I mentioned a while back about so called mountaineers conquering Everest and remarked about the severe cold and lack of oxygen, etc. I found it far fetched.
I never questioned it before with any real thought. I just accepted that people conquered Everest and that Sir Edmund Hillary and his Sherpa guide ( Tenzing Norgay).
From Wiki:
The Hunt expedition totalled over 400 people, including 362 porters, twenty Sherpa guides and 10,000 lbs of baggage,[11] and like many such expeditions, was a team effort.I remember thinking about the height and the fact that many of those on this quest, including the teams assigned to supposedly ensure it was successful; I had to think about the actual amount of oxygen carried by the team at certain stops, never mind those that ascended much higher and those that actually (supposedly) reached the summit.
From wiki:
The expedition set up base camp in March 1953. Working slowly it set up its penultimate camp at the South Col at 25,900 feet (7,890 m). On 26 May, Bourdillon and Evans attempted the climb, but turned back when Evans' oxygen system failed. The pair had reached the South Summit, coming within 300 vertical feet (91 m) of the summit.[12] Hunt then directed Tenzing and Hillary to go for the summit.Then we go back as far as 1924.
Climbing Everest with supplemental oxygen has become standard for 97.1% of all climbers starting with Mallory and Irvine in 1924. As with all mountaineering technologies, oxygen systems have seen many changes but in 2013, there was perhaps a game changer that enabled several teams to enjoy record summit success.Providing supplemental oxygen at 8000 meters in high winds and extreme temperatures is not simple. Valves freeze, masks deform in the wind, ice forms in tubes and many more problems prevent the delivery of the right amount of oxygen at the right time. Too much and there is waste of a precious gas, too little and a climber might die.The original oxygen systems designed for climbing began with a device created by George Finch in 1922. Finch and his teammate Geoffrey Bruce reached an altitude on Everest of 27,250 ft (8175 m) setting a record using their open circuit system that weighed 33 pounds (15kg).Another little write up.
The use of supplemental oxygen on Mt. Everest is now commonplace. From 1990 to 2006, more than 95% of those summiting the mountain did so using supplemental oxygen at some point during their ascent. The open circuit systems currently in use can be traced back to the device first used by George Finch on Mt. Everest in 1922. Wearing equipment weighing 33 lb (15 kg), Finch and his colleague Geoffrey Bruce set a world altitude record by reaching a height of 27,250 ft (8175 m). However, it would be with a lighter system weighing just 22 lb (10 kg) that Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay made the first ascent of the mountain in 1953. In the years since then considerable improvements in weight, comfort, and efficiency have been made; however, the original "open" principles first used by Finch almost a century ago still remain steadfastly in place.Now reading all of that, it appears that everything is in order, right?
Anyway back to Hillary and Tenzing.
Snow and wind held the pair up at the South Col for two days. They set out on 28 May with a support trio of Ang Nyima, Alfred Gregory and George Lowe. The two pitched a tent at 27,900 feet (8,500 m) on 28 May while their support group returned down the mountain. On the following morning Hillary discovered that his boots had frozen solid outside the tent. He spent two hours warming them before he and Tenzing attempted the final ascent wearing 30-pound (14 kg) packs.[13] The crux of the last part of the ascent was the 40-foot (12 m) rock face later named the "Hillary Step". Hillary saw a means to wedge his way up a crack in the face between the rock wall and the ice, and Tenzing followed.[14] From there the following effort was relatively simple. They reached Everest's 29,028 ft (8,848 m) summit, the highest point on Earth, at 11:30 a.m.[15] As Hillary put it, "A few more whacks of the ice axe in the firm snow, and we stood on top."[16]I've just highlighted a few points just to keep in your mind as pointers.
It's about reading and believing a story among many things, isn't it. Anyway let's move on.
Wiki:
They spent only about fifteen minutes at the summit. Hillary took the famous photo of Tenzing posing with his ice-axe, but since Tenzing had never used a camera, Hillary's ascent went unrecorded. I find this bit rather silly, but let's crack on.
Wiki:
However, according to Tenzing's autobiography Man of Everest,[4] when Tenzing offered to take Hillary's photograph Hillary declined – "I motioned to Hillary that I would now take his picture. But for some reason he shook his head; he did not want it"You see how this all starts to get sillier as it goes.
I'm well aware that people can argue as to why this and that could have happened but let's get a bit real here.
