pretty damn crazy, i never even thought about it. I thought when people die, theyre brought back down.. but nope, lol. Theyre left up there. http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=128148751 EDIT: im sorry but imma speak about it like joe rogan.. white people do some really stupid fucking shit. perfectly healthy, wealthy, intelligent people climbing to the top of a fucking mountain, risking their life just to say i made it to the top. like a fucking chimpanzee. then youre dead, leaving behind a family and chances for beneficial offspring. it saddens me to be honest. and i say this not to belittle fiddy and those that enjoy this past time, please dont take offense. but to me its kinda useless, weve already got plenty of photography from the highest parts, and scientific data about the geography, why go up there look and come back down?? bragging rights? testing your own strength, endurance, and mentality?? dumb.
I believe the same thing about inner city living in a major metropolis. Why would a person do it? I guess mountain climbing is one of the things in life that if you have to ask, you'd not have the capability to understand. Kinda like caving, deep diving, sky diving or the pursuit of any activity that seeks to achieve a goal that is not slanted by man made advantages. It's the endeavor, beating the personal challenge, the bragging rights are just a side benefit not the motivation. Some people do not want to settle for the safe, sterile, controlled life everyday. They need to break free from time-to-time....adrenaline becomes an addiction that requires more and more to get off on.
i get all that... but cant you get all that feeling and self progression in a more... i dunno.. safer way? "left over monkey shit" i would love to understand, thats why im asking questions about it.. but i honestly dont think i want to understand if it means risking my life on purpose. All the rigors of training and proper education with such obstacles still doesnt guarantee you to live. Natures a bitch. Does overcoming it make you feel like god or something?? lol. sounds like an adventure where.. "conquer it now, ask questions later" and apparently these lost persons to nature obviously didnt ask enough questions to warrant undestanding, or else theyd still be alive, lol
There is absolutely, positively no substitute or "safer way" These are precisely the ones that think or say:"conquer it now, ask questions later" who end up a statistic. WTH, we're born, we live through crap, and we die. A) if we take the safe route: 1)we're born 2)we're bored with life 3)we're sorta safe 4)we die B) if we take chances and live to the life to the fullest: 1)we're born 2)we experience excitement 3)we call our own shots 4)we die Falling off a mountain does not initiate a death, being born does. What happens between being born and the last breath is what defines what our life was. It's nothing more than a simple trade off. The end results are the same. Picture in your mind's eye, this conversation: Dude #1: "What did you do this spring?" Dude #2: " I went to Nepal and climbed the highest mountain in the world." Dude #2: "What did you do this spring?" Dude #1: "I watched re-runs of CSI, NCIS, played ME2 and surfed the internets. But I was warm, safe and dry at home." Dude #2:
I understand adventure and all-- but how much adventure do you need when you have to pass by 200 corpses to get your rocks off? I'm an amateur pilot. If I were flying into some mountain valley airstrip and looked down and saw 200 airplane wreckage sites, I'd probably go find somewhere else to land. There's some point where the risk no longer justifies the reward.
There's a reason the bodies were not recovered. Namely, it was too much risk to loose another life where the bodys ended up. Not that they were strewn out along the trails and routes to the top. Still, I see what you are all saying, why skydive, scuba and/or deep dive, hang glide, drive race cars, drive the LA freeways, etc. There's danger all around once you leave your house. Adventurers decide for themselves what dangers they will to face rather than let society, economics or any other outside influence decide it for them. I guess there are two kinds of people: A) those inside the box, and B) those outside the box.
What the fuck ever an adrenaline junkie is still a junkie. Ever notice the people doing this kind of shit don't live in dangerous parts of the world where people don't have a choice if they live or die from one moment to the next. They choose to risk their lives and are seen as heroes. Many are well off or have wealthy sponsors because it's not cheap to do this shit. It's not living outside the box if theirs and industry supporting it.
I feel like these people are mentally ill. Yet, this has increased my interest in this subject. I will probably hunt around for a documentary on Everest to watch now. Thrill seeking is one thing. This is some where below suicide, and below Russian roulette, but above above base jumping.
Climbing is dangerous, but like anything in life, it is a calculated risk. So let's put this into perspective, ok? The death toll there is a bit different from Torx link, but it gives an idea. Compare that to smoking: So if these numbers are accurate (or at least pretty close) climbing Mt Everest is safer than being a life long smoker. So, how about that? ========================================================================================================================= I grew up climbing, it was just part of my family upbringing. My dad has been a climber nearly all his life. He was a pioneering rock climber back in the 70s and early 80s, spending months at a time in places like Yosemite, the desert southwest, and Alaska. He was developed a number of the best rock climbing areas in Washington state, wrote two guide books on Washington rock climbing, has a number of first ascents and records, and at one point worked as a guide in the Himalayas. You talk of death and leaving a family behind, and sure, that is an issue. My dad knows a ton of people who have died, and some of them left a wife and kids behind. Luckily my dad has more sense than that, and when my older sister was born he stopped doing dangerous climbing, because he felt it was totally irresponsible, and I agree 100%. However, now that we are all adults, he pretty much says "You are old enough, if I die now, you will be able to deal with it." And you know what? I totally understand that, I would find it a fitting way to go, and completely agree. If I ever have kids, I'll probably do the same thing. Vintage dad photos: Today my dad is 60 years old, and as many of you have probably noticed from my picture threads, still out climbing and kicking ass. He is like 6 away from finishing the top 100 highest mountains in Washington state. As a result, climbing is in my blood. I'm doing some type of climbing probably 4 days a week between my job climbing trees, urban climbing, and mountain climbing on weekends. I can't picture my life any differently, and to try is depressing. It's not a stupid thing to do at all. It takes you AMAZING places, lets you see things few others ever have, keeps you fit and healthy, and gives an amazing sense of accomplishment. Torx, your talking about it like some stupid monkey thing we should have evolved past, but in fact it is a very HUMAN thing to do. Pushing the limits of what is possible, be it the form of climbing a mountain, researching a lost civilization, producing beautiful art, or any other endeavor is to me, what humanity is all about. Without it there would be no progress. To single out mountain/rock/whatever climbing as something of special stupidity to me is just ignorant. Wiskas has covered the issue pretty well already, and he and I hold pretty similar views on the subject. If you have to ask, you just don't understand it. It's a big complex amazing world out there, to live in safety and security, just because we as a civilization have reached a point where that is possible is no life at all as far as I am concerned. I can't be happy sitting around playing video games and have that be enough. Why just fake it, when you can get out and experience the REAL world? It's not just an adrenalin thing either, though that certainly plays a part. It's about having an appereciation for the world, and for life itself. If you never get close to death, how do you know you really understand and respect life? I don't mean that as you need to have a near death experience or something like that, but it has the effect of putting things into perspective. Maybe that helps some of you understand it a little better...
*takes a bow* And as my first reply in this thread stated, even though Helen Keller was deaf/blind, even she could see this
Your dad is probably one of the neatest 60 year olds on the planet. and HD? We're all addicted to something. some to a greater degree than others. Industry would be tits-up in the gutter without addictions and compulsions. My uncle never ever smoked, drank alcohol and ate right. had the blood pressure of a 19 year old, strong heart and fit as a fiddle. yet a copuple months ago he died in a house fire having lived the safe life without taking risks. He was 64.
She never would've felt that way if she hadn't been hunted by Nazis. lol I see this has turned into a risk or no risk thread which is not what I'm talking about. When you live life make sure if you fuck up that your family is well taken care of. Don't leave them hanging no matter what.
