Mel_Torino wrote:

jfox wrote::shock: Geesh...will Everest be the first mountain you've ever climbed?

I'll say no thanks to the sarcasm young friend. In the first week of May we climbed Mammoth Mountain as one of my short term goals before the big one. FYI Mammoth is over 12,000 feet.

The Chief wrote:

Mel_Torino wrote:

jfox wrote::shock: Geesh...will Everest be the first mountain you've ever climbed?

I'll say no thanks to the sarcasm young friend. In the first week of May we climbed Mammoth Mountain as one of my short term goals before the big one. FYI Mammoth is over 12,000 feet.

Ahh... NO IT's NOT!!!

Guess again!

I also believe that you should first get on the "Rupal Face" for training. This will most assuridly get you ready for the "Big Easy".

Oh, may I add, practice taking "Dumps" in the middle of the NYC Subway so as to prepare you for the lack of privacy while shitting!

Mel_Torino wrote:

harpner wrote:Honestly the responses on this board sometimes appall me. People have high aspirations and are totally serious and I think a lot of other people are just jealous they don't have the resources or initiative. I'll assume you're serious because I was probably in a similar situation.

Anyway, here is the low down:
-there are 2 routes, the south through nepal and the north through tibet
-the south is safer but permit is 10k compared to about 3k through the north
-since you're a newbie, forget about mounting your own expedition. it's way easier to just go with a guide service that takes care of everything, places like alpine ascents might cost you $35-$65k but if you go to the North side, you can go for $20k-30k which is pretty reasonable. Try 7summits for $27k or asian trekking for around $23k. They told me the Sherpas carry everything and the only thing you need to carry is a daypack with water and your oxygen tank. Once you join a group, they'll forward you a list of things to buy and you just buy them. It's that simple.
-every commerical expedition I've seen starts around April and climbing season is through May/June
-this is a long trip, 70 days of basically winter camping

Really there isn't too much to it if you have the money. Nobody is going to guarantee your safety or success but it's pretty likely as the routes are non-technical. You have professionals leading you the whole way tied to you via a rope. All you have to do is put one foot in front of the other and follow the footprints, not freeze and not fall.

I was seriously considering going this route but I've caught the mountaineering bug. I've decided to climb some 20k peaks this summer then climb an easier 8000m peak in Sept without oxygen to gain some experience. I'm still undecided whether to attempt everest in April depending how much time I have off. I have also considered doing Broad Peak/K2 around the same time for a different experience. I think then I'll be in good shape to actually 'climb' everest with a minimal support team and maybe without oxygen and have a greater sense of accomplishment.

They landed a helicopter on everest 2 years ago. In 10 or so years they might have helicopter tours where you just land there. But to tell people you actually climbed Everest and what that means to you is something special.

I suggest you try actual mountain climbing through snow. Mt Shasta is easy access since you're in California and I encourage you try that maybe with a guide service to see how you like it. I'm going to Ecuador to climb some 20k peaks and they are pretty tame. One of my biggest concerns is the length of the expedition. I've certainly have never been away for more than a week in the backcountry

Dear Mr. Harpner,

Greetings from a like minded adventurer. Thank you for taking the time to respond. It is gratifying to receive positive, informative feedback from an experienced climber who exalts highly the virtues of ambition, initiative, and courage. Some of us believe anything is possible, that the mind is infinite and without limit. Personally, the only motivation I need to reach the summit is my iPod and a lengthy Eagles playlist (Joking). Sadly though, the majority of our fellow human beings are content with the status quo, never venturing beyond their office cubicle. We who esteem Mother Earth, her magnificent peaks, bluffs, and precipices, must not dwell on the bucolic restrictions of the masses. Forgive me I ramble...

After considering your advice I think I have changed my strategy. I am going to take our group full force from the North Side, from Tibet, just like Russell Brice. While I do believe sherpas will be an asset, I don't want to depend on them exclusively. Too many of Brice's group, while well meaning, lacked the motivation to ascend past the Death Zone. Some were unprepared like Mogens Jensen who did not think things through and bring oxygen. I am relatively new to mountaineering, but to my good credit I have done enough research to know that liquid oxygen cannisters are required in case the air gets too thin.

This is a great opportunity for my son (he has just had his 15th bday) to build character before he leaves Fairmont. I want to get him up to ABC and pack him a good sized pack with lots of water, MRES, and oxygen for the trek up to North Col and then the peak. This is a bare bones trip, and I am going to limit them to one personal item only. We have gone on several rigorous expeditions along the Sierra Nevada in preparation for our expedition. During these I have asked my son and my wife to imagine that the intense heat is actually intense cold, thus training their minds to think like alpine climbers and build up a mental barrier against frost bite.

I think I will leave the helicopters to my day job. It would only mitigate the intense pride I know I will feel seeing all of us on the top of the world.

Yours,
Mel

Chris wrote:I actually attempted K2 last year, but didn't make it either... to be honest, I grabbed a beer and never left the couch...but I put in a good attempt, I packed my 10 essentials and some MREs!!!

CharlesD wrote:

Chris wrote:I actually attempted K2 last year, but didn't make it either... to be honest, I grabbed a beer and never left the couch...but I put in a good attempt, I packed my 10 essentials and some MREs!!!

Man, I remember that expedition! We were weathered in for five days straight, as I recall. Good times, though I think your wife still hasn't forgiven me for missing the "poop tube" on Day 4.

Mel_Torino wrote:How many shirpas should I rent from base camp?

Windcatcher wrote:

Mel_Torino wrote:How many shirpas should I rent from base camp?

, Yeah, it's cheaper than to fly one in from Bangkok.

Also don't forget to bring the bolt-gun.

Mel_Torino wrote:This is a great opportunity for my son (he has just had his 15th bday) to build character before he leaves Fairmont. I want to get him up to ABC and pack him a good sized pack with lots of water, MRES, and oxygen for the trek up to North Col and then the peak. This is a bare bones trip, and I am going to limit them to one personal item only. We have gone on several rigorous expeditions along the Sierra Nevada in preparation for our expedition. During these I have asked my son and my wife to imagine that the intense heat is actually intense cold, thus training their minds to think like alpine climbers and build up a mental barrier against frost bite.