SKI 15 Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 Everest mountaineer says crowding by 'hobby climbers' is path to tragedy Ralf Dujmovits, who photographed 'human snake' of 600 climbers on ascent, pleads for stricter curbs on tourist flows Ralf Dujmovits had reached the South Col of Mount Everest, at a height of just under 8,000m, on 18 May when he made the painful but necessary decision to turn back due to the stormy conditions that had taken hold at the summit. The 50-year-old German, who is considered to be one of the most experienced mountaineers in the world, was astounded and horrified to see a long queue of tourists snaking their way up the mountain as he struggled to descend in difficult conditions. He described his experience on Wednesday after an image from his camera caught the attention of picture editors around the world with its depiction of human overcrowding on the most popular mountain in the world. "I was at around 7,900m and saw in the distance on the Lhotse face a human snake, people cheek by jowl making their way up. There were 39 expeditions on the mountain at the same time, amounting to more than 600 people. I had never seen Everest that crowded before." Link to post Share on other sites
pie-eater 207 Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 Looks like they could do with a gondola. And a McDonalds at the top! Link to post Share on other sites
DumbStick 13 Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 I saw that, wild image. Do you need some kind of permission to get up to that point even? Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 look how steep that is....thats not Everest, its Mt Granview, mountain of dreams Link to post Share on other sites
pie-eater 207 Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 Message from grinch, Tubby >>> Link to post Share on other sites
iiyamadude 6 Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 That's pretty wild. I think being up there in those surroundings would just freak me out, couldn't do it. Link to post Share on other sites
NoFakie 45 Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 Go home Ralfy! You're crowding the mountain! If he was "struggling to descend in difficult conditions", at least he had some amazing viz to enjoy the scenery. Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 Haha yes I was just thinking that. I wouldn't mind being there with my camera! Link to post Share on other sites
snowdude 44 Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 Would love to climb Everest if I get the chance. It actually costs a lot of money to climb it apparently, although anyone can climb it even without experience, which would surely be a death wish! Apparently their are also many dead bodies scattered around the mountain, where people have perished attempting to reach the summit. Because it is just too expensive, time consuming and difficult to remove the bodies from the mountain. Link to post Share on other sites
systemsguy 0 Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 What's the money for, snowdude? Guides? Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 you need a permit to be allowed to climb and it differs depending on which side you climb from (the Nepal side or the Chinese side). Some of these permits will include support services and some of them won't. I read a book a while back about a disastrous expedition a few years back when a large number of people died on the mountain. It was called "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer......very good read and if anyone harbours the slightest of thoughts about climbing Everest, this should dispel them right away. Link to post Share on other sites
gerard 6 Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 That was such a good book! Seems like this has been another bad year on Everest. Link to post Share on other sites
snowdude 44 Posted June 4, 2012 Share Posted June 4, 2012 What's the money for, snowdude? Guides? Yes, and as Tb stated the permit, which I think costs money too. Not including the equipment that you would need to buy to even attempt to climb it! Link to post Share on other sites
onsen tamago 0 Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 Wonder what happens if you try to climb without a permit... Link to post Share on other sites
Go Native 70 Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 In Nepal there's a very structured permit system based on the height of the mountain you wish to climb and of course Everst being the highest is the most expensive. On Everest the permit cost also depends on the route you take up the mountain. The SE ridge which is the most popular route as it is not very technical costs from $10,000 per person for groups of 8 or more. It goes up to $25,000 for those attempting it solo. Route changes after being issued a permit can attract up to an extra $20,000 fee. All major routes into base camps of major mountains have stations you have to pass through where your permits will be inspected before allowing you to go further. These costs are purely for permission to climb the mountain. Add in the expedition costs and climbing Everest is a very expensive undertaking but as we see from the pic above one that many people are willing to pay for. Link to post Share on other sites
HeatherLocklearRocks 1 Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 Surely gnarly people, like us, would just not bother and get hiking with a few jam butties in their backpack. Naked of course. Link to post Share on other sites
BagOfCrisps 24 Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 Blimey. That's a ton of cash. I hope the locals are getting lots of that, what makes me think that others might be taking the chunk. Link to post Share on other sites
pie-eater 207 Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 If it was done on height and gnarliness, imagine how much a permit to climb Mt Granview would cost! Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 Surely gnarly people, like us, would just not bother and get hiking with a few jam butties in their backpack. Naked of course. maybe throw in a thermos of tea....its is Everest Link to post Share on other sites
2pints-mate 0 Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 and a packet of crisps Link to post Share on other sites
2pints-mate 0 Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 Seriously though, Go Native.... really? Who gets that cash? Link to post Share on other sites
Go Native 70 Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 The Nepalese government gets it. It's a fairly significant income source for the country's economy. Expedition costs will normally include local guides and porters. This brings quite a lot of money into areas that would otherwise basically just be subsistence farming communities living mostly outside of a cash economy. Link to post Share on other sites
frannyo 2 Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 Very interesting I had no idea either. Link to post Share on other sites
Go Native 70 Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 There's been plenty of issues though with exploitation of porters. Low pay, excessive loads and insufficient gear for accessing high altitude. Obviously very poor villagers will agree to almost any conditions for a little money and of course whenever money is involved in developing nations there will be exploitation and corruption. A fair bit has been done though to improve this situation. Link to post Share on other sites
Nisoko 6 Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 You'd think with so much cash being paid to go up at least they'd kit the people out adequatly. Sheesh. Link to post Share on other sites
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