Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

To: mkmensinger

Which peak is Everest?
great pick. I thought those tents were trash or air canisters


11 posted on 12/18/2012 5:59:49 PM PST by winodog (Thank you Jesus for the calm in my life)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]


To: winodog

Everest is on the left side in the back. About 12 years ago I was on a climbing trip to attempt Cho Oyu which is the 6th highest peak and about 20 miles west of Everest. Mant of our climbers got a cold before base camp and I caught it right before moving from base camp at around 16,000 ft to high camp at around 18,500 ft. It turned into pneumonia and I had to go down.

The highest peak I have summited is Cerro Aconcagua in the Argentina Andes by the Polish Glacier route which is probably the second hardest route after the south face route. Aconcagua is just under 23,000 ft and the difficulty near the top was about 4 breaths for every step (no oxygen) and around minus 15F at the warmest time of the day. The climb took 21 days total in and out and the summit day started at 3 a.m. from high camp at 19,500 ft and we summited at 4:00 p.m. and back down to high camp at around 11:00 p.m. I lost 25 pounds, 175 to 150 in three weeks. During the short climbing window (maybe 8 weeks) in the south american summer there were around 7 fatalities on Aconcagua that year. Many were for inproper altitude acclimation. We hauled gear into base camp at 14,000 ft using hired mules, but then did two load carries (about 75 lbs each) to 16, 500 ft and then 19,500 ft camps with a rest day between each carry day. Got pinned in tents by high (over 80mph wind and minus 25F weather.

After Cho Oyu I wouls never try Everest. Two Sherpas on a S. Korean expedition were ahead of us on Cho Oyu and were fixing ropes when they were blown off the mountain when a storm came up with estimated 150mph wind. They were never found.


14 posted on 12/18/2012 8:32:56 PM PST by MtnClimber (I did not vote for 0bama, someone else did that!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson