With how polluted Everest has become there are much more scenic climbs that are just as hard but the ego brings many to that which brings the headlines.
I climbed a mountain twice in one day as a 16 year old just because I got myself lost. Spent 3 days entirely alone in the jungle. I walked out on my own using every bit of instinct and 16 year old invincibility I had. I've never once really respected these types of trips ever since. I actually just can't stand that people actually go to rescue them. Just let them there. If they make it out good for them. If they don't, good for us. It's not like I couldn't do it as a child. As a grown adult they should have more experience and knowledge if anything to work with.
She was a big part of the chain of catastrophe that led to the 96 disaster. Fisher's Sherpa short-roping her up the mountain meant that Sherpa wasn't able to help Hall's lead Sherpa fix the ropes over the Hillary Step. It created the bottleneck, that created a delay... It's not her fault directly, but like too many others, she wasn't ready for the climb, but felt entitled to go anyway because she had money, and a hunger for fame and glory. Everest has this appel du vide syrens' call that has ended with so many to stay on the mountain forever.
Amen! It's fascinating. The rich glory hounds that end up as snoot-cicles on the slopes of Everest seem to legitimately lost the ability to gauge danger, due to their money acting as a kind of security blanket at sea level. They think that they can pay 100k plus to guide companies' and be entitled to not only success in "achieving" their goal, but also take it as a guarantee that they will also be returned safely home. Too many of them learn the last lesson they will ever learn up there, that money can do a lot, but it can't always bring you back home from 8k meters. And too many die with their last words begging for people to save them. I understand the situation with the money brought in selling permits is important to Nepal, and can't begrudge them the income stream. But at the same time, seeing these huuuuge queues of climbers before the Hillary Step makes me wince. It takes lives and leaves corpses and garbage up on there, that are extremely difficult, dangerous, and not always possible to bring back down...@@DamePiglet
There was another climber on another mountain recently, where the Sherpa saved his life, carried him on his back down the mountain. The guy never so much as thanked him, and on top of that blocked him from his Instagram account. !
Scott Fischer and Rob Hall were pioneering mountain tourism. They both died, but the 1996 disaster sparked interest in this sort of tourism. Nowadays, many people have been baby-stepped up Everest; so many that the achievement of topping out has little cachet any more. Climbers in crisis are left to die, since rescuing them would put other lives at risk. People have died waiting in the queue to top out. Everest is becoming an ecological disaster while lines of unserious and incapable climbers leave oxygen bottles, feces, toilet paper, and their dead bodies on this once-beautiful mountain. It's a sad, sad mess.
It’s still a massive achievement, regardless of your stature, it can take up to two months climbing up and down between camps to get climatized before the push.
@@ryanaines6617 Sorry, but it's NOT a massive achievement if you've got sherpas short-roping (basically towing) you up. Everest is the highest mountain, so everybody knows its name. But it's nowhere near the most technically OR physically challenging. It's become like a Disneyland ride for rich tourists.
I think most of these people who train for mount Everest get it wrong, you don't need muscle mass, you need to conserve oxygen, look at the Sherpas they are not body builders types
She couldn’t give those men credit for saving her life because then she would be admitting she didn’t conquer Everest. Someone had to literally carry her down the mountain.
This is what rich people do. Don’t nothing and take all the credit. That is how corporate capitalism works today. The common taxpayer, the bottom 99%, pay for everything bailing out corporations and banks. Reagan calls it “Too Big to Fail.”
Those guys are extremely tough. My uncle was a professional mountaineer (Alpinist/Climber). Btw, They don't normally use those oxygen masks. It's only used in case of emergency. Their bodies are used to high altitudes. Well, they also stay a couple of days at a base camp to acclimatize to the low oxygen conditions. That's why she was running out of oxygen, & that Anatoli guy, could go up & down multiple times.
@@bestdjaf7499: At Everest almost EVERYONE uses Oxygen, except the Sherpas. And they spend 2 or more MONTHS at base camp, during which time they climb up and down to the other camps (4 of them) to acclimatize and continue to train for the climb to the Summit. Some people think they should not be allowed to climb to the Summit without Oxygen.
Anatoli was amazing. One thing that Beck Weathers later said really applies to Anatoli. You can beat see someone’s character when that someone believes no one is watching. Under the circumstances, Anatoli would have been fully justified to remain at Camp 4 until the storm subsided. No one was watching him. And his character really shone through. He was at Camp 4 by himself and the wind was howling at 100 + and about minus 30. He was basically blinded by the storm and darkness but ambled out anyway - twice - and found climber, retreated to Camp 4 then ambled out again only to find another. What a spirit Anatoli had.
As a Peruvian with Bolivian family. I spent a good share of time in cities at high altitudes. And what most people don’t realize is that, it doesn’t matter how good your physical shape is or how many stairs you can climb. Once you are at high elevations all bets are off . Your body and metabolism behave completely different. Some people bodies can adjust easily while others will really struggle. And there is no real way to determine which side you will fall into. All these Everest tourist are just playing chance
In December I accompanied my wife as her personal Sherpa (😅) for her ski vacation . We were in Colorado at 9000 feet , no altitude sickness but since I don’t ski I brought work to do and was fine , until I walked 500 feet to the grocery store. Then I needed to stop and rest. I also tried to use the fitness center….walking on the treadmill doubled my heart rate within six minutes. That is like an 911 opportunity ! I am 70 years old and realize I’m best at sea level. the
I've been saying for years...do some dangerous, cool stuff while you are young. That way, later in life you won't feel the need to compensate for your mis-spent youth. I don't really see an Everest summit as all that impressive now. It means you had a few hundred thousand bucks to blow.
@@ryanaines6617 Thirty tons and counting. People leave tents, oxygen and fuel canisters, clothing, food preparation and consumption articles. . . In addition, six tons of human waste are left yearly. Even when teams remove the detritus from the mountain, it creates a biohazard for the surrounding villages.
You might defend that by saying that she was in no physical of mental shape to have known who saved her from the mountain. You then would have to explain why she didn't make it her life's mission to find out and thank those responsible for saving her. My theory was that she considered they were only doing the job they were paid to do. Although they might agree with that in an exemplary show of modesty, coming from her it's complete self condemnation.
The experienced mountain guide who short-roped Sandy Hill was indeed "a Sherpa": his name was Lopsang Jangbu Sherpa. The day before, he'd climbed with 35kg on his back for about 1000m, into the "death zone." This load included Sandy Hill's Iridium sat phone for NBC. Lopsang was also the Sherpa who tried to save both groups's leaders, Fischer and Hall, albeit unsuccessfully. He was killed by an avalanche on Lhotse that September.
Thanks. Thanks for giving us the background on the Sherpa, Lopsang Jangbu. I'm sorry to hear he had been killed that same year. A brave and hard working man by the sounds of things.
In the book about this expedition, "Into Thin Air," You'll see how Sandy Hill brought about 30 pounds of extra equipment, it was her broadcast setup so she could give daily accounts on her progress. That was lugged up the mountain by a Sherpa. In the book it also talks about how at some point, Hill, was "short-roped" up the mountain. That is a 3 foot piece of rope was tied between her and a Sherpa and the Sherpa pulled Hill up the mountain. That's just pitiful.
@@savvyroca according to Krakauer, it was a laptop and satellite phone setup so she could update a blog from the summit. You would think the golden rule would be that you carry only what you must have. Notenthat the equipment did not work anyway!
she is extremely lucky she made it back. They had another woman from California who felt she could do it as she was always into health and fitness. She was originally from Nepal but was now married to an American in California. They had no kids as they focused on their careers. She was very successful as what she did in the business world and a type A personality. She was able to reach the summit but on her way down she ran out of energy and collapsed in the Death Zone. Her guilds first tried to pull her body down as she was still alive and was still talking, but they couldn't. They pleaded with her to stand up in their language and she tried but soon collapsed. She told them to leave her, as they were running out of oxygen and would die if they didn't get out of the Death Zone. She died on that mountain. I am not sure if they were able to retrieve her body. She had been warned several times, that she was ill prepared but being a Type A personality, she would not listen. She was desperate for bragging rights. I believe all her life in California when she mentioned she was from Nepal, home of Mount Everest, she may have been asked, if she had ever climbed it. She was hoping to impress people even more by saying, "Yes, I did climb to the top".
I used to believe Krakauer’s stories too until I heard what other climbers said about Sandy and the other climbers he unfairly maligned. There’s another UA-camr who did a video about the whole disaster that was really well researched and had testimonies from a lot of the people who were there. It somewhat vindicated her and others along with exposing Krakauer for not being a great climber and acting like a jerk. She was an experienced climber. You can’t carry a person down Everest. Not to mention, I find it interesting that Doug Hensen doesn’t get any hate despite him basically causing Rob Hall’s death though his ineptitude and demanding they continue to the summit despite the fact that it was past the turnaround time and he could barely make it. Of course he couldn’t move on his own once they started descending. But everyone shits on Sandy despite the fact that she caused zero deaths. Good old fashioned misogyny per usual.
@@WilliamBrowning i dk man ive walked into a few stanky bathrooms and she does look like the type to eat a bowl of broccoli and cabbage ... with caviar
Two of the biggest things that stood out for me, was her *absolute* disrespect for other people- throwing an expensive necklace down the mountain in front of really poor men is despicable, but she clearly has no regard for how they live, or how doing what they do, risking their lives in mountain-climbing season is basically their bread and butter for the rest of the year. The fact that she didn't even give credit to the men who rescued her is beyond ungrateful. It's so shallow, it blows my mind how some people live their lives...
She was even more clueless than that. Before this climb, she actually commissioned the creation of another expensive necklace specifically so that she could bury it on the peak.
I was a river guide years ago. I have had many people who claimed all kinds of skills. Bragging about various rivers that, in their opinions, Concorde. Yet in the thick of it when their adventure suddenly went bad. They didn’t come through, or had the necessary skills to deal with the situation. Many of them simply fell into a defeatist mindset. Literally saying “Let me die”. Fortunately, I have not lost anyone on my guided trips. Though, had too many times that, that was severely tested. But I and with the assistance of others prevailed in keeping everyone safe. But to this day, it amazes me. How easily people give up. It is the main reason that I don’t do commercials guided trips anymore.
Dude I’m in the same boat. (Backpacking guide). I can’t tell you how many times people have said “I can’t keep going” or feign an injury. Look guy - I that’s not an option. I’m not going to carry you.
@hannahmeixner6616 EXACTLY why I stopped doing any kind of meetup/internet group adventure stuff (climbing, canyoneering, heck even hiking). Had a guy on the main trail of Whitney (class 1) suddenly crumple to the ground at the switchbacks and demand a helicopter... Eventually, rangers showed up and we basically buddy-systemed, arm-over-shoulder the guy back down the mountain - with the rest of us carrying his pack. So entire trip for 5 people fails cuz biggest bragger guy shows up out of shape? (maybe he enjoyed drama, center of attention kinda thing?) Went to ER in Lone Pine... They gave him some fluids and discharged him in 45 minutes... Doc whispers, "we see guys like him all the time....." as we're leaving..... I can't imagine being a guide and getting that guy as a client...
If I were a whitewater expert (which I am certainly not), I would still listen closely to the guide. There are always unique aspects of a particular river that only the guide knows.
I always admire people in that line of work - and also rescuers. I just wouldn't have the temperament for it: my patience would snap with people who put themselves in these positions, risking their lives, for bragging rights, especially those who have families back home.
*Sandy never cared about the other people who died.* To her, they were merely obstacles and burdens to be shoved off for her own survival. As is horrifically common among socialites and influencers alike, she was and is only capable of thinking about HERSELF and how she is perceived. Anatoli should have left her on the mountain and saved Yasuko instead, and Everest should have been restricted to the public after this pointless insanity. I'll always stand by that. Media was right behind her, as is to be expected. Stop makin' stupid people famous!!
