Piece of cake...


Can someone answer my question, take away the altitude, cold weather conditions, oxygen deficiency...etc. Is climbing everest actually technically challenging? It looks like they are just walking up a somewhat steep incline. In my image, climbing everest should be using a ice pick to actually climb the mountain.

reply

Yes, its climbing/mountaineering. Climbing doesn't refer only to technical climbing (with aid of rope).

There are some tough technial pitches on Everest, such as the "Hilary Step". Recall from the film that ropes had to be installed before the clients could proceed. I think nowadys, there is a series of ladders installed at the Hilary Step.

But overall, Everest isn't that difficult from a purely climbing perspective. The altitude/oxygen issues are why its difficult and potentially lethal. As others have siad, its like climbing into space.

reply

Hiliary step is a killer #voteTrump

reply

[deleted]

As mentioned in another thread, mountain climbing is largely a matter of walking up high mountains in difficult conditions. It's not rock or ice climbing (mostly). The notion that one could make a non-stop highly technical climb of about 12,000 vertical feet, starting at 17,000 feet above sea level, is absurd. That's over two vertical miles. It would be like climbing One World Trade Center seven times, if its base were higher than the tallest mountain in the Continental US.

As an aside, there are no fixed ladders on the Hillary Step. There are on the North Route.

reply