[oust the louse]

Makes no sense to me when you know that climbing and descending from the summit could kill you. I have a 100% chance of living if I don’t climb and maybe a 95% if I do climb....I’ll take the higher number please.

[jboot]

It doesn't matter how well trained you are, what kind of equipment you have or what kind of physical condition you are in, you still run a significant risk of developing altitude sickness climbing Everest.

If it hits while you are summiting your chances of survival are less than 50/50. People have sat down and died right beside the summit trail and refused to move further, beliving that they are in a whiteout blizzard on a perfectly sunny day. The SOP is to leave these cases alone, because while trying to save them additional climbers can be killed. It's a scary place.