And that's just the way life goes, so be careful, but not too careful Speaking of climbing being in my blood and to build on why people do it: This morning I woke up at 6am to take a leak after a long day/week, and an evening of many cans of Rainier (climbing the 14,411 foot Mt Rainier was awesome btw), and on my way back to bed I checked my new urban climbing thread. I watched the video again, and went back to the bedroom. However all I could think about was climbing, and what I wanted to do next! I couldn't for the life of me, fall back asleep! That's what it can do, and that is why people see the tallest point on earth, and want to experience it for themselves. It's a driving force that is nearly impossible to stop.
experiencing things is what living is. There are risk and experiences that are not worth a lick though. I guess that risk includes fast foods and not watching one's caloric intake too. http://www.everydayhealth.com/healt...||6581623992&gclid=CI-Lo4Kax6QCFQV2gwodqDZQEw my BMI=25.1 I'd be a lot lower on the BMI if I'd give up a few risks that I'm not willing to. I like carbs and have managed to moderate for the most part. Still my middle is a bit more than the index thinks it should be (32" waist). My stress level is null. the biggest thing i had to worry about today, was where to start the drying proccess for my tobaco.Then I remembered how warm it gets in the greenhouse:
The world needs risks takers, otherwise we wouldn't be where we are today. Unnecessary risk should be avoided though, and frankly I think adrenaline junkies can be a bit dangerous. Everything in balance is, as usual, best. Those willing to take risk, the methodical and calculated, etc. I personally lean more towards the latter. I take risks, but do as much to mitigate said risk in advance that I can. I can deal with failure but generally don't have to. EDIT: Also, that Citizen Kane clapping GIF is very ironic. It comes at a point in the film where he's taken a risk and failed, and stubbornly claps anyway to keep up appearances.
Living a dangerous life as a climber, hang glider, explorer, or any other dangerous profession is a personal choice. I personally love the feeling of accomplishment that comes with setting a seemingly impossible goal and surpassing it. I love doing things that few people have done. I have experienced a lot in my short life. I have taken chances everyone said were risky. I have done things others said they would never do. I have travelled the world and have seen things most people would only dream of. I have taken my boat into the open ocean just to experience the power of nature. I have water ski-ed and been water tubing in the ocean as well as all over the US. I have worked for 72 hours straight repairing components on my last submarine so that we could complete our mission. I have served on board a submarine that operated below the arctic circle under ice, with under 50 feet below and above the boat. I have enjoyed the company of people from many other countries, and listened to their wisdom to pass on to my own children. I have taken the time to help multiple people stranded on the side of the road with mechanical failure when nobody else would even stop to make sure they were ok. I have opened up my home to people who had nowhere else to go, even if I didn't know them. In the end, I can die happy knowing I have experienced a lot and taken risks to both better myself and help others. I can sleep well at night knowing I have at least tried to live my life to the fullest. ~Will Courtier~
okay, so everest isnt THAT bad of a climb anymore.. see i didnt know this. and thanks for clarifying that. even though its still a risk, its managable by "joe schmo" to say the least. im really not bashing mountain climbing as a whole, just this everest extremism i see. We all enjoy fiddys rock climbing pictorials and yes its dangerous, just not as dangerous as everest. So by no means am i bashing rock climbing because i would love to try it someday myself.. but nothing like everest even if its just a plane ride up to the top lol. Fuck that cold shit, lol. i understand we have to goto the extremes to advance as humans, ie space travel, submarine dives, cave diving, etc but those are productive endeavors where the reward is FOR EVERYONE. climbing mt everest like 500 other people just to say you made it at the top is not a productive reward for anyone but yourself, FOR BRAGGING RIGHTS. (as whiskas dude conversation insisted) Its been done countless times before, its nothing new, theres no resources to bring back for everyone, its merely a tourist money making scheme now. and where would this thread have been if i didnt have a little debate thrown in.. probably wouldve been boring lol
All have to say is do what makes you happy. If you fuck up and die, oh well, at least you died happy.
^^lmao. nevermind what he accomplished in his life, all we're going to remember is how he died.. lol Most of those people on mt everest, their last thoughts were probably "oh shit", or "please help me". Like the woman in one of those pics. Passerbys couldnt get to her while she called for help. I dont think thats how i would like to die.
