Dismiss Notice
Thanks for being a member of our community. Please donate toward site expenses if you can.

Everest Climbers Line Up for Shot at Darwin Award

Discussion in 'Political Opinions & Beliefs' started by LangleyMan, May 28, 2019.

Page 1 of 2
  1. LangleyMan

    LangleyMan Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 14, 2017
    Messages:
    44,872
    Likes Received:
    12,487
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    The question I have: Why?

    A veteran climber in a CNN report who said he might not be back asked, "Why are we all coming up here and is it really worth it?"

    D111C256-6368-4A92-8925-BC53F3439469.jpeg

    IMO, there's too much mindless risk taking these days. Why throw away a precious life for a thrill?
     
    LangleyMan, May 28, 2019
    #1
    Bowerbird, Ddyad and TrackerSam like this.
  2. Spim

    Spim Well-Known Member Past Donor

    Joined:
    Nov 11, 2016
    Messages:
    7,664
    Likes Received:
    6,183
    Trophy Points:
    113
    gotta have those Instagram moments!

    Personally I find it baffling, but it looks to me like maybe on Everest there needs to be a limit on the number of permits issued, that photo is quite crazy! We barely have lines like that on black friday and I thought THOSE people were weird!
     
    Spim, May 28, 2019
    #2
    ButterBalls, Ddyad and TrackerSam like this.
  3. Quantum Nerd

    Quantum Nerd Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 14, 2014
    Messages:
    18,075
    Likes Received:
    23,458
    Trophy Points:
    113
    What I don't get is that many of these climbers attempt the summit, probably knowing that they have no business being on that mountain. If you have the money to pay, then you'll find a Sherpa to drag you up and down the mountain, whether you are really fit for it or not. The sad thing is that many of these climbers not only risk their own lives in the process, but also those of the Sherpas, who have families depending on them. And for what? So that they can brag they have climbed Mount Everest?
     
    Quantum Nerd, May 28, 2019
    #3
    rcfoolinca288, Bowerbird, ButterBalls and 1 other person like this.
  4. StarFox

    StarFox Banned

    Joined:
    May 1, 2018
    Messages:
    2,515
    Likes Received:
    2,876
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    I was always amazed that anyone could actually accomplish that feat. Now when I hear someone climbed Mt Everest my reaction has become tempered as I think, so has everyone else it seems.
     
    StarFox, May 28, 2019
    #4
    Ddyad likes this.
  5. LangleyMan

    LangleyMan Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 14, 2017
    Messages:
    44,872
    Likes Received:
    12,487
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    I'm not sure why, but my thoughts turned to the loved ones of those who died on Everest. It must be extra painful to see someone you care about lose their life that way.
     
    LangleyMan, May 28, 2019
    #5
    Bowerbird and Ddyad like this.
  6. LangleyMan

    LangleyMan Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 14, 2017
    Messages:
    44,872
    Likes Received:
    12,487
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    Aren't you glad you have people who care about you even though you may never have done anything more than be a good parent/son/daughter/friend?
     
    LangleyMan, May 28, 2019
    #6
    Bowerbird and Ddyad like this.
  7. 557

    557 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 7, 2018
    Messages:
    17,504
    Likes Received:
    9,888
    Trophy Points:
    113
    I’ve spent a lot of time and energy to go places nobody has ever been. It’s always been worth it to me. I’ve even taken risks to go places few have gone. But line up like that because everyone else is doing it? Makes no sense to me. YMMV
     
    557, May 28, 2019
    #7
    Ddyad likes this.
  8. HTownMarine

    HTownMarine Well-Known Member Past Donor

    Joined:
    Jun 12, 2013
    Messages:
    8,348
    Likes Received:
    4,155
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Who gives a ****?

    Let them go up there and die.
     
    HTownMarine, May 28, 2019
    #8
    Polydectes and HockeyDad like this.
  9. Quantum Nerd

    Quantum Nerd Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 14, 2014
    Messages:
    18,075
    Likes Received:
    23,458
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Actually, being a good parent/son/daughter/friend is more important than anything else. On their death bed, how many people will say "I wish I would have climbed Mount Everest" or "I wish I was a billionaire"? However, many will say "I wish I spent more time with a parent/son/daughter/friend.

