Peak Oil
Donate Bitcoin

Donate Paypal


PeakOil is You

PeakOil is You

I'm going...!

What's on your mind?
General interest discussions, not necessarily related to depletion.
Post a reply

I'm going...!

Unread postby lorenzo » Wed 01 Oct 2008, 15:51:06

Wish me luck, it's finally decided: I will be doing an attempt to summit Everest in May 2010.

Peak oxygen, in the literal sense... :)

The Beginning is Near!


PS: will send PO a Post Card from the Peak. Lovely photo (but, very large)

Edit: Changed [img] to [url] per COC 3.1.2. -FL
The Beginning is Near!
User avatar
lorenzo
Intermediate Crude
Intermediate Crude
 
Posts: 2184
Joined: Sat 01 Jan 2005, 04:00:00
Top

Re: I'm going...!

Unread postby wisconsin_cur » Wed 01 Oct 2008, 15:56:55

Good luck, I look forward to hearing details of your progress while you train and start this journey.
http://www.thenewfederalistpapers.com
User avatar
wisconsin_cur
Light Sweet Crude
Light Sweet Crude
 
Posts: 4576
Joined: Thu 10 May 2007, 03:00:00
Location: 45 degrees North. 883 feet above sealevel.
Top

Re: I'm going...!

Unread postby jasonraymondson » Wed 01 Oct 2008, 16:01:22

Don't look down
jasonraymondson
Permanently Banned
 
Posts: 2727
Joined: Wed 04 Jul 2007, 03:00:00
Location: Peace Out
Top

Re: I'm going...!

Unread postby lorenzo » Wed 01 Oct 2008, 16:10:12

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('jasonraymondson', 'D')on't look down


Well, the descent is indeed the most dangerous part, because you're over your high, and you can easily lose your concentration.

As the saying goes: "going up is optional, getting down is mandatory".

Not sure whether there's an analogy here with PO. :)
The Beginning is Near!
User avatar
lorenzo
Intermediate Crude
Intermediate Crude
 
Posts: 2184
Joined: Sat 01 Jan 2005, 04:00:00
Top

Re: I'm going...!

Unread postby AgentR » Wed 01 Oct 2008, 16:20:57

Civilized and Tourista-ized a bit or not, Everest can still kill people easily enough; never take her lightly.

Best of luck. and...

TALLY HO!

NB: I'll be happy if I manage to get up to 14k again! lol
Yes, we are. As we are.
And so shall we remain; Until the end.
User avatar
AgentR
Heavy Crude
Heavy Crude
 
Posts: 1946
Joined: Fri 06 Oct 2006, 03:00:00
Location: East Texas
Top

Re: I'm going...!

Unread postby lorenzo » Wed 01 Oct 2008, 16:25:11

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('wisconsin_cur', 'G')ood luck, I look forward to hearing details of your progress while you train and start this journey.


Thanks. I'll keep a blog for as long as I can and keep you up to date!
The Beginning is Near!
User avatar
lorenzo
Intermediate Crude
Intermediate Crude
 
Posts: 2184
Joined: Sat 01 Jan 2005, 04:00:00
Top

Re: I'm going...!

Unread postby Madpaddy » Wed 01 Oct 2008, 16:32:14

Good luck Lorenzo.
User avatar
Madpaddy
Expert
Expert
 
Posts: 2043
Joined: Fri 25 Jun 2004, 03:00:00
Top

Re: I'm going...!

Unread postby kpeavey » Wed 01 Oct 2008, 16:33:35

You can save yourself a lot of hard work if you use a parachute.
If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face--for ever."
-George Orwell, 1984
_____

twenty centuries of stony sleep were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle, and what rough beast, its hour come round at last, slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?
-George Yeats
User avatar
kpeavey
Expert
Expert
 
Posts: 1670
Joined: Mon 04 Oct 2004, 03:00:00
Top

Re: I'm going...!

Unread postby TheDude » Wed 01 Oct 2008, 16:46:02

Best wishes!

Damn, $65k USD to climb the thing? I'll stick to climbing trees!

National Geographic Adventure Magazine: Ask Adventure--Tips

YouTube - Monty Python - Hairdressers Expedition on Everest

"Everest: aloof, forbidding...the mountain with the biggest tits on the planet..."

