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I’m not a mountain climber; but I’ve read my favorite book “White Spider” 4 times. What disappoints me more than anything is that nobody has taken the time or effort to recreate the 1938 climb on film in a documentary recording each phase of the climb so that we may experience the original climb of the Eiger through the eyes of someone actually on the mountain. If you could make that happen it would be great.
I think the confusion could be as simple as the government there thinking of the Hilary Step as a geographical location on the mountain, rather then a couple of specific large bolders. "The Hilary Step is still there, but the new route is to the right of the old route." Or one could say from this idea that the Hilary Step just got easier because the bolders are gone....
That's so true about it not being technically ''Gone'' I remember reading that matter can never be destroyed, just transformed into it's basic atoms. Hillary Step is still on Everest, somewhere. It's a shame that Everest is so 'populous' now, and so littered with human bodies and oxygen bottles and human waste. {Even though Sherpas are paid to carry it down....}
Anyone who is shocked that a government would lie once or repeatedly has a LOT of reading and living to do. History (not the revisionist kind) is a great teacher.
The Hillary Step disappeared a long time ago, I now realize. Hillary and Norgay both carefully described their journey to Life magazine just a few days after they returned. They found a sheer rock face that seemed impossible until Hillary discovered a chimney on the side. Squeezing into the chimney, they shuffled their way up. That was the Hillary Step in 1953. To say that mountains change is an understatement. My grandfather was sent to Canada by a coal company to investigate the Frank slide in 1903. Both my parents were raised in those mountains. The highways there constantly warn of falling rock. The Sherpas would know that avalanches change the mountains. I think he was pulling your leg to say, " That rock came from there." As to the position of the Nepal government, Why not? We live in a world of denial and propaganda and a population that feeds on it. Nepal will bleed every dollar it can for as long as it can.
Interesting story. However, something doesn’t add up to me. My 85 year old father was born in 1939. My grandfathers were born in 1914 and 1915 respectively - both died in their 90s. So, if your grandfather was sent to Frank in 1903 to investigate the slide, you must be about 140 years old now, or older. Pretty cool 😎
@@creid7537 your arithmetic is seriously, seriously deficient. Someone investigating an event in 1903 could easily have been roughly 30 years old, so born in about 1870. One or more of their children could easily have been babies or born after that investigation. Up until about 1910 would be standard. Then that person born in 1910 could have had a child at about the age of 30: in about 1940. Said person could easily still be alive now and thus the claim would very much be true. Do try and do your basic arithmetic correctly: it'll make you look much less silly if you succeed.
If a Sherpa says it is gone, and look! here is the boulder, I believe him. It's their mountain. They know. And you can see that the path changed shape.
@EverestMystery: You should've taken several overlapping photos around and above the boulder and have a reference scale in the images, such as you or your Sherpa. That'll allow specialists to construct a 3D model and compare it with the Hillary Step. Of course, we don't expect the rock to be intact and match perfectly.
BTW, the government in Nepal should haul the boulder down to KTM and set it up as a tourist attraction. Even unfit tourists can climb it to pose for pictures. As for the geographic feature that's left where the Hillary Step was, it can be called Hillary Stoop.
I’m no expert nor mountain climber, but my eyes tell me that it’s gone. The pictures clearly show the topography has changed. Why the lies is beyond me because Everest is still there to climb with or without the Hillary Step. I would tend to think it is a better deal as anything that assists to make the ascent and descent most especially, easier would be welcome. This just might save a few more lives.
Exactly 100%. I grew up in Mount shasta. A small little mountain town in california. And I know every inch of that mountain. If something were to change I would know it immediately. Just by looking through the telescope at her don't even need to go up. Growing up next to a majestic Mountain you really learn all of her folds and Contours to a degree. I even know the tree line so well I could probably draw it. As well as her silhouette. Just from memory alone.
Lol this made me chuckle 😂 I haven't heard 'food lion' in years! especially when if any, a hill is in a food lion parking lot.. it's Abt an inch high 😂😂
There is no doubt it is gone. Everest is a great climb for those who wish to summit. The Hillary step falling off takes nothing away from that. I would say more individuals could possibly summit because the Hillary step was a very dangerous place. Nepal would make more money because most likely more will try to summit IMO. This has been a great video and very informative.