    People just tend to lose track of what is really important in life.
     
    Quantum Nerd, May 28, 2019
    #9
    557, Bowerbird and Ddyad like this.
  10. Quantum Nerd

    Quantum Nerd Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 14, 2014
    Messages:
    18,075
    Likes Received:
    23,458
    Trophy Points:
    113
    I don't give a **** if they go up there and die on their own devices. I do give a **** about the lives they put in danger while doing it. Let them drag all the oxygen tanks, equipment, food, supplies up that mountain by themselves, then I have respect. Having the Sherpas do it for them, not so much.
     
    Last edited: May 28, 2019
    Quantum Nerd, May 28, 2019
    #10
    Bowerbird and Ddyad like this.
  11. DesertSands

    DesertSands Active Member

    Joined:
    May 20, 2014
    Messages:
    277
    Likes Received:
    211
    Trophy Points:
    43
    Heh a big old line to do something that makes you feel special and accomplished, theres a meme in this somewhere.
     
    DesertSands, May 28, 2019
    #11
    Ddyad and Spim like this.
  12. Nightmare515

    Nightmare515 Ragin' Cajun Staff Member Past Donor

    Joined:
    Jun 27, 2011
    Messages:
    11,135
    Likes Received:
    4,903
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Well to be fair it's not exactly like the Sherpa's don't know what their job entails....Their job is literally to guide people who usually have no business climbing Mt Everest up Mt Everest.

    Plus people do all sorts of things for no real reason other than the thrill or the bragging rights. A lot of peoples so called hobbies are pointless and put themselves and others in unnecessary danger for no other reason than because they enjoy that sort of thing.

    Skydiving, sailing, motorcycle riding, rock climbing, etc. The list is immense...
     
    Nightmare515, May 28, 2019
    #12
    Merwen and FreshAir like this.
  13. LangleyMan

    LangleyMan Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 14, 2017
    Messages:
    44,872
    Likes Received:
    12,487
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    So, who is stopping them? I asked a philosophical question.
     
    LangleyMan, May 28, 2019
    #13
    rcfoolinca288 and Ddyad like this.
  14. PatriotNews

    PatriotNews Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 20, 2008
    Messages:
    27,756
    Likes Received:
    3,715
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Someday they will make it safe to climb Mount Everest with an enclosed heated, pressurized staircase with bathrooms, souvenir shops, motel rooms and restaurants along the way.
     
    PatriotNews, May 28, 2019
    #14
    Merwen and Ddyad like this.
  15. Nightmare515

    Nightmare515 Ragin' Cajun Staff Member Past Donor

    Joined:
    Jun 27, 2011
    Messages:
    11,135
    Likes Received:
    4,903
    Trophy Points:
    113
    The answer is yes people are taking too many risks but it's a broad term and a very subjective one. I'm pretty sure there are some things almost everyone does that are unnecessary risks but people do them anyway.

    Almost anything humans do for recreation is an unnecessary risk. There is no more practical reason to own a jet ski than there is to climb Mt Everest...

    Hell even doing something as simple as taking your family to the local swimming pool or beach is an unnecessary risk. Playing in the water puts the life of the lifeguard in danger if he/she has to jump in there and save you. Multiple lifeguards die annually attempting to save folks who were in trouble in the water. And lets face it, there is to practical reason why people need to go swimming at the beach outside of the fact that people enjoy swimming at the beach...
     
    Nightmare515, May 28, 2019
    #15
    Merwen likes this.
  16. Dayton3

    Dayton3 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 3, 2009
    Messages:
    25,400
    Likes Received:
    6,715
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    The thing is serious climbers gave up on Everest years ago. K2 is the much greater challenge. Almost as tall as Everest and has been climbed by far fewer people.
     
    Dayton3, May 28, 2019
    #16
  17. Dayton3

    Dayton3 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 3, 2009
    Messages:
    25,400
    Likes Received:
    6,715
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    I thought it was because of the chance to see large numbers of scantily clad women without watching porn or becoming a voyeur.
     
