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Eric Hansen
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Eric Hansen
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PostThu May 23, 2019 7:40 pm 
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/23/congestion-mount-everest-backlog-climbers-death-zone Picture is mind boggling. RIP climbers that are now gone.

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awilsondc
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awilsondc
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PostThu May 23, 2019 8:07 pm 
I can see why people would want to reach the highest point on Earth, but for me... no thanks.

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Pyrites
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PostFri May 24, 2019 2:13 am 
Again, even when younger, I was no climber. That shot of standing in line is so different than reading about Hornbein’s Couloir in The West Ridge. It may not be fair but it seems like the standard route is now about having money, a few months, physical fitness, and ability to handle exposure. It’s doesn’t seem like mountaineering to me. Is this wrong, and one or two photos totally misrepresent the experience? Best.

Keep Calm and Carry On? Heck No. Stay Excited and Get Outside!
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Seventy2002
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PostFri May 24, 2019 7:47 am 
Pyrites wrote:
now about having money, a few months, physical fitness, and ability to handle exposure.
And having the patience and bladder capacity to spend long hours waiting in line.

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Randito
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Randito
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PostFri May 24, 2019 7:48 am 
It is an effect of the greatly increased popularity of the climb, the demands of acclimatization, the narrow favorable weather window and improved weather forecasting. Summitting Everest is only possible during the transitional period between wet and dry seasons. This often only lasts a few days to a week or so. Pretty much the rest of the year the summit is sticking into the jetstream with gale to hurricane force winds. This season there was a longer than normal period of poor weather, so all parties were in position when the weather window opened. The forecast called for a number of good days, but no guide is going to tell their clients "Let's wait for tomorrow went it will be less crowded"

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SeanSullivan86
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PostFri May 24, 2019 8:16 am 
RandyHiker wrote:
Summitting Everest is only possible during the transitional period between wet and dry seasons. This often only lasts a few days to a week or so. Pretty much the rest of the year the summit is sticking into the jetstream with gale to hurricane force winds.
I know this is generally true and why almost everyone climbs in May (and occasionally in the Fall), but I was curious how many exceptions there were. People are also generally aware that there has been a winter ascent of Everest (as opposed to K2). In 1985 and 1986, Spanish(+Sherpa) and Swiss parties reached the summit in August, which seem to be the only July or August ascents. The latest ever summit in the Spring season was on June 14th, 2007, by a UK party + Sherpa. Earliest was April 13, 1993 by a lone Sherpa. Summits by month:
Code:
2 2 4 21 5 4484 6 81 8 7 9 37 10 192 12 9
https://tiledevil.co.uk/blogs/mount-everest-climbers/list-of-mount-everest-climbers-1953-2000

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Schenk
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Schenk
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PostFri May 24, 2019 8:52 am 
Rest In Peace climbers I hope the famililes find closure.

Nature exists with a stark indifference to humans' situation.
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Randito
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PostFri May 24, 2019 9:02 am 
SeanSullivan86 wrote:
RandyHiker wrote:
Summitting Everest is only possible during the transitional period between wet and dry seasons. This often only lasts a few days to a week or so. Pretty much the rest of the year the summit is sticking into the jetstream with gale to hurricane force winds.
I know this is generally true and why almost everyone climbs in May (and occasionally in the Fall), but I was curious how many exceptions there were. People are also generally aware that there has been a winter ascent of Everest (as opposed to K2). In 1985 and 1986, Spanish(+Sherpa) and Swiss parties reached the summit in August, which seem to be the only July or August ascents. The latest ever summit in the Spring season was on June 14th, 2007, by a UK party + Sherpa. Earliest was April 13, 1993 by a lone Sherpa. Summits by month:
Code:
2 2 4 21 5 4484 6 81 8 7 9 37 10 192 12 9
https://tiledevil.co.uk/blogs/mount-everest-climbers/list-of-mount-everest-climbers-1953-2000
Feel free to avoid the crowds by climbing during the monsoon. October has 4% of summits -- which is also a transition period. April has 0.4% of successful summits. June 1.2% Sure it's possible, but it requires very unusual conditions and climbers willing and able to endure even more horrific conditions. :/

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thunderhead
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PostFri May 24, 2019 10:12 am 
That October window, while it does come with winds/precip/ambient temps in the same ballpark as May, also has less sunlight and comes just after snow/avalanche season up high, which I suspect leaves things less stable.

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wolffie
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PostFri May 24, 2019 12:26 pm 
My god, that photo is a nightmare come true. My entire life is a continuous process of watching the world get worser and worser. Soon, they will be up there with leaf blowers. Lucky for me, I can still find solitude. I simply yodel and sing. Keeps away the bears. And the people. Be nice to me, or else....

Some people have better things to do with their lives than walking the dog. Some don't.
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olderthanIusedtobe
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PostFri May 24, 2019 12:28 pm 
wolffie wrote:
Lucky for me, I can still find solitude. I simply yodel and sing. Keeps away the bears. And the people. Be nice to me, or else....
I thought it was your killer attack corgi that kept people away.

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Downhill
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PostFri May 24, 2019 3:33 pm 
Doppelganger wrote:
Wow, I still can't believe that picture isn't photoshopped.
Exactly my first reaction to the photo! There are hundreds of mountains still on my wishlist, most of these I will never touch. frown.gif Everest was never on my list, for other reasons and this just adds another. Ugh.

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Backpacker Joe
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PostFri May 24, 2019 3:35 pm 
Downhill wrote:
Doppelganger wrote:
Wow, I still can't believe that picture isn't photoshopped.
Exactly my first reaction to the photo! There are hundreds of mountains still on my wishlist, most of these I will never touch. frown.gif Everest was never on my list, for other reasons and this just adds another. Ugh.
I dont believe that picture is real for a minute.

"If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die by suicide." — Abraham Lincoln
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JimmyBob
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PostFri May 24, 2019 4:32 pm 
Backpacker Joe wrote:
I dont believe that picture is real for a minute.
What about this one then? https://www.wbur.org/onlyagame/2013/06/01/mount-everest-traffic

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Tom
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PostFri May 24, 2019 5:08 pm 
Here is the FB page for the photo. I don't think it's photoshopped. https://www.facebook.com/NimsPurja/photos/pcb.2155658111155524/2155658064488862/

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