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Everest climber left to die alone
Washington Times ^ | 5/23/06

Posted on 05/23/2006 8:42:02 AM PDT by Paddlefish

Mark Inglis, an amputee who conquered Mount Everest on artificial legs last week, yesterday defended his party's decision to carry on to the summit despite coming across a dying climber. As his team climbed through the "death zone," the area above 26,000 feet where the body begins to shut down, they passed David Sharp, 34, a stricken British climber who later died. His body remained on the mountain.

Mr. Inglis, 47, a New Zealander, said: "At 28,000 feet it's hard to stay alive yourself. He was in a very poor condition, near death. We talked about [what to do for him] for quite a lot at the time and it was a very hard decision. "About 40 people passed him that day, and no one else helped him apart from our expedition. Our Sherpas (guides) gave him oxygen. He wasn't a member of our expedition, he was a member of another, far less professional one." Mr. Sharp was among eight persons who have died on Everest this year, including another member of his group, a Brazilian. Dewa Sherpa, a manager at Asian Trekking, the Katmandu company that outfitted Mr. Sharp before his climb, said he had not taken enough oxygen and had no Sherpa guide.

*********

The company charges $6,000 to provide services as far as base camp -- far less than the $35,000 or more cost of guided trips to the summit. Other mountaineers have criticized the commercialism of climbing the 29,035-foot peak, with guides charging huge sums to climbers with minimal experience.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Miscellaneous; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: china; climbers; clymers; davidsharp; ethics; everest; greenboots; india; markinglis; mountainclimbing; mteverest; nepal; newzealand; phurbatashi; russellbrice
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To: Paddlefish

I think it is aweful unless the dying climber was a liberal or french... then, what the hell?


501 posted on 05/25/2006 9:03:17 PM PDT by Porterville (Do Not Betray The President During A Time Of War-- Unless You Are A Traitor)
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To: Porterville

That is an awful thing to say! French is a beautiful language...

I can't say anything good about liberals.


502 posted on 05/25/2006 9:06:17 PM PDT by abner (Looking for a new tagline- Next outrage please!- Got it! PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS LOST IN THE USA!)
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To: WKUHilltopper

I can't go there with you. I don't call it murder, but it was an important test failed.


503 posted on 05/25/2006 9:14:55 PM PDT by David Allen (the presumption of innocence - what a concept!)
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To: AlbionGirl

There were certain things only bought by old blacks. I assumed it was because they were cheap. This was the 1960s. They also bought Ox tail, which was the skinned tail of any large bull or cow. It's the skinned tail of the cow or bull. It's like a long, thick finger, with a bunch of joints. You cut it about 2/3 the way down and skin it. There's a decent amount of meat, and it's used as soup bones.

The butcher puts cuts half way through the bone, so it's possible to roll the thing up and bend it in doing so.

Beef kidneys were also big items.

Hearts and tongues went in chili or sausage, which I made from scratch.


504 posted on 05/25/2006 9:19:40 PM PDT by David Allen (the presumption of innocence - what a concept!)
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To: abner
THanks eddie. I was looking at Jamies site. He apparently goes up the N col. I got confused on where Kat was. I grabbed a map, so I won't get lost. :)

I am looking for pics of the terrian for the climb up the N col. I have some that go to 8300M and am looking for the last 5-6 hundred meters. Do you know where any are? Jamie's site seems to only go up that far.

BTW, it looks like running to someone's aid is fairly common. They seem to be giving supplies, but the supplies are probably in short supply. The parties seem to have comms, but it seems there's also a language barrier. I would think each group, or person would have a radio.

505 posted on 05/25/2006 9:45:26 PM PDT by spunkets
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To: eddie willers

sorry, blew The ping. Last one was for you too.


506 posted on 05/25/2006 9:46:51 PM PDT by spunkets
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To: spunkets

Do I REALLY look like Eddie??? ;-)


507 posted on 05/25/2006 10:10:38 PM PDT by abner (Looking for a new tagline- Next outrage please!- Got it! PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS LOST IN THE USA!)
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To: abner; eddie willers
OK, I got the top 200m. This is the second step. It leads to a snow filled ravine and then up to the summit. There's another 2-300m missing. Is the first step like this one and the rest is slope?


508 posted on 05/25/2006 10:14:30 PM PDT by spunkets
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To: abner

Sorry, I blew the ping. Both you guys were supposed to be pinged. :)


509 posted on 05/25/2006 10:15:36 PM PDT by spunkets
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To: spunkets

I'll see if I can find my book in the morning. I'm painting the inside of my house and everything isn't where it is supposed to be.

The book, Ghosts of Everest by Eric Simonson covers the north side extensively. As it is pertinent to the attempt to find Mallory and Irvine.

