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The Ethics of Everest Expeditions

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  The Ethics of Everest Expeditions   Back in the early 90’s, Rob Hall began offering commercial expeditions to climb Mt. Everest with his then company Hall and Ball Adventure Consultants.   He was at the forefront of an industry that was to flourish into the multi-million dollar one that exists today. Many expedition leaders today hardly have the passion that Rob had then (climbing the 7 summits in 7 months, before his Everest season), nor a similar love for mountains that Gaston Rébuffat made popular in the late 70’s with his books and movies. In fact, most of them today are businessmen (some even present themselves as such on their calling cards – ‘Expedition Climber/Businessman’) – and they will use the same ethics that are common in this world while they guide you into the Death Zone. Gaston Rébuffat, who was part of the French Annapurna team in 1950 The offering today is also very different. The biggest companies in the business are not from Western operators anymore – th
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Everest 2021 Outbreak - Greed, Stupidity or Both?

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Everest 2021 COVID Outbreak - Greed, Stupidity or Both? With the end of the season approaching, and the pullout of some teams, a hard look needs to be taken as to what didn't go well for the Everest 2021 season.  There also needs to be accountability, and not the glossing over of events that we are seeing in the paid press releases coming from some expeditions. I. Pursuing an Everest Expedition During a Pandemic Year Check out the COVID pandemic this year in India and Nepal. By March 1, the slope of the curve was on its way up, and by the middle of the month there was no question things were out of control. There are no major land barriers between the two countries, so the writing was on the wall that Nepal would be hit just as hard.  India Covid Statistics Nepal Covid Statistics And yet some expedition companies (both Nepali and Western) happily booked everybody that wanted to climb the mountain and that could not do so with the more responsible climbing outfits that canceled thei
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Climbing Expedition Pullouts from Everest 2021

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Climbing Expedition Pullouts from Everest 2021  The pullout of expeditions from Everest with the lame excuse that there were too many parties at EBC spreading COVID, raises some serious questions. Everest North Base Camp Party in 2019 Let's review how COVID is dealt with in medicine, and compare this with how it's managed by professional climbing expeditions: 1. You don't take healthy people into a possibly contaminated area . As an example, it is common practice that for open joint cases such as a total knee replacement, these are never performed in operating rooms where bowel cases have been in recently. (You don't want intestinal bacteria in your new joint...)  The first mistake made would have been to even hold an Everest expedition in 2021. By April 1, in India, the curve had an unmistakably steep slope that peaked on April 24. It was obvious that Nepal would follow the same trend, and yet expeditions proceeded. India COVID trends Nepal COVID trends Reputable trekk
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21 Steps to Follow when Choosing an Expedition Company for Everest or other 8000m Peaks

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21 Steps to Follow when Choosing an Expedition Company for Everest or other 8000m Peaks The Fall season is upon us and it is the time when many plan their next big climb in the Himalayas. As I write this article, few major expeditions will be going to Nepal this year and it is still uncertain as to what next year will be like. But if you are optimistic about a turn-around with the pandemic, what follows are 21 key features that you should be looking at, in order to choose which expedition you will join next Spring for Everest North or Everest South. They are not in order of importance.  Success rate: Be wary of ANY company that claims 100% success rate. I have no knowledge of a single company that has this. Success means you arrive at BC, you participate in the expedition, you summit, and you return to BC. Don’t shop for phony success rates and instead look for a credible safety record. Safety also means no frostbite, no permanent organ damage, no time in a KTM ICU, no cardiac stents,
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Location: Lake Tahoe, United States
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Alive in the Andes - Following the Steps of the Survivors 45 years later!

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Alive in the Andes Vital signs, geo-location and more – every second! We are pleased to announce that WiCis-Sports ( http://wicis.com ) and Iridium ( http://iridium.com ) are partnering with Benegas Brothers Expeditions ( http://benegasbrothers.com ), to retrace the   footsteps of the survivors of the Andes accident almost five decades ago when rugby team's plane crashed in the Cordillera between Argentina and Chile in 1972. "Alive" movie, 1993: (IMDB)   Forty-five years after the accident in which their plane crashed in the Andes and with only 16 of the 45 passengers having survived, At least one of the survivors, will embark on this new adventure to retrace the steps of the group, starting this  October 27 . While the survivors of the crash spent over 72 days without communications, this time the expedition will be using the I-Streme solution from WiCis. The solution monitors personal vital signs, exact geo-location data, SOS, pictures,
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What really happened on the day that Ueli Steck fell from Nuptse?

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What really happened on the day that Ueli Steck fell from Nuptse?  The person who found him shares some interesting clues... Vinayak Jaya Malla is a Nepalese In-Training Mountain Guide and the person who found Ueli Steck while climbing up to C2 on Everest with a group on April 30, 2017. The author (Dr. Leo Montejo) met Vinay in 2016 while climbing the Sky Caves of Mustang in Nepal, and was impressed by his skill and manner while on the mountain. He saw him again this year at Everest Base Camp shortly before Vinay summitted with a group from the Indian Navy. His story of what may have happened is filled with great respect and admiration for Ueli, and it is also a first glimpse and analysis as to what probably occurred that morning on the slopes of Nuptse.   Vinay, at Everest Base Camp about 10 days before Ueli's accident on Nuptse # I understand you were with Mingma Sherpa when you found Ueli on April 30. What were the two of you doing in the area of the accident?
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