Incredible woman.

yeh im eith you graphilty-slave i just don't see how it could be fun.

like doing a lap of finno on a road bike. just painful, and hard.

normal road biking is awesome. you will love it soon. just you wait.

I'd love to go as far as Base Camp, just to be at the foot of the thing would be immense

I would far rather get myself and my mates up a much smaller peak unaided, as B.A.Nana says.

I obviously mis-read, I thought we were thinking of unassisted summiting of everest, not led-by-a-guide walking. Naturally being led up on a leash doesn't have the same appeal.

I thought we were thinking of unassisted summiting of everest,

I think very few people do that – most do it with commercial expedition companies.

I think very few people do that – most do it with commercial expedition companies.

From what I've heard/read it's almost impossible to get permits as a lone climber. The guiding companies buy up all the permits each year on a sort of allotted system – a bit like Graham Baxter Sporting Tours buying all the UK permits for the Etape du Tour so you have to go through them.
There's a limited number of permits per year in order to try and keep the mountain reasonably tidy and safe.

I think very few people do that – most do it with commercial expedition companies.

While I was on a flight of fancy thinking about being good enough to attempt it, I didn't think about the permits etc required to actually make it happen. 🙂

reading the books etc it seems its all roped and shared roped at that. so a solo attempt these days isnt quite the solo attempt it was in the 50's either. youd be clipping into ropes and using ladders put down by someone else.

(not taking away from the fact it would be epically hard)

One view:
(a friend of mine's blog after a death and subsequent court action a few years ago. you may remember)

Thursday, July 20, 2006
Judge rules that climbing Everest is dangerous

Without wishing to speak ill of the dead, Micheal Matthews is just the latest in a string of unfortunates with more money than sense who thought that $40,000 was an adequate substitute for skill, experience and judgement. There's nothing new about it, over-wealthy FHM readers have been carking-it on Everest for years, but because these people don't bother to find out what they're getting into there's always plenty of fresh avalanche fodder. There's probably a few out at base camp now, having the 'ultimate adventure' supplied (for a small recompense, of course) by X-Treme Fanny-Magnet Adventures, Ltd. I have very little sympathy for them. I do however note that nobody throws their hands in the air in horror and starts threatening court action every time a Sherpa with a wife and five kids to feed gets killed by his client's ambition and incompetence. The whole farce hearkens back to the Victorian era of mountaineering, when first ascents were always accredited to 'gentlemen' (i.e. rich British toff being dragged up on a rope) as opposed to 'professionals' (i.e. competent local doing the dragging).

Some will accuse me of insensitivity – but hey, that's mountaineering for you. If you choose to stick your dick in a bee's nest that's your prerogative, but don't sue the beekeeper when you get stung.

I don't know why these people bother to climb Everest anyway, it's not as if there's much actual 'climbing' on the South Col route. You could get the same experience at a fraction of the cost by going into an airtight, refrigerated meat-locker and spending thirty six hours on a stairmaster. skyhighandstillrising.blogspot.com

colnagokid and gravity slave,

If your french is any good, or you want to improve but need something interesting to read, find this:

http://www.amazon.fr/Trace-lAnge-vie-Marco-Siffredi/dp/2911755839

Hugely interesting, engaging and moving book.

B.A.Nana

Can't recall the the title but the book was by Ed Douglas. Thought it was really good myself. Used to see her on the crags and repeated some of her routes. Remember the critisism of her for leaving the kids with their father and then dying on K2, as she did it on purpose. If it had been the dad would comments have been the same? Once I'd read the book things looked very different.

houns, basecamp is pretty dull, we were in kathmandu and bought a map then took a few weeks to walk up there staying in tea houses along the way, its a nice walk but deffo not an "acheivement" any tool can do it without a guide, a few idiots around also, one guy we stopped to talk with (a very nice south african chap) was with an american who when we asked them if they wanted to join us for a cuppa said (as he threw his can of coke over his shoulder) "**** that man, lets trek" much to our delight he was airlifted off later on in the trip due to altitude sickness…utter tool, some other american was overheard in one place complaining "you call this a burger?" to one of the locals who just cooked him a meal…
i have heard the annapurna circuit is much better.

is it / was it selfish for him to go leaving a girlfriend behind? Not according to her, it's what he does and she accepts it without question.

That is fine, it's his girlfriend and she presumably new the deal at the outset. Things change with responsibilty, especially when children are involved. They have no say in the matter but have to suffer the consequences of 'Daddy' or indeed 'Mummy' not being around. It's all very well saying that people are 'driven' or climbing 'defines' who they are, but ultimately they climb because they want to, disappearing for months at a time, with a reasonable chance they won't come back. It takes a certain type of highly self motivated or even narcissistic personality to even consider doing that.

Having said that, I am full of admiration for those who do it and maybe a touch envious that I have neither the talent, drive or ambition to do something to the exclusion of everything else.

My claim to fame is that I was once invited to climb Everest as part of a team of 4.

I declined on the grounds that I didn't want to climb Everest with anyone who would have me on their expedition.