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Yes, the thin air is troublesome for humans and for helicopters. But in the 1996 Everest tragedy, IIRC,
a Nepalese military pilot managed to fly his chopper up to one of the high camps, and evacuate
two seriously-ill climbers. Apparently that had never been done before. It was pushing the outer
limits of what the little copter could do at that altitude, so much so that he had to fly them out
one at a time... he made two trips.
There used to be a helicopter show on either TLC or Discovery where they showed helicopter rescues at Everest but they could only go so high. Hikers had to be brought down to the highest base camp they could go to. I want to say the show was on about 2 years ago
journeys to the tops of the treacherous Everest Himalayan Mountains, highlighting the work of a rare breed of pilots who put their lives on the line to save those facing certain death. The series features exclusive access to a group of diverse helicopter pilots as they manage emergency calls during the 2016 climbing season as well as intimate interviews with them and their loved ones.
The thrilling series follows each pilot as he and his team venture on nail-biting missions to save stranded climbers as well as some men and women from the surrounding villages. These rescue missions are made even riskier because of the limited amount of time there is to complete them due to the high altitude. Among the pilots featured in EVEREST RESCUE is veteran Jason Laing (New Zealand) and rookies Ryan Skorecki (America) and Lorenz Nufer (Switzerland). The adrenaline-filled, six-part series debuts on Sunday, January 8th at 9pm ET on Discovery Channel.
Still searcing for the show, this is an article at least somewhat similar to what I spoke of in an earlier post but mostly delves into minds of repeat climbers. If nothing else an interesting read there's more on the site at the link.
Everest has now been summited by more than 4000 people (Credit: Rex)
“Climbing Everest looks like a big joke today,” says Captain MS Kohli, a mountaineer who in 1965 led India’s first successful expedition to summit Mount Everest. “It absolutely does not resemble the old days when there were adventures, challenges and exploration. It’s just physically going up with the help of others.”
It is a challenge, but the bigger challenge would be to climb it and not tell anybody
For Sherpas and others hired to work on Everest, the reason they keep coming back is that it’s a high-paying job. For everyone else, however, motivations are often difficult to explain, even to oneself. Professional climbers often insist that their drive differs from that of the majority of clients who pay to climb Everest, a group that is frequently accused of the lowliest of motivations: bagging the world’s highest mountain for bragging rights. “Somebody once said that climbing Everest is a challenge, but the bigger challenge would be to climb it and not tell anybody,” says Billi Bierling, a Kathmandu-based journalist and climber and personal assistant for Elizabeth Hawley, a former journalist, now 91, who has been chronicling Himalayan expeditions since the 1960s.
But few would actually admit that they climb Everest only so they can boast about it later. Instead, Everest tends to assume a symbolic importance for those who set their sights on it, often articulated terms of transformation, triumph over personal obstacles or the crown jewel in a bucket list of lifelong goals. “Everyone has a different motivation,” Bierling says. “Someone wants to spread the ashes of their dead husband, another does it for their mother, others want to kill a personal demon.”
“In some cases, it’s just ego,” Hawley adds. “In fact you have to have a certain amount of ego to get up the damn thing.”
As for professional climbers, whose love of mountaineering extends well beyond Everest, psychologists have tried to weed their motivations out for decades. Some concluded that high-risk athletes – mountaineers included – are sensation-seekers who thrive off thrill. Yet think for a moment about what climbing a mountain like Everest entails – weeks spent at various camps, allowing the body to adapt to altitude; inching up the mountain, step-by-step; using sheer willpower to push through unrelenting discomfort and exhaustion – and this explanation makes less sense. High altitude climbing, in fact, is a slog. As Matthew Barlow, a postdoctoral researcher in sports psychology at Bangor University, Wales, puts it: “Climbing something like Everest is boring, toilsome and about as far from an adrenaline rush as you can get.”
Compared to other athletes, mountaineers crave a feeling of control over their lives
A climber himself, Barlow suspected that sensation-seeking theory has long been misapplied to mountaineers. His research suggests that, compared to other athletes, mountaineers tend to possess an exaggerated “expectancy of agency”. In other words, they crave a feeling of control over their lives. Because the complexities of modern life defy such control, they are forced to seek agency elsewhere. As Barlow explains: “To demonstrate that I have influence over my life, I might go into an environment that is incredibly difficult to control – like the high mountains.”
Flirting with mortality, in other words, is part of the appeal. “If you can escape death or dodge fatal accidents, it allows you the illusion of heroism, even though I don’t think it’s truly heroic,” says David Roberts, a mountaineer, journalist and author based in Massachusetts. “It’s not like playing poker where the worst that could happen is you lose some money. The stakes are ultimate ones.”
"Given all this, climbers must decide for themselves if their passion is worth potentially losing their lives – and abandoning their loved ones – for. “On my own volition, I accept the risk and suffering, and that there is no external benefit to society,” says Conrad Anker, a mountaineer, author and leader of the North Face climbing team. “But as long as one is clear and transparent with your family and wife, then I don’t think it’s morally incorrect.”
I don't think it's for an adrenaline rush, for the serious climbers, the Heinrich Harrer and Edmund Hillary types. I think it's for the pure challenge: it's them against the mountain. Which will win: the mountain or the climber? Oh, the suspense! The struggle! The skill required!
It's about personal challenge and conquest. You know you've achieved something, when you've beat the odds and made it to the peak. (In the old days, when it really was a challenge and rare achievement.) But why once isn't enough, is a question. I don't know why they wouldn't be satisfied, having succeeded once. Why go and climb other mountains? I guess in the old days, the mountaineers would practice on lesser peaks, honing their skills, leaving Everest for their final big challenge.
Last edited by Ruth4Truth; 05-30-2019 at 10:21 AM..
If you read the book "Into Thin Air" it does a great description of what is happening on Everest from an experienced climber. It is chilling to read, and this happened decades ago.
Nepal won't regulate the passes given out because they make too much money. Anyone can summit Everest now whether or not you are in shape. IMO what is the point? It should be a challenge.
I know these companies makes a fortune bringing people to the summit, but looking at the latest death toll, time to get out of the game and find another adventure.
I don't think it's for an adrenaline rush, for the serious climbers, the Heinrich Harrer and Edmund Hillary types. I think it's for the pure challenge: it's them against the mountain. Which will win: the mountain or the climber? Oh, the suspense! The struggle! The skill required!
It's about personal challenge and conquest. You know you've achieved something, when you've beat the odds and made it to the peak. (In the old days, when it really was a challenge and rare achievement.) But why once isn't enough, is a question. I don't know why they wouldn't be satisfied, having succeeded once. Why go and climb other mountains? I guess in the old days, the mountaineers would practice on lesser peaks, honing their skills, leaving Everest for their final big challenge.
If you really enjoy something and you have the opportunity to do it again, why wouldn’t you?
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