it takes 8 DAYS difficult of hiking to reach Base Camp (17600’). I don’t doubt the DHL can hire a Sherpa to carry goods from Lukla to EBC, but he sure doesn’t drive there. The small planes that fly into Lukla have very strict weight limits. People pay through the nose to bring heavy articles on board the flight. When I flew out of Lukla ( I hiked in rather than flying to Lukla ) to Kathmandu, each person and their luggage was carefully weighed. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2019, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-news-story-dimwit-on-mt-everest/828779/18 "2019-02-02T23:28:01Z")
Sure, but the difference is that bringing more stuff to base camp just costs more money. No one’s risking their life hauling her coffee maker or fashion magazine to base camp the way they are getting things to the higher camps. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2019, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-news-story-dimwit-on-mt-everest/828779/19 "2019-02-02T23:37:45Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > What’s even more remarkable about her death is that she’s still alive. Oh sure, normally, but in this case… ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2019, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-news-story-dimwit-on-mt-everest/828779/20 "2019-02-03T00:38:13Z")
> [@Mangosteen](#): > > Everest Base Camp is an incredibly isolated place and can not be compared to cities in the world that share its altitude. What **iamthewalrus(:3=** said. My point about the cities wasn’t about isolation, but just altitude. 18k ft altitude is not inherently dangerous to be at, as evidenced by tens of thousands of people living nearly at that level. The same cannot be said for 20k+ ft. Small planes always have strict weight limits. I’m sure that Hill did pay quite a lot for her Base Camp luxuries. But she wasn’t needlessly risking Sherpa lives by making them haul the junk further up the mountain. Bringing just one Sherpa to the summit imposes far more overall risk than a team of them hauling stuff to Base Camp. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-news-story-dimwit-on-mt-everest/828779.md?page=2)