:lol:
Cogito, ergo non satis bibivi
And let me tell you something: I dig your work.
User avatar
TheDude
Expert
Expert
 
Posts: 4896
Joined: Thu 06 Apr 2006, 03:00:00
Location: 3 miles NW of Champoeg, Republic of Cascadia
Top

Re: I'm going...!

Unread postby lorenzo » Wed 01 Oct 2008, 16:46:07

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('AgentR', 'C')ivilized and Tourista-ized a bit or not, Everest can still kill people easily enough; never take her lightly. Best of luck. and...TALLY HO!

Thanks!

Everyone with enough money can walk up to Everest, it is said. Most mountaineers who I admire tremendously say it's not the most difficult of climbs.

But indeed, the difference is between those who do it out of love for mountaineering and who show enough respect to the mountain, and those who do it to prove themselves to others and often disregard the basic rules of climbing at high altitude.
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('AgentR', 'N')B: I'll be happy if I manage to get up to 14k again! lol

Well, as long as you enjoy the climb it doesn't matter what altitude you reach. And 14k can be challenging as such. So do keep it up! :)
The Beginning is Near!
User avatar
lorenzo
Intermediate Crude
Intermediate Crude
 
Posts: 2184
Joined: Sat 01 Jan 2005, 04:00:00
Top

Re: I'm going...!

Unread postby drew » Wed 01 Oct 2008, 16:50:23

You are a lucky bastard!

Be very careful, and best of luck.

(if you are not already very experienced, you should read Krakauer's book, and train doubly hard, or don't go!)

Drew
User avatar
drew
Tar Sands
Tar Sands
 
Posts: 953
Joined: Thu 22 Jul 2004, 03:00:00
Location: canada
Top

Re: I'm going...!

Unread postby Pops » Wed 01 Oct 2008, 16:56:16

Yes, good luck.

Enjoy easy energy while you can.
The legitimate object of government, is to do for a community of people, whatever they need to have done, but can not do, at all, or can not, so well do, for themselves -- in their separate, and individual capacities.
-- Abraham Lincoln, Fragment on Government (July 1, 1854)
User avatar
Pops
Elite
Elite
 
Posts: 19746
Joined: Sat 03 Apr 2004, 04:00:00
Location: QuikSac for a 6-Pac
Top

Re: I'm going...!

Unread postby lorenzo » Wed 01 Oct 2008, 17:30:11

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('TheDude', 'B')est wishes! YouTube - Monty Python - Hairdressers Expedition on Everest
"Everest: aloof, forbidding...the mountain with the biggest *** on the planet..." :lol:

Thanks TheDude! Yes, it's a classic Monty Python jewel, good laughs. :-D
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('drew', 'Y')ou are a lucky bastard! Be very careful, and best of luck. (if you are not already very experienced, you should read Krakauer's book, and train doubly hard, or don't go!)

Thanks Drew, I've read Krakauer and some things have changed after the 1996 disaster (and certainly after the successful rescue of Lincoln Hall). I'm not saying that the risks have diminished, but the ethics of near-summit rescues have definitely changed. In any case, thanks for reminding me, the book is always somewhere near my night table! :)

Training is in full swing, I've done Aconcagua and Pissis this year, return to Aconcagua and Mercedario next year, and been running marathons for many years. The Alps in between!
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Pops', 'Y')es, good luck. Enjoy easy energy while you can.

Hey Pops, thanks! In fact, I think any serious climb is an exercise in understanding the concept of energy, efficiency and the fragility of one's own metabolism. To know what it takes to summit certainly humbles you, but at the same time you're very driven to achieve something. So it boils down to making the best of what you got with a fixed amount of energy...

The drive does make me an optimist, though, both on the mountain and on the topic of PO! :-D
The Beginning is Near!
User avatar
lorenzo
Intermediate Crude
Intermediate Crude
 
Posts: 2184
Joined: Sat 01 Jan 2005, 04:00:00
Top

Re: I'm going...!

Unread postby HeckuvaJob » Wed 01 Oct 2008, 17:31:44

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('lorenzo', 'E')veryone with enough money can walk up to Everest, it is said.