    Dayton3, May 28, 2019
    #17
  18. perdidochas

    perdidochas Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 24, 2008
    Messages:
    27,293
    Likes Received:
    4,346
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    I agree totally. While I have no ambition or wish to climb Mount Everest, I have no problem with people spending tens of thousands of dollars to do so.
     
    perdidochas, May 28, 2019
    #18
    Merwen likes this.
  19. LangleyMan

    LangleyMan Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 14, 2017
    Messages:
    44,872
    Likes Received:
    12,487
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    Some people do lose track of important things only they can do--like be a good parent.
     
    LangleyMan, May 28, 2019
    #19
  20. Surfer Joe

    Surfer Joe Well-Known Member Past Donor

    Joined:
    Sep 13, 2008
    Messages:
    24,353
    Likes Received:
    15,468
    Trophy Points:
    113
    From the look of that photo, it's not even much of a thrill. More like a ride at disney world.
    That's not mountain climbing.
     
    Last edited: May 28, 2019
    Surfer Joe, May 28, 2019
    #20
  21. LangleyMan

    LangleyMan Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 14, 2017
    Messages:
    44,872
    Likes Received:
    12,487
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    Or risk getting conked on the golf course (my thing). Good point.
    I was a beach lifeguard for a time. Our training involved all sort of techniques for getting someone off of you--or better yet, not letting them get their hands on you in the first place. People can be incredibly strong when they're amped up with fear.
    How about the 65-year-old guy in Hawaii who died after a shark attack? Supposedly, if we can believe the media, the guy swam regularly with sharks. One time too many...
     
    Last edited: May 28, 2019
    LangleyMan, May 28, 2019
    #21
  22. LangleyMan

    LangleyMan Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 14, 2017
    Messages:
    44,872
    Likes Received:
    12,487
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    Reminds me a bit of the last time I was in Venice, Italy. The place was unbelievably crowded. It made me wonder why I came back. It seems as though a lot of people are punching their ticket so they can say they were there.
     
    LangleyMan, May 28, 2019
    #22
  23. Nightmare515

    Nightmare515 Ragin' Cajun Staff Member Past Donor

    Joined:
    Jun 27, 2011
    Messages:
    11,135
    Likes Received:
    4,903
    Trophy Points:
    113
    I can attest to that, part of the training for my job required a bit of "drown proofing" whereas I was the one doing the drowning. A team of highly trained Navy Divers were there to assist with the training and prevent us from dying. Well I started drowning on one of the exercises and panicked and grabbed the instructor so hard he had to literally clock me and tell me to let go so he could save us both lol. I was placed on the edge of the pool with a clenched fist full of his armpit hair, his skin under my nails, and a really sore jaw lol. Him and I laughed afterwards, I was apparently not his first rodeo. But yes in my state of panic I was willing to kill the guy trying to save my life instead of going back under the water....Lifeguards have an extremely dangerous job.

    But that was part of job training for me, a requirement. Recreational swimming serves no real purpose outside of those requiring it for work. But millions of us do it every year, we can't really blame other folks for doing unnecessary things when the vast majority of what we humans do is unnecessary at the end of the day. Lets face it, VERY FEW people in the US can honestly give a legitimate reason why they cruise around on 2 wheels instead of 4 outside of the fact that riding a motorcycle is fun...
     
    Nightmare515, May 28, 2019
    #23
  24. nra37922

    nra37922 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 27, 2013
    Messages:
    13,118
    Likes Received:
    8,506
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    Way, way, WAY too many to be safe.
     
    nra37922, May 28, 2019
    #24
    rcfoolinca288 likes this.
  25. Polydectes

    Polydectes Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 21, 2010
    Messages:
    53,491
    Likes Received:
    18,161
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    That probably is how Sherpas make money to care for their families. You risk your life every time you get behind the wheel.
     
    Polydectes, May 28, 2019
    #25
    Merwen likes this.
Page 1 of 2

Share This Page