anti-everest posting is such massive obvious cope from people who probably canât bother to go outside or take a shower daily, truly some of the most naked posting on the internet
So youâre aware, and I canât speak for all of the folks here, the anti-climbing-everest posting is because itâs quite literally⌠insane. Itâs very much unlike what people normally think of as mountain climbing or hiking. Itâs less ârunning a marathonâ and more âcutting off both your legs on purpose so you can say you ran a marathon as a double amputeeâ.
First, Mount Everest is ridiculously dangerous to climb, because of the low oxygen levels and freezing temperatures, as well as potential for dangerous weather conditions. Once you get high enough, if you run into trouble, it is often impossible to perform a rescue. Oxygen deprivation often leads to impaired decision making, which can worsen with hypothermia. In later stages, oxygen deprivation will cause brain swelling and rapidly lead to death. Itâs very nasty. This is worsened by the sheer number of people attempting to summitâitâs only safe(ish) to climb for a brief period, so a large number of people attempt at the same time, leading to literal lines on the mountain. Oftentimes, people are unwilling to help others because they are so focused on summiting, but itâs also because they literally canât. Sharing supplies could mean that they donât have enough to make it down safely themselves.
Itâs also very exploitative. Sherpas are often forced to take up work as guides for money since itâs one of the most lucrative careers in the area. They are more adapted to the low oxygen environment than others, but still often become the victims of avalanches. Because of this, people often hire teams of Sherpas to carry their equipment for them (hence the last tweet; they often do almost all of the work, including set up tents). Additionally, Everest holds religious/cultural significance for them, and climbing it is generally considered disrespectful.
Beyond all this, because of the extreme conditions, both waste and dead bodies are not usually removed. Oftentimes, itâs functionally impossible. The waste is one thing, seeing trash piled up at points in the trail and damaging the ecosystem, but dead bodies are another. Climbers report passing by dead bodies next to them on the trail, and sometimes even stepping directly over them. They sometimes become trail markers, and sometimes theyâre covered in snow and only discovered much later. Succumbing to personal opinion, any dude who would willing walk over a dead body to climb a mountain **twice** is several shades too crazy to date.
Basically: people are mocking him because climbing Mount Everest is egoistical and dangerous for no reason, disrespectful and dangerous to locals, bad for the environment, and also just, generally fucked up in a lot of ways. Not just because theyâre terminally online.
I can provide more articles if youâre interested. Iâm morbidly fascinated by everything Mount Everest has come to beâboth culturally and literallyâso this is a chance to share, not a personal attack.
Yeah the notes on this post made me Google âdead bodies on Everestâ and fam no haunted house could hold a candle to this horror movie shit. Even setting all the colonial exploitation and environmental degradation aside, itâs one thing to fight a terrain, itâs another to have to see mummified dead bodies that can never be removed along the way while you do it.
I just want to amend: itâs not disrespectful to climb the mountain. I mean ideally it would be great if everyone could stay the fuck off the mountain, but thatâs not going to be possible and the sherpas themselves (which is the name of the indigenous Himalayan community that considers Everest part of their homeland) depend on climbers for their income. What the Sherpa community does want instead, is for the Nepalese government to put tighter restrictions and limitations on who can climb it and during which seasons. The unchecked commercialisation of Everest is responsible for unseasoned climbers who arenât true mountaineers flock to the place for bragging rights. This is what makes a dangerous and unpredictable terrain a high-traffic zone (and therefore exponentially more littered).
The sherpas already have final say on whether youâre allowed to climb each level, but (from what I have gathered) letting the Sherpa community actually administrate and regulate Everest tourism themselves is what would make the real difference. Unfortunately the Nepalese government are colonizing shitheads who can only see dollar signs and doesnât give a fuck about their ethnic minorities. This is something that can only be helped by international pressure, as the solution to the growing Everest death toll.
From a consumer standpoint, climbing Everest isnât itself disrespectful or unethical, itâs attempting to climb it without being an experienced climber or having the mountaineerâs drive and knowledge to leave terrain as pristine as possible that is the problem. Do climb Everest if you love climbing mountains and are willing to advocate for and respect the sherpas. But if you want to do it because you have too much money and just wanna say you did it, go fuck yourself.
ALT