The government of Nepal seems to care only about the money they rake in from this ego-driven madness. They appear to have no standards about anything surrounding Mt. Everest. Their motto seems to be, just bring your dough and your oversized ego. The rest is up to you. I can only imagine the filth up there.
@@lauriestump7134nevertheless, the country of Pakistan issues way too many permits. They have no limits on how many permits are issued and they only care about the money they receive.
Sadly, I think that's true. Read any of the books written by social worker / lawyer Bill Eddy about High Conflict Personalities (who are often but not always narcissists). For us Americans going into the 2024 national election, ESPECIALLY read "Why We Elect Narcissists and Sociopaths and How We Can Stop!"
It seems that Sandy was so narcissistic that she may have even viewed her rescuers negatively - as people who diminished her by making her look weak. This would explain her refusal to thank them and her odd behavior.
@@RMBlake007stop it. You're not a psychoanalyst. And assuming you know how someone's head works based on subjective experiences makes you JUST as weird as this suspected narcissist you're on about. Just saying.
@donbongz4732 no one called her a narcissist, they called her narcissistic, traits that she clearly has. You don't have to be a psychoanalyst to use discernment.
@@karliereddfan did you not read second comment? Where someone is clearly saying that a fucking UA-cam comment helped them gather clarity into the mental state of someone they know. And the OP is about narcissistic behavior, please tell me more about nobody assuming narcissism
@charlotte33072 forget about Jon. Look at the facts for yourself, including how she talks about the expedition, and let me know if you find an ounce of care, gratitude, or honor. What Sandy did was disregard everything in her zealous quest to be the greatest, taking essentials from others, including OXYGEN, and refusing to turn back when the Sherpa people who are far more knowledgeable than her told her it wasn't a good idea to continue. She singlehandedly sabotaged the whole expedition without care for others' safety, their needs, or respect for the elements. Sadly, the ones who suffered were never compensated as if they were objects.
My dad worked mountain rescue for a long time- he always shared that a Climber must be: Humble of the Mountain, respectful of natives… and to Always have a guide that worked at the area every day.
Is it an inherited trait for you, that you refuse to educate yourself? Christ, lad, you can start with Wikipedia: "Hill began mountaineering as a teenager; her first summit at age 13 was Disappointment Peak in the Teton Range. In 1992 she began a quest to become the first American woman to scale the Seven Summits, the highest peaks on each continent. She summitted Aconcagua (1992), Denali (1992), Vinson Massif (1993), Mount Elbrus (1993), Mount Kilimanjaro (1993), Mount Kosciuszko (1994), and Puncak Jaya (1995). Hill finally reached the Mount Everest summit in 1996, thus becoming the second American woman to scale the Seven Summits, following Mary "Dolly" Lefever. Hill had attempted Everest twice before her successful ascent in 1996. In 1993, she reached 23,500 feet (7,200 m) on a guided expedition following the traditional South Col route. On this expedition, she wore a cross necklace custom-made by jeweler Barry Kieselstein-Cord to bury on the summit, but this ceremony did not take place.[9] Then in 1994 she raised corporate sponsorship with $250,000 from Chesebrough-Ponds for an attempt climbing the difficult Kangshung Face, with her film production partner at the time, filmmaker David Breashears, and climbers Alex Lowe, Barry Blanchard and Steve Swenson but the expedition was turned back by avalanche danger above 25,000 feet." And so Jebus wept, at your complete and utter ignorance. You heard some influencers tell you a story, and instead of check and verify, since fit your preconceived notion(s), you swallowed the great lie hook, line and sinker. Again, this is why we can't have good things. Lastly, unlike you, she's not only not living in mom's basement but she also has a helicopter pilot license.
She started climbing when she was 9. By the time she climbed everest she had already been up 6 of the 7 summits. She must have learned something. You'd have to be an idiot to think what you said is true
nothing is more reliable than rich people pretending purchased service amounts to personal merit. They can buy any skills or expertise they want to pretend is theirs.
A friend of mine went to climb Everest with a mountianeer colleague, which was a serious ambition of his, and got really close to the summit, but conditions weren't great and time wasn't in his favour, so he turned around, and I have immense respect for him for making a sensible decision, especially given that (as he would probably acknowledge) in his younger years he didn't exactly have the world's smallest ego. Also, I'm really grateful that he's still alive, which unfortunately, many people who made a different decision aren't.
Sandy never climbed the peak, her body shut down short of the peak. Her Sherpa had to carry her up to the peak and then the descent. The first edition of Into Thin Air told the story. Later editions of the book leave out that part of the story.
It sounds like Sandy got a free ride her entire life. Thanks to the hard work of others. Her father, her husband(s), and those people on Everest. She couldnt have afforded any of these experiences on the salary of a "columnist". Im using that term generously
good you brought that up. those magazine jobs are silly and low paying, but have fake prestige because they are for rich people who want to show they are doing something instead of nothing.
Those magazine jobs are already given to folks that have money so the pay doesn’t matter when my sister interned the people that worked at these mags got all the new makeup and clothes and lunch and invites every night out that’s the perks of the job.. these are not random people they hire theyre all connected believe half of what you see and hear
The Mount Everest decent is far more dangerous than reaching the summit. This applies to everyone. 1. Your oxygen tanks are running low, and most people will die without supplemental oxygen. 2. You already exhausted. The physical task on your body is unlike anything else, and there is no real training for it. The Death Zone is real. It is not a marketing gimmick. 3. There is a crash of adrenaline. On the ascent, you have a specific goal, reach that summit, on the descent, that adrenaline rush is gone. That adrenaline can help push you to the top, but it is gone to get you off the mountain.
There is "training for it", both mental and physical. As any competent mountaineer can attest, reaching the summit is less than half the battle - the descent is far more difficult, far more prone to falls. Those who mentally place their goal as "summitting" rather than safely ascending and descending the mountain are at a disadvantage. It's possible to climb a 29,000 foot mountain without oxygen, but that notable feat requires exceptional stamina, acclimatization, and training - something that few of these "seven summit peak baggers" possess. On the final expedition she took, many of the "client climbers" did not have the requisite physical stamina to safely complete the climb. A number of them paid for that deficiency with their lives.
Uh no - adrenaline isn't excreted unless your life is in jeopardy. There is excitement at reaching the summit because it's a major lifetime goal for everybody that climbs it - but not adrenaline. There have been people that have summited Everest WITHOUT oxygen. Hey donut - on the descent you have gravity as an assist. Naturally that has to be managed AND you need only get down to the highest base camp to get a big rest.
@@guydaley Have you ever done mountaineering? For much of the descent, your life IS in jeopardy, at every step you could slip, when crossing the ladders you could fall, when descending through the ice fall, you could be crushed. For an inexperienced climber, that adrenaline is what keeps them alive.
@@guydaley One doesn't need to actually BE in danger to trigger an adrenaline rush. It's only necessary that the brain perceives an imminent danger. There is a difference.
Most people that tried the climb before it was turned into a commercial clown show, didn't use supplemental oxygen. Many Sherpas don't today 🙃 maybe don't be a gross tourist and put people's lives in danger to live your completely fabricated "adventure" story.
70% of wealthy people in America have never worked a day in their life. Just like her. That is one massive reason why we have so many economic problems here. We don’t tax them and they don’t help anyone.
It’s very presumptuous to write a book about mountain climbing success before you accomplished it, and that’s what it sounds like she did. RIP Scott! RIP to the others as well who perished. It’s beyond what I would attempt! Anatoli was a hero that day. May he rest in peace.
Many, ANY books are written by people with NO experience. Try reading a book about successful marriage written by two young women who’d never even had boyfriends at the time (Girl Defined).
SAR people are the same. They focus on the circumstances of the rescue, not who it is. They save your life. What you do with it after that is up to you.
And Lopsang Jangbu Sherpa, the Sherpa who short - roped Hill up to the summit of Everest so she could even brag about getting there, died in an avalanche on Everest September 1996. He was also too exhausted from helping Hill up to the summit to help Boukreev rescue the climbers after the storm struck.
An expedition for K2 made the rounds in my country, attempting to climb it in February because that was extra hard. Getting corporate sponsorships etc. so a father of 4 with one more on the way could bask in the glory. K2 has a K.ill rate of nearly 30% but didn't only off himself but also one of Nepal's most famous sherpas and 2 other people. I have absolutely no respect for that man. It was a foolish expedition that cost 4 lives total.
If you haven't yet, you should read The Climb. AB co-wrote it and it's about that Everest expedition. A very different perspective versus Krakauer's Into Thin Air.
what he achieved in rescuing and sumiting multiple times in a day carrying people, he is a possible goat Greatest of all time climber, minimal equipment ge sometimes climbed without oxygen
Ever notice that when they publish the list of people who have summited these mountains they never include the Sherpas? Hundreds if not thousands of Sherpas have made that same summit but they never get credit. Only the rich and famous and western “mountaineers” get on that list. Some Sherpas have summited two dozen times.
I can't imagine. I drove a car up 14,000 ft Mt.Evans in Colorado and got altitude sickness quickly, had to descend. That's the extent of my mountain climbing😅😅
We did the same at Pike’s Peak. 14,110 feet. It was snowing in August up there. We didn’t get altitude sickness, but could definitely feel the thin air making just walking around feel like serious exertion. That’s as high as I ever want to go.
Lol. We drove up 6,288 foot Mt Washington in NH. But Mt Washington is fairly dangerous due to the weather that can be worse than the storm these people went through.
Me too! Suffered altitude dieurisis as well. That's why everyone leaps out of their cars and runs for the latrines at the top. It's funny to see the dogs leaping out of the cars for the same reason. But yeah . Being up on Mt. Evan is exhausting just doing nothing but standing there.
The world is full of narcissists -Sandy is just another. The Climbing "crews" may be highly skilled, but they are preying an narcissists; making a living on the needs of neurotics. No one NEEDS to climb mountains in the same way that many thousands NEED chemotherapy. It's all about vanity.
I know a man,who with his best friend,walked a good portion of Antarctica. The result was two self satisfied individuals who hated each other, two books blaming each other for the problems, and two people that were so smug and overbearing that noone can stand to be around. Yep.a life affirming experience
12:20 the sherpas were probably mortified because Chomolungma (what we call everest) is a sacred place where the mother of the world rests, and she was littering this place for her own edification. the sum of her behaviors are very disrespectful to the mountain, i think they were offended by her overall lack of respect for the place and the people who work there. unfortunately many of the people who have the money to go to everest do not have the needed level of respect for being there, in many ways. they see it only as a bragging opportunity. it's unfortunate that other people often perish trying to help those who came to the mountain without the necessary fitness and attitude to succeed.
I've met quite a few people who climbed Mount Everest and all of them were great people and humble. One lady who summited years earlier was so traumatized by the ordeal that she had great difficulty even talking about it. Regardless of what the media states, it is a life or death situation, nothing that we can imagine while sitting at home in our comfy chairs can comprehend the effort.
PBS's "Storm Over Everest" (in which Sandy Hill Pittman appears, and sounds very smug) is one of the most affecting documentaries I've ever seen, I watch it about once a year. It's free on UA-cam
Sebastian Junger wrote the book, it's great and isn't very flattering of Ms.Hill; wrote the book about the missing fishing boat, the Andrea Gail out of Gloucester, MA., too.
@@joiathegreatit boils down to whether or not it's possible to save them. If they have to be carried that it's likely they won't be able to save them. If they are incoherent and can't move on their own then they likely cannot be saved. If you read Jon Krakauer's book Into Thin Air, you will read Neil Beidlemans remorseful thoughts on his inability to save Yasukos life.
Everyone knows the rules of climbing Everest and many of those rules were broken that day. The guides broke the 2pm rule which led to a major problem getting back down. Sandy herself was a major liability yet Scott felt it was worth it. SAD day in mountain climbing history
Climbers must realize no one will save them, its dangerous for alot of reasons. They take advantage of their money & the sherpas with their huge egos. Great points again. Thanks Dr G😊💙💙
The missing element to that belief are the numerous stories about those who are assisted off of Everest who would have otherwise died; like in this story.
