Might this exacerbate the trash problem? (CW: unpleasant things)
posted by Lemkin at 3:52 PM on May 21 [1 favorite]

I'm holding out hope that China will just install a monorail on their side, end this farce.

(Congrats to the five sherpa team however.)
posted by joeyh at 3:55 PM on May 21 [5 favorites]

Might this exacerbate the trash problem?

How? In the long term maybe if it creates a boom in Everest summits, somehow, I guess? Though I don't know how many people are on the fence about summiting Everest unless they can do it hella fast. There's also the fact that probably you create a lot less waste in 5 days than in 21 to consider.
posted by axiom at 3:56 PM on May 21 [1 favorite]

Oh, all they had to do was spend hundreds of hours and sleep in hypoxic chambers in the weeks before leaving, basically doing the acclimation process artificially rather than on the mountain.

I didn’t know it was possible to make me think the tourists who climbed Everest the standard way were sensible by comparison, but it apparently is
posted by Jon_Evil at 3:59 PM on May 21 [4 favorites]

Oh, who cares? There’s no “race to the top of the world.”
posted by Galvanic at 4:00 PM on May 21 [1 favorite]

Might this exacerbate the trash problem? (CW: unpleasant things)

As expected, the reviews thus far are more than mixed - to be kind - and highly opinionated, but the Brits' camp is claiming their footprint, being lesser duration, was smaller in nearly all aspects. YMMV
posted by thecincinnatikid at 4:00 PM on May 21

British climber: Xe Xe!

Chinese worker: No need to thank me, you're paying quite handsomely!

British climber (choking): Xe Xe!

Chinese worker: these brits, so unnecessarily polite!
posted by lalochezia at 4:05 PM on May 21 [5 favorites]

Scaling a giant human corpse sprinkled ice cream cone is the ultimate speedrun.
posted by CynicalKnight at 4:08 PM on May 21 [5 favorites]

I wonder if this differs significantly from more traditional blood doping methods like EPO or transfusions, or it's just the same effect but with a more socially acceptable method.
posted by ssg at 4:32 PM on May 21 [1 favorite]

Meanwhile... All Elite Wrestling's Darby Allin took five months off from his career to train for his ascent, which he completed last week. But not before setting an unofficial world record -- he brought his skateboard with him and performed a kickflip at 20,958 feet. He would have gone last year, but he got hit by a bus (for real, not as a wrestling storyline).
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 4:32 PM on May 21 [2 favorites]

Painting my many and steep front steps is my personal Everest. I wonder if these guys could help.
posted by Rumple at 5:00 PM on May 21 [1 favorite]

Oh, who cares? There’s no “race to the top of the world.”

There's only a race to the bottom.
posted by notoriety public at 5:04 PM on May 21 [2 favorites]

>Scaling a giant human corpse sprinkled ice cream cone is the ultimate speedrun.

I mean I walk my dog at the cemetery.
posted by alex_skazat at 5:25 PM on May 21

This could cause a lot more tourist summits if it ends up being less expensive. Sure the oxygen tent adds money but a week-long trip costs a hell of a lot less money and privilege than a 6-8 week trip.

And yes that seems like a bad thing for waste and corpse litter even if each individual group has a smaller footprint based on time.
posted by SaltySalticid at 5:27 PM on May 21

From The Pluto Gangsta's second link: At least four people have died while climbing Everest this season (April to end of May), with others still reported missing. A total of 468 climbing permits have been issued, and more than 200 summits have been logged so far, including 135 on Sunday.

I don't understand the desire to climb mountains, and the risk tolerance over Everest climbers is about 20-30 times higher than mine, but I *do* understand the desire to visit popular wilderness attractions, even when being part of the large crowds kinda ruins the visit. You might understand that urge too, if you've ever been to some place like Half Dome, or Yellowstone, or joined the crowds walking down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon some sunny weekend. (An astonishing portion of whom are people who you kind of want to stop and be like "wait! do you have any idea what kind of a big climb 5000 feet is?" but you don't because that would be really rude and they are about to find out in any case. Another astonishing portion are trail runners doing a rim to rim to rim.)

The crowds leave trash and sometimes human waste, and destroy the whole "I am experiencing wondrous and unspoilt nature" vibe, and yet visiting those sorts of singular places are highlights of the trips I have taken to them. I guess I'm saying that I find it hard to completely mock those Everest fools. Sometimes I wonder if having areas that are big draws helps keep people from spreading out to other areas, and gives land use orgs a place to focus on mitigation efforts. Everest has had people go up and pack out some of the waste, but do they do the same thing on K2? Or lesser peaks?
posted by surlyben at 5:41 PM on May 21 [1 favorite]

So crazy how articles and posts about someone becoming the "fastest person" to summit Everest somehow act like the Sherpa guides who are traveling with them are somehow not counted as people.

Don't really know anything about this and I'm sure there are a lot of people in the climbing world who aren't thinking like that and doing good anti-colonial work - but I'm always like wtf when I see articles around this topic.

Or are the sherpas not accompanying them the whole route? Idk - those guys are the real pros.
posted by grimace636 at 5:53 PM on May 21

Breathing the noble gasses: inhaling xenon will make your voice entertainingly low and resonant (opposite effect of breathing helium) but, for safety, don't forget that it's heavier than air. Consider standing on your head to clear your lungs.
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 5:56 PM on May 21

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