On a side note, he gave me a credit in the book.. ;-) He didn't have to. I just made them some banners.


510 posted on 05/25/2006 11:46:17 PM PDT by abner (Looking for a new tagline- Next outrage please!- Got it! PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS LOST IN THE USA!)
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To: abner

Thanks very much. I've been looking, but haven't found what that missing 2-300m looks like yet. Have fun painting. :o)


511 posted on 05/26/2006 12:00:16 AM PDT by spunkets
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To: David Allen
I did know about Ox tail, and have seen soup recipes calling for it.

I was a big fan of the Frugal Gourmet, and one time I followed one of his recipes for roasting beef bones for 12 hours, capturing all that the bones and marrow rendered and making consomme (sp?). It was really, really good, had the consistency of gelatin and the bones yielded a lot more volume than I anticipated.

A couple of my uncles were butchers in Italy. One of them, who was married to my aunt, used to bring my Mom meat for her to make sauce during a time when meat was purchased sparingly because work and money were both scarce. He was a really good guy. Liked his wine, which my aunt would rail against so he'd escape to the peace of my Mom's kitchen and simple meal.

A good butcher is like a good mechanic, when you find one you realize what you have and so you're really loyal.

512 posted on 05/26/2006 4:14:16 AM PDT by AlbionGirl
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To: spunkets
The book, Ghosts of Everest by Eric Simonson covers the north side extensively. As it is pertinent to the attempt to find Mallory and Irvine.

That's the book I picked out of boredom at the library.

It so fascinated me, that I began to really research Everest and read everything I could about it.

The picture you posted shows the "Third Step" ahead, hiding the "Snow Pyramid" that is the last feature before the summit. The picture below is the "Third Step" and beyond

Here's a great, compact photo showing the complete Route from the Northeast ridge, across a bit of the face, up to the ridge just before the "First Step", swoop below and go up the Middle of the Second Step, over the Third Step and, for most climbers, around the Snow Pyramid and up to the summit with a circuitous climb across the North Face.


513 posted on 05/26/2006 5:22:12 AM PDT by eddie willers
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To: abner
"Even with two Sherpas it was not going to be possible to get David down the tricky sections below"

I'm sure apologies will follow from all the posters here who condemned the climbers and quoted the story of the Good Samaritan. (not holding my breath)

No doubt these arm-chair Good Samaritans could have lowered the climber down the entire mountain with one hand while reading from the Bible in the other hand and singing the Hallelujah chorus at the top of their lungs.

514 posted on 05/26/2006 5:34:52 AM PDT by Mr. Brightside
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To: xzins; Alex Murphy
It was a picture of James Hong:

You remember "Snotty" from Revenge of the Nerds II?

515 posted on 05/26/2006 5:48:33 AM PDT by Frumanchu (quod erat demonstrandum)
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To: Frumanchu
James Hong

Which version - the ten-foot-tall roadblock, or the little old basketcase on wheels? ;)

516 posted on 05/26/2006 6:05:10 AM PDT by Alex Murphy (Colossians 4:6)
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To: Alex Murphy
Not Lo Pan...

Not Hannibal Chew...

But Snotty!


517 posted on 05/26/2006 6:23:38 AM PDT by Frumanchu (quod erat demonstrandum)
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To: David Allen
The man's moral standing has no bearing on one's duty to act, and his participation in a game of chance and excitement do not negate the duty others have to him.

I beg your pardon. The man deliberately placed himself in a position where he knew full well that if he failed to pull it off, others would have to risk death or die themselves in vain attempts to save him from his folly. What principle gives him a claim on their lives? No man is required to forfeit his own life for another's man selfish vanity.

There is no nobility in this folly. None. Quit trying to put lipstick on a pig.

The really "cheap dime store stuff" here is the various sappy mental mastications calling this a "good samaritan" scenario. It is not. I'm sure it makes you feel holy and self-righteous to utter these silly edicts ex cathedra from the throne of your K-Mart task chair, but you really shouldn't conflate feeble and opaque ponderousness with wisdom.

518 posted on 05/26/2006 6:40:17 AM PDT by JCEccles ( “It is error alone which needs the support of government. Truth can stand by itself.” Jefferson)
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To: JCEccles

Verbosity, Eccles is thy name.


519 posted on 05/26/2006 8:22:54 AM PDT by David Allen (the presumption of innocence - what a concept!)
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To: AlbionGirl

Once you know meat, you know which part came from where on the cow, and you know good meat. When possible, it's best to get your cuts right then, when you buy the meat. I don't like getting cuts that have been in a package for an undetermined time.


520 posted on 05/26/2006 8:30:39 AM PDT by David Allen (the presumption of innocence - what a concept!)
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