I read this book by Tensing Norgay's son, Jamling, Touching My Father's Soul. Jamling was also a Sherpa guide on Mt Everest during that disaster, so this was from the point of view of a Sherpa, he's just an educated Sherpa, so he could write about it. Anyway, he and the other Sherpas were amazed with Anatoli Bukrief, not sure if I spelled that right. He said the Anatoli guy went above and beyond even what a Sherpa at that time would do, you know, he ran up the mountain to make the rescues, because he knew there was only so much time, and that last one, he gave his own oxygen bottle away, before climbing back up to get Sandy without extra oxygen, which is something Sherpas can do, but they don't do it while carrying someone. It's worth reading the book, it's pretty amazing, the contrast of attitudes of climbers.
I watched another breakdown that said Sandy was a very experienced climber and that even Scott Fischer said that as well. Maybe she's being unjustly vilified ... maybe not. I'm drawn to Everest stories for some strange unknown reason as I have no interest in climbing ... it's just Everest, no other mountains.
Thank you Dr Grande for your tireless work ethic. Personally, as you may notice from my moniker, mountain climbing is on my list of least favorite things to do. Right up there with skydiving (jumping out of a perfectly good airplane) and scuba diving( jumping out of a perfectly good boat wearing 70 lbs of equipment). I don’t understand the appeal of danger.
Scuba diving is not that dangerous have done it for over 25 years and have logged thousands of dives. But however skydiving and climbing a mountain over 10,000 feet I am not in for that as to dangerous
Scuba diving is not dangerous. There are, however, like with any sport or endeavor, people who do it in a very stupid and foolish manner. And for them I have no sympathy.
I personally haven't done anything dangerous but I admit admiration and fascination for people who responsibly and ethically challenge the outer limits of the physical world. Sir Ernest Shackleton, the Antarctic explorer comes to mind. Of all the "Pole" explorers, he alone did not lose One. Single. Crewmember. EVERYONE returned alive. Quite a bit worse for the wear, but alive. Read / watch any of books / movies about the ice explorer ship Endurance expedition -- amazing and fascinating!
The 1996 Mt. Everest disaster was a cascade of failures, there’s so many things that went wrong that contributed to the disaster. Greed, arrogance, lack of safety, lack of common sense, you name it.
I once had an argument with someone who said a Sherpa Mountaineer had climbed Everest 6 times without oxygen and in bare feet. I highly doubted the bare-footed part of story. After watching the last few videos about Climbers on Everest. My doubts are well founded.
Dude. How did I just find your channel? Who ARE you and why is your disposition so awesome. And your storytelling, suburb. And your analysis, hysterical. Cheers and thanks for your channel.
Both Rob Hall and Scott Fischer broke their own rule regarding their set turn-back time during the climb to the summit. That was probably the most critical factor resulting in their and their clients' deaths.
Some of the blame for the 1996 disaster lies with the guides who know they're taking underqualified clients up a deadly mountain. Sandy, though, had Denali, Aconcagua, Vinson, Kilimanjaro, and Elbrus on her resumé. She was as well qualified, perhaps more so, than many other amateurs that guides haul up Everest.
The difference between experienced and skilled… she did have experience, but not skills and most importantly respect for the nature and other fellow climbers lives..
@@soulie1971respect for fellow climbers? Y’all are basing your opinion over a misogynist’s shitty ass book where he rants about her. I dare you to climb half the mountains she’s climbed and see if it’s just experience or if it also takes skill.
Without the Sherpa nobody could summit Everest, no matter how rich they are. Ok let me correct myself... when I said nobody I meant the general public. I should have been more specific. The average paid client of any of the adventure companies are completely dependent on the Sherpa. I was not referring to world class climbers... yes im aware of the many people who conquered Everest without Sherpa or Oxygen. Sorry for the careless comment I made before. Love to all ❤️
Without intending to excuse any of Sandy Hill's failings as a climber or as a person, she was not solely or even predominantly to blame for her or her team's ultimate failures and fatalities. Scott and Rob both made choices that fateful day that lead directly to numerous critical failures, which, given their professional climbing experience and paid positions as team leaders, should have been weighed to the safety of their clients, but was instead swayed towards the viability of their climbing businesses. In particular, neither correctly determined or enforced a turnaround point once they both became aware that they had begun their respective team's climb too late, given the traffic on the mountain that day, and the rapidly deteriorating weather conditions as the climb progressed. Sandy's behaviour after the fact was reprehensible and repulsive, but it would not have become a focus outside the immediate perspective of those present, if not for the self-interested choices made by Scott and Rob, who were both competing in the lucrative market of Everest climbers. Both understood that calling off the climb on the cusp of 'success', could have a significant negative impact for both them, as the year's season was pretty much over with that final climb, because the weather would become impossible to climb through till the following year's season. So each of them were incentivised to push clients to finish successfully, and consequently tell other wealthy friends and colleagues about their experience and generate more business for the companies that guided them through. Under normal conditions, no one could begrudge their motivations, but on Everest, anything that is prioritised before personal safety can quickly become a fatal flaw in reasoning, as this catastrophe clearly demonstrates.
They purposely scheduled multiple groups to climb together, something always normally avoided, in order to set a world record, and get more attention for their climbing services. The greed and hubris resulted in death.
My favorite thought experiment for this and many other "accomplishments" in adventure sports came about on a mountain biking trip to Utah. A friend related how someone he knew did a bike ride from Death Valley to Mt. Whitney Portal, then hiked to the peak, and what a cool accomplishment. This took him from the lowest altitude in the continental US to the highest. It also featured a route that was 95 percent straight 2 lane highway with hardly any shoulder. Sounded pretty miserable to me. After thinking for a day or so, I asked my friend if he thought the guy would have done it if he couldn't tell anyone. I suspect that given similar constraints, maybe 1 percent of the climbers who attempt Everest would still consider it. It's not about personal achievement. It's about telling people what you have done.
It pains me that there are entire businesses charging huge sums to corporate egos with little experience or ability but want to be seen to be having an adventurous lifestyle. They endanger professional climbers and sherpas. It seems they all have mountainous egos which are never scaled. These people never give a damn who else they endanger or impact or hurt, as long as they are seen to achieve. Humility is a dish unpalatable to the egocentric.
Christ, lad, read the inveterate liar's Into Thin Air, the part wherein Scott F tells the inveterate liar, no need to know how to climb, we've created the yellow brick road. By the way, if you had the first clue, then you'd know that was the experienced who caused death. Lou K relates how he was in line behind Doug Hanson, Doug stepped out of line, he caught up, Doug told him that he wasn't feeling well and was going back to camp. Doug starts back. Rob Hall was tail-end Charlie, so he and Doug meet, as he ascends and Doug descends, no one knows what was said, but Doug rejoined the line. We know the rest. That got Rob himself killed, Doug killed, and since Andy Harris died in the attempt to bring more oxygen to Rob and Doug, also got Andy killed. Oh, and Scott F died. Read Gammelgard's book. Seems that Scott had some stunt planned for the summit, which explains why some remained on the summit for more than an hour. Probably also got Yasuko Namba killed, since if Rob had said nothing, Doug returns to camp, and so Rob and Andy might have helped Yasuko. Egos? Try dollars for tour operators instead. Lastly, perhaps our head-shinker here can do a vid on how knowing the facts is of no import when your own ego can be satiated, aka you running with your preconceived notions and never mind what the facts are. Does it feel good, your sense of moral superiority? Pitiful really. Oh, and here's the last paragraph of p 149 of Into Thin Air: "Not long after that, Doug stepped aside as well, “He was a little ahead of me at the time,” recalls Lou. “All of a sudden he stepped out of line and just stood there. When I moved up beside him, he told me he was cold and feeling bad and was heading down.” Then Rob, who was bringing up the rear, caught up to Doug, and a brief conversation ensued. Nobody overheard the dialogue, so there is no way of knowing what was said, but the upshot was that Doug got back in line and continued his ascent." Explains why Doug took forever to summit, explains why Rob refused to leave Doug even after being advised to do so. JK forgot all about that, since his mission for Outside was the same as yours. For one more, perhaps JK and Outside might have also grasped that JK's mere presence created a danger that would not exist if he wasn't there, since he wouldn't be there to write on yet another season for Rob Hall with no one summitting (the prior season). JK's presence explains rather well Rob's complete and utter disregard of any safety protocol. Christ, Outside should have refused the thing as well, saying, while we'd appreciate the dollars the scheme creates a not insignificant risk of death and we don't want to be a party to that. Did you forget Sunday school? For the love of money is the root of all evil.
@@paulhicks7387way to fill space with the ideas of others, dude. 😂 I get you didn't like my reply, its a free country, I'll not suffer too much, but dont waste your sweetness on the desert air. Write that pamphlet. Go on. You KNOW you want to.
The country of Nepal issues a permit to every person that applies to climb Everest, Nepal is a very poor country, these permit fees they charge bring in millions of dollars every year that are much wanted and needed, not to mention the wages every Sherpa receives who assists on the teams....do your due diligence! If you're going to condem start with the root of the problem, yes these wealthy pukes who now pay 100k to be guided on Everest are gross and foul, but they wouldn't be there in the first place if they hadn't received a permit from the country of Nepal.... ...equally I don't blame the country of Nepal, they're just gleaning needed monies from the resource they have, assuming the people applying for permits are capable of the task at hand.....
All the Sherpas and Climbing Guides instantly recognize the cry of the Karen in the wild, "But I'm Rich!?" and "Just do it! Thats what you're paid for!"
That's Everest. Real climbers we don't go to a shit show mob. We don't have money because we are climbing not working in wall street and we don't need guides because we are experts at our craft. Those rich guided pricks give climbers a bad name.
people interested in climbing are the same as those interested in flying or sports or racing, having a passion for something is irrelative to income status. I am no mountaineer, but to discredit a way of life and enjoyment for many is dumb. Stop being lethargic and lazy and find something you enjoy.
It's really sad that feminists have revisited this event to hold up Sandy Hill as some kind of hero that was only accused of wrongful actions due to "patriarchy" and "misogyny". Feminism is a hell of a drug.
Yes....yes...YES...just thinking that there was one other woman several feet away....who I'm positive would have been so greatful to have been saved...yet she died...because they helped Sandy instead...maybe their "job" didn't entail them to have to save TWO people in one day....stupid woman.
I speculate that this is one hill of a situation that she won’t ever mentally conquer! She is not capable of empathy and compassion , both skills required to not only grasp the situation but to mentally process it as well! She definitely has no idea that she essentially turned the events on the mountain into a proverbial mole hill!
A bit you left out is that climbing Mount Everest by the South Col route, the normal route, isn't really what most people think of as mountaineering any more: 1) There are fixed ropes for most of the route, especially in the most dangerous sections. 2) There are camps of tents already in place at regular intervals up the mountain. 3) There are large numbers of highly-skilled guides and Sherpas to assist less skilled and resilient people. So while it is true to say that Sandy Hill wasn't fit enough or competent enough to climb Mount Everest, and just paid $65,000 to make this happen, there were/are/will be loads of other affluent people just like her who have done the same thing.
Not a criticism- just an observation: I’ve seen at least 5 Sandy Hill videos including this one and they’re all obviously solely derived from the 1996 Vanity Fair article (sometimes identical verbatim)….so just giving credit to that Vanity Fair Article because it’s the original source and the most informative
It's a very complicated topic. Summit fever is a real thing. The majority of people that die on Everest, die on the descent. Because what carries you up the mountain is literally will power. And then you get your goal, you summit, and your body gives up. There is no way to predict how your body will react to the death zone (called the death zone because there isn't enough oxygen to sustain life, so your body literally dies cell by cell, it's a question of can you get to the summit and back before your body gives up). I 've seen people in their late 20s who have trained for years doing all the right stuff (training with reduced oxygen etc) just melt away. By the same token, balding executives in their fourties that "shouldn't be there" power on. It a lottery. I don't have first hand experience of what she behaved like, but the general chatter is she is disliked because she had an "I paid for this, deliver" type of attitude. And when you pay 60-80-100 grand to go climb Everest, it's difficult for whoever's leading the expedition to tell you nope, you can't make it, turn back. If Scott Fischer made a sherpa short rope her up to the summit, a sherpa that was supposed to be fixing safety lines, which weren't fixed and which lead to the traffic jam at the steps, then he shares blame for what happened. Same blame that Rob Hall shares for not turning back a poor climber ( a postal worker working two jobs that had already failed Everest). Neither he nor Sandy Hill should have been there, but they were not treated the same by the media or the mountaineering community. PS the oxygen thing is common. On the descent one way to get someone very weak back to the high camp is to up the oxygen to 4lt. Oxygen warms you up and gives you energy. So you triage in a way, whoever can stays on the standard 2lt, whoever can't gets extra/fuller canisters and gets switched to 4lt. It's one of the few things you can do to help someone that is struggling.
Tons and tons. They do clear the trash from the lower levels but there are bodies, tents, oxygen tanks etc littering the higher levels, it's just too high and too hard to carry down.
Some people really need to learn to be comfortable with disappointment. And Neil would need to knock me off the mountain to get my oxygen from me. Sandy and Neil's poor planning is not my problem, and I'm not risking my own life for someone else's on Everest.
A book on a contemporaneous Everest expedition to the May 1996 events is Ken Vernon's Ascent and Descent. It's about the controversial South African expedition that left their photographer dead and the team in disarray, disowned by the newspaper that had sponsored them. Worth a read alongside Jon Krakauer's account.
Ms Hill is exceedingly fortunate that she didn't remain on Mt Everest as one of the 300+ climbers who are now permanent residents of the top of the world. I believe that she had CONSIDERABLY more responsibility for the fact that the other climbers died because the initial delays in the summit push were directly caused by the Sherpa who was supposed to place the ropes in preparation for the Hillary step and another area I cannot quite recall ATM. Unfortunately Ms Hill was occupying all his time delaying BOTH companies summit push that day. Scott, MM leader, was frustrated with this problem, which would cause the ultimately fatal delays by still being in the dead zone after they should have summited and be returning to Camp 4. Ms Hill was also literally being carried UP the mountain by another Sherpa because Scott knew just what her positive reviews of her Everest trip would do for his business, but the book she planned to write about her great victory remains unwritten until this day. I watched a fairly recent interview she did speaking about her Mt Everest experience and you could easily be forgiven into believing that all went according to plan, but people died and Ms Hill remains persona non grata in the mountain climbing community. Thanks for reading.
Your correct analysis of the ropes being improperly placed on the Hillary step was not the Sherpa's mistake as you say... That Sherpa would have had everything in place had he and everyone else not been delayed because of "short roping" Hill. Baby sitting her slowly on a short rope and then carrying her down caused delays in the summit push for everyone and everyone's decent. These delays directly caused the fatal backup, and this was because of Hill being too tired/weak to get moving.....thus delaying everyone...Guides, Sherpas to set ropes....everything. Yes she made it up but as Dr. G pointed out, you have to make it down on your own also, not be carried down on someone's back. I don't care how many flights of stairs you climb, she was not ready to climb Everest.
Some poor man had to carry her up the mountain? She put so many lives in danger and she still gives interviews? I had a lower income upbringing and a strict as mum, I am grateful for that.
I have been to the summit of Mt Everest countless times via UA-cam and VR set. It was a piece of cake every time! I don't understand what's so hard about it and why people end. 😳
Most deaths on Everest occur on decent. This particular climbing season was fraught with disasters. There are some incredible documentaries on YT about that season. One of the most engaging books I have ever read titled ‘Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster’ by Jon Krakauer who was there to experience Everest and ended up smack dab in the middle of all of the chaos.
I have listened and read about this. One story also is that Scott Fisher had been sick shortly before this, and was not 100% physically, and also had made an extra trip to a higher base camp (herding the customers? or preparing for them)and back down. Then the team apparently did not establish an agreed upon hard stop time after which it is deemed too late in the day to make a summit attempt. And due to delays, were later than recommended in starting for the summit. I wonder how much the “summit-fever” of Sandy Hill and others influenced the decisions made that day.
Some people climb mountains to see the world, some people climb mountains so the world can see them...
With how polluted Everest has become there are much more scenic climbs that are just as hard but the ego brings many to that which brings the headlines.
@@canterburytail2294Ou, that's true! Photos taken around Everest camps are just horrible 😣 Trash, trash everywhere 😤
She embodies tha Aries sign.
I climbed a mountain twice in one day as a 16 year old just because I got myself lost. Spent 3 days entirely alone in the jungle. I walked out on my own using every bit of instinct and 16 year old invincibility I had. I've never once really respected these types of trips ever since. I actually just can't stand that people actually go to rescue them. Just let them there. If they make it out good for them. If they don't, good for us. It's not like I couldn't do it as a child. As a grown adult they should have more experience and knowledge if anything to work with.
@@sneakyviewing43913 days alone in a jungle?? What did you eat? How did you sleep? What jungle? What a wild story.
Imagine being so self-absorbed and aloof that you dont give credit to people who physically saved your life...
Just goes to show that money can't cure self-absorption
She was a big part of the chain of catastrophe that led to the 96 disaster. Fisher's Sherpa short-roping her up the mountain meant that Sherpa wasn't able to help Hall's lead Sherpa fix the ropes over the Hillary Step. It created the bottleneck, that created a delay... It's not her fault directly, but like too many others, she wasn't ready for the climb, but felt entitled to go anyway because she had money, and a hunger for fame and glory.
Everest has this appel du vide syrens' call that has ended with so many to stay on the mountain forever.
Amen! It's fascinating. The rich glory hounds that end up as snoot-cicles on the slopes of Everest seem to legitimately lost the ability to gauge danger, due to their money acting as a kind of security blanket at sea level. They think that they can pay 100k plus to guide companies' and be entitled to not only success in "achieving" their goal, but also take it as a guarantee that they will also be returned safely home. Too many of them learn the last lesson they will ever learn up there, that money can do a lot, but it can't always bring you back home from 8k meters. And too many die with their last words begging for people to save them.
I understand the situation with the money brought in selling permits is important to Nepal, and can't begrudge them the income stream. But at the same time, seeing these huuuuge queues of climbers before the Hillary Step makes me wince. It takes lives and leaves corpses and garbage up on there, that are extremely difficult, dangerous, and not always possible to bring back down...@@DamePiglet
Sounds like every wealthy person in the world.
There was another climber on another mountain recently, where the Sherpa saved his life, carried him on his back down the mountain. The guy never so much as thanked him, and on top of that blocked him from his Instagram account. !
Scott Fischer and Rob Hall were pioneering mountain tourism. They both died, but the 1996 disaster sparked interest in this sort of tourism. Nowadays, many people have been baby-stepped up Everest; so many that the achievement of topping out has little cachet any more. Climbers in crisis are left to die, since rescuing them would put other lives at risk. People have died waiting in the queue to top out. Everest is becoming an ecological disaster while lines of unserious and incapable climbers leave oxygen bottles, feces, toilet paper, and their dead bodies on this once-beautiful mountain. It's a sad, sad mess.
It’s still a massive achievement, regardless of your stature, it can take up to two months climbing up and down between camps to get climatized before the push.
@@ryanaines6617 Sorry, but it's NOT a massive achievement if you've got sherpas short-roping (basically towing) you up. Everest is the highest mountain, so everybody knows its name. But it's nowhere near the most technically OR physically challenging. It's become like a Disneyland ride for rich tourists.
how did they die when Sandy managed to make it back? mustve got seperated somehow?
@@pricklypear7516 Very experienced climbers still die up there along with rookie climbers so your point is not valid.
Environmental obsession, that's what it looks like.
Anatoly did all of this without oxygen himself. He is a true badass.
Very true, but as a guide responsible for other people, it was completely irresponsible to have no supplemental oxygen.
Was.......he later died climbing in the Himalayas when an avalanche swept him off Annapurna.
And run ahead of everyone else so you're not available to help others in trouble. To be fair he did help rescue others later on.@@UAPReportingCenter
I think most of these people who train for mount Everest get it wrong, you don't need muscle mass, you need to conserve oxygen, look at the Sherpas they are not body builders types
@@UAPReportingCenteryup!
She couldn’t give those men credit for saving her life because then she would be admitting she didn’t conquer Everest. Someone had to literally carry her down the mountain.
Sandy Hill has to be the most ironic name ever for a crappy mountain climber.
i dont even know how that would be possible
And possibly even admit that she contributed to the deaths of others…
This is what rich people do. Don’t nothing and take all the credit. That is how corporate capitalism works today. The common taxpayer, the bottom 99%, pay for everything bailing out corporations and banks. Reagan calls it “Too Big to Fail.”
@@PerishingForLackOfKnowledgeThese corporations are sponsored by the government, that's not capitalism. Capitalism means private ownership.
What incredible strength that guy Anatoli had to go back up twice and rescue two people is amazing at that altitude.
Those guys are extremely tough.
My uncle was a professional mountaineer (Alpinist/Climber).
Btw,
They don't normally use those oxygen masks. It's only used in case of emergency.
Their bodies are used to high altitudes. Well, they also stay a couple of days at a base camp to acclimatize to the low oxygen conditions.
That's why she was running out of oxygen, & that Anatoli guy, could go up & down multiple times.
@@charlotte33072Usually when you make a claim like this you are supposed to follow it with at the very least your version of the story.
@@deathtoraiden2080totally agree. And she/he pasted the same comment everywhere
@@bestdjaf7499: At Everest almost EVERYONE uses Oxygen, except the Sherpas. And they spend 2 or more MONTHS at base camp, during which time they climb up and down to the other camps (4 of them) to acclimatize and continue to train for the climb to the Summit. Some people think they should not be allowed to climb to the Summit without Oxygen.
Anatoli was amazing. One thing that Beck Weathers later said really applies to Anatoli. You can beat see someone’s character when that someone believes no one is watching.
Under the circumstances, Anatoli would have been fully justified to remain at Camp 4 until the storm subsided. No one was watching him. And his character really shone through.
He was at Camp 4 by himself and the wind was howling at 100 + and about minus 30. He was basically blinded by the storm and darkness but ambled out anyway - twice - and found climber, retreated to Camp 4 then ambled out again only to find another. What a spirit Anatoli had.
As a Peruvian with Bolivian family. I spent a good share of time in cities at high altitudes. And what most people don’t realize is that, it doesn’t matter how good your physical shape is or how many stairs you can climb. Once you are at high elevations all bets are off . Your body and metabolism behave completely different. Some people bodies can adjust easily while others will really struggle. And there is no real way to determine which side you will fall into. All these Everest tourist are just playing chance
I've always lived near the ocean. I wonder how I would do at high altitude.
That's correct. It's not a fitness issue. Altitude sickness can strike even seemingly very fit people.
Genetuca probably play a role
Yes. I'm from Florida and struggled with breathing on small mountains.
In December I accompanied my wife as her personal Sherpa (😅) for her ski vacation . We were in Colorado at 9000 feet , no altitude sickness but since I don’t ski I brought work to do and was fine , until I walked 500 feet to the grocery store. Then I needed to stop and rest. I also tried to use the fitness center….walking on the treadmill doubled my heart rate within six minutes. That is like an 911 opportunity ! I am 70 years old and realize I’m best at sea level.
the
I've been saying for years...do some dangerous, cool stuff while you are young. That way, later in life you won't feel the need to compensate for your mis-spent youth. I don't really see an Everest summit as all that impressive now. It means you had a few hundred thousand bucks to blow.
These idiots have destroyed that poor mountain leaving garbage everywhere
Including themselves
Would you die over a snickers wrapper ?
@@ryanaines6617 Thirty tons and counting. People leave tents, oxygen and fuel canisters, clothing, food preparation and consumption articles. . . In addition, six tons of human waste are left yearly. Even when teams remove the detritus from the mountain, it creates a biohazard for the surrounding villages.
@@pricklypear7516 Yet the Nepalese don’t complain and keep issuing permits. Pretty hard to collect tents etc at 8000m even though they’re trying.
@@ryanaines6617the locals actually complain. But you probably don’t care
This case makes me glad that my hobby is lying in bed watching UA-cam videos. At least nobody has to come save me!
Lol! Alright; Carrie.
😂❤
But do you have enough Potato Chips with you‼️⁉️🤣
😂😂😂
😂😂😂
If my name was SANDY HILL, I wouldn't climb mountains
Lol :D
😅😅Amen
Nominative determinism strikes again.
It is ironic.
😂😂
Love that, “ the only thing she proved was that she has to rely on others.”
Her life is saved by 2 men and she says afterwards: "Which 2 men is that?" Wow.
She's disgusting....
That’s actually insane hey
Wait for it!
The truth always reveals itself .
Not only is she a sociopath, but she has bad grammar.
You might defend that by saying that she was in no physical of mental shape to have known who saved her from the mountain. You then would have to explain why she didn't make it her life's mission to find out and thank those responsible for saving her. My theory was that she considered they were only doing the job they were paid to do. Although they might agree with that in an exemplary show of modesty, coming from her it's complete self condemnation.
The experienced mountain guide who short-roped Sandy Hill was indeed "a Sherpa": his name was Lopsang Jangbu Sherpa. The day before, he'd climbed with 35kg on his back for about 1000m, into the "death zone." This load included Sandy Hill's Iridium sat phone for NBC. Lopsang was also the Sherpa who tried to save both groups's leaders, Fischer and Hall, albeit unsuccessfully. He was killed by an avalanche on Lhotse that September.
Thanks. Thanks for giving us the background on the Sherpa, Lopsang Jangbu. I'm sorry to hear he had been killed that same year. A brave and hard working man by the sounds of things.
The Nepalese Mountain guides are the real heroes up there
I met two Sherpas on that trip. Very humble guys. I think they were with Halls group
@penderyn8794 well they do tend to get hired by people who think of them that way.
That’s absolutely tragic, so very sorry, thank u for that information!
In the book about this expedition, "Into Thin Air," You'll see how Sandy Hill brought about 30 pounds of extra equipment, it was her broadcast setup so she could give daily accounts on her progress. That was lugged up the mountain by a Sherpa. In the book it also talks about how at some point, Hill, was "short-roped" up the mountain. That is a 3 foot piece of rope was tied between her and a Sherpa and the Sherpa pulled Hill up the mountain. That's just pitiful.
Per Krakauer, that was at the direction of Scott Fischer, not at her request. He was getting his business off the ground and needed her to succeed.
Didn’t she bring a VCR player or something? Carrying way too much unnecessary weight.
@@savvyroca according to Krakauer, it was a laptop and satellite phone setup so she could update a blog from the summit. You would think the golden rule would be that you carry only what you must have. Notenthat the equipment did not work anyway!
@@tomhaskett5161 ..reminds me of the scene in SpaceBalls, when they're lugging around that giant hair-drier in the desert for the princess
she is extremely lucky she made it back. They had another woman from California who felt she could do it as she was always into health and fitness. She was originally from Nepal but was now married to an American in California. They had no kids as they focused on their careers. She was very successful as what she did in the business world and a type A personality. She was able to reach the summit but on her way down she ran out of energy and collapsed in the Death Zone. Her guilds first tried to pull her body down as she was still alive and was still talking, but they couldn't. They pleaded with her to stand up in their language and she tried but soon collapsed. She told them to leave her, as they were running out of oxygen and would die if they didn't get out of the Death Zone. She died on that mountain. I am not sure if they were able to retrieve her body. She had been warned several times, that she was ill prepared but being a Type A personality, she would not listen. She was desperate for bragging rights.
I believe all her life in California when she mentioned she was from Nepal, home of Mount Everest, she may have been asked, if she had ever climbed it.
She was hoping to impress people even more by saying, "Yes, I did climb to the top".
A skilled and diplomatic way to call this woman a raging narcissist
The truth is the truth.
you mean , unt!
Her remains would only be considered trash by experienced climbers.
I used to believe Krakauer’s stories too until I heard what other climbers said about Sandy and the other climbers he unfairly maligned. There’s another UA-camr who did a video about the whole disaster that was really well researched and had testimonies from a lot of the people who were there. It somewhat vindicated her and others along with exposing Krakauer for not being a great climber and acting like a jerk. She was an experienced climber. You can’t carry a person down Everest. Not to mention, I find it interesting that Doug Hensen doesn’t get any hate despite him basically causing Rob Hall’s death though his ineptitude and demanding they continue to the summit despite the fact that it was past the turnaround time and he could barely make it. Of course he couldn’t move on his own once they started descending. But everyone shits on Sandy despite the fact that she caused zero deaths. Good old fashioned misogyny per usual.
@ripwednesdayadams "good old fashioned misogyny per usual". That's all you had to say, that's all we need to know of you.
She would have had sufficient oxygen, sufficient food, and a working toilet had she remained in her living room.
😅🤣😁😀😄🤭🤭🤭
Underrated comment. Bravo!
She would also have endangered fewer lives.
@@WilliamBrowning i dk man ive walked into a few stanky bathrooms and she does look like the type to eat a bowl of broccoli and cabbage ... with caviar
She would need a large and very efficient toilet to put up with all her crap...
Two of the biggest things that stood out for me, was her *absolute* disrespect for other people- throwing an expensive necklace down the mountain in front of really poor men is despicable, but she clearly has no regard for how they live, or how doing what they do, risking their lives in mountain-climbing season is basically their bread and butter for the rest of the year. The fact that she didn't even give credit to the men who rescued her is beyond ungrateful. It's so shallow, it blows my mind how some people live their lives...
She was even more clueless than that. Before this climb, she actually commissioned the creation of another expensive necklace specifically so that she could bury it on the peak.
Lots of people bury things up there
@@yvonnesanders4308 But they don't bury custom-made jewelry worth enough money to feed a dozen Sherpas for a year.
With great privileges should be great compassion and gratitude and sharing the glory!
@@yvonnesanders4308 Lots of people are clueless and disrespectful. What's your point?
“Her response was painful in many ways, including grammatically.” 🙏🏼👑
Dr Grande's delivery is so deadpan, that his jokes take a second to sink in, but when they do, I LOL every time.
Lol 😂 i laughed so hard at that part! 😂 thanks for the laugh, Dr. Grande. It’s been a rough week… needed that laugh 😂
You can take the girl out of the toilet but you can't take the toilet out of the girl.
🤣❣
"Diappointment Peak" I'm dying ❣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
If she didn't want to walk, then she should have been left behind instead of the other climber who ended up dying
Not another one, you could do a whole series called Everest idiots
So many so, that I have become an afficianado of all the horror stories.
Oh yeah, going all the way back to Mallory.
The Idiotic Everest
@@TheGotoGeek There are pretty well confirmed reports that the Chinese rolled the frozen body of Sandy Irvine off the mountain.
this is old
She can run up 26 flights of stairs 8 times a day??!! She should have put her energy into becoming a Fire Fighter.🧑🚒
Did she have time for anything else?
Nah, that requires helping people
@francinejones2524 As a woman, she couldn't possibly have done the job of fireman.
Oh I bet. That's what she said. Liar, liar.
I can run up to 26 flights of stairs; the “up to” is doing a lot of work in that statement…
I was a river guide years ago. I have had many people who claimed all kinds of skills. Bragging about various rivers that, in their opinions, Concorde. Yet in the thick of it when their adventure suddenly went bad. They didn’t come through, or had the necessary skills to deal with the situation. Many of them simply fell into a defeatist mindset. Literally saying “Let me die”.
Fortunately, I have not lost anyone on my guided trips. Though, had too many times that, that was severely tested. But I and with the assistance of others prevailed in keeping everyone safe. But to this day, it amazes me. How easily people give up. It is the main reason that I don’t do commercials guided trips anymore.
Dude I’m in the same boat. (Backpacking guide). I can’t tell you how many times people have said “I can’t keep going” or feign an injury. Look guy - I that’s not an option. I’m not going to carry you.
@hannahmeixner6616 EXACTLY why I stopped doing any kind of meetup/internet group adventure stuff (climbing, canyoneering, heck even hiking). Had a guy on the main trail of Whitney (class 1) suddenly crumple to the ground at the switchbacks and demand a helicopter... Eventually, rangers showed up and we basically buddy-systemed, arm-over-shoulder the guy back down the mountain - with the rest of us carrying his pack. So entire trip for 5 people fails cuz biggest bragger guy shows up out of shape? (maybe he enjoyed drama, center of attention kinda thing?) Went to ER in Lone Pine... They gave him some fluids and discharged him in 45 minutes... Doc whispers, "we see guys like him all the time....." as we're leaving..... I can't imagine being a guide and getting that guy as a client...
@@sdrizapeople like that is why I am a solo backpacker or very picky with my trail buddy. Group trips? Nah thanks.
If I were a whitewater expert (which I am certainly not), I would still listen closely to the guide. There are always unique aspects of a particular river that only the guide knows.
I always admire people in that line of work - and also rescuers. I just wouldn't have the temperament for it: my patience would snap with people who put themselves in these positions, risking their lives, for bragging rights, especially those who have families back home.
Hubris and greed - a deadly combination.
Ungrateful with an undeserved sense of entitlement. She is completely oblivious as to how others perceive her. Socialite or sociopath?
i dont think anybody told her “no” growing up. and more than likely her father was a huuuge enabler of her mentality smh
Both
Every wealthy person in the world is a sociopath. That is why they are wealthy though.
Socialite and sociopath ought to be synonyms
Both.
*Sandy never cared about the other people who died.* To her, they were merely obstacles and burdens to be shoved off for her own survival. As is horrifically common among socialites and influencers alike, she was and is only capable of thinking about HERSELF and how she is perceived. Anatoli should have left her on the mountain and saved Yasuko instead, and Everest should have been restricted to the public after this pointless insanity. I'll always stand by that.
Media was right behind her, as is to be expected. Stop makin' stupid people famous!!
The government of Nepal seems to care only about the money they rake in from this ego-driven madness. They appear to have no standards about anything surrounding Mt. Everest. Their motto seems to be, just bring your dough and your oversized ego. The rest is up to you. I can only imagine the filth up there.
Keeping everyone off Everest because of the arrogant incompetence of a few isn’t right.
@@lauriestump7134agreed 👍🤝
@@lauriestump7134nevertheless, the country of Pakistan issues way too many permits. They have no limits on how many permits are issued and they only care about the money they receive.
And the media continues to make stupid people rich and famous; ie Mr Trump
Sounds like a complete sociopath. 3 divorces suggests she'd be a nightmare to live with too.
My buddy Tim Wilson said if you been married 7 times it might be you
And she appears to be a psychopath
Very much indeed. Some people just can't function in life with relationships. She certainly sounds like one of them.
Typical Boomer female.
She also hooked up with a guy on the mountain, cheating on her husband.
Sandy is a horrible self entitled woman. These types of people put others in danger without a thought. Eight people died that day: that’s awful!
Narcissists don't have the ability to stop being narcissists.
Sadly, I think that's true.
Read any of the books written by social worker / lawyer Bill Eddy about High Conflict Personalities (who are often but not always narcissists). For us Americans going into the 2024 national election, ESPECIALLY read "Why We Elect Narcissists and Sociopaths and How We Can Stop!"
@Rovingdog628Wrong. He has widespread support. If there's no cheating in Nov, he will be President.
Humans by default are self-centric and egotistical but only extreme self obsession causes narcissism.
@@rainforestrc767 The dog sure sounds like a narcissist. 🤦🏻♂️
@Rovingdog628 no it isn't. This is why you don't get to make bigger decisions; you're not really functioning above 'on'.
It seems that Sandy was so narcissistic that she may have even viewed her rescuers negatively - as people who diminished her by making her look weak. This would explain her refusal to thank them and her odd behavior.
Interesting point....I think I know someone who behaves as you describe & I feel this gives me a new insight into their psyche. TY
@@RMBlake007stop it. You're not a psychoanalyst. And assuming you know how someone's head works based on subjective experiences makes you JUST as weird as this suspected narcissist you're on about. Just saying.
@donbongz4732 no one called her a narcissist, they called her narcissistic, traits that she clearly has. You don't have to be a psychoanalyst to use discernment.
@@karliereddfan did you not read second comment? Where someone is clearly saying that a fucking UA-cam comment helped them gather clarity into the mental state of someone they know. And the OP is about narcissistic behavior, please tell me more about nobody assuming narcissism
@charlotte33072 forget about Jon. Look at the facts for yourself, including how she talks about the expedition, and let me know if you find an ounce of care, gratitude, or honor. What Sandy did was disregard everything in her zealous quest to be the greatest, taking essentials from others, including OXYGEN, and refusing to turn back when the Sherpa people who are far more knowledgeable than her told her it wasn't a good idea to continue. She singlehandedly sabotaged the whole expedition without care for others' safety, their needs, or respect for the elements. Sadly, the ones who suffered were never compensated as if they were objects.
My dad worked mountain rescue for a long time- he always shared that a Climber must be: Humble of the Mountain, respectful of natives… and to Always have a guide that worked at the area every day.
She grew up being pushed easily up the social mountain by her parents and never learned to climb on her own.
Great metaphor
Is it an inherited trait for you, that you refuse to educate yourself? Christ, lad, you can start with Wikipedia:
"Hill began mountaineering as a teenager; her first summit at age 13 was Disappointment Peak in the Teton Range. In 1992 she began a quest to become the first American woman to scale the Seven Summits, the highest peaks on each continent. She summitted Aconcagua (1992), Denali (1992), Vinson Massif (1993), Mount Elbrus (1993), Mount Kilimanjaro (1993), Mount Kosciuszko (1994), and Puncak Jaya (1995). Hill finally reached the Mount Everest summit in 1996, thus becoming the second American woman to scale the Seven Summits, following Mary "Dolly" Lefever.
Hill had attempted Everest twice before her successful ascent in 1996. In 1993, she reached 23,500 feet (7,200 m) on a guided expedition following the traditional South Col route. On this expedition, she wore a cross necklace custom-made by jeweler Barry Kieselstein-Cord to bury on the summit, but this ceremony did not take place.[9] Then in 1994 she raised corporate sponsorship with $250,000 from Chesebrough-Ponds for an attempt climbing the difficult Kangshung Face, with her film production partner at the time, filmmaker David Breashears, and climbers Alex Lowe, Barry Blanchard and Steve Swenson but the expedition was turned back by avalanche danger above 25,000 feet."
And so Jebus wept, at your complete and utter ignorance. You heard some influencers tell you a story, and instead of check and verify, since fit your preconceived notion(s), you swallowed the great lie hook, line and sinker. Again, this is why we can't have good things. Lastly, unlike you, she's not only not living in mom's basement but she also has a helicopter pilot license.
She started climbing when she was 9. By the time she climbed everest she had already been up 6 of the 7 summits. She must have learned something. You'd have to be an idiot to think what you said is true
Me: Why is it known as The Death Zone?
Dr. G: Because the conditions there are inconsistent with life.
Nailed it...
nothing is more reliable than rich people pretending purchased service amounts to personal merit. They can buy any skills or expertise they want to pretend is theirs.
A friend of mine went to climb Everest with a mountianeer colleague, which was a serious ambition of his, and got really close to the summit, but conditions weren't great and time wasn't in his favour, so he turned around, and I have immense respect for him for making a sensible decision, especially given that (as he would probably acknowledge) in his younger years he didn't exactly have the world's smallest ego. Also, I'm really grateful that he's still alive, which unfortunately, many people who made a different decision aren't.
Sandy never climbed the peak, her body shut down short of the peak. Her Sherpa had to carry her up to the peak and then the descent. The first edition of Into Thin Air told the story. Later editions of the book leave out that part of the story.
Yasuko Namba was also a noted mountaineer. She was the second Japanese woman to climb the seven summit. RIP to her.
In a fairer Karmic universe , Yasuko Namba would have been saved first, then they would have gone back to Sand-for-brains Hill, ;(
@charlotte33072 give it a rest already!!
Krakauer, like almost everyone else left in camp, were too played out to go rescue anyone. If you blame him you must blame them all.@charlotte33072
It sounds like Sandy got a free ride her entire life. Thanks to the hard work of others. Her father, her husband(s), and those people on Everest. She couldnt have afforded any of these experiences on the salary of a "columnist". Im using that term generously
good you brought that up. those magazine jobs are silly and low paying, but have fake prestige because they are for rich people who want to show they are doing something instead of nothing.
If it weren’t for her father and husbands…she would be nobody. Like she is now.
How do you think the vast majority of people raise money to climb Everest?
Those magazine jobs are already given to folks that have money so the pay doesn’t matter when my sister interned the people that worked at these mags got all the new makeup and clothes and lunch and invites every night out that’s the perks of the job.. these are not random people they hire theyre all connected believe half of what you see and hear
Well, she had something that Bob Pittman liked. And, he was no loser.
The Mount Everest decent is far more dangerous than reaching the summit. This applies to everyone.
1. Your oxygen tanks are running low, and most people will die without supplemental oxygen.
2. You already exhausted. The physical task on your body is unlike anything else, and there is no real training for it. The Death Zone is real. It is not a marketing gimmick.
3. There is a crash of adrenaline. On the ascent, you have a specific goal, reach that summit, on the descent, that adrenaline rush is gone. That adrenaline can help push you to the top, but it is gone to get you off the mountain.
There is "training for it", both mental and physical. As any competent mountaineer can attest, reaching the summit is less than half the battle - the descent is far more difficult, far more prone to falls. Those who mentally place their goal as "summitting" rather than safely ascending and descending the mountain are at a disadvantage. It's possible to climb a 29,000 foot mountain without oxygen, but that notable feat requires exceptional stamina, acclimatization, and training - something that few of these "seven summit peak baggers" possess. On the final expedition she took, many of the "client climbers" did not have the requisite physical stamina to safely complete the climb. A number of them paid for that deficiency with their lives.
Uh no - adrenaline isn't excreted unless your life is in jeopardy. There is excitement at reaching the summit because it's a major lifetime goal for everybody that climbs it - but not adrenaline. There have been people that have summited Everest WITHOUT oxygen. Hey donut - on the descent you have gravity as an assist. Naturally that has to be managed AND you need only get down to the highest base camp to get a big rest.
@@guydaley Have you ever done mountaineering? For much of the descent, your life IS in jeopardy, at every step you could slip, when crossing the ladders you could fall, when descending through the ice fall, you could be crushed. For an inexperienced climber, that adrenaline is what keeps them alive.
@@guydaley One doesn't need to actually BE in danger to trigger an adrenaline rush. It's only necessary that the brain perceives an imminent danger. There is a difference.
Most people that tried the climb before it was turned into a commercial clown show, didn't use supplemental oxygen. Many Sherpas don't today 🙃 maybe don't be a gross tourist and put people's lives in danger to live your completely fabricated "adventure" story.
Since you brought grammar into the conversation, I want to thank you for using the word comprise correctly.
Dangerously unqualified people, with money. God help us all
70% of wealthy people in America have never worked a day in their life. Just like her. That is one massive reason why we have so many economic problems here. We don’t tax them and they don’t help anyone.
she would make an excellent running mate for Trump, 2 peas in a pod
Sounds like the US govt.
The Titan submersible being a perfect example.
@@salis-salisTrump did a lot more for America than the potted plant we have now.
It’s very presumptuous to write a book about mountain climbing success before you accomplished it, and that’s what it sounds like she did. RIP Scott! RIP to the others as well who perished. It’s beyond what I would attempt! Anatoli was a hero that day. May he rest in peace.
Many, ANY books are written by people with NO experience. Try reading a book about successful marriage written by two young women who’d never even had boyfriends at the time (Girl Defined).
@posseelviraYes, Anatoli died later from an avalanche on another mountain
Annapurna, in an avalanche. @@allewis4008
Imagine having to live with knowing you saved the most rotten person off the mountain when you could have saved more deserving people. 🤮
I guess that’s why Boukreev died 18 months later?
like who?
SAR people are the same. They focus on the circumstances of the rescue, not who it is. They save your life. What you do with it after that is up to you.
@@TheGotoGeekouuuu so edgy
What does "SAR" stand for? I am uncool. So I don't get it. Thanks.@@twwtb
My dad is a small time narcissist and can be effectively dangerous in his ways. How much more someone like this. Narcissism kills.... other people.
YES IT DOES....at the veary least it Warps and Ruins lives permanently
Respect your father you dirt bag
You are trash
Im starting to see a pattern here. Grandiose personalities love to involve themselves with Mt. Everest
Sad fact: Anatoli Bukrejew died one year later on Annapurna while trying a winter climb. His body was never found.
And Lopsang Jangbu Sherpa, the Sherpa who short - roped Hill up to the summit of Everest so she could even brag about getting there, died in an avalanche on Everest September 1996. He was also too exhausted from helping Hill up to the summit to help Boukreev rescue the climbers after the storm struck.
An expedition for K2 made the rounds in my country, attempting to climb it in February because that was extra hard. Getting corporate sponsorships etc. so a father of 4 with one more on the way could bask in the glory.
K2 has a K.ill rate of nearly 30% but didn't only off himself but also one of Nepal's most famous sherpas and 2 other people. I have absolutely no respect for that man. It was a foolish expedition that cost 4 lives total.
If you haven't yet, you should read The Climb. AB co-wrote it and it's about that Everest expedition. A very different perspective versus Krakauer's Into Thin Air.
@@stonermeisterso what is the real truth? Who should we believe?
what he achieved in rescuing and sumiting multiple times in a day carrying people, he is a possible goat Greatest of all time climber, minimal equipment ge sometimes climbed without oxygen
Ever notice that when they publish the list of people who have summited these mountains they never include the Sherpas? Hundreds if not thousands of Sherpas have made that same summit but they never get credit. Only the rich and famous and western “mountaineers” get on that list. Some Sherpas have summited two dozen times.
Sending love and peace to the Sherpas! ❤❤❤
Sherpa guide Kami Rita has scaled Everest 29 times.
@@tooyoungtobeold8756
And most people don’t know anything about him.
There is a sherpa who summitted Mt Everest at least five times and she moved to the US and works at Whole Foods. It's unfair.
@@calci2679why?
Your words are VERY WELL chosen and presented.
"Into Thin Air" is a good read about that tragic episode on Everest written by a journalist that was there.
A fantastic book
Great book but itself controversial.
Agree
Yep it's a great read. I couldn't put it down. Gripping, well written and inspiring.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Krakauer
I can't imagine. I drove a car up 14,000 ft Mt.Evans in Colorado and got altitude sickness quickly, had to descend. That's the extent of my mountain climbing😅😅
We did the same at Pike’s Peak. 14,110 feet. It was snowing in August up there. We didn’t get altitude sickness, but could definitely feel the thin air making just walking around feel like serious exertion. That’s as high as I ever want to go.
Lol. We drove up 6,288 foot Mt Washington in NH. But Mt Washington is fairly dangerous due to the weather that can be worse than the storm these people went through.
Me too! Suffered altitude dieurisis as well. That's why everyone leaps out of their cars and runs for the latrines at the top. It's funny to see the dogs leaping out of the cars for the same reason. But yeah . Being up on Mt. Evan is exhausting just doing nothing but standing there.
I feel cold just by looking at snow on TV.
Three things stood out narcissistic, self entitled, lack of empathy for others. Draw your own conclusions.
