Posted on 05/28/2006 6:06:47 AM PDT by Mr. Brightside
Sharp unrescuable, says Chinese mountaineer
Updated: 2006-05-28 09:14
Chinese female mountaineer Luo Lili regretted David Sharp's death in the Mount Qomolangma but said the British climber was at a nearly unrescuable height.
"Mountaineers all know the height above 7,000m is very dangerous and usually deemed as an unrescuable height," said Luo on Saturday, who just returned from a May 15 scaling of the world highest peak.
Sharp, 34, ran out of oxygen and died in a snow cave just 300 meters from the summit on his way down the Himalayan mountain. Dozens of people had walked right past him, unwilling to risk their own lives.
The world is angry. Sir Edmund Hillary, who was on the team that first surmounted Mt Qomolangma in 1953, called it "horrifying" that climbers would leave a dying man.
Luo disagreed with Hillary.
"At 8,534 metes where Sharp died, every climber feels worn out and was unable to offer help," she said.
"I had once been trapped at where Sharp died and a dozen climbers, including David Sharp, walked past me."
I agree with you. The morning papers often tell of those who died trying to rescue somebody. You have to calculate your ability to do that you set out to do!
I think I pretty much said the same thing, didn't I?
But you really don't believe the article writer was an eyewitness, do you? What else might Sir Edmund have meant by his comment? The reporter and maybe the editor only gave what they chose to report about what somebody else said they did or didn't do.
Terrific, heartbreaking book and TV movie. The selfishness of certain wealthy and vacuous people! Never mind that one woman was pulled and pushed up the mountain and likely carried back down. What a waste for the mountaineers who lost their lives. My sympathies to their widows.
I believe that for mountaineers, K-2 is considered a greater challenge than Everest.
The numbers in post #2 really tell the story of how many people are climbing Everest. And it looks like those numbers are just the summits and not the attempts.
There's got to be so much litter and detrius on that mountain by now. I imagine some day it will be closed off.
If you don't want to believe eye witness testimony. That's fine.
And regarding Hilary's opinion, it would be similiar to Rosa Parks (if she was still alive) supporting the account of the black stripper who claimed she was raped by the Duke lacrosse team. She wasn't there and didn't witness what went on.
So her testimony, like Hilary's would not be much use in proving your point.
I will follow the evidence, not blindly following the opinions of legends who did not see what went on.
Do you ever read the rhetoric surrounding a death in the boxing ring? There was one a few months back in Las Vegas, where a Mexican (had been deported for a violent crime, but was "redeemed" by a few Texas liberals who paid for his lawyers) beat the brains out of a black guy. All for the delectation of the crowd.
After getting "killer" status, the boxer expressed deep sympathy but said that the loser loved the sport just as much as he did...yadayadayada...
There's something that happens to people who'll die for a stupid bragging right--they're willing for others to die, too.
At that location on Everest it is impossible...let me repeat...IMPOSSIBLE... to rescue someone who is unable to stand.
Yeah, but I generally don't lose sleep over people who deliberately put themselves in harm's way like this just for the hell of it. It's not as if Sharp were some guy who just broke down on the side of a road somewhere.
This quote from the Chinese climber makes the story even more interesting.
"I had once been trapped at where Sharp died and a dozen climbers, including David Sharp, walked past me."
Not if you are a TRUE Good Samaritan.
(...rolling eyes...)
ROFLMAO.
You're speculating about newspaper reports. Not evidence.
Conclusions from past official inquiries, if there are any, may absolutely provide the kinds of testimony and evidence you think you're getting now. Or, not.
Hey, I liked Ike.
"Bring out your dead!"
"I had once been trapped at where Sharp died and a dozen climbers, including David Sharp, walked past me."
Which begs the question - if the trek is so dangerous, why are people willing to do it more than once? Seriously, risking your life once to say you "did it" is one thing. Going up and down the thing like a trip to a convenience store is another. Do they have some sort of death wish? Are they like the gays who purposely try to get AIDS so they don't feel 'left out' of the experience?
Yes, I'm sure some of them get paid large sums to help others reach the peak but when even the experienced ones can die, why should any sane person take the risk?
I think someone had the right idea - rename it "Mt. Darwin".
Sort of like Jack Murtha and Iraq...
Good one. Sort of. Murtha probably collects his evidence from newspaper reports too. :-)
And still they come.
My disgust is with the posse that was with him and left him behind. I would have thought that at the first signs of serious illness several of them would have turned around with him and started back down.
But thats just me and I don't climb mountains.....
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.