Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2024/05/24/video-shows-massive-queue-of-climbers-waiting-to-summit-everest-yesterday.html
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Back home the climbers probably spent hours in front of a mirror, checking themselves out in their clothing and gear.
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You should see the line for the washroom!
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That’s just another of the many problems with this overtourism - frozen biowaste.
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Why is there a Midjourney picture here when there are perfectly good pictures that are wholly legitimate?
But that hasn’t stopped private equity fund managers from sucking down bottled oxygen while getting short-roped by sherpas to the top.
I recall a particularly eloquent article that described the trip as “simony” but have been quite unable to find that article again. I suspect it might have been at Cracked and ended up getting purged one way or another. (I couldn’t have dreamed up something so poetic on my own.)
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At this rate maybe Pakistan should consider building an 800’ tall tower on top of K2 to get some more of that sweet, sweet techbro tourist money. (Although I gather that in recent years they’ve already had almost as many climbers as Everest.)
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Wonder how many are up there playing Pokemon Go/Ingress?
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“Fuck it, let’s go to K2.”
“Or maybe. . . Annapurna.”
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waiting single file for their turn to stand
is there therefore stipulated a maximum amount of time to stand at the summit? someone there with a stopwatch? “ok ok… yeah yeah… you’re ‘king of the world’ – times up king”
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I ventured to Everest Basecamp in 2003 while doing some NPO volunteering for porter working conditions. Being a climber myself - I was strongly tempted to run up to Camp 1 just for fun.
What stopped me was the scene at basecamp. I had the privilege of watching guides teaching their wealthy clients basic mountain skills like putting on crampons, rappelling, using fixed lines - all things one should know before ever setting foot in Nepal. All these characters walking around in their bespoke jackets with the corporate sponsor patches feeling all good about themselves while their company porters are still lugging their crap up from the airport.
Place was a total shit show and had the worst vibe of any climbing venue I’ve ever encountered. This was only a couple years after the massive tragedy/fiasco of 1996. Seems like nothing has been learnt.
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Why do they bother? It’s so overdone that it’s not a significant accomplishment any more (if rich white people being escorted to the top by locals ever could be considered an accomplishment to begin with). Maybe instead of going where many have gone before just to take a selfie, climbers could concentrate on cleaning up trash left behind by previous glory-seekers and actually leave Everest better than they found it (assuming they survive). THAT would be an accomplishment.
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“the suicidally rich”
They need to take bigger and bigger risks just to feel like they can experience and handle challenge because privilege has stole all risk and chance of failure from their lives. Only to find that you can’t bribe nature no matter how many servants you hire.
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It is what it is but I for one am not going to shit on this woman’s accomplishment:
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Sure, it’s an accomplishment. Doesn’t make it any less dumb. Find something useful to do with your time, that demonstrates just as effectively your drive, ambition, and grit, that doesn’t risk your life, or the lives of people around you, and also doesn’t despoil the environment.
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That’s the line for the executive elevators.
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Right after that video was shot some of the snow collapsed. A couple people died and a couple others were rescued.
Here’s a compilation video showing the same video + one a few minutes later of people being rescued + one after that showing the route repaired and climbing resuming.
This whole thing is fascinating, but completely bananas.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Everest/comments/1cyv04d/site_of_accident_at_everest_south_summit_8749_m/
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… the official answer seems to be “legitimate images cost too much” 
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Meh. Everest is too trendy now.
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