Mt Everest
Congratulations to all Olympian athletes who were awarded with gold. Particularly for those who aspire from lesser known tropical island nations of the South Pacific, such as Vanuatu and Samoa, or Tonga. You get there only through a lot of hard work and self-discipline.
Some say the attempt to climb the highest peaks of the world is one of the most extreme sports. More demanding than winning Olympian gold. Once the Olympian has climbed the podium and received the gold medal, watched by millions, it is a simple step down, to go and join the post-games parties.
It is quite different for the sports person who desires to conquer the world’s great mountains. There is no thunderous round of applause. Only the long agonizing descent back to base camp. No easy trips off the mountain, unless the climber wishes to end up in a body bag.
In the Death Zone, anything above 22,950 feet, the body no longer acclimatizes. Body functions, like digesting food, have long closed down. Sleep is impossible. The longer the stay on the mountain top, the greater the danger of body deterioration, loss of consciousness and finally death. Every climber knows the possibility of a rescue mission at these heights is unthinkable.
The goddess of the sky, as the local’s call Everest, has claimed around 210 lives. Over 120 corpses still lie on Everest’s frozen slopes. Some are still in plain view of other climbers. Locals say, the goddess zealously punishes any illicit sex performed on the mountain. It’s not always just the perpetrators who die.
A 76 year old Nepalese climbed Mt Everest this season. He thinks he will be back for some more. But then the Nepalese have been climbing their jealous god for ever. Without the aid of oxygen, Appa Sherpa has been up 11 times and Ang Rita Sherpa and Babi Chiri Sherpa have both climbed 10 times.
Everest has an even more dangerous sister, K2, nicknamed “The Mountain that invites death.” Recently K2 witnessed the worst climbing incident in the history of the mountains, since 13 lives were lost over a period of two weeks in 1986. A recent expedition cost 11 lives on K2’s deceitful slopes.
Cries of lack of preparation and sufficient experience are once more echoing in the hallowed halls of mountaineering. The same as was sung after 1986, as explained in Jon Krakauer’s compelling book, ‘Into Thin Air’.
Who is to blame for the deaths? The climber’s determination, driving ambition, endurance and belief in themselves or is it just the deadly nature of the mountains?
In spite of the huge amount of fees imposed by the Nepalese government, $US25000 per climber, people continue to climb the mountains as long as they are there.
Killer mountains or not, the climbers line up every season for one more try at the unattainable, as they huddle for months at base camp at 16,000 feet. While the mountain is there, people will climb the killer slopes. Be it Olympian gold or snowy mountain peaks, mankind needs a challenge.
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
