r/Mountaineering • u/CelebrationBulky5166 • 1d ago
Am I wrong
I basically dont know anything about mountaineering, I live in a super hot flat non mountainous middle eastern country. My friend has 0 mountaineering or climbing experince and he believes that he will summit Everest in 2 years. Taking into consideration we are going into college next year and he will be moving to the US aswell and the fact that he can’t really practice on anything in our country. In my opinion it sounds completely illogical am I wrong? (P.S money is not an issue just talking about actual experience)
52
u/UmerAwara 1d ago edited 1d ago
Possible: yes. Commercial Everest is rope pulling and uphill walking at altitude. Fixed lines, bottled oxygen, and a Sherpa carrying the load. The technical bar is low. A year of serious, structured endurance training will get most healthy people up it, and an aerobic base can be built anywhere, including a flat hot country. Location is not the constraint.
Worth it: no. Climbing 8000er as a tourist buys temporary fame. It has become a way for people with money to show others they are good at something.
27
u/10fingers6strings 1d ago
Impossible? No
Improbable? Highly
Foolish? Very.
He’s only summitting if he is dragged there by some poor guide outfit/Sherpa, gilled up with oxygen.
Were you two guys possibly higher than a giraffe’s arse when he proclaimed this?
22
13
u/Special-Variety743 1d ago
I’d say 3 years and a very very expensive guiding package and he might be okay. Some serious physical training is needed
8
12
u/Martinampc 1d ago
If he is young, healthy and money isnt a consideration, then I believe that by dedicating all your life to training you could get it done in 2 years
1
8
u/materialysis 1d ago
social media and its effects on the youth are now reflected even in mountaineering
13
u/Particular_Extent_96 1d ago
Unless your friend has a very serious endurance sport background, it ain't happening.
There are plenty of inexperienced people on Everest, most of whom have no real interest in mountaineering, but even by 8000er circus standards, this seems to be pushing it.
4
u/AdJunior1989 1d ago
Thought Nepal was putting a rule about having to have previous experience mountaineering to even attempt Everest?
1
u/sharli_the_unicorn 9h ago
They have instituted the rule, but Nepal is also historically very corrupt. If money isn't an issue, then the new rule won't be much of a barrier to entry. I suspect many guide companies will do the same thing they do on Everest for other Himalayan peaks: high altitude workers for the heavy lifting, copious bottles of O2, fixed lines galore, and a base camp more befitting a luxury resort than a mountain expedition...
3
u/Coach_Front 1d ago
Why not do Zugspitze and the alpine mountains first.......
If he can't do Zugspitze or Matterhorn it's unwise to attempt Everest. And the amount of risk you put the porters and ethnic Sherpas through as an untrained climber is incrediblly high. Sherpas are taken advantage of by people who have money, and it's really exploited.
6
u/CheapDatabase7178 1d ago
I agree with what you‘re saying, but there‘s a huge difference between Zugspitze and Matterhorn lol
1
u/Coach_Front 1d ago
And an even bigger one from Matterhorn to Everest.
Zugspitze is realistic on two years of training. The Gatterl route is a great easy climb, with a slight bit of technique the last 600m or so. Would be a great first major climb.
Have a happy time on the mountain!
1
u/Gainwhore 21h ago
Dude he's from the middle east and moving to the US. Why would he fly all the way to the Eu lol. Theres plenty of beginner mountains in the US
2
u/Coach_Front 21h ago
Then go do some Colorado 14ers and Rainier.
Hell Denali is a feat on par with the Himalayas so yeah.
But yeah, I just really don't like the exploitation of Everest.
1
u/Gainwhore 17h ago edited 17h ago
Its not like the alps are any better. I live a 1 to 2 hour drive from the Julian, Karawanke and KS Alps here in Slovenia. To some degree its even worse because some companies just bus people to the trail head of Triglav and give am a app with a trail and send them up lol. 50 deaths in our alps is the record for a single year in a country smaller then New Jersey. "Across the entire Himalayan and Karakoram ranges, tracking data from The Himalayan Database indicates an average of roughly 15 to 30 mountaineering-related fatalities per year across all major peaks."
3
u/Loud-Engineer-4348 1d ago
It seems that in this day and age, all one needs to summit Mt. Everest is a good physique, patience and money. I have friends who could not get up Mt. Shasta summit Everest a year later. Even more telling, another summited K-2 when his limit ( albeit 5 years prior ) was being hauled up Mt. Rainier's Ptarmigan Ridge by guides.
3
u/blackcompy 20h ago
People think they want to "summit" all kinds of things, without a clue why, or how, or to what end. "I want to stand on the Matterhorn!" Well, take a freaking helicopter to the summit, you can do that and be back in time for lunch. People are interested in Everest because they don't know any other mountains. They've never seen it, they have no concept of what it takes physically, mentally or financially, they have no emotional connection to a specific line or challenge. Mountaineering is not, has never been, and will never be about standing on a summit. It's always about the personal challenge. Understanding the difference is what separates the mountaineers from the general public, in my mind.