The Step is an infamous bottleneck. Many people have died waiting on others to summit and return the same route. If it is gone, then maybe more climbers will be able to find an up route and a down route.
Perhaps it should divide the people who conquered Everest into two categories those the had a deal with the Hillary step who are non-trying forever and those who don’t have to deal with Hillary Stepp, who had an easier climb concept thank you for your video very informative based on the pictures I do believe that the other stuff is gone however, if I was inclined, declined the mountain that wouldn’t change my mind
What this does is make climbing Mount Everest just that bit more achievable. As you've said in many of your videos, a lot of people have met their maker on the Hillary Step. The last difficult push, and one of the more difficult points of the entire climb, before the summit. Now it's gone, won't that encourage more inexperienced climbers with more money than sense to attempt the climb? I can understand Nepal's reluctance to admit it's gone on that basis. Great video! Really enjoyed hearing and seeing the clear evidence that a legend has been assigned to memory. Gone but never forgotten.
Not surprising that something was changed during that terrible earthquake! I was in Langtang in about 1993 with my dad and was so sorry to see the pictures of it completely covered after the earthquake. You can't control Mother Nature. I'm grateful for your report and love your videos!
I was in Langtang in February 1990. There really wasn't even a village there. Just a tiny hamlet, a few scattered stone structures where the local families lived. Same further at the head of the valley, Kyanjin Gompa (?). I was surprised to read and see reports of so many people killed and how large the village had grown. I'm grateful I got to trek and experience the valley in it's pristine beauty. So sad about so many people perishing there years later.
(Just to point out, the earthquake took place in 2013, not three years after 1990.). Did you happen to visit the old Lama who lived in the little stone shack with his wife high up on the hillside? I can never forget his smile that was like a ray of light, but happened so fast that you couldn't get a photo! One of the highlights of that trip.
This is fascinating. I am not shocked that the earthquakes in the region, that the topography has been changed, but the "cover up" is just amusing. On another side, I would love to hear something about how the descent works. I know that their is a specific mindset/pattern to the ascent, but you never hear much about the descent. Thanks for sharing this Thom. Great information as always.
Many more people die descending from mountains than ascending them. The main reason is gravity - slipping or stumbling on the ascent usually just slows you down for a short time, whereas losing your balance when travelling downhill can very easily lead to an uncontrolled fall. Other factors which makes descents more dangerous are fatigue and complacency, thinking that the difficult part has been done.
I guess my own personal act of courage was being an avid fisherman for 60 years without ever having learned how to swim. I used to tell everybody that it didn’t matter to me because the water temperatures that I fish in we’re enough to kill anybody whether you could swim or notI. You know -- cod, pollock flounder, whiting, black fish, all of them cold water fish.
As a lurker on this channel, I'd just like to say thank you for the amazing content as always! It's so informative and easily understandable for someone like me with little mountaineering experience.
I thought the collapse of the Hillary Step was fairly common knowledge. I remembered it was covered extensively - at least in the U.S. - when it happened. Lots of climbers interviewed talked about how much easier the climb is after the collapse. I’m not at all into climbing, just mildly interested in climbing on Everest as many are.
It sounds like if the experts say and show it’s gone, then it’s gone and there’s perfectly good evidence as to why. The government saying it’s still there is perhaps due less to their interest in prospective climbers and more to the devastating loss of the esteemed historic name and landmark. It perhaps lowers the country’s status in their own perception of how the world values them.
The government in Nepal should haul the boulder down to its capital city and set it up as a tourist attraction. Even unfit tourists can climb it to pose for pictures.
With the Step being on the Glacier in front of the Lhotse Face it makes it a hell of alot easier to climb, That in itself would be a tourist attraction.
Im not going to make a judgement (yet... just at 4:20 rn) cause I am not an expert at all when it comes to mountains or mountaineering. But I cant understand why people put feelings over reality. Im not necessarily speaking about the Hillary Step, but about Pluto. People tried to keep Pluto as a planet, although the facts are clear, its not a planet. Why reject reality? I think I will never understand human behaviour... EDIT: Great video! Just one small tip: I was jumping back and forth between 12:48 and 14:00. For somebody with no expertise, it would have been more clear if those pictures had been shown side by side or right after eachother. The sharpie markings really helped a lot though! And to answer the question left open in the original comment: Yeah, I think its gone.
