New Poll:

I have put up the new Poll question for the month of May, the question is:

"Is using Helicopters to ferry loads (NOT personal things) from BC to Camp 1 on Mount Everest seen as cheating?"

Please take your vote at http://www.everest1953.co.uk thank you!

Results from the April Poll question:

If Mallory and Irvine successfully summited and returned home, would they had continued to climb mountains?

Yes 76%
No 16%
Not sure 8%

The High-Risk Flights That Could Save Lives on Everest: http://www.outsideonline.com/2073246/hi ... es-everest

The use of porters above base camp, fixed ropes, fixed camps, supplemental oxygen, etc. is all cheating, so why not use a helicopter to ferry all your gear for you.

Re the ExitableBoy post, yes all of that is and has been cheating and doping( supplemental oxygen ) for many years.

The first alpine style ascent of that peak without oxygen was done in 1978. It is about time that peak was climbed (again) in a style that reflects where our sport is today.

If you are going to use helicopters, why not just use the really powerful ones and land about 100 feet below the summit. That way anybody with enough money can do it and no risk whatsoever is required. Well, the chopper might crash....

The first alpine style ascent of that peak without oxygen was done in 1978

No. The 1978 ascent was not alpine style. You must be confusing the 1978 expedition with Messner's solo ascent of the Tibet side in 1980.

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Personally, I don't care how anyone climbs Everest as long as they leave the mountain clean and don't put other's lives in unwarranted danger. When it comes to climbing ethics, leaving the mountain clean is the #1 priority and in modern days should always be so.

As long as you pack out your bottles, I see nothing wrong with doing it since it is a personal choice and nobody's business (unless you are lying about your ascent or lying about using it). I also find it ironic that some (speaking generally to all climbers) that complain about using supplemental O2 on climbs are the same people that are using bolts on rock routes, which is more cheating than using supplemental O2. I have also cheated many climbs by using bolts as well, but it is still ironic that those that do complain about others using O2.

When it comes to Everest, Ed Viesturs puts it best (Sierra Magazine interview):

Everest has been so frequently climbed, commercialized, and, some would even say, turned into a circus. Is Everest worth it anymore for a serious climber?

Thankfully, I was able to go in the late 1980s and early '90s, when the mountain was very quiet, relative to what it is today. But as a serious mountaineer today, you've got to realize that there's just going to be a lot of people there. There's no way to say, "I get to be here, and these people shouldn't be here." That's not fair either. You can go to other sides of the mountain. You can find quieter corners of Everest. And if you don't want to go to Everest, then, well, go somewhere else.

I would also add that you can climb it in another season. Almost all ascents now days are pre-Monsoon. A very few are post Monsoon, but these are rare now days. If you don't go in April-May, chances are that you will have the mountain all to yourself, even on the standard routes.

ExcitableBoy wrote:The use of porters above base camp, fixed ropes, fixed camps, supplemental oxygen, etc. is all cheating, so why not use a helicopter to ferry all your gear for you.

They ought to build an escalator, charge people 50 grand a pop, give everyone a few oxygen bottles, and then rake it in. Maybe they can have the escalator end a few meters short of the summit so people can earn it.

you guys should really get all the facts before making assumptions. these gear ferrys were only for a very limited number of items. None of which were for the climbers, climbers gear or climbers themselves. It was all done to save Sherpas lives and to limit the number of trips they have to do through the Icefall.

http://www.alanarnette.com/blog/2016/04 ... ftey-move/