Elite Mountain

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Elite Mountain

Winning Gold at the Olympics Easier Than Standing on the Roof of the World?

While we say congratulations to all the well deserving athletes for their win at the Olympics, there is a sport that some say is even more extreme. The challenge of conquering the highest mountain peaks in the world.

Now don’t race away in disgust, just stay for a few minutes longer. You may learn something interesting.

As I see athletes give of their utmost I weep tears of empathy. After years of discipline, pain, perseverance and self-denial, that most athletes never dare to attempt, it is nothing short of a tragedy to see them pipped-at-the-post by a thousandth of a second. I salute these hard working athletes for all their efforts.

However, some say to try and conquer one of the world’s highest mountains is an even more demanding extreme sport. Once an athlete is standing on the podium, it is just a short jump down, to the post-Olympics parties with other athletes and friends. It’s not so for the mountain climber. When the climber has reached the summit, the job is only half finished.

When the level of oxygen drops, the human body tries to compensate. This is a process all climbers must go through if they are to survive the long haul to the top – altitude acclimatization. Extra red blood cells are produced by the body, the heart rate increases. Non-essential body functions temporarily shut down. Food digestion efficiency declines and the climber breathe more deeply and frequently.Decision making also becomes difficult.

Altitude acclimatization can take up to a period of days or even weeks. Climbers by the dozen are forced to gather together for a period of up to two months, at the base camp on Mt. Everest, 16,000 feet above sea level. Anxiously they wait for their turn to begin their ascent. The results of not stopping to acclimatize are disastrous and deadly.

The human body is no longer able to acclimatize in the Death Zone, which is anything above 22,950 feet. Above 24,600 feet, food digestion is nearly impossible and sleeping is difficult. An extended stay will result in body deterioration, loss of consciousness and finally death. The longest stay ever recorded on the top of Mt Everest was just over 21 hours. Most climbers stay for around twenty minutes.

There is no audience of millions watching their success. This is a very solo achievement and experience. Other climbers’ attention is solely focused on self-survival.

Once the long awaited and hard-worked-for goal has been achieved, there is no simple ‘step off the mountain and get out of here’. No helicopter slips by and picks up the worn out athlete. No easy slide to the bottom if the climber wants to stay alive. Every extreme step to the ascent must now be painfully repeated on the long descent home.

Even if someone is injured or sick, there can be no rescue mission. Other climbers are often unable to help their fellow climbers. Mountaineering has to be the ultimate experience in self-reliance, as icy mountain and determined man meet in a head on collision..

Everest was only conquered in May 1952, by Sir Edmond Hilary and Peter Tenzing. This was the crowning glory to the British Empire as Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne.

In 1966, eighty-four climbers conquered to the summit, but 12 people died that season. It was the worst year-to- date in the mountain’s history. Since then all records, sadly, continue to be broken.

A 71 year old Japanese climber was the oldest to climb in 2007. The record was topped in 2008 by a 76 year old Nepalese, who thinks he may just do it all over again. More than 3500 Nepalese have ascended, acting as guides to the climbers who pay up to $US50 thousand for the privilege of trying to conquer the world’s highest peak. The Nepalese government charges $US25 thousand to each person trying for their moment of glory.

Appa Sherpa has climbed Everest 11 times, while Ang Rita Sherpa and Babi Chiri Sherpa have both climbed 10 times. These Sherpa guides climb without oxygen.

During the Olympics no competitor has to be bothered about the rubbish they create. Just forget it and walk away. Not the same on the icy slopes of the mountain. Every climbing party is responsible for its rubbish removal, including empty oxygen tanks.

Mt Everest is well thought of as a jealous goddess, by the local Sherpa people. One that rigorously punishes illicit sex performed on the mountain. However, she is not the only mountain to covet the high slopes and act treacherously towards the would-be conquerors. She has a far more dangerous sister known as K2.

K2’s treacherous slopes have recently taken 11 more lives. This is the worst incident since 13 climbers died over a period of two weeks in 1986. K2 has been nicknamed, ‘The mountain that invites death’.

Blame is once more being cited as lack of preparation, wrong choices and lack of experience. The same things that were said of the 1986 expedition that also ended in disaster.

From Olympic to extreme adventure sports, there will always be men and women for whom the unattainable has a special attraction. They are not experts. They just have higher ambitions than most people. They have four things in common:

1. Faith in themselves

2. Great determination

3. Driving ambition

4. And endurance.

They are people who do not fear to dream big dreams. Through planning, patience and perseverance, along with a determination to never quit, these people get to the top.

Like these elite athletes and mountaineers you too can dream big dreams through a Blue Moon Opportunity.

About the Author

Rick and Wendy are CEO's of YouMe Support Foundation charity that gives away non repayable high school education grants to children who will never have the opportunity to have a high school education without outside assistance.

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