It's definitely gone. I paused at the 2 comparisons and looked at the surrounding rocks. To me, i can see that it's gone. I'm into rock hunting, and looking at rock formations is how rock people find things. One of the Grand Tetons lost part of a face a couple of years ago. It was what the locals called the sleeping woman's face. You can find pictures of the before and after on social media. I would still go climb Everest even if though the step is gone. I would like a rock from Everest too. Don't know if that's allowed. I've readed up on some of the rocks on Everest. I think the yellow band is interesting. This is an interesting topic. I didn't know that the government there was saying The Hillary was still there.
Really glad you took the time to watch...and interesting about the sleeping woman's face of the Tetons... Rocks from Everest: I have a bunch of bags of cool rocks, and specimens from the Yellow Band, and one from near the summit on the north and south. I got the one on the south, Renan Ozturk got the one on the north for me.
@@EverestMystery~ that is so cool! I love rocks too. Thank you so much for your very accessible, interesting, and informative content. I love your respectful vibe and am so glad to have found your channel!
No, it is unethical to bring home pieces of the mountain, regardless of the size. You are a guest, a visitor responsible for being a wise steward of the mountain. Pack out what you bring in, food, equipment, poop, and leave the rest!
Interesting video, new to the channel, I had no idea that this had happened, but I must say, although is "sad" that the step is no longer there, it should make it less complex to summit. As you said, mountains change, is impermanence of nature. And you can see the change in the photos, the government should not worry about this issue, a climber will go to the mountain, no matter what.
00:19 What a beautiful still captured here ~!! I watch so very many of these mountaineering videos and have never seen this~!! I've never been able to imagine or "picture" the concept of just how steep the mountain is in parts. This is thrilling already~!!
I've been debating for years about climbing Everest. Being 65 and a heavy smoker who is afraid of heights the Hillary step always scared me. Now that it is clearly gone I'm going to climb it next year, should be a cakewalk. Wish me luck 🍻
65. Heavy smoker. Hillary Step gone. Hell, you could skip all the base camp stuff and shoot straight to the top. Take a heli from the airport to the mountain and back, and you'll only be away from home for a week or so! lol
0:25 you know what's annoying, few people capture the view looking straight down, as in this image. so we rarely get a sense of how dangerous the route is
While not a climber, I did some free climbing as a teenager. I didn’t know about the Hilary step falling. I think it’s amusing that the government is denying it. 😂 I don’t think it being gone will make a difference in someone not choosing to climb. I do think it will make it safer though. Even I know the step is a huge bottleneck. Great video!
I have heard about your trip to Everest for years. I had at least one of your kids in class at KHS and I think it was the year you did Everest. Thanks for the video.
I am not a climber. But, I always thought the goal of climbing Mt. Everest, was reaching the top! With or without the step, the top on the mountain is still there! I do understand how challenging that would be, when you are exhausted. Just a bit more...we are almost there. But, I never heard anyone claim they were going to climb it, because of the step. My plans are sailing around the world. Plan on leaving in 2026. Completely different challenge. But, nobody can argue the adventure is life changing! Been a sub for a long time. I enjoy how you present things! Godspeed, and RIP to those who never left the mountain!
Thank you again sir for the great content. I viewed the interview with Sir Edmund on the link you provided. I could see right away that he was so humble just like you. Your respespect for others is awsome. Thanks again.
As with millions of others, hearing about the 2015 earthquake inevitably leads to genuine questions about the integrity of the mountain and any significant changes to the Everest terrain. As Thom Pollard correctly suggests, surely certain leaders in the Nepali government have genuine concern regarding lost finances and fear people will not want to climb Everest due to this significant change. It's not as if climbing Everest is any less challenging now that the Hillary Step is gone. For most, getting to Everest and attempting a summit is a lifetime dream. Hillary Step or not, being able to summit and survive the descent must be life transforming.
Zactly. That's a rock that'll never be found. They probably ground it up into fish tank pebbles or something. China be on some shit nobody else even thinkin about. They took that mf, who knows why, and yes, they will look you dead in your face and tell you you're looking at something that clearly is not there.
. . . And they’re busy copying it - and planning to have (re)installed on any mountain that’s got the ‘white stuff’ to make it ‘look’ … ‘just like Everest’.