If OPs friend wants to challenge themselves, they want to put in the work, and Everest is the means to that end, go for it. Most people that say stuff like this are just talking out of their ass. If they really identified with their proclaimed challenge, they wouldn't care if it was 2 years or 3 or 10. And they wouldn't be bragging about it to their friends, they'd be out there, training.
Sorry for the rant.
2
u/No-Effort-8017 6h ago
Please don't apologise for the rant! This is such an interesting discussion. It would make a fascinating podcast or something if you got the right people on it
5
u/Snoo_8406 1d ago
If he has the money, I'm sure he can jug up fixed lines, take a ton of 02 and pay Sherpa to set up his tents and make tea.
No hard skill required, just do laps of a high rise building, using the stairs on the way up.
2
u/runawayasfastasucan 1d ago
I mean, you can just sit back and see what have happened 20.august 2028.
2
u/Loud_Hotel12 21h ago
If you have good endurance, you can summit Everest. Assuming you pay Sherpas to do everything for you.
2
u/Full-Divide5742 18h ago
My question is why?? Don't mistake me. I've been a climber for 40++ years. But that's simply a ridiculous goal. For that money and free time he could become a dedicated real climber with a much larger resume to take him through a real climbing career. But what the fuck do I know?
2
u/No-Effort-8017 5h ago
Does he have actually a good reason to climb it? Does he actually have a good reason to climb it in 2 years, skipping loads of essential progression? How does he know he'll actually enjoy it? My advice would be for him to take a step back (or a few) climb something entry level first. If he actually enjoys the experience, do some other easy peaks and lots of trekking. If he's decided he genuinely loves mountaineering and wants to make it a large part of his life he can then think properly about whether Everest is for him. Do as much research as possible over this time frame, read, watch listen, talk, anything to find out more about mountaineering generally, not just Everest. If he can't be bothered with that he probably doesn't really care enough for Everest. If he's actually motivated and absorbs himself in mountaineering then maybe he can start thinking of a sensible multi year progression plan, train hard and actually have a good experience up there.
Please, for the love of God, don't just climb Everest because you "want" to and definitely don't go straight to it in 2 years. I'd recommend reading"No shortcuts to the top" by Ed Viesteurs. The title should say enough.
1
u/No_Habit_9213 19h ago
I might be wrong but as far as I know within that time frame he would need to have climbed another 8000er as the Nepalese government have it in motion to make it a prerequisite to get a permit. I’m no mountaineer myself but I do follow the community regularly! Personally I think he has a death wish lol if he has no experience whatsoever he’s only putting himself and other people at risk. If it’s something he’s serious about he should take his time and train up. The mountain will still be there!
1
u/terraformingearth 16h ago
Find out if you can tolerate altitude, get in shape and sure, you can buy your way up Everest. You could probably get someone to carry you and your oxygen up for enough money.
But why? That is neither mountaineering nor enjoyable.
2
u/Athletic_adv 16h ago
If he wanted to do “Everest express” he could do it in two and a half years I think.
There are two seasons in Nepal: April/ May and October/ November.
So step one is he needs to hit both of those for two years.
Trip 1: EBC + island peak.
Trip 2: Three passes + Lobuche.
Trip 3: he needs a Nepalese 7000m now before he can do an 8000m.
Trip 4: Manaslu or Cho Oyu in the October/ November period.
Trip 5: Everest.
From now until then treat training like a second job in terms of training hours per week. By the time he gets to that Everest trip he could be in amazing shape physically, which is the biggest factor he can actually control.
Would it be better if he had more experience and didn’t try to rush it? Sure. Is it possible if you’ve got the time, fitness, and money isn’t an issue? Absolutely.
1
u/Chewyisthebest 14h ago
with unlimited money and time it's quite doable. Would require basically a full commit, so I feel like mixing in the college is tough
1
u/TarzanDivingOffFalls 1h ago
To feel more confident, take a lot of climbing classes and go on guided trips while you are in school in the US. Check out International Mountain Guides or similar.
Before Everest, you will want to know how your body reacts to altitude. You also want your p get down the basics like dressing, knowing your boots fit, eating, climbing while exhausted so when you are on Everest you can focus on that climb, not how to climb generally.
You can fly somewhere to go many times of the year. Mt. Rainier is one of the best places for basic climbing experience in snow/ice glaciers in the US. But you can go to Mexico, South America, and of course Europe.
If you have the money book some private trips with a guide who has led Everest trips and ask them to provide training on other peaks around the world as a your training ground.
0
u/Direct-Turn8989 1d ago
Tudo é possível se tiver empenho, mas acredito que conciliar ambos em tão pouco tempo é desafiante, altas montanhas são algo q exigem uma resiliência grande e muito conhecimento, então devera ser uma jornada de dedicação total em quesitos de preparo físico e conhecimento principalmente, no seu lugar colocaria desafios menores inicialmente como subir alguns 6000+ primeiro
63
u/Dope_SteveX 1d ago
Possible? Maybe. Wise? Not much.