......great book that deals with that.

Congratulations! I hope your blog starts with the training. I'd also be interested to hear about equipment selection, weight considerations, medical preparation, etc.
User avatar
HeckuvaJob
Lignite
Lignite
 
Posts: 326
Joined: Sat 09 Aug 2008, 03:00:00
Location: Pittsburgh
Top

Re: I'm going...!

Unread postby Carlhole » Wed 01 Oct 2008, 17:40:23

Take your cell phone with you!
Carlhole
 
Top

Re: I'm going...!

Unread postby RedStateGreen » Wed 01 Oct 2008, 21:13:35

Good luck! :)
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('efarmer', '&')quot;Taste the sizzling fury of fajita skillet death you marauding zombie goon!"

First thing to ask: Cui bono?
User avatar
RedStateGreen
Heavy Crude
Heavy Crude
 
Posts: 1859
Joined: Sun 16 Sep 2007, 03:00:00
Location: Oklahoma, USA
Top

Re: I'm going...!

Unread postby lorenzo » Thu 02 Oct 2008, 06:28:10

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('AgentR', 'C')ivilized and Tourista-ized a bit or not, Everest can still kill people easily enough; never take her lightly. Best of luck. and... TALLY HO!
NB: I'll be happy if I manage to get up to 14k again! lol

AgentR, I just read that this year alone already 42 people have died on Mont Blanc, last year it was 47 people - that's far more than ever die on Everest in any given year. Just wanted to let you know.

So again, it's not the altitude as such that counts, it's the experience, the preparation, the team, the logistics, the gear and picking the right window to summit. An unprepared amateur on Mont Blanc is in much more danger than a prepared and experienced climber on Everest. :)
The Beginning is Near!
User avatar
lorenzo
Intermediate Crude
Intermediate Crude
 
Posts: 2184
Joined: Sat 01 Jan 2005, 04:00:00
Top

Re: I'm going...!

Unread postby grassland » Thu 02 Oct 2008, 14:09:26

So why would you risk your life and spend that much money on self? Couldn't you find some poor family to help instead?When we take eyes off self and look to helping others, this foolish waste of time wouldn't even be considered, you could even get killed. What a waste of life that would be, and judgment day, you wouldn't have a legg to stand on.

Stay home and do something useful for others, even if it is donating that trip money to homeless shelters or something.

Have a nice day.
User avatar
grassland
Wood
Wood
 
Posts: 32
Joined: Thu 02 Oct 2008, 03:00:00
Top

Re: I'm going...!

Unread postby lorenzo » Thu 02 Oct 2008, 17:21:17

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('grassland', 'S')o why would you risk your life and spend that much money on self? Couldn't you find some poor family to help instead?When we take eyes off self and look to helping others, this foolish waste of time wouldn't even be considered, you could even get killed. What a waste of life that would be, and judgment day, you wouldn't have a legg to stand on.

Stay home and do something useful for others, even if it is donating that trip money to homeless shelters or something.

Have a nice day.


Hey Grassland, fair criticism, but allow me to make some nuances.

First, I agree that the pull of alpinism and the desire to summit the mountain is inherently an egoistical affair. But I think every person has a right to enjoy his hobby, once in a while. Summiting can motivate you in later life, change you as a person and motivate you to perform even better in other fields, and so on.

Secondly, please don't think that I'm just pulling $75k out of my pocket like that. I've been saving for this for many years. Some people buy a bigger house, or a second car, I didn't. I saved to buy a ticket to Everest.

By the way, we pay tens of thousands of dollars each 8O to the Nepalese government, merely to get our permit. It's our single biggest expense. This money, if invested well by them, surely helps some poor Nepalese people. We also employ lots of great Nepalese who help us with the expedition.

Finally, just to set the record straight: I made my money by helping the poor. When I come back from Everest, I will be even more motivated to engage in new, even more socially useful ventures and help even more people. I'm sure of that. :)
The Beginning is Near!
User avatar
lorenzo
Intermediate Crude
Intermediate Crude
 
Posts: 2184
Joined: Sat 01 Jan 2005, 04:00:00
Top
Next
Post a reply

Return to Open Topic Discussion

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests