@@filanfyretracker Everest is 29,000 feet high, average 50% of the planes fly lower and 50% of the planes fly higher. I definitely haven't been all over the world but I have A LOT of flying experience. The 30 + planes I have experience didn't fly that high. I'm not saying you're wrong, I just think I'm not either.
@@gw4792 at first I thought the same, but he's not exactly seductive, which is an essential part of being a bard. As for cleric, he doesn't really heal us, just points out that "that's a pretty gnarly wound right there" and points to it.
@James Slick II I'm gonna agree with you on the bard, but remember clerics can fill a lot of roles not just healer there main feature is they are casters with a good deity most of the time and I would put John's deity as "truth" ok a little corny but if you were to put him into a setting I'd have his deity as some sort of truth god, hell even a warlock might work if you want to go that way honestly I'm definitely not an expert in the subject it's just my two cents.
I always imagined climbing a mountain as this silent, sort of lonely endeavor with at most a few people. Not getting to the top and waiting in line for a photo like you're trying to get a picture with a mall Santa. So weird.
It's how it's supposed to be, and I recommend everyone to do it. There are peaks out there for all skill levels, including none. The experience is still awesome. If you want to spend 5 hours and have no skills, there is a nice mountain out there for you, same if you're incredibly experience and want to spend two months. The best part is, they are for the most part empty.
Its not 'waiting in line for a photo'... thats a nonsensical sensational media narrative. If you zoom out from the ABC photo you see 200 people as tiny speck in a vast landscape. And 8 billion people complaining about it. Its extremely difficult to get there, and very very few do.
It is, literally anywhere else. Honestly I used to look at Everest with some interest but after learning about it... it's demoralizing. It's supposed to be sacred, it's actual name is Chomolungma, but it's been turned into a production business. I don't blame the sherpas for anything, though.
NEVER climb a mountain by yourself. NEVER climb ANYTHING by yourself. I say this as one who used to free climb up hundred foot cliffs. One slip, and you could be knocked out, injured, or dead, and no one would know. Any sort of injury, or even loss of gear, and you could die. Always bring at least one other to watch and report any injuries or falls.
@@Subpar1224 To be fair though climbing the Everest is hella hard and even people in peak physical condition almost die. The Sherpas are borderline superhuman. That being said, I still think climbing the Everest is stupid as hell. The Sherpas do it because the're getting paid. People who pay to do it are crazy.
@@ManoredRed Absolutely agrees with you. I have seen so many people die there in the promise of big money. I am so glad I chose engineering instead of climbing.
Here's some event on Mount Everest that truly impresses me: in May 2006, one climber on the descend was left for dead at 8700m, after his team had tried for hours to rescue him. An ascending team found him the next morning, still alive against all odds, and gave up on their own ascend to rescue him. The members of that team were: - Daniel Mazur (U.S.) - Andrew Brash (Canada) - Myles Osborne (UK) - Jangbu Sherpa
However, that year was also the same year that David Sharp died while sitting in a cave and waiting for a storm to pass, very close to where that rescue happened. Several climbers were blamed for not helping him, but the truth of the matter is that if you can't look after yourself and keep walking at that altitude, you might as well sign your own death certificate. Ultimately, you live or die at the mercy of the mountain and most rich tourists don't get that.
"That is one man literially squeezing the white guilt out of another." Amazingly accurate. That dude really wanted to believe that claim as fast as he could so he didn't have to feel as bad about paying this man to risk himself daily to make his up hill walk possible.
That Rick Roll was a Chekov's gun, you could see it coming a mile away. The thing with a Rick Roll is that you should: never foreshadow it. Never announce it. Never gonna run around around and desert you. Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye. Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.
@@zariumsheridan3488 it's pretty hard to say "I'm amazing, I climber Mt. Everest" when there's a Sherpa lugging all your belongings back and forth for you and making sure you don't die.
Yeah, the climbers are basically people who have bought everything fancy they can think of and *still* have too much money. Maybe they'd be better off starting a charity or something? I figure that a charity for 'Help the Nepalese' were you can get a picture of yourself standing next to a kid in Nepal might help the society more than leaving so much trash on a beautiful mountain.
@@zariumsheridan3488 No, you're right- and it is a pretty big boon to their economy. That said, while they do have economic gains from that industry, it's extraordinarily unethical by the standards of most western countries to participate in that industry, and every thoughtless like and subscribe we give to a yuppie taking a selfie on Mt. Everest is promoting an industry with very low worker's rights standards, inexcusable mortality rates and a simply insane raison d'etre since the explosion of the selfie culture. If it were done differently, with higher standards expected of the mountaineers, higher pay rates for the sherpas, better risk assessment and an industry accepted lower danger threshold for determining that the climb is too dangerous... then sure, knock yourselves out, instagrammers. Oh, and a better understanding that the vast majority of those taking the selfies would've never made it up there without the trusty sherpa that did not get included in the selfie.
I'm shocked John didn't even mention the absurd number of bodies littered on the mountain. It is exceptionally dangerous to remove them, so countless climbers remain on the mountain, frozen and mummified. Many are even used as landmarks by other climbers.
And they have to think..."will I be one of them," as they step right past them. Creepy. I can't imagine stepping past a dead person in some stage of partial decomposition, or a frozen skeleton. It seems disrespectful.
They'll be found by the next civilization after us at some point, meanwhile we now know that Ötzi and the other mummified Neanderthals that have been found must have been the dumbest individuals of their entire species
@@otisthegrouch9299 right, except the weather doesn't stay sub-zero throughout the year. I read this one writer who was near the base of K2 and he said the glaciers had brought not-completely frozen deceased people down to them. Sheesh. I can't remember the author's name.
They really should've talked about all the corpses that remain on Everest bec removing them is too dangerous One part of the route is literally called rainbow ridge bec of the colorful jackets of the dead bodies
Fun story, when I was a junior in high school our football team had a motivational speaker and he was talking about the mountain type Sherpa and how everyone in life needs to be a Sherpa. My buddy who was a real history nerd shouts out “they’re also a race of people as well” and the motivational speaker was like “no they’re not” and they got into like a 5 minute argument about it where the motivational speaker full on stopped his speech to heckle with this kid. I think about it everytime I watch it. It’s a much brighter thought than what they really go through in real life
At my high school in the mid 90s, we had an Olympian, whose name I believe was Buddy Lee, come in to give us a motivational speech using jump ropes. I honestly don't remember my reaction to it but I can't imagine I felt uplifted by watching this guy in a onesie doing jump rump tricks. I probably made fun of it. I wish I had come out back then. It sure would have been a lot more fun. Edited to get the person's name correct. It was definitely not Buddy Guy, a famous guitarist, doing jump rope tricks.
I cannot thank you enough for doing this piece. I am from a small town on the India-Nepal border and the entire Himalayan region, even though a paradise for someone who loves mountaineering, is unfortunately full of problems mentioned in the video because of insane tourism and cheap labor. This episode is literally a summary of the many frustrating conversations I have had about the Himalayas with my friends from University, because of there being a lack of awareness about the tourism problems in the Himalayan region.
lol, India Nepal border is far far far away from Everest, trust me you have no idea what's up there. And what's up with Indian people, no matter what they always seem to find a connection to any of the landmarks in South Asia?
RASHMI REGMI Who are you to invalidate their experience? Also, did they ever say that they knew what was going on ON TOP OF EVEREST? She was talking about the REGION so stop
@@RASHMEYREGMI um...? Himalayas is a pretty big region not just mt Everest. And who the fuck are you to judge what she says? Go get a job...ohh I forgot there are none in your country.
@@RASHMEYREGMI trying to insinuate against humble thanking comment just goes to expose the kind of toxic hate-filled ideology and rhetoric that's preached in your pathetic bankrupt theocracy... Try to shed your Indophobic Hindu-xenophobic mindset and think in terms of whole humanity.... but alas, your belief system perhaps doesn't allow your brain to function beyond your _ummah_
Maybe, well hopefully. I'm just saying it might be hard to keep it light when your life is on the line so often for those people. Damn that'd suck, especially if you lost a friend on that.
that is exactly what I was thinking! you would think for that risk and cost, emotionally, safely and $ they would have a better ladder setup. seriously. (P.S. the movie Free Solo is marvelous).
As an x-mountaineer i made a decision to avoid Everest just because of the types who pay to get to the top. I support a self support rule that you have to own and carry your equipment, food and provide your own self rescue.
Not so sure that I'll ever have the money to do so, but I love the idea of visiting Nepal and the Himalaya range, hire a few sherpas to guide me through a few nice, tourist-free (well, apart from me) ranges appropriate to my skills, and simply enjoy the quiet and the fact that I'm not endangering anybody's life.
@@ThatOpalGuy deciding that you don't want to put someone else's life at risk just so you can get a selfie on a summit is actually a pretty reasonable and human behavior actually...
I love you J. Oliver - am Bengali from this part of Nepal and the Sherpa community is amazing. Thank you for stepping up for them and pointing out how dumb tourists take advantage of them. (FYI - spit out my coffee at "squeezing the white guilt out of him" in response to the typical gracious Sherpa response).
Can you see Everest from where you are, or do you have to go far to do it at all? IMO if I were visiting your part of the world just the chance to see that wonder from afar would be enough.
@@sjh3217 I am a Nepali and I have seen Everest. The thing is it is relatively hard to see Everest. You normally can't see it from most towns but there are multiple points from the highway from where you can see it. However, most of the time what you see is just clouds. So people who travel a lot or are really passionate about it see it. However, if you can get to see the view of mountains just after the rain clears in the monsoon season. I promise you you will not regret it.
@@assasindxd3193 sounds beautiful. Isn’t it even shittier for tourists to be climbing the mountain because it is a religious thing for the sherpa community?
@@wynterfir The sherpa/mountain tribe culture/religion is different from major religions. They consider climbing and exploring their mother mountain their sacred duty. Even their death on the mountain is just their natural unification with their mother mountain. These trends of thoughts have toned down nowadays due to education and hinduism. However, a very different conversation takes place when real estate market booms in your area. Conclusion, YES sitty climbers are bad for them but genuine mountain lovers are welcome. Also the environment is not that bad now. Some trash in the trekking route seems managable. However, serious problems will start to arise when the water springs start giving out dirty water.
You can still go to Everest and brag about it because 1) it is expensive 2) it is rare to do (for regular people) 3) it is the highest point on earth 4) people die doing it and the person bragging survived 5) it must be amazing to experience (even if it is made easier) 6) other reasons I cannot think of right now
There's very little prestige in climbing Everest once you learn the only significant requirements now are being physically fit and having enough money. Even less prestige when you consider it's someone else's job to get you up the mountain.
There's no prestige amongst actual mountain climbers who are out doing more difficult things (though plenty of real mountain climbers have died on Everest). But it's still an incredibly impressive feat for a normal person even with all the help.
@@Vcize But is it a feat that one can even own? And, moreover, can say was worth it? I'm certainly not assigning these devil may care thrill seekers with prestige.
@@MarcosIsABaritone I don't know. I mean it's still a far more difficult thing than the most difficult thing most of us will ever do in our lives. And to be clear the famous photo/video of the conga line to the top of the mountain that the media always uses was an outlier, in a very bad weather season where only one weather window the entire year was clear enough to climb so the entire year's worth of climbers all had to go up on the same day. You can see the guy who filmed it talking about it in the new 14 peaks documentary on Netflix.
Especially when that “someone else” is usually a Nepalese sherpa who is being paid far less than a western guide purely because the average salary in Nepal is shockingly low. It’s vile and blatant exploitation.
John: As this sherpa will tell you- *Rickrolled* Me: Ahhh you got me John: As this sherpa will tell you- *Actual video of a sherpa talking about Mt Everest* Me: Ahhh you got me
No offense but you are probably just very sensitive to height then, because I don't think those symptoms are normal at 2430m. But yeah handling the altitude of Everest or similar mountains is still crazy, even more so if you don't have a babysitter
@@jkraemo every 1500m, according to Everest trek sites, you need to stop and take a night to adjust. I recently moved from basically sea level to 1100m. Had headaches and nosebleeds for a few days. You can feel the pressure change any time going up or down. And that's not high by any means lol so it definitely can affect you. Just minor.
@@marissanorth85 But that again is because you are sensitive to altitude, I've done more than 1.5km in a day without any effects beyond physical exhaustion due to hiking for 8 hours. The altitude itself starts to become a problem at 3k+ but before that it's usually not that big of a problem
This feels like a fitting metaphor for the narrative of the 1% and the self-made man. Many of the 1% will say, "Look at this incredible achievement that I've done through pure determination and grit. Isn't it impressive?" Whereas in reality the achievement was done through the exploitation of honest, underpaid workers doing the majority of the actual work.
Someone, who does something professionally, is better than a hobbyist. So what? It's still very impressive. Instead of trying to drag others down, why don't you pull yourself up?
@@MrCmon113 'Why don't you pull yourself up?' Sounds like boomer and American bs. Ah yes why didn't we chose to born rich? And those suffering under student loans or can't afford uni? Obviously lazy. Such naive thinking exposes you to be someone oblivious to underclass hardships and don't bother to actually look it up beside typing smug comments.
I so, so, so much love the fact that Edmund Hillary had his picture taken _together_ with Tenzing Norgay. Every single picture I've seen of the two, they look like brothers and best friends. Also: "It has been a long road ... From a mountain coolie, a bearer of loads, to a wearer of a coat with rows of medals who is carried about in planes and worries about income tax" (Tenzing Norgay) is just such a sweet quote.
"That isn't the warm embrace of family, that's one man physically squeezing the White Guilt out of another." *snaps for truth* That line gave me shivers.
@Dragon Fox Wow...just wow. The administrator at the mental hospital must have left his office unlocked again. Why don't you go back to urinating in the hallway drinking fountains and leave the normal people to their conversations.
Or a bunch of overly confident people are just going to start dying on K2. If you really want to scare the shit out of people make them climb Annapurna I.
It won't happen because the countries rely to heavily on tourism. That would kill their revenue. Sucks that money just runs the world and we put money higher over human life
I've been to Nepal but not Bhutan (which has very very high Visa entry costs/requirements), but know people who have, and really feel that Bhutan has it right.
I wanna see John Oliver give a sherpa an awkward hug like that, though I have a feeling John Oliver hugs are always awkward since he’s really just three owl in a business casual suit. With an extensive tie collection. We all need a hobby. 😂
I mean, you gotta admit those are some pretty damned smart owls. Maybe his movements are a bit awkward but I've never once seen him turn his head all the way around 180 degrees. Or go chasing after some rodent that scurries by. They've almost figured out how to pass as a human.
@@PaulTheSkeptic Maybe the three owls chose the least flexibile and most blind of them to be the head. He does wear glasses after all. I mean, unless they just have normal glass in the lenses. 🤔
I remember typing how I love the show even though the problems shown are usually American. And now, I can say I love this episode because it has pointed out one of the bad tourism problems in my country.
Thank you so much for having this attitude! Sometimes people are like, "how dare this American show criticize my country? Don't they have faults of their own (that the show made tons of episodes about)?"
I recall being so stunned as a kid to realize Sherpas went up FIRST and did all the hard work. One of many lessons! Like cameramen on some shows; one being about those large crystals deep in a Peruvian? cave. They showed footage of "the first person" into a new chamber ... filmed by some camera guy (or gal) that really WAS first, forced to crawl in to get the shot.
Those crystals were really something else. It must have been a really magical place to discover. Actually now that I think about it it would just be magical to see it whether you were the first one there or not. I think they were gypsum crystals I remember right.
@@Smedley1947 Ah! Could have written that better ... was merely giving the example I saw on TV, safe in my armchair. Not that I wouldn't mind GOING to Peru. Yes, I think gypsum as well. And also that it was some ridiculous temperature like 130F in addition to the rest of the hazards.
"We are like a family" just hurt my soul. What else did you expect him to say? That's like asking your barber if your haircut turned out well. This is business and you're putting these people in literal life-and-death danger.
Sherpas do the job voluntarily as there is little other opportunity in that region (Tibet/Nepal) and make roughly 10x the average wage. It can be looked at as an evil, but these folks depend on this income for their family so that is something to consider.
@@dr.lyleevans6915 Having to constantly put your life on the line in service to something as frivolous as a complete stranger's bragging rights seems like an awful way to make a living. The notion that they rely on this doesn't do much to distract from that, it just shines a light on different issues.
It's the age old debate... These people don't have much opportunity and might have a hard time just paying for food without this job. Without these tourists they would starve. But does that make it morally right to use their service when they're pushed into that work because of poverty? And just to make it clear... I don't know aaanyyyything about the conditions there. No idea how their situation is. When I see something like this, it just makes me think of sex workers in like Taiwan and the Philippines.
There are plenty of folks working regular, if low paying jobs down at the bottom. These guys want big bucks, it really is a choice. Just like the guys that harvest swallow nest. High risk, high reward. At the very least, be consoled that they are very very good at this, and are more likely to survive than the people that hire them.
It's even worse. He couldn't say the anything not absolutely reassuring because it could frighten the people around them and pose a threat to the expedition. Those people entrust their lifes to the sherpas. It's like a patient asking a heart surgeon how he feels when cutting him open - to him it is a technical procedure, like repairing a very complicated car. But he sure as hell won't say that.
There was a "Climbing Mt. Everest" show on the Discovery channel years ago. One of the Climbers had the idea of climbing along the Southern route, then descending along the much tougher Northern route. Once he got to the top, however, he changed his mind for the most profound of reasoning. He'd come to Everest to prove how tough he was and set a record. In doing so, he realised he was being carried by his sherpa (on occasion literally), putting his supposed "accomplishment" into stark perspective. I kind of wish more people left with that bit of introspection.
"Hey, I've never climbed a mountain before, I'm gonna start with the tallest one in the world!" People like that probably deserve their upcoming Darwin Award.
Eh, he was probably actually talking about all of them. But still, they wouldn’t do it if the westerners didn’t make them. While they don’t make them literally, they’re so poor that they must.
The surprise flash hug is a trick used by journalists to prevent people from continuing with what they were saying. It happens a lot, specially on live TV. "We are like family, you are like a spoilt cousin I hate"
@John O Are you a journalist that it hit so close to home? See the image on the link imgtv.ecn.cl/uploads/2016/05/10/20160510030309892.jpg Won't be the first time, won't be the last time.
I'm mostly an indoor climber and when I go climbing outdoors it's only bouldering too so I can't really talk about mountain climber, but in general the climbing community is super welcoming and helpful. I feel like it's only really this Everest bs that justifiably pisses people off (or other cases, where inexperienced climbers act like idiots and endanger others)
I only respect hardcore people that get there on foot, flying for it only increases the environmental cost of the hobby. Otherwise I'm mad at them too.
Even the hardcores have absolutely no business doing it in 2023. Not with all the clownery that happens. Even if it weren’t crowded they’re still putting sherpa’s lives in extreme danger. How can any human live with the idea that their thrills could kill a man.
@@studiocelestedesignI wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I were the reason a Sherpa died. Thats just something that would be almost impossible for me to get over.
Honestly, any extreme sport is like this. I've dived with people who can not dive, and they put everyone else in harm's way, as well as, in this case, ruin the trip for everyone else because they kick up ALL THE SEDIMENT SO NOBODY ELSE CAN SEE SHIT
Best comment, this is their land, their genes have a mutation to live so high up in the sky, but this is one of the poorest countries in the world, doesn't mean we have the right to go exploit them. The only people making money in Nepal r the ones who run the government, what a surprise😔
Well I already had a lot of respect for Sherpas. Always have. Now I have even more respect for them. I can understand the need & willingness for your family. There needs to be a orphan & widows fund for these Sherpas that are killed. Every single climber/tourist needs to pay into it just to go.
_"When you host a show called 'Man vs Food,' living past 50 with your _*_original heart_*_ should be your Everest."_ My main man Johnny is still savage as ever, I see!
I like when he has to tell you joke that you can tell he didn’t write and is embarrassed by. The joke usually isn’t funny, but seeing how hard he has to squeeze it out make it funny.
mountain enthusiast here: It's very accurate and describes the frustration of many. some things he missed: Hot shouwers in basecamp, sherpa's dragg all the stuff and gas up. The amount of sherpa's that die :( (like half of all deaths) Dead bodies remaining on the mountain and being used as waypoints.
Look how far John has come it used to be he couldn't run through a field without tripping and breaking his face now he's climbing Mount Everest way to go John
"Don't get scared" Okay, now I just have to go change my pants! But seriously, if you don't carry your own gear, you're not really a mountain climber, you're just a tourist!
A couple of rich folks have the poor locals do all the work, literally carry them to the top of a dangerous mountain, just so they can brag to their fellow rich friends.
As always, the Swearing British Parrot-Owl Hybrid is here on my Monday morning to educate me about stuff that the world really needs to know more about!
I love the Swearing British Parrot-owl, but I usually see him on Monday, not Sunday.... I don't have HBO and I'm only awake because I'm up late making sure my little brother gets home.
Sure, I'm a 'karma whore', yup, as this is Reddit, right? And regarding the content of the video, I don't need to write anything about it, as my intent was to show appreciation for these weekly videos. Now crawl back into your cave my dear troll, and have a lovely week ahead!
Yep. We had a training film at work that was particularly impactful thanks largely to its last line, "and remember stay calm and you will almost never be killed." There's something about that "almost never" that made it stick in my brain for the past 20 years
Mr.Oliver I just want to say thank you for this channel! Thank you for what you do and thank you for hiring Daniel O’Brien he is one of my favorite writers
A few years ago my dad (an avid climber) bragged to me that he had climbed Everest without a sherpa, and I didn’t realize how impressive that was until I watched this video. I thought it was obvious you should carry your own stuff when you’re challenging yourself; paying someone to do the heavy lifting for you (literally) with their lives on the line just to be able to brag about it is both horrible and pathetic. I feel like if we found other jobs for those sherpas it would solve most of the problems, since many tourists would give up the climb after a few days (or not take it at all), solving the crowd and death rate problems as the experienced climbers would generally be the only ones reaching the dangerous parts of the climb...
If you get a chance, read the books 'Into Thin Air' and the one I haven't gotten a chance to read 'The Climb'. They are both about a 1996 disaster climbing Everest. With a decent bit of imagination you can get secondhand experience of the climb yourself and then never want to go anywhere near the place.
@@arithedotanewb9126 Both are great books, the climb is from the perspective of a Russian guide that helped save many lives during that storm, it's good to have another story besides the one that John Krakauer wrote.
As a kid I saw the IMAX film called Everest. That's one that will stick with you for sure. Rewatched it a few months ago when I came across it on UA-cam. That sent me down a rabbit hole which also led me to videos made since then where they have some of the survivors tell their story. It's wild. One dude had his hands frozen solid. They were stuck in some bad weather and stranded mere feet from others in their group who managed to make it back to one of the camps.
The Sherpas on Everest are like superhuman climbers. It's obvious without them all of the yuppies would have zero chance. Sherpas on Everest are some serious, next level badasses!
@@NoFretBrettCSSMBFF yea, you can thank my general ignorance (and maybe my phone's spell check a bit) for that faux pas. Felt more than a little silly after seeing that in the video a minute after I posted. Learn something every day!
To be fair, a huge amount of the corpses on mount Everest are from people who have no other way to make a somewhat acceptable living except to haul rich foreigners up the mountain. I guess you could say they're extremely motivated, but certainly not in the way most people would think (probably even after watching this video).
I actually wanted to get a pic of me and my hamster on top of mount Everest, so I typed in the domain name and went to an HBO website. Very clever, John. I guess I'll have to get a screen shot of mount Makalu, if it exists, and photo shop it myself. LOL
@@BlutmagierAMVs36 White guilt works better. I understand the race-tag on it is racist by definition but white guilt can generally be extended to examples like that pretty accurately with little offense intended.
P3C that is the thing isn’t it... hypocritically he was doing himself what he was claiming to expose... if john had just disregarded that person’s race, which played no part in his acting the way he did, the point would have come across beautifully...
A well deserved topic! Glad you pointed out the sherpa’s and the mountaineering standard and the responsibility of the Nepali government and the guiding-companies 👌🏼 This deserves to be talked about, for the true mountaineers, the preventable deaths, but mostly for the sherpa’s. 👍🏼
@@RebeccaOre this should be a law. and maybe add that should there be a s/Sherpa that dies while climbing with them, half of their assets will go to the sherpa's family.
The highest phone call award was already taken by one of these three: snoop dogg, Bob Marley or willie Nelson unfortunately they cant remember who made the legendary call
You are 100% correct, and thank you for recognizing Willie Nelson, as a Native Man. Obviously he's half Native and very well respected and beloved in the community. Younger people don't know as much who he is though. I love Snoop and Marley too, of course.
Highest ever phone call, huh? Man's outta be pissed when he hears about planes
D’Alembert agrees
theoriginalanimeker Everest is 29000 feet high. Commercial airplanes fly between 31,000 and 38,000 ft. So please stop spewing garbage out of ur mouth.
@@theoriginalanimeker Average cruising of a commercial airliner is anywhere from 30,000ft to 41,000ft Certainly above Everest.
theoriginalanimeker yeah 28,000 feet would be pretty low for a passenger plane. They usually stay between 31,000 and 38,000 feet.
@@filanfyretracker Everest is 29,000 feet high, average 50% of the planes fly lower and 50% of the planes fly higher. I definitely haven't been all over the world but I have A LOT of flying experience. The 30 + planes I have experience didn't fly that high. I'm not saying you're wrong, I just think I'm not either.
I love Mount Everest. It's literally the Highest of the High Grounds.
It's literally not. Mt. Chiborazo is.
you are a bold one..
@@NoName-fc3xe You sure showed him! Obi-Wan Kenobi will think twice next time.
You'd love k1 my friend
Hello there
John Oliver has big chaotic good energy and I live for it
I would love to have him on my D&D party. What class would he be though?
I'd put him as a cleric/bard
@@gw4792 at first I thought the same, but he's not exactly seductive, which is an essential part of being a bard. As for cleric, he doesn't really heal us, just points out that "that's a pretty gnarly wound right there" and points to it.
@James Slick II I'm gonna agree with you on the bard, but remember clerics can fill a lot of roles not just healer there main feature is they are casters with a good deity most of the time and I would put John's deity as "truth" ok a little corny but if you were to put him into a setting I'd have his deity as some sort of truth god, hell even a warlock might work if you want to go that way honestly I'm definitely not an expert in the subject it's just my two cents.
I always imagined climbing a mountain as this silent, sort of lonely endeavor with at most a few people. Not getting to the top and waiting in line for a photo like you're trying to get a picture with a mall Santa. So weird.
It's how it's supposed to be, and I recommend everyone to do it. There are peaks out there for all skill levels, including none. The experience is still awesome. If you want to spend 5 hours and have no skills, there is a nice mountain out there for you, same if you're incredibly experience and want to spend two months. The best part is, they are for the most part empty.
Its not 'waiting in line for a photo'... thats a nonsensical sensational media narrative. If you zoom out from the ABC photo you see 200 people as tiny speck in a vast landscape. And 8 billion people complaining about it. Its extremely difficult to get there, and very very few do.
It is, literally anywhere else. Honestly I used to look at Everest with some interest but after learning about it... it's demoralizing. It's supposed to be sacred, it's actual name is Chomolungma, but it's been turned into a production business. I don't blame the sherpas for anything, though.
NEVER climb a mountain by yourself. NEVER climb ANYTHING by yourself. I say this as one who used to free climb up hundred foot cliffs. One slip, and you could be knocked out, injured, or dead, and no one would know. Any sort of injury, or even loss of gear, and you could die. Always bring at least one other to watch and report any injuries or falls.
Why I stay away from all of Colorado's 14 thousand foot peaks.
Sherpas be like, "This is my hundredth climb to the peak."
Without tubes...
Without heated tents while carrying the packs of 20 tourists
@@Subpar1224 To be fair though climbing the Everest is hella hard and even people in peak physical condition almost die. The Sherpas are borderline superhuman.
That being said, I still think climbing the Everest is stupid as hell. The Sherpas do it because the're getting paid. People who pay to do it are crazy.
@@ManoredRed Absolutely agrees with you. I have seen so many people die there in the promise of big money. I am so glad I chose engineering instead of climbing.
*sherpas. *face palm* did you not watch the video?
"That's one man physically squeezing the White guilt out of another."
I almost died.
Me too!
Me three! :D :D :D
So did the sherpas.
And it's very statistically probable that he did too, given that he was likely totally unqualified to climb Everest in the first place!
Awesome statement and so freaking true! Incredible watch, lol
John casually wearing down pants through the entire episode for that seamless transition - now THAT'S dedication!
His balls must have been sweaty by the end of that.
The crazy thing is ... he wasn't. He likely placed them on during the last clip while the audience wasn't paying attention to him.
@@crocketmeow The Shin Lim of Late Night Show hosts.
You could say that was... John's Everest.
Right? 😂😂
Here's some event on Mount Everest that truly impresses me:
in May 2006, one climber on the descend was left for dead at 8700m, after his team had tried for hours to rescue him.
An ascending team found him the next morning, still alive against all odds, and gave up on their own ascend to rescue him.
The members of that team were:
- Daniel Mazur (U.S.)
- Andrew Brash (Canada)
- Myles Osborne (UK)
- Jangbu Sherpa
However, that year was also the same year that David Sharp died while sitting in a cave and waiting for a storm to pass, very close to where that rescue happened. Several climbers were blamed for not helping him, but the truth of the matter is that if you can't look after yourself and keep walking at that altitude, you might as well sign your own death certificate. Ultimately, you live or die at the mercy of the mountain and most rich tourists don't get that.
Jangbu was interviewed in this Oliver clip. (the one who said 0 could make it up without him) Great guy, I climbed with him in Argentina!
@@WhyFi59 That's the attitude that differenciates Everest and all the other great mountains.
@WhyFi59 great take. I still remember Anatoli Boukreev’s words from the 2015 Everest film: ‘The last word always belongs to the mountain.’
That rescued climber sort of looks like John Oliver too
Thank you John for recognizing my brave Sherpa brother & sisters. Mount Everest needs rest now for some time.
-A Nepalese fan
No love for sherpas though?
John Oliver recognized "sherpas", not "Sherpas".
I send love for both Sherpas and sherpas. :D
I've got an idea bro. Just tell them a black family moved near the top of the mountain and trust me your problem will be solved.
@Desperadox23. That's if they even live to spend it at all. A lot of them die thanks to those stupid tourists' ineptitude.
"That is one man literially squeezing the white guilt out of another."
Amazingly accurate. That dude really wanted to believe that claim as fast as he could so he didn't have to feel as bad about paying this man to risk himself daily to make his up hill walk possible.
What if the reporter was asian? Would that still be white guilt?
@@thegeqable Asian guilt
@Dragon Fox Poor oppressed white people. We are the most hated group
@@firsttimeisawjupiter1031 but Asians are the most privileged
@Dragon Fox Not as much as white people love to hate everyone else lmao
That Rick Roll was a Chekov's gun, you could see it coming a mile away. The thing with a Rick Roll is that you should: never foreshadow it. Never announce it. Never gonna run around around and desert you. Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye. Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.
Good job.
How the fuck did I get rickrolled in text form what the fuck I'm actually kind of fucking mad. But still very good job
GODDAMMIT
Sunuvabitch!
Well played.
The fact that AT&T owns Warner Media, who owns HBO, and John didn't hold back at mocking the company is why this news show is my favorite
If he gets fired the final show is him exposing HBO for goodness knows what
@@placeholderdoe that's called job security!
Technically a comedy show mate
That's the joke, he's been doing it for ages.
Not gonna lie, I ain't even mad. That Rick Rolling was beautifully executed
isn't it rick astley? did he change his name?
Rick Rolling is never beautifully executed. It was not funny 20 years ago and hasn't aged well since then.
Ah, I remember the first time I was Rickrolled... it's more fun when John Oliver does it, certainly.^^
I never got why people get mad at it. I saw Rick Astley and he said he was amused by it. He knew it had nothing to do with him.
As soon as he mentioned Rick Rolling, I knew he was going to do it later in the skit. I didn't anticipate it being that immediate however, lol
Thanks so much for recognizing what Sherpas go through so people can have bragging rights.
It's not like they are doing that for free or forced to do that by anybody?
@@zariumsheridan3488 it's pretty hard to say "I'm amazing, I climber Mt. Everest" when there's a Sherpa lugging all your belongings back and forth for you and making sure you don't die.
Yeah, the climbers are basically people who have bought everything fancy they can think of and *still* have too much money. Maybe they'd be better off starting a charity or something? I figure that a charity for 'Help the Nepalese' were you can get a picture of yourself standing next to a kid in Nepal might help the society more than leaving so much trash on a beautiful mountain.
@@zariumsheridan3488 No, you're right- and it is a pretty big boon to their economy. That said, while they do have economic gains from that industry, it's extraordinarily unethical by the standards of most western countries to participate in that industry, and every thoughtless like and subscribe we give to a yuppie taking a selfie on Mt. Everest is promoting an industry with very low worker's rights standards, inexcusable mortality rates and a simply insane raison d'etre since the explosion of the selfie culture. If it were done differently, with higher standards expected of the mountaineers, higher pay rates for the sherpas, better risk assessment and an industry accepted lower danger threshold for determining that the climb is too dangerous... then sure, knock yourselves out, instagrammers. Oh, and a better understanding that the vast majority of those taking the selfies would've never made it up there without the trusty sherpa that did not get included in the selfie.
ua-cam.com/video/BTmHw07TnzE/v-deo.html
Person: "I climbed Mount Everest."
Me: *after watching this segment.
Sure you did.....
Me: Yes... You and everybody else
Person: my ancestors grew cotton.
Me: well.....
Pfft, why photoshop yourself onto everest when you can photoshop yourself onto K2, at least you can brag about your mad skillz~
More like climb on some Sherper’s back to Everest.
@@applemauzel Cuz only a handful of people would even understand that K2 is harder to climb than Everest.
"Our fatality rate is close to zero" is the writing that kept this show alive for so long and what will keep it alive. Subtle gold across the board
I'm shocked John didn't even mention the absurd number of bodies littered on the mountain. It is exceptionally dangerous to remove them, so countless climbers remain on the mountain, frozen and mummified. Many are even used as landmarks by other climbers.
And they have to think..."will I be one of them," as they step right past them. Creepy. I can't imagine stepping past a dead person in some stage of partial decomposition, or a frozen skeleton. It seems disrespectful.
That is morbid! 😱
@@cindys9491 they're almost perfectly preserved because of the sub zero climate
They'll be found by the next civilization after us at some point, meanwhile we now know that Ötzi and the other mummified Neanderthals that have been found must have been the dumbest individuals of their entire species
@@otisthegrouch9299 right, except the weather doesn't stay sub-zero throughout the year. I read this one writer who was near the base of K2 and he said the glaciers had brought not-completely frozen deceased people down to them. Sheesh. I can't remember the author's name.
Everest should be like the NYC marathon, you should be required to complete several smaller mountains before you can climb the big one.
Mr. : EXACTLY.
💯!!!
Most climbers are already experienced enough to try everest, usually by climbing other mountains
@@M60E3MG not all require it. I read some articles about it, and there are quite a few "tourists" who never climbed high mountains or just lie.
But isn’t a marathon always just a marathon?
They really should've talked about all the corpses that remain on Everest bec removing them is too dangerous
One part of the route is literally called rainbow ridge bec of the colorful jackets of the dead bodies
Holy shit. To be honest that only makes it sound more tempting.
Yeah, i was waiting for Green Boots to be mentioned
@@shawnmiranda yeah i know, but he was the most definitive "landmark" of the mountain for agood while.
saw the pictures.. that was fkin mortifying
Benutzername Cool
Fun story, when I was a junior in high school our football team had a motivational speaker and he was talking about the mountain type Sherpa and how everyone in life needs to be a Sherpa. My buddy who was a real history nerd shouts out “they’re also a race of people as well” and the motivational speaker was like “no they’re not” and they got into like a 5 minute argument about it where the motivational speaker full on stopped his speech to heckle with this kid. I think about it everytime I watch it. It’s a much brighter thought than what they really go through in real life
Motivational speakers are the worst
a motivational speaker that came to my school when I was in elementary school talked about how he was beat as a child. I have no memory of why
Except for Matt Foley.
But otherwise, the LCD for motivational speakers (and "life coaches") is pretty L.
At my high school in the mid 90s, we had an Olympian, whose name I believe was Buddy Lee, come in to give us a motivational speech using jump ropes. I honestly don't remember my reaction to it but I can't imagine I felt uplifted by watching this guy in a onesie doing jump rump tricks. I probably made fun of it. I wish I had come out back then. It sure would have been a lot more fun.
Edited to get the person's name correct. It was definitely not Buddy Guy, a famous guitarist, doing jump rope tricks.
Cool story. Please put it in a podcast on the Who Gives a Shit Channel
I cannot thank you enough for doing this piece. I am from a small town on the India-Nepal border and the entire Himalayan region, even though a paradise for someone who loves mountaineering, is unfortunately full of problems mentioned in the video because of insane tourism and cheap labor. This episode is literally a summary of the many frustrating conversations I have had about the Himalayas with my friends from University, because of there being a lack of awareness about the tourism problems in the Himalayan region.
lol, India Nepal border is far far far away from Everest, trust me you have no idea what's up there. And what's up with Indian people, no matter what they always seem to find a connection to any of the landmarks in South Asia?
Tourism is basically when you pay to become a tepid parody of colonial explorers.
RASHMI REGMI Who are you to invalidate their experience? Also, did they ever say that they knew what was going on ON TOP OF EVEREST? She was talking about the REGION so stop
@@RASHMEYREGMI um...? Himalayas is a pretty big region not just mt Everest. And who the fuck are you to judge what she says? Go get a job...ohh I forgot there are none in your country.
@@RASHMEYREGMI trying to insinuate against humble thanking comment just goes to expose the kind of toxic hate-filled ideology and rhetoric that's preached in your pathetic bankrupt theocracy...
Try to shed your Indophobic Hindu-xenophobic mindset and think in terms of whole humanity.... but alas, your belief system perhaps doesn't allow your brain to function beyond your _ummah_
I can imagine when the Sherpas come home they make fun of the climbers
I still laugh at people who swim with dolphins in tanks.
I honestly hope they roast them like a marshmallow.
I hope they do that these rich bastards deserve it
If they even make it home
Maybe, well hopefully. I'm just saying it might be hard to keep it light when your life is on the line so often for those people.
Damn that'd suck, especially if you lost a friend on that.
That scene with the Sherpa going across that rickety ass ladder is nightmare inducing.
Don't be scared.
Wait, wait! Don't get scared? T'fuck you talking about?!
That ladder against the ice wall was literally so unstable 💔
that is exactly what I was thinking! you would think for that risk and cost, emotionally, safely and $ they would have a better ladder setup. seriously. (P.S. the movie Free Solo is marvelous).
I don't care how horrifying it is!! I NEED MY DINING TABLE!!!!
As an x-mountaineer i made a decision to avoid Everest just because of the types who pay to get to the top. I support a self support rule that you have to own and carry your equipment, food and provide your own self rescue.
Thank you sir. We need more socially responsible people like you.
Not so sure that I'll ever have the money to do so, but I love the idea of visiting Nepal and the Himalaya range, hire a few sherpas to guide me through a few nice, tourist-free (well, apart from me) ranges appropriate to my skills, and simply enjoy the quiet and the fact that I'm not endangering anybody's life.
I bet you're quite proud of yourself.
@@ThatOpalGuy deciding that you don't want to put someone else's life at risk just so you can get a selfie on a summit is actually a pretty reasonable and human behavior actually...
@@heathersmith4042 many people dont care, its all about THEM
I love you J. Oliver - am Bengali from this part of Nepal and the Sherpa community is amazing. Thank you for stepping up for them and pointing out how dumb tourists take advantage of them. (FYI - spit out my coffee at "squeezing the white guilt out of him" in response to the typical gracious Sherpa response).
Can you see Everest from where you are, or do you have to go far to do it at all? IMO if I were visiting your part of the world just the chance to see that wonder from afar would be enough.
@@sjh3217 I am a Nepali and I have seen Everest. The thing is it is relatively hard to see Everest. You normally can't see it from most towns but there are multiple points from the highway from where you can see it. However, most of the time what you see is just clouds. So people who travel a lot or are really passionate about it see it. However, if you can get to see the view of mountains just after the rain clears in the monsoon season. I promise you you will not regret it.
Sherpas, like the Dabbawalas of Mumbai, perform prodigies of Organized Physical Effort.
@@assasindxd3193 sounds beautiful. Isn’t it even shittier for tourists to be climbing the mountain because it is a religious thing for the sherpa community?
@@wynterfir The sherpa/mountain tribe culture/religion is different from major religions.
They consider climbing and exploring their mother mountain their sacred duty. Even their death on the mountain is just their natural unification with their mother mountain.
These trends of thoughts have toned down nowadays due to education and hinduism.
However, a very different conversation takes place when real estate market booms in your area.
Conclusion, YES sitty climbers are bad for them but genuine mountain lovers are welcome.
Also the environment is not that bad now. Some trash in the trekking route seems managable.
However, serious problems will start to arise when the water springs start giving out dirty water.
Guy first time up Everest- "IM KING OF THE WORLD!!!"
Sherpas- "Bitch please we do this at least once a week..."
Which is untrue since they would go through it at least 40 times week.
@@lytuy7952 I did say "at least".
And I did it 4 times yesterday alone
*Sherpas 😭 He spent precious time explaining this.
@@Mhojito53 it's the first word of a sentence though.
I love how John killed peoples social media bragging rights 😂
True. Love the name.
I'm now going to ask them "Nepal or Tibet?" When they reply with "Nepal" I will snicker and walk away.
@@mattk6101 I already snicker when people say Nepal
You can still go to Everest and brag about it because 1) it is expensive 2) it is rare to do (for regular people) 3) it is the highest point on earth 4) people die doing it and the person bragging survived 5) it must be amazing to experience (even if it is made easier) 6) other reasons I cannot think of right now
Red H bragging at climbing mount everest is like bragging about you in a line in wallmart
There's very little prestige in climbing Everest once you learn the only significant requirements now are being physically fit and having enough money. Even less prestige when you consider it's someone else's job to get you up the mountain.
There's no prestige amongst actual mountain climbers who are out doing more difficult things (though plenty of real mountain climbers have died on Everest). But it's still an incredibly impressive feat for a normal person even with all the help.
@@Vcize But is it a feat that one can even own? And, moreover, can say was worth it? I'm certainly not assigning these devil may care thrill seekers with prestige.
@@MarcosIsABaritone I don't know. I mean it's still a far more difficult thing than the most difficult thing most of us will ever do in our lives. And to be clear the famous photo/video of the conga line to the top of the mountain that the media always uses was an outlier, in a very bad weather season where only one weather window the entire year was clear enough to climb so the entire year's worth of climbers all had to go up on the same day. You can see the guy who filmed it talking about it in the new 14 peaks documentary on Netflix.
Did you summit?
Especially when that “someone else” is usually a Nepalese sherpa who is being paid far less than a western guide purely because the average salary in Nepal is shockingly low. It’s vile and blatant exploitation.
”Highest phone call ever.” Lol. Clearly you weren't there when my mom called me while I was out making bad choices with the boys.
😂😂😂
lamo!
TheGschultz Okay. Just plz don't tell my mom.
John: As this sherpa will tell you- *Rickrolled*
Me: Ahhh you got me
John: As this sherpa will tell you- *Actual video of a sherpa talking about Mt Everest*
Me: Ahhh you got me
this comment got me
I want to be a part of history!
*body becomes a checkpoint on Everest* "Oh good. We made it to the skinny, dead Asian guy."
I want to be apart of history, so I'm going to try to become one of the first, if not the first blind judge.
That's orange socks, by the way. Sorry about your search history.
@president camacho Well aside from the sherpas who are all Asian
Just Some Guy with a Mustache I love that you always show up in the top of the comments of like half the videos I watch
@@couragekarnga8735 Actually, Michigan has a blind justice on their Supreme Court.
I climbed Machu Picchu which isn’t nearly as high and for the first two days I felt like my head was gonna explode. Altitude is no joke.
No offense but you are probably just very sensitive to height then, because I don't think those symptoms are normal at 2430m. But yeah handling the altitude of Everest or similar mountains is still crazy, even more so if you don't have a babysitter
@@jkraemo every 1500m, according to Everest trek sites, you need to stop and take a night to adjust. I recently moved from basically sea level to 1100m. Had headaches and nosebleeds for a few days. You can feel the pressure change any time going up or down. And that's not high by any means lol so it definitely can affect you. Just minor.
@@marissanorth85 But that again is because you are sensitive to altitude, I've done more than 1.5km in a day without any effects beyond physical exhaustion due to hiking for 8 hours. The altitude itself starts to become a problem at 3k+ but before that it's usually not that big of a problem
@@jkraemo I did Machu Picchu as well. 5 day hike thru the Andes. People experience altitude sickness dude. It's a thing lol
@@jkraemodude shut your gatekeeping mouth 😂
As a Nepali I approve this video, please don't climb Mt. Everest, stay at home, enjoy time with friends.
You don't want their money.
@@toniclark6029 Nepal is beautiful, Everest is the least interesting thing about it
There are probably easier mountains to climb
@@toniclark6029 Don’t you have crypto losses to cry about?
@@mariar6449 why do u think i have ctypto
You didn’t offer the option for us to have a photo of summiting Mount Everest on a SealPony? For shame, John
That costs extra
HE WAS WEARING THE SNOW PANTS THE WHOLE TIME. WOW. TRUE DEDICATION.
He did the reverse of only wearing underwear at the desk!
the snow pants AND boots
That or a sherpa helped him wear just in time.
and this ladies and gentlemen is one of the reasons John Oliver wins the Emmy every year.....he's brilliant. Mad respect from Canada!
This feels like a fitting metaphor for the narrative of the 1% and the self-made man. Many of the 1% will say, "Look at this incredible achievement that I've done through pure determination and grit. Isn't it impressive?" Whereas in reality the achievement was done through the exploitation of honest, underpaid workers doing the majority of the actual work.
accurate!
Someone, who does something professionally, is better than a hobbyist. So what? It's still very impressive. Instead of trying to drag others down, why don't you pull yourself up?
@@MrCmon113 the tourists are not professionals, what's your point?
@@MrCmon113 'Why don't you pull yourself up?' Sounds like boomer and American bs. Ah yes why didn't we chose to born rich? And those suffering under student loans or can't afford uni? Obviously lazy.
Such naive thinking exposes you to be someone oblivious to underclass hardships and don't bother to actually look it up beside typing smug comments.
Yeah! That worcaholic menagers were just lucky!
I never thought I'd be rickrolled in 2019 by a late night show host
Some Nerd on the Internet i know right? What a time to be living in
Well he rickrolled us twice
That's why I love the show.
Twice
I never thought I would be rickrolled in 2019.
"The higest ever celphone call"? Uhm... Comercial airplanes go higher than mount Everst, And you can do cellphone calls from there.
Highest cellphone call with feet on the ground
@@peacechan4500 - Those get made by British tourists in Amsterdam.
You can also call from ISS
@@TheMrVengeance thanks for the chuckle. So true
@@TheMrVengeance i see what you did there
I so, so, so much love the fact that Edmund Hillary had his picture taken _together_ with Tenzing Norgay. Every single picture I've seen of the two, they look like brothers and best friends.
Also:
"It has been a long road ... From a mountain coolie, a bearer of loads, to a wearer of a coat with rows of medals who is carried about in planes and worries about income tax" (Tenzing Norgay) is just such a sweet quote.
Who Gives a Shit Channel
That running joke with AT&T just keeps getting better and better.
"That isn't the warm embrace of family, that's one man physically squeezing the White Guilt out of another." *snaps for truth* That line gave me shivers.
Dragon Fox you seem upset.
Has nothing to do with your vulgar filth .
@Dragon Fox Wow...just wow. The administrator at the mental hospital must have left his office unlocked again. Why don't you go back to urinating in the hallway drinking fountains and leave the normal people to their conversations.
@Dragon Fox Cry baby cry. So let me guess? You love looking at right-wing news instead of finding unbiased/neutral sources, right?
Dragon Fox get a life pathetic troll.
The highest ever phonecall was made by Snoop..💨
Truth
Only a douche does something like that on top of fucking EVEREST.
@AstronomyToday good point, that guy that claims to have placed the highest call is just a douche nozzle then.
I am pretty sure Willie Nelson has him beat.
definately!
Never gonna give you up, Johnny. Never gonna let you down. You're my Everest
What i like about Oliver show 80% of his shows you can watch it any year never get old
It's also the saddest part, because none of the problems he spotlights ever get better.
Agreed.
from the future, tis true
Because no problem can ever be fixed in this nightmare world
Yeah I kinda hate that things aren't improving drastically after he reports on this stuff.
It should be a requirement for everyone to have climbed K2 before getting approval to climb Everest.
This mass tourist issue would stop over night!
Or a bunch of overly confident people are just going to start dying on K2.
If you really want to scare the shit out of people make them climb Annapurna I.
Y'all know na K2's more harder than Everest.... And man climbing Annapurna will have a fatality rate close to 60precent3
@@IRHasDiabetes911 I thought K2 was a more difficult climb but Annapurna was more deadly.
@@pollypockets508 the South face of Annapurna 1 is argued to be more technical than k2
Mass tourism basically props up Nepal's economy.
Nepal could increase tourism revenue if they make a law for mountaineers to climb other mountains before giving approval to climb Everest.
Tom George That’s an interesting proposal.
It won't happen because the countries rely to heavily on tourism. That would kill their revenue. Sucks that money just runs the world and we put money higher over human life
I honestly thought you had to. Can't believe you don't that's crazy
No they wouldnt, people want the accolyte of climbing everest not the hills around it
I've been to Nepal but not Bhutan (which has very very high Visa entry costs/requirements), but know people who have, and really feel that Bhutan has it right.
Edmund Hillary's comments were powerful. And the web site idea was amazing. Great work as always JO team!!
I wanna see John Oliver give a sherpa an awkward hug like that, though I have a feeling John Oliver hugs are always awkward since he’s really just three owl in a business casual suit. With an extensive tie collection. We all need a hobby. 😂
🤣🤣🤣
Sounds like you might want to hug John .
@@edwardchenock4419 who wouldn’t want to hug John!!
I mean, you gotta admit those are some pretty damned smart owls. Maybe his movements are a bit awkward but I've never once seen him turn his head all the way around 180 degrees. Or go chasing after some rodent that scurries by. They've almost figured out how to pass as a human.
@@PaulTheSkeptic Maybe the three owls chose the least flexibile and most blind of them to be the head. He does wear glasses after all. I mean, unless they just have normal glass in the lenses. 🤔
I remember typing how I love the show even though the problems shown are usually American.
And now, I can say I love this episode because it has pointed out one of the bad tourism problems in my country.
Lol Everest isnt a country it's a mountain.
Thank you so much for having this attitude! Sometimes people are like, "how dare this American show criticize my country? Don't they have faults of their own (that the show made tons of episodes about)?"
@@brynotar I appreciate you so much
@@brynotar well it lies in our country so it is problem of country.
@@brynotar Space isn't a man, it's a place!
I recall being so stunned as a kid to realize Sherpas went up FIRST and did all the hard work. One of many lessons! Like cameramen on some shows; one being about those large crystals deep in a Peruvian? cave. They showed footage of "the first person" into a new chamber ... filmed by some camera guy (or gal) that really WAS first, forced to crawl in to get the shot.
Absolutely correct and in that cave what about the sound and lighting technicians and theit heavy equipment?
Those crystals were really something else. It must have been a really magical place to discover. Actually now that I think about it it would just be magical to see it whether you were the first one there or not. I think they were gypsum crystals I remember right.
@@Smedley1947 Ah! Could have written that better ... was merely giving the example I saw on TV, safe in my armchair. Not that I wouldn't mind GOING to Peru. Yes, I think gypsum as well. And also that it was some ridiculous temperature like 130F in addition to the rest of the hazards.
John Oliver is a national treasure . . . I'm not sure which nation, but I'm sure they're very proud.
We're British. We are proud, lol!
Matthew Otto everywhere
Bitch please, John Oliver belongs to America now.
@@massylmallem7820 John Oliver belongs to all of us.
John Oliver belongs to the internet now
I expected the first Rick roll but you absolutely got me with the second one
I completely expected the third one that never came.
Actually he got me on the first one, I saw the second one coming
I saw neither the first nor the second one coming xD
"We are like a family" just hurt my soul. What else did you expect him to say? That's like asking your barber if your haircut turned out well. This is business and you're putting these people in literal life-and-death danger.
Sherpas do the job voluntarily as there is little other opportunity in that region (Tibet/Nepal) and make roughly 10x the average wage. It can be looked at as an evil, but these folks depend on this income for their family so that is something to consider.
@@dr.lyleevans6915 Having to constantly put your life on the line in service to something as frivolous as a complete stranger's bragging rights seems like an awful way to make a living. The notion that they rely on this doesn't do much to distract from that, it just shines a light on different issues.
It's the age old debate...
These people don't have much opportunity and might have a hard time just paying for food without this job. Without these tourists they would starve. But does that make it morally right to use their service when they're pushed into that work because of poverty?
And just to make it clear... I don't know aaanyyyything about the conditions there. No idea how their situation is. When I see something like this, it just makes me think of sex workers in like Taiwan and the Philippines.
There are plenty of folks working regular, if low paying jobs down at the bottom. These guys want big bucks, it really is a choice. Just like the guys that harvest swallow nest. High risk, high reward. At the very least, be consoled that they are very very good at this, and are more likely to survive than the people that hire them.
It's even worse. He couldn't say the anything not absolutely reassuring because it could frighten the people around them and pose a threat to the expedition.
Those people entrust their lifes to the sherpas. It's like a patient asking a heart surgeon how he feels when cutting him open - to him it is a technical procedure, like repairing a very complicated car. But he sure as hell won't say that.
He was wearing *snowpants* indoors... under the heat of theater lights, for (probably) entire time it took to shoot this episode.
I guess you could say that’s the Everest of uncomfortable hosting?
@@darkness336 Lol, excellent
I love how pleased he is when he finds a url that isn’t taken.
The magic of HBO’s generous allowance to buy out specific domain names
There was a "Climbing Mt. Everest" show on the Discovery channel years ago. One of the Climbers had the idea of climbing along the Southern route, then descending along the much tougher Northern route. Once he got to the top, however, he changed his mind for the most profound of reasoning. He'd come to Everest to prove how tough he was and set a record. In doing so, he realised he was being carried by his sherpa (on occasion literally), putting his supposed "accomplishment" into stark perspective. I kind of wish more people left with that bit of introspection.
"Hey, I've never climbed a mountain before, I'm gonna start with the tallest one in the world!"
People like that probably deserve their upcoming Darwin Award.
Natural selection at it's finest.
They're doing the mountain a service...by becoming another trail marker for other upcoming award winners to follow.
Ada Frost - Probably?
Narges A o
Darwin award😂😂😂😂😂
My favorite Rick roll moment was at my friend's wedding, when she had them play it at the end as they walked out 😂
The Sherpa who said "We are family" he was referring about his own sherpa's colleagues, not the turists. Facepalm
Eh, he was probably actually talking about all of them. But still, they wouldn’t do it if the westerners didn’t make them. While they don’t make them literally, they’re so poor that they must.
haha ...lmao possible
That's the stupidest reply to that question ever then.
The surprise flash hug is a trick used by journalists to prevent people from continuing with what they were saying.
It happens a lot, specially on live TV.
"We are like family, you are like a spoilt cousin I hate"
@John O Are you a journalist that it hit so close to home?
See the image on the link
imgtv.ecn.cl/uploads/2016/05/10/20160510030309892.jpg
Won't be the first time, won't be the last time.
Not that I was gonna climb mount Everest before, but now I’ve got some non-lazy reasons
😂
It'll cost you about $60,000 just for the guide to get you to the top, so I think there's another very viable reason why you won't be climbing.
It was a fantasy of mine as a teen after reading "Into thin Air"...and that's the way it will stay. Lol
@Lauren Being lazy is a flawless excuse for anything. Only other one being "I really don't want to."
I legitimately, earnestly hope that this show never, ever, ever ends. Brilliant.
Probably one of my favourite Jon Oliver episodes ever. He did such a great job.
Last week tonight Is the Mount Everest of late night talk shows
Lil Bit Official It is.
3 Emmy's in a row prove that. And 4th one is probably coming in 3 months
That’s still a very low hurdle.
Dangerously popular: Check; Easily accessible: Check; Squeezes brain out of skull: ????
You mean second to only one other nearly sunken and stranded show?
On the other hand, the idea of rich people paying over ten thousand dollars to die on a mountain is objectively very funny.
Someone convince Comrade Goldfish-face to climb Everest.
Sadly it is the sherpas who die more
For sure,I think it is hilarious!
@@ahnobi yes,you are probably correct,and it is for the same reasons Nepalis have to leave their country for opportunities to get ahead.Not pretty.
@@ahnobi really?
Mountain climbing might be the one hobby where the hardcore people pissed off about filthy casuals are 100% right
I'm mostly an indoor climber and when I go climbing outdoors it's only bouldering too so I can't really talk about mountain climber, but in general the climbing community is super welcoming and helpful. I feel like it's only really this Everest bs that justifiably pisses people off (or other cases, where inexperienced climbers act like idiots and endanger others)
I only respect hardcore people that get there on foot, flying for it only increases the environmental cost of the hobby.
Otherwise I'm mad at them too.
Even the hardcores have absolutely no business doing it in 2023. Not with all the clownery that happens. Even if it weren’t crowded they’re still putting sherpa’s lives in extreme danger. How can any human live with the idea that their thrills could kill a man.
@@studiocelestedesignI wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I were the reason a Sherpa died. Thats just something that would be almost impossible for me to get over.
Honestly, any extreme sport is like this. I've dived with people who can not dive, and they put everyone else in harm's way, as well as, in this case, ruin the trip for everyone else because they kick up ALL THE SEDIMENT SO NOBODY ELSE CAN SEE SHIT
Shout out to whomever made the Everest title graphic. The way the tip of the V sits opposite the tip of the mountain peak. Very nice, I see you
10:25 "we're like family"
If that's true then the sherpas are the parents and the clients are little infants that rely on them for everything.
@mushroomsAreAwesomethere are lots of mushrooms where I live,
That was the british Ben Fogle in that spot.
@Robert Curtin Wipe their own asses but still need all their *shit* carried
Best comment, this is their land, their genes have a mutation to live so high up in the sky, but this is one of the poorest countries in the world, doesn't mean we have the right to go exploit them. The only people making money in Nepal r the ones who run the government, what a surprise😔
So there's two kinds of fecal time bomb up there
Well I already had a lot of respect for Sherpas. Always have. Now I have even more respect for them. I can understand the need & willingness for your family. There needs to be a orphan & widows fund for these Sherpas that are killed. Every single climber/tourist needs to pay into it just to go.
*sherpas* ... not all "Sherpas" hike or climb (as referenced in this very video)...
Because buying away your guilt isn't what you're already doing by hiring them
There is. Nepal government pays from the revenue. Sherpas went on strike (and shut down the mountain) 10 years ago over it.
_"When you host a show called 'Man vs Food,' living past 50 with your _*_original heart_*_ should be your Everest."_
My main man Johnny is still savage as ever, I see!
Floating Sunfish 100th.
It's his British nature.
That's why Adam quit. It was killing him.
He mad cause his Brit palette can’t handle super spicy wings challenge.
Join the club, John.
I think there are few people who could say "business daddy" without making it sound creepy, but John Oliver is one of those few
Thank you John for 360 coverage on Everest. Fan from Nepal.
WOW I haven't been rick rolled in years thank you John Oliver thank you for bringing back the good times..........
John: "Please take your anxiety medicine of choice..." I love this man so much.
@Juekbawx Oh yes! John is my favourite drug of the week. :) :) :)
very generous of hbo to give him a big enough budget to rebuild the studio on top of the summit for a small joke
Let's be real "highest call ever" was made by Snoop Dogg.
Omg man 😂😂 you're good!
Willie Nelson
Niiice.
Lol
Business baby outta control over here! LOL
That sneezing at the photo of Justin Long bit made no sense, but you can tell John really loved it and demanded it stay in.
Not every joke is a winner for anyone.
@Mike Keller ...wut?
I like when he has to tell you joke that you can tell he didn’t write and is embarrassed by. The joke usually isn’t funny, but seeing how hard he has to squeeze it out make it funny.
Someone explain that to me? I have no idea who tf Justin Long is
@Mike Keller ....wuut??
mountain enthusiast here:
It's very accurate and describes the frustration of many.
some things he missed:
Hot shouwers in basecamp, sherpa's dragg all the stuff and gas up.
The amount of sherpa's that die :( (like half of all deaths)
Dead bodies remaining on the mountain and being used as waypoints.
Look how far John has come it used to be he couldn't run through a field without tripping and breaking his face now he's climbing Mount Everest way to go John
"Don't get scared"
Okay, now I just have to go change my pants!
But seriously, if you don't carry your own gear, you're not really a mountain climber, you're just a tourist!
"if you don't carry your own gear, you're not really a mountain climber, you're just a tourist!" Can we have this on a ton of signs around Everest?
@@SethKasso Some of the sherpas would probably throw you down a crevasse for undermining their livelyhood.
@@Alexander_Kale hey if it means they'll live another year
A couple of rich folks have the poor locals do all the work, literally carry them to the top of a dangerous mountain, just so they can brag to their fellow rich friends.
Vladimir thanks for that brilliant synopsis.
As always, the Swearing British Parrot-Owl Hybrid is here on my Monday morning to educate me about stuff that the world really needs to know more about!
I hope you have a lovely week!
I love the Swearing British Parrot-owl, but I usually see him on Monday, not Sunday.... I don't have HBO and I'm only awake because I'm up late making sure my little brother gets home.
I love that weird British bastard!
...more like a rat-owl
Sure, I'm a 'karma whore', yup, as this is Reddit, right? And regarding the content of the video, I don't need to write anything about it, as my intent was to show appreciation for these weekly videos. Now crawl back into your cave my dear troll, and have a lovely week ahead!
20:36 "Our fatality rate is *close* to zero".
Wait a minute.
Yep.
We had a training film at work that was particularly impactful thanks largely to its last line, "and remember stay calm and you will almost never be killed."
There's something about that "almost never" that made it stick in my brain for the past 20 years
"If you've experienced injury, back pain or death, call this number..."
Poor Janice...
@@cartoonishidealism582 dear God, is she alright?
Mr.Oliver I just want to say thank you for this channel! Thank you for what you do and thank you for hiring Daniel O’Brien he is one of my favorite writers
How long until there's a Starbucks at the summit?
Give it a few years
Rashad probably after the first Mc Donalds on top of Everest.
But will they drink? Iced coffee. Naturally iced coffee.
already in the plan, climbers need hot beverages
6:05 Hi go to Everest by work. How many time the was there?!
A few years ago my dad (an avid climber) bragged to me that he had climbed Everest without a sherpa, and I didn’t realize how impressive that was until I watched this video. I thought it was obvious you should carry your own stuff when you’re challenging yourself; paying someone to do the heavy lifting for you (literally) with their lives on the line just to be able to brag about it is both horrible and pathetic. I feel like if we found other jobs for those sherpas it would solve most of the problems, since many tourists would give up the climb after a few days (or not take it at all), solving the crowd and death rate problems as the experienced climbers would generally be the only ones reaching the dangerous parts of the climb...
Good for him! That sounds like an incredibly hard task
It's not the "heavy lifting." It's more the numerous trips made to and from high camps with gear that wears you down.
@IF Your dad is a bad. Ass.
If you get a chance, read the books 'Into Thin Air' and the one I haven't gotten a chance to read 'The Climb'. They are both about a 1996 disaster climbing Everest. With a decent bit of imagination you can get secondhand experience of the climb yourself and then never want to go anywhere near the place.
@@arithedotanewb9126 Both are great books, the climb is from the perspective of a Russian guide that helped save many lives during that storm, it's good to have another story besides the one that John Krakauer wrote.
What kind of budget does this show have...
I LOVE IT!
I guess they still have some dragon money stocked up.
Plus big business daddy has tons to give to his business son...
HBO
Huge
Angel Autopsy Yuge*
As a kid I saw the IMAX film called Everest. That's one that will stick with you for sure. Rewatched it a few months ago when I came across it on UA-cam. That sent me down a rabbit hole which also led me to videos made since then where they have some of the survivors tell their story. It's wild. One dude had his hands frozen solid. They were stuck in some bad weather and stranded mere feet from others in their group who managed to make it back to one of the camps.
The Sherpas on Everest are like superhuman climbers. It's obvious without them all of the yuppies would have zero chance. Sherpas on Everest are some serious, next level badasses!
*sherpas* ... not all *sherpas* are "Sherpas" (as referenced in this video)...
yuppies don't have 11k to spend on a mountain selfie. All the people in this video where older, likely boomers or Gen X.
@@bjdent you'd be surprised........
@@NoFretBrettCSSMBFF yea, you can thank my general ignorance (and maybe my phone's spell check a bit) for that faux pas. Felt more than a little silly after seeing that in the video a minute after I posted. Learn something every day!
Posting "First" and actually being first, is the Mount Everest of useless comments.
Koyal Alkor lol nice
lol nice
nice lol
4th
Koyal, you are the first best comment here!!😂
Just remember folks.
Every corpse on mount Everest was once an extremely motivated person.
Stay lazy my friends 😅😅😅
So you're saying I can either A) climb Everest and possibly die or B) sit on my couch eating tacos and playing video games?
@@ssfbob456 My choice is "B" definitely.
😂😂😂😂
To be fair, a huge amount of the corpses on mount Everest are from people who have no other way to make a somewhat acceptable living except to haul rich foreigners up the mountain.
I guess you could say they're extremely motivated, but certainly not in the way most people would think (probably even after watching this video).
Is Mr deeds up there still?
I actually wanted to get a pic of me and my hamster on top of mount Everest, so I typed in the domain name and
went to an HBO website. Very clever, John. I guess I'll have to get a screen shot of mount Makalu, if it exists, and
photo shop it myself. LOL
Narcissist: Hey, I climbed Mount Everest all on my own (posts on social media).
Sherpa: Well, excuuuse me, princess!
"Physically embracing the white guilt out of another" best line I have ever heard.
amrita kamalini bhattacharyya that was not the line
amrita kamalini bhattacharyya i hope it is not as it is quite racist... just guilt would have sufficed
@@BlutmagierAMVs36 White guilt works better. I understand the race-tag on it is racist by definition but white guilt can generally be extended to examples like that pretty accurately with little offense intended.
@@BlutmagierAMVs36 It's not racist, it's a fact.
P3C that is the thing isn’t it... hypocritically he was doing himself what he was claiming to expose... if john had just disregarded that person’s race, which played no part in his acting the way he did, the point would have come across beautifully...
I hope John never, ever stops trolling his “business daddy” AT&T. Like the Rickrolling, it never gets old
If they would fire him i'll bet there's a line outside waiting for him.
@Katherine Pagan Yes! John trolling AT&T always gets me 😂
It gets a little old to me because it won't actually make AT&T consider changing for the better in any way.
Except it does and it has.
This never gets old. Thee absolute second an Everest climber starts acting like a big shot, play them this video! And, true, Sherpas are rock stars.
A well deserved topic! Glad you pointed out the sherpa’s and the mountaineering standard and the responsibility of the Nepali government and the guiding-companies 👌🏼
This deserves to be talked about, for the true mountaineers, the preventable deaths, but mostly for the sherpa’s. 👍🏼
This could be easily titled: “How stupid selfish rich people continue to ruin everything that’s good.”
What would be cool is requiring all climbers to make wills making the sherpas’ families their heirs.
Literally describes life
@@RebeccaOre this should be a law. and maybe add that should there be a s/Sherpa that dies while climbing with them, half of their assets will go to the sherpa's family.
aaaron152 That was my thought exactly.
aaaron152 sounds very accurate to me 🎯
The highest phone call award was already taken by one of these three: snoop dogg, Bob Marley or willie Nelson unfortunately they cant remember who made the legendary call
I’m disappointed nobody made this comment sooner 😂
I'm not this means I got to be the awesome one lol
That took me a second
You are 100% correct, and thank you for recognizing Willie Nelson, as a Native Man. Obviously he's half Native and very well respected and beloved in the community. Younger people don't know as much who he is though. I love Snoop and Marley too, of course.
I recently watched that special where that guy made that phone call. The best part was the guy he called: it went to his voicemail!
This was truly the Mount Everest of John Oliver shows.
I am from Nepal and Thanks John for covering this topic.