SummitPost.org

We've wrecked the thing when it's expensive......I'd hate to see the madness when it's affordable. A

radson wrote:

johngenx wrote:I'll preface my remarks by being clear that I have no desire to climb Everest. I see the clusterfuck of climbers lined up on fixed ropes, going hypothermic at bottle-necks and that in itself is enough to turn me off.

That said, were I set on Everest, I'd start on Denali to get some 6000M time and experience working in the cold. Then maybe Aconcagua for some 7000M work. I'd do both of these self-supported, carrying my gear, being self sufficient, and making decisions at altitude.

Then heading to Everest, I'd go with one the opinion of one of the previous posters and eschew bottled O2, Sherpa assist, and so on. I'd do a "Steck" and try to head up ahead of the Sherpas at the start of the season and lead it myself.

To me, it's the difference between "climbing" Everest and "summitting" Everest. I would want to do the former.

Comedy gold. All the best climbing decisions and plans are made in the comfort of ones home on the internet

Agree ! I always climb my best on the internet..

Having said that, I am heading to E next year and am NOT shopping for a bargain. I also plan to use plenty of O's.

Did Goran Kropp use oxygen? Curious, because if he didn't then he pretty much rode his bike to the base and started climbing. Not that many of us have the ability to emulate his style, but it is a striking contrast to alternative forms of ascents that people seem to view as non-existent.

fatdad wrote:Did Goran Kropp use oxygen? Curious, because if he didn't then he pretty much rode his bike to the base and started climbing. Not that many of us have the ability to emulate his style, but it is a striking contrast to alternative forms of ascents that people seem to view as non-existent.

Good question, here is what I found on Wikipedia. I remember reading about Kropp years ago, its good to be refreshed with the details.

"For his famous 1996 ascent, Kropp left Stockholm on October 16, 1995, on a specially-designed bicycle with 108 kg (240 lb) of gear and food. He traveled 8,000 miles on the bicycle and arrived at Everest Base Camp in April 1996. Following a meeting of all of the Everest expeditions on the mountain at the time, it was agreed that Kropp would attempt to summit first. On May 3, Kropp blazed a trail through thigh-deep snow and reached a point 300 feet from the summit. However, Kropp decided to turn around because it was too late in the day and if he continued, he would be descending at dark. While Kropp recovered from the ordeal at base camp, the 1996 Everest Disaster unfolded. Kropp helped bring medicine up the mountain. Three weeks later, on May 23, Kropp again tackled the mountain, this time successfully summitting (without extra oxygen support). He then cycled part of the way back home.[2] He returned to Everest in 1999 with girlfriend Renata Chlumska to undertake a cleanup, during which they removed 25 discarded canisters from the mountain. They also successfully summited together."

Kropp, without a doubt, a strong contender for "Most interesting man."

Kropp's feat was impressive, though it should be noted that he only made his own way through the Khumbu icefall once. After that he used the Sherpa-made route for his other trips - a significant advantage. Once he got established at BC, he also had other support for food etc.

In terms of 'unsupported' ascents of Everest, the climbs of Messner (1980), Loretan and Troillet (1986) are far more impressive - alpine style, no ropes, no O2, no one else on the mountain, no Sherpas at all. Just a notch below are the Australian's Great Couloir (1984) and the US-UK Kangshung Face (1988) ascents in which small teams made new routes without O2 or Sherpa help, but fixed a few ropes.