I caught a snapshot on another video of an incident that the channel used a photo in two different incidents highlighted but maybe connected. Do you have have a video or information on John Griffith being supposedly harassed by Sherpas on Everest? And is any of it linked Ueli Steck? I would prefer information from your channel.
Thanks so much, really appreciate the comment and your sentiment about the channel :) I know a fair amount about the incident that took place, having been told an extremely detailed first-hand account by a well-known mountaineer who was there when the incident took place. I was told that Ueli and Simone thought they were going to die that day....and my gut tells me John felt the same. They weren't the only ones in the crossfire... Thanks for the comment, it puts that story up on my radar, and might make for a great story to do.
My Mount Everest was a 3700 foot mountain in the Adirondacks of New York. It is called Debar mountain. It was in the summer and we sweat our asses off going up but when we reach the top it was freezing up there. Our greatest hardship occurred when we ran out of insect repellent half the way down. The mosquitoes and black flies had us for lunch! We were covered with bites with blood, running down the sides of our heads from the blackflies. That was the extent of Mountaineering for me.
Ever read Thoreau’s Maine Woods? The black flies are REAL, drive people to complete insanity and there’s nowhere to run. I love the Adirondack’s. That’s where it all started for me, along with the White Mountains of NH. Thanks for watching!
Hold on... You are the Gentleman that discovered Mallory!!!!!😮 My orignal thought was, this is the face of a man that has seen his share of stuffs. I wish i would of read your Bio sooner.. You are a History Book 💪
Yes, he is Thom Pollard and the man is a living legend but he is too polite to say anything. Go watch NAT GEO’s Lost on Everest. Thom is in it. He is also in other NAT Geo films. Dude is a LEGEND!! He was part is the team that discovered Mallory’s body! L-E-G-E-N-D!!!
Great video! New subscriber here from lake winnisquam! Made me feel at home when you referenced the old man in the mountain! I’ll never forget staring at it when I was a little boy hoping to someday stand on top of it! Love the information you’re sharing thank you so much!
Howdy neighbor, thank you for the subscribe! I'm glad you enjoyed the video.... Yes indeed sad about the Old Man of the Mountain. Cheers and thanks for watching!
My wife and I brought our kids through the notch last month. We both grew up here, right next to mt. CARDIGAN. Tried explaining to the kids that when we were young it was something to go look at " the old man" but alas, he fell off. I think they thought we were joshing them, heck look at our licence plates!
Crazy Fact: Alan Arnette was on the mountain during the famous earthquake and was actually around the same spot where you saw the bolder later on. If it's true that's what you saw, I'm glad the step didn't hit anyone.
Yes, that is true....I honestly wish I'd left it in, somehow I drop chunks during the edit. I also edited out a clip from Dumb & Dumber about when the cop pulled them over and he asked what those five empty beer bottles were between them in the Shaggin' Waggin, and they replied 'that's nothing sir', lol
@EverestMystery Yeah I was curious about if him being there would make it in, but since it's more about The Step, I understood why it wasn't. But the sherpa who pointed the rock out to you was new info for me and crazy info if it's true! Which I think it could be because I think the Step is sadly, gone. I sat down and did a side by side with pics and you could see the Step is clearly gone. It doesn't make Everest less appealing. Maybe a little easier, but every part of the climb and the journey, maters. Even the walk to base camp. And anyone who makes it through the Kumbu ice fall has my respect. That thing scares me. I would rather climb the Northside just because it doesn't have kumbu over there. So anyone who makes it through the kumbu has my utmost respect.
Amazing video. Truly incredible that no Matter how many summit Everest we all Still insist on knowing every detail so intimately what is it with mountains and human beings wishing their conquer ?
I would still climb it. The Ice Fall takes top prize for the most treacherous section climbing up to the summit of Everest. But the Hillary Step is in its own right, equally treacherous, given the fact that climbers at that point are far more exhausted, and have been up in the death zone for many hours, trying to navigate difficult terrain.
But which is worse on the way back down, when they are even more exhausted? I dont know how they do any of it, I’ll stick with just a few hours hiking at a time without snow thanks.
The mountain has been "closed" since 2019 due to the pandemic and only this year reopened. Perhaps this attributed to the mystