I read that transportation science is getting close to teleportation technology. How will this affect our beloved mountains?

I predict crowded summits, increase in AMS occurance, and epic skiing. Your thoughts?

No politics...

I've talked with more than one person about how nice it would be to skip out on I-5 through the Central Valley along with most drives in the Midwest. Teleportation sure could make visiting family and friends more convenient. As far as mountains though, the journey to the top is usually more than half of the fun for me. I'd miss that part.

It is an indisputable factoid that teleportation will increase global warming. If you love the planet, don't teleport.

It will be alright as long as the mountain didn't get any higher since the previous measurement. Otherwise it could be messy.

I predict an increase in flymen.

I guess it could depend on whether one would need a fixed structure on the mountain top to exit out of or whether it would just be a turn up out of thin air effort. Maintaining fixed strictures in harsh conditions could be difficult.

In the Hyperion series of books teleportation is common to the point where people have different rooms of their houses on different planets using a regular door shaped portal to get from one to the other. Imagine your garden being a nice Alpine meadow or something. Of course you might have to share it.

I think it could have a positive influence. As every HP Lovecraft fan knows, the Antarctic Mountains of Madness are vastly higher than the Himalaya and by far the highest in the world, but public reports of these mountains have been suppressed to avoid creating interest in them, which could lead to more humans blundering into the frozen and long-dormant city of the Old Ones in the plateau of Leng beyond the Mountains, and awakening the ancient evil there.

Now on the other hand, if students of Non-Euclidean calculus and quantum physics were to correlate abstract formulae on the properties of space and the linkage of dimensions known and unknown with the terrible hints from the dreaded Necronomicon of Abdul Alhazred, the fragmentary Book of Eibon, and the suppressed Unaussprechlicken Kulten of von Junzt, they might discover the secrets of teleportation, but also open a portal allowing dark and fearsome Old Ones direct access into our world. If that in fact happened, mankind would once again have to face that ancient nameless evil - but that would also mean that there would be no further reason to shun the Mountains of Madness since the evil beyond them would already have been unleashed.

Which means we'd finally be able to climb the highest mountains in the world!

ExcitableBoy wrote:I predict an increase in flymen.

I predict an increase in Yellow Snow.

I've often contemplated this. It would be fun to be able to hike/climb/scramble to the summit, then be teleported back to the trail head. I hate descending.

And don't forget your adventure pass.

Phenom wrote:I've often contemplated this. It would be fun to be able to hike/climb/scramble to the summit, then be teleported back to the trail head. I hate descending.

Yes; you completed my train of thought for me!
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These Mountains of Madness though...I think they may keep me curious for awhile, and I bet they are indifferent when it comes to politics regardless of who may know of them or not. Good stuff!

I think it would be great. Just make sure to take an ensign with a red shirt with you if your tricorder is picking up strange life signs.

Steve Pratt wrote:I think it would be great. Just make sure to take an ensign with a red shirt with you if your tricorder is picking up strange life signs.

Just make it sure it's not the expendable crewman

whitetail wrote:

Steve Pratt wrote:I think it would be great. Just make sure to take an ensign with a red shirt with you if your tricorder is picking up strange life signs.

Just make it sure it's not the expendable crewman

Hey, who are you calling expendable? Didn't Scotty wear a red shirt?

No - the more popular, crowded summits will become deathtraps as people teleport into/through each other, merge-killing themselves. Mountain teleporting will acquire a dangerous, reckless reputation. Few will risk it.