Spectrum exhibits differently in women maybe?
When one does not have a soul anything is possible.
The world is full of narcissists -Sandy is just another. The Climbing "crews" may be highly skilled, but they are preying an narcissists; making a living on the needs of neurotics. No one NEEDS to climb mountains in the same way that many thousands NEED chemotherapy. It's all about vanity.
Some people don't realize that just the words THANK YOU....can mean so much....
@@charlotte33072 how does this have anything to do with how powerful a THANK YOU can be?
They don't call it Mt. Ever-rest for nothing !! 😂
Shieeeet 😂
That joke landed in the death zone... badum-tsss ❤
You have no business on Everest unless you are a world class mountaineer.
There needs to be a skills and fitness test requirement for a licence
@@sharonrigs7999Too many skilled mountaineers died that day, trying to rescue morons.
Clever.
I know a man,who with his best friend,walked a good portion of Antarctica. The result was two self satisfied individuals who hated each other, two books blaming each other for the problems, and two people that were so smug and overbearing that noone can stand to be around. Yep.a life affirming experience
This is hilarious and now I’m curious about these books!
Yes, please tell us the titles of these books so we can find!
12:20 the sherpas were probably mortified because Chomolungma (what we call everest) is a sacred place where the mother of the world rests, and she was littering this place for her own edification. the sum of her behaviors are very disrespectful to the mountain, i think they were offended by her overall lack of respect for the place and the people who work there. unfortunately many of the people who have the money to go to everest do not have the needed level of respect for being there, in many ways. they see it only as a bragging opportunity. it's unfortunate that other people often perish trying to help those who came to the mountain without the necessary fitness and attitude to succeed.
I've met quite a few people who climbed Mount Everest and all of them were great people and humble. One lady who summited years earlier was so traumatized by the ordeal that she had great difficulty even talking about it. Regardless of what the media states, it is a life or death situation, nothing that we can imagine while sitting at home in our comfy chairs can comprehend the effort.
PBS's "Storm Over Everest" (in which Sandy Hill Pittman appears, and sounds very smug) is one of the most affecting documentaries I've ever seen, I watch it about once a year. It's free on UA-cam
I'll check that out, thanks for the info.
I think I'll watch it too. I'm curious how the guides chose who to save.
Sebastian Junger wrote the book, it's great and isn't very flattering of Ms.Hill; wrote the book about the missing fishing boat, the Andrea Gail out of Gloucester, MA., too.
@@joiathegreatit boils down to whether or not it's possible to save them. If they have to be carried that it's likely they won't be able to save them. If they are incoherent and can't move on their own then they likely cannot be saved.
If you read Jon Krakauer's book Into Thin Air, you will read Neil Beidlemans remorseful thoughts on his inability to save Yasukos life.
Everyone knows the rules of climbing Everest and many of those rules were broken that day. The guides broke the 2pm rule which led to a major problem getting back down. Sandy herself was a major liability yet Scott felt it was worth it. SAD day in mountain climbing history
Excellent analysis. Sandy Hill is THE best example of how a lady with class does NOT behave.
Or how a lady with money shows money doesn't buy class
Sandy had one outstanding skill. She knew how to use other people to get what she wanted, and wind up, literally in this case on top.
is there anything worse than an ungrateful socialite? I think not!
ingratiate political
What's the difference? @@emmapeel8163
Yes. People who admire them.
@@emmapeel8163#triggered
The orange haired man who gropes her?
Climbers must realize no one will save them, its dangerous for alot of reasons. They take advantage of their money & the sherpas with their huge egos. Great points again. Thanks Dr G😊💙💙
The missing element to that belief are the numerous stories about those who are assisted off of Everest who would have otherwise died; like in this story.
@@jimw1615 on rare occasions yes people may get saved but in reality 99% do not
I read this book by Tensing Norgay's son, Jamling, Touching My Father's Soul. Jamling was also a Sherpa guide on Mt Everest during that disaster, so this was from the point of view of a Sherpa, he's just an educated Sherpa, so he could write about it. Anyway, he and the other Sherpas were amazed with Anatoli Bukrief, not sure if I spelled that right. He said the Anatoli guy went above and beyond even what a Sherpa at that time would do, you know, he ran up the mountain to make the rescues, because he knew there was only so much time, and that last one, he gave his own oxygen bottle away, before climbing back up to get Sandy without extra oxygen, which is something Sherpas can do, but they don't do it while carrying someone. It's worth reading the book, it's pretty amazing, the contrast of attitudes of climbers.
I read that book. It was eye-opening and riveting
Gave that book as a gift to a young Indian man. Punjabi.
I watched another breakdown that said Sandy was a very experienced climber and that even Scott Fischer said that as well.
Maybe she's being unjustly vilified ... maybe not.
I'm drawn to Everest stories for some strange unknown reason as I have no interest in climbing ... it's just Everest, no other mountains.
Thank you Dr Grande for your tireless work ethic.
Personally, as you may notice from my moniker, mountain climbing is on my list of least favorite things to do.
Right up there with skydiving (jumping out of a perfectly good airplane) and scuba diving( jumping out of a perfectly good boat wearing 70 lbs of equipment).
I don’t understand the appeal of danger.
Lol are you on Quora? I'm sure I have seen your handle there!
Scuba diving is not that dangerous have done it for over 25 years and have logged thousands of dives. But however skydiving and climbing a mountain over 10,000 feet I am not in for that as to dangerous
Scuba diving is not dangerous. There are, however, like with any sport or endeavor, people who do it in a very stupid and foolish manner. And for them I have no sympathy.
I personally haven't done anything dangerous but I admit admiration and fascination for people who responsibly and ethically challenge the outer limits of the physical world. Sir Ernest Shackleton, the Antarctic explorer comes to mind. Of all the "Pole" explorers, he alone did not lose One. Single. Crewmember. EVERYONE returned alive. Quite a bit worse for the wear, but alive.
Read / watch any of books / movies about the ice explorer ship Endurance expedition -- amazing and fascinating!
The 1996 Mt. Everest disaster was a cascade of failures, there’s so many things that went wrong that contributed to the disaster. Greed, arrogance, lack of safety, lack of common sense, you name it.
I once had an argument with someone who said a Sherpa Mountaineer had climbed Everest 6 times without oxygen and in bare feet. I highly doubted the bare-footed part of story. After watching the last few videos about Climbers on Everest. My doubts are well founded.
The bare foot part makes me think of Wim Hoff
Of course not without shoes. They are adapted in many ways to living in those heights but they are still normal humans, not Superman.
Dude. How did I just find your channel? Who ARE you and why is your disposition so awesome. And your storytelling, suburb. And your analysis, hysterical. Cheers and thanks for your channel.
Both Rob Hall and Scott Fischer broke their own rule regarding their set turn-back time during the climb to the summit. That was probably the most critical factor resulting in their and their clients' deaths.
yuuup
Most mountaineering deaths occur on the descent, I agree that the failed descent for Sandy negates the success.
True, but Sandy was pooping out before the descent. A sherpa had to short rope her part of the way up.
A witness also observed that a Sherpa was carrying her on his back for part of the ascent @@yoopermary
So her Dad was flush with money?
Stinking rich.
That business is a crapshoot
Despite no actual flushing?
He knew what Shinola was.
He had a sh!tty business
Some of the blame for the 1996 disaster lies with the guides who know they're taking underqualified clients up a deadly mountain. Sandy, though, had Denali, Aconcagua, Vinson, Kilimanjaro, and Elbrus on her resumé. She was as well qualified, perhaps more so, than many other amateurs that guides haul up Everest.
She also climbed numerous mountains across North America leading up to Everest but facts don’t matter here.
The difference between experienced and skilled… she did have experience, but not skills and most importantly respect for the nature and other fellow climbers lives..
@@soulie1971respect for fellow climbers? Y’all are basing your opinion over a misogynist’s shitty ass book where he rants about her. I dare you to climb half the mountains she’s climbed and see if it’s just experience or if it also takes skill.
Without the Sherpa nobody could summit Everest, no matter how rich they are.
Ok let me correct myself... when I said nobody I meant the general public. I should have been more specific. The average paid client of any of the adventure companies are completely dependent on the Sherpa. I was not referring to world class climbers... yes im aware of the many people who conquered Everest without Sherpa or Oxygen. Sorry for the careless comment I made before. Love to all ❤️
Lars Olof Goran Kropp disagrees with you. But it's a very, very select club, no doubt about it.
That’s not true.
Understand your point, but not true. There is an elite group that can do Everest on their own.
Reinhold messner and several others have summited without sherpas or oxygen.
There have been many who have completed unassisted summits
Without intending to excuse any of Sandy Hill's failings as a climber or as a person, she was not solely or even predominantly to blame for her or her team's ultimate failures and fatalities. Scott and Rob both made choices that fateful day that lead directly to numerous critical failures, which, given their professional climbing experience and paid positions as team leaders, should have been weighed to the safety of their clients, but was instead swayed towards the viability of their climbing businesses.
In particular, neither correctly determined or enforced a turnaround point once they both became aware that they had begun their respective team's climb too late, given the traffic on the mountain that day, and the rapidly deteriorating weather conditions as the climb progressed. Sandy's behaviour after the fact was reprehensible and repulsive, but it would not have become a focus outside the immediate perspective of those present, if not for the self-interested choices made by Scott and Rob, who were both competing in the lucrative market of Everest climbers.
Both understood that calling off the climb on the cusp of 'success', could have a significant negative impact for both them, as the year's season was pretty much over with that final climb, because the weather would become impossible to climb through till the following year's season. So each of them were incentivised to push clients to finish successfully, and consequently tell other wealthy friends and colleagues about their experience and generate more business for the companies that guided them through. Under normal conditions, no one could begrudge their motivations, but on Everest, anything that is prioritised before personal safety can quickly become a fatal flaw in reasoning, as this catastrophe clearly demonstrates.
one of those bad decisions they made was to take sandy hill and her 30lbs extra equipment
Very well said, Cameron
They purposely scheduled multiple groups to climb together, something always normally avoided, in order to set a world record, and get more attention for their climbing services.
The greed and hubris resulted in death.
She still sucked as a climber.
@@memi4586 well yeah. Gotta include the females, don't want to be sexist.
Gratitude and empathy are hard for psychopaths and a lot of high-achieving individuals are psychopaths… just saying.
My favorite thought experiment for this and many other "accomplishments" in adventure sports came about on a mountain biking trip to Utah. A friend related how someone he knew did a bike ride from Death Valley to Mt. Whitney Portal, then hiked to the peak, and what a cool accomplishment. This took him from the lowest altitude in the continental US to the highest. It also featured a route that was 95 percent straight 2 lane highway with hardly any shoulder. Sounded pretty miserable to me. After thinking for a day or so, I asked my friend if he thought the guy would have done it if he couldn't tell anyone. I suspect that given similar constraints, maybe 1 percent of the climbers who attempt Everest would still consider it. It's not about personal achievement. It's about telling people what you have done.
It pains me that there are entire businesses charging huge sums to corporate egos with little experience or ability but want to be seen to be having an adventurous lifestyle. They endanger professional climbers and sherpas. It seems they all have mountainous egos which are never scaled. These people never give a damn who else they endanger or impact or hurt, as long as they are seen to achieve. Humility is a dish unpalatable to the egocentric.
Christ, lad, read the inveterate liar's Into Thin Air, the part wherein Scott F tells the inveterate liar, no need to know how to climb, we've created the yellow brick road.
By the way, if you had the first clue, then you'd know that was the experienced who caused death. Lou K relates how he was in line behind Doug Hanson, Doug stepped out of line, he caught up, Doug told him that he wasn't feeling well and was going back to camp. Doug starts back. Rob Hall was tail-end Charlie, so he and Doug meet, as he ascends and Doug descends, no one knows what was said, but Doug rejoined the line. We know the rest.
That got Rob himself killed, Doug killed, and since Andy Harris died in the attempt to bring more oxygen to Rob and Doug, also got Andy killed. Oh, and Scott F died. Read Gammelgard's book. Seems that Scott had some stunt planned for the summit, which explains why some remained on the summit for more than an hour. Probably also got Yasuko Namba killed, since if Rob had said nothing, Doug returns to camp, and so Rob and Andy might have helped Yasuko. Egos? Try dollars for tour operators instead.
Lastly, perhaps our head-shinker here can do a vid on how knowing the facts is of no import when your own ego can be satiated, aka you running with your preconceived notions and never mind what the facts are. Does it feel good, your sense of moral superiority? Pitiful really.
Oh, and here's the last paragraph of p 149 of Into Thin Air:
"Not long after that, Doug stepped aside as well, “He was a little
ahead of me at the time,” recalls Lou. “All of a sudden he stepped out
of line and just stood there. When I moved up beside him, he told me
he was cold and feeling bad and was heading down.” Then Rob, who
was bringing up the rear, caught up to Doug, and a brief conversation
ensued. Nobody overheard the dialogue, so there is no way of
knowing what was said, but the upshot was that Doug got back in line
and continued his ascent."
Explains why Doug took forever to summit, explains why Rob refused to leave Doug even after being advised to do so. JK forgot all about that, since his mission for Outside was the same as yours.
For one more, perhaps JK and Outside might have also grasped that JK's mere presence created a danger that would not exist if he wasn't there, since he wouldn't be there to write on yet another season for Rob Hall with no one summitting (the prior season). JK's presence explains rather well Rob's complete and utter disregard of any safety protocol. Christ, Outside should have refused the thing as well, saying, while we'd appreciate the dollars the scheme creates a not insignificant risk of death and we don't want to be a party to that. Did you forget Sunday school? For the love of money is the root of all evil.
@@paulhicks7387way to fill space with the ideas of others, dude. 😂
I get you didn't like my reply, its a free country, I'll not suffer too much, but dont waste your sweetness on the desert air. Write that pamphlet. Go on. You KNOW you want to.
The country of Nepal issues a permit to every person that applies to climb Everest, Nepal is a very poor country, these permit fees they charge bring in millions of dollars every year that are much wanted and needed, not to mention the wages every Sherpa receives who assists on the teams....do your due diligence! If you're going to condem start with the root of the problem, yes these wealthy pukes who now pay 100k to be guided on Everest are gross and foul, but they wouldn't be there in the first place if they hadn't received a permit from the country of Nepal.... ...equally I don't blame the country of Nepal, they're just gleaning needed monies from the resource they have, assuming the people applying for permits are capable of the task at hand.....
All the Sherpas and Climbing Guides instantly recognize the cry of the Karen in the wild, "But I'm Rich!?" and "Just do it! Thats what you're paid for!"
That was so rude how she threw away a gem encrusted gold Cross in front of her Sherpas that risk their lives daily for meagre pay.
Most Karen's are poor lol.
Or my favorite favorite Karen cry of despair : "Whyyy meeee??!!"
I was just thinking about what goes through the Sherpa's head when they're assigned to another spoiled American.
Countless rich men pay to climb Mount Everst, many much less prepared.
But, of course, your sexism allows you only to talk about one woman.
Sandy Hill defeated by Rocky Mountain.
She reminds me of the French lady climber. She was narcissistic too. Her name was Chantal Muiduit. Very similar to this story
Mountain climbing - a hobby for bored, rich folks with no purpose and nothing better to do.
That's Everest. Real climbers we don't go to a shit show mob. We don't have money because we are climbing not working in wall street and we don't need guides because we are experts at our craft. Those rich guided pricks give climbers a bad name.
Are you an idiot?
people interested in climbing are the same as those interested in flying or sports or racing, having a passion for something is irrelative to income status. I am no mountaineer, but to discredit a way of life and enjoyment for many is dumb. Stop being lethargic and lazy and find something you enjoy.
@@madeleineprice3556
Thats a hot response
Took the words out of my mouth.
I guess sandy is what you call a narcissist⚛😀
I wouldn't go even if Tenzing Norgay himself carried me up and back. Hard pass.
exactly 💯
It’s so interesting that he and Hillary wouldn’t say who summated first
It's really sad that feminists have revisited this event to hold up Sandy Hill as some kind of hero that was only accused of wrongful actions due to "patriarchy" and "misogyny". Feminism is a hell of a drug.
If only they knew how ungrateful she’d be, they could have chosen one of the others to save.
Yes....yes...YES...just thinking that there was one other woman several feet away....who I'm positive would have been so greatful to have been saved...yet she died...because they helped Sandy instead...maybe their "job" didn't entail them to have to save TWO people in one day....stupid woman.
And that's exactly why you guys are eternally fucked up
@@charlotte33072 you've posted this multiple times, give it a rest already!
I speculate that this is one hill of a situation that she won’t ever mentally conquer! She is not capable of empathy and compassion , both skills required to not only grasp the situation but to mentally process it as well! She definitely has no idea that she essentially turned the events on the mountain into a proverbial mole hill!
A bit you left out is that climbing Mount Everest by the South Col route, the normal route, isn't really what most people think of as mountaineering any more: 1) There are fixed ropes for most of the route, especially in the most dangerous sections. 2) There are camps of tents already in place at regular intervals up the mountain. 3) There are large numbers of highly-skilled guides and Sherpas to assist less skilled and resilient people. So while it is true to say that Sandy Hill wasn't fit enough or competent enough to climb Mount Everest, and just paid $65,000 to make this happen, there were/are/will be loads of other affluent people just like her who have done the same thing.
Not a criticism- just an observation:
I’ve seen at least 5 Sandy Hill videos including this one and they’re all obviously solely derived from the 1996 Vanity Fair article (sometimes identical verbatim)….so just giving credit to that Vanity Fair Article because it’s the original source and the most informative
It's a very complicated topic. Summit fever is a real thing. The majority of people that die on Everest, die on the descent. Because what carries you up the mountain is literally will power. And then you get your goal, you summit, and your body gives up.
There is no way to predict how your body will react to the death zone (called the death zone because there isn't enough oxygen to sustain life, so your body literally dies cell by cell, it's a question of can you get to the summit and back before your body gives up). I 've seen people in their late 20s who have trained for years doing all the right stuff (training with reduced oxygen etc) just melt away. By the same token, balding executives in their fourties that "shouldn't be there" power on. It a lottery.
I don't have first hand experience of what she behaved like, but the general chatter is she is disliked because she had an "I paid for this, deliver" type of attitude. And when you pay 60-80-100 grand to go climb Everest, it's difficult for whoever's leading the expedition to tell you nope, you can't make it, turn back. If Scott Fischer made a sherpa short rope her up to the summit, a sherpa that was supposed to be fixing safety lines, which weren't fixed and which lead to the traffic jam at the steps, then he shares blame for what happened. Same blame that Rob Hall shares for not turning back a poor climber ( a postal worker working two jobs that had already failed Everest). Neither he nor Sandy Hill should have been there, but they were not treated the same by the media or the mountaineering community.
PS the oxygen thing is common. On the descent one way to get someone very weak back to the high camp is to up the oxygen to 4lt. Oxygen warms you up and gives you energy. So you triage in a way, whoever can stays on the standard 2lt, whoever can't gets extra/fuller canisters and gets switched to 4lt. It's one of the few things you can do to help someone that is struggling.
Interesting insight.
You sound as if you had personal experience or close links to top tier mountaineers when you talk about the dead zone „lottery“?
Imagine how much human poop is just sitting up there on the mountain along the way
At least it's frozen.
@@Armond2013but then it lasts forever and piles up. Eww
Tons and tons. They do clear the trash from the lower levels but there are bodies, tents, oxygen tanks etc littering the higher levels, it's just too high and too hard to carry down.
Some of the poop does come back down… this video goes into depth discussing one piece of poop named Sandy Hill.
lol man if I had a nickel for every ungrateful socialite that I’ve met, id be living in Aruba right now
My first reaction to "ungrateful socialite" was, well that's redundant.
I can relate
Maybe you could even become an ungrateful socialite yourself.
every modern western woman
Must be a waiter in Palm Beach.
Some people really need to learn to be comfortable with disappointment. And Neil would need to knock me off the mountain to get my oxygen from me. Sandy and Neil's poor planning is not my problem, and I'm not risking my own life for someone else's on Everest.
A book on a contemporaneous Everest expedition to the May 1996 events is Ken Vernon's Ascent and Descent. It's about the controversial South African expedition that left their photographer dead and the team in disarray, disowned by the newspaper that had sponsored them. Worth a read alongside Jon Krakauer's account.
Ms Hill is exceedingly fortunate that she didn't remain on Mt Everest as one of the 300+ climbers who are now permanent residents of the top of the world. I believe that she had CONSIDERABLY more responsibility for the fact that the other climbers died because the initial delays in the summit push were directly caused by the Sherpa who was supposed to place the ropes in preparation for the Hillary step and another area I cannot quite recall ATM. Unfortunately Ms Hill was occupying all his time delaying BOTH companies summit push that day. Scott, MM leader, was frustrated with this problem, which would cause the ultimately fatal delays by still being in the dead zone after they should have summited and be returning to Camp 4. Ms Hill was also literally being carried UP the mountain by another Sherpa because Scott knew just what her positive reviews of her Everest trip would do for his business, but the book she planned to write about her great victory remains unwritten until this day. I watched a fairly recent interview she did speaking about her Mt Everest experience and you could easily be forgiven into believing that all went according to plan, but people died and Ms Hill remains persona non grata in the mountain climbing community. Thanks for reading.
Your correct analysis of the ropes being improperly placed on the Hillary step was not the Sherpa's mistake as you say... That Sherpa would have had everything in place had he and everyone else not been delayed because of "short roping" Hill. Baby sitting her slowly on a short rope and then carrying her down caused delays in the summit push for everyone and everyone's decent. These delays directly caused the fatal backup, and this was because of Hill being too tired/weak to get moving.....thus delaying everyone...Guides, Sherpas to set ropes....everything. Yes she made it up but as Dr. G pointed out, you have to make it down on your own also, not be carried down on someone's back. I don't care how many flights of stairs you climb, she was not ready to climb Everest.
Some poor man had to carry her up the mountain? She put so many lives in danger and she still gives interviews? I had a lower income upbringing and a strict as mum, I am grateful for that.
Should noted that the '96 climb was a complete disaster for many climbers, and one of the worst on record.
Yes, the storm was horrible. It was a major contributor to the tragedy.
11:03 - her reply is very much like the vernacular of Trinidadians
I have been to the summit of Mt Everest countless times via UA-cam and VR set.
It was a piece of cake every time! I don't understand what's so hard about it and why people end. 😳
😂 exactly!
VR set? I LOVE the idea but you probably just made that up for the sake of a good satirical comment?
I've seen Mount Everest from the Tibet side not far from base camp.
Seriously. Have grandma knit you an extra set of mittens, pack a little hot cocoa in a thermos, maybe wear some long johns, and you're GTG.
Lol. And all that without a spare oxygen tank? 😅
Most deaths on Everest occur on decent. This particular climbing season was fraught with disasters. There are some incredible documentaries on YT about that season.
One of the most engaging books I have ever read titled ‘Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster’
by Jon Krakauer who was there to experience Everest and ended up smack dab in the middle of all of the chaos.
Smack dab as in: slept through the storm for 8 hours while everyone was dying.
What’s I heard is a tale of classic narcissist who’s out to show the world how great she is while putting several lives in danger.
Modern woman
She must be a Karen...
I have listened and read about this. One story also is that Scott Fisher had been sick shortly before this, and was not 100% physically, and also had made an extra trip to a higher base camp (herding the customers? or preparing for them)and back down. Then the team apparently did not establish an agreed upon hard stop time after which it is deemed too late in the day to make a summit attempt. And due to delays, were later than recommended in starting for the summit. I wonder how much the “summit-fever” of Sandy Hill and others influenced the decisions made that day.