You see, Hillary and whoever, are not going to realistically climb Everest and refuse to have it recorded, otherwise, what's the point.
wiki:
Additional photos were taken looking down the mountain in order to re-assure that they had made it to the top and that the ascent was not faked.Yeah make sure people don't think you faked it.
wiki:
The two had to take care on the descent after discovering that drifting snow had covered their tracks, complicating the task of retracing their steps. The first person they met was Lowe, who had climbed up to meet them with hot soup.A bit like your mam coming out the back door as you kick your feet on top of the shed roof. "Here you are boys, some hot soup."
All that is just a bit of insight reading, like I did. It did get me thinking though.
I mean, Everest is 29,000 feet above sea level, we are told.
We know that at certain heights the lack of oxygen becomes a problem.
Apparently there is pills that aid climbers who climb from 9,000 to 20,000 feet.
From an article:
When climbers and trekkers travel to high altitudes, between 9,000 and 20,000 feet, any extended stay leaves them at risk of developing acute mountain sickness, or AMS. At these heights in the mountains there is less than half the amount of oxygen in the air as there is at sea level, which can lead to AMS symptoms of headaches, nausea, dizziness and fatigue. If you travel upward from sea level slowly enough, gaining only a few thousand feet every day, you can avoid AMS by giving your body the chance to adjust.So a few thousand feet a day can allow your body to adjust. Seems a hell of a lot of days to climb and descend a mountain doesn't it?
Anyway here's what wiki says about high altitude.
The effects of high altitude on humans are considerable. The percentage saturation of hemoglobin with oxygen determines the content of oxygen in our blood. After the human body reaches around 2,100 m (7,000 feet) above sea level, the saturation of oxyhemoglobin begins to plummet.[1] However, the human body has both short-term and long-term adaptations to altitude that allow it to partially compensate for the lack of oxygen. Athletes use these adaptations to help their performance. There is a limit to the level of adaptation; mountaineers refer to the altitudes above 8,000 metres (26,000 ft) as the "death zone", where no human body can acclimatize.The death zone. Hmmmm, interesting.
In the early days there wasn't anything like the gear that mountaineers use today but the realistic situation is still the same. We simply cannot survive at Everest type altitude without the proper protection.
Hillary and co would not have had this at all. Why?
Look at what they would be carrying without aid?
As well as the heavy clothing and boots as well as food and climbing equipment, including tent, etc, which would weigh 30lb or more on their backs and not forgetting they are ASCENDING whilst wearing this amount, at severe dangerous heights.
Try climbing the stairs with 30 plus lbs on your back, as well as wearing 10lbs worth of clothing. That's just an ascent of about 10 feet.
Ok, so now we get to the main thing for Hillary and co.
We need to add to this, the amount of oxygen needed to finalise that Everest ascent. Where do they carry this and what stops it from freezing over anyway?
Forget the freezing over if you want. It seems trivial when you consider carrying the amount they would need and the actual weight of it.
Try working out how long you would get out of an oxygen tank and what weight...today. Now consider what they were using in 1950's.
Hillary mentioning thawing his boots out that were frozen stiff that he left outside of his tent. Who in their right mind would do such a thing.
Anyway that's just trivialities.
It appears that some of Tenzing's family are actors and what not. Maybe it's nothing important. It just makes me wonder about names being put to stuff like this. You know, just like James Cameron manages to reach the mariana's trench.
It makes me wonder just how far these stories go and are the stories a work of fiction that is sold as fact that appears to put ordinary men and women on pedestals to push agenda's as well as being lauded as something which they clearly are not, in certain cases.
I don't have any proof that these things didn't happen, just as I don't have any proof of many thing's we are told. I leave it up to people to decide to delve into it and add to whether it's feasible that we are being played for fool's or whether there is really nothing to see here, move along.
29,000 feet above sea level.
Imagine the oxygen needed to carry for a 10,000 feet ascent and then a descent. It's not really like it can be passed up by anyone, like your Father scaling the mountain at high speed to shout, " oi, you forgot your extra tanks of oxy."
I just wonder when I see things like this video.
#" class="bbc_link" target="_blank">! No longer available20,000 feet and they're masked up fully. Imagine 29,000 feet without the aid of a balloon to carry your oxygen and also having to spend days and days breathing that oxygen weight, as well as enduring the severe cold.
Anyone is naturally entitled to post their thoughts but let me just say this.
Anyone who believes it's all above board and there's nothing worth looking into, then that's fine, I have no issue with that, except that I'm questioning it and I'm looking for people who can add to the questioning, mainly.
I have no issue with anyone saying " yeah but" or whatever, as this is the nature of the beast, just don't come in all arrogant and pretend you're an expert and you've climbed this and that, because I'll simply bypass it.
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