how sad is this?

[crisgal]

http://www.dailymail....-conquering-peak.html

I can't quite believe it. the poor man.
If you saw a film depicting such a tale, you would think it incredulous!

I don't quite understand why they had to leave him though.

[gen2]

Quote "Several hours to descend just 250 metres"

If they hadn't left him, they would all have died. At that altitude they need a constant supply of bottled oxygen and would have been running out. There would have been an urgency to get back to a lower altitude and to rejoin their support camp.

It is much like divers at a great depth - if one gets into difficulties, there is only a limited amount of time that others can stay to assist before they have insufficient air to reach the surface themselves.

[crisgal]

oh i see. so so sad.

[MarkRae]

Occupational hazard... Everest, like most other similar mountains, is littered with the corpses of climbers:
http://www.google.co....image&ved=0CCwQ9QEwBQ

[crisgal]

goodness me that's grim.

[BertiWooster]

It is a sad outcome , and one feels sympathy for his family .

However on a more general note , i cannot see the point of the exercise - perhaps someone can explain .
It's not as if there is some worthwhile goal - if it was akin for example, of searching for the North West passage , i could see the point .

[crisgal]

At the risk of appearing thick: What's the north west passage bert?

[BertiWooster]

http://www.helium.com...arly-american-history

[crisgal]

how very interesting. i'd never heard of it.

[R1Geezer]

Berti, if you have to ask the question then you are one of the many faint hearts who will never be able to provide or even understand the answer. Enjoy your safe mediocrity.

[crisgal]

it was me who asked the question, geezer.

[jno]

good news, Berti: thanks to climate change, they've found it

http://en.wikipedia.o...cts_of_climate_change

[ummmm]

That is sad....

I stayed at a diving hotel in Egypt....two divers never surfaced. They tried to search for them but ran out of air.

[Booldawg]

@R1Geezer; 'Enjoy your safe mediocrity' LOL, hark at Bear Grylls!

[redman41]

Yes watched it on BBC Northwest last night. Very sad for his Family but I suppose he will be on Everest forever more now like many before him......

[R1Geezer]

yes crisgal, but Berti was "not seeing the point"

Booldawg, that's the thing you see, you have no idea what I've done!

Bear Grylls?? Amateur! I hear he does all that survival stuff then goes back to the Hotel!

[lotsafun]

its so sad and i really feel for his family and for the ones who had to leave him behind, that mustve been soul destroying! But it makes you think why on earth people feel the need to climb these mountains whaen the risks are so high and that all they get for it is a photo at the top.
when i climb the mountain behind my house, my reward is the pub at the top of llanwonno.

[BertiWooster]

safe mediocrity ?

I'll have you know - i have to fight sabre tooth tigers / wrestle crocodiles / swim in shark infested waters / avoid women drivers putting on their make up while driving .

And that's just to get to work in the mornings

[jno]

all while holding your hat on with your other hand. It's not easy being a modern male.

[BertiWooster]

Quite , jno - I didn't mention that because i didn't want to give the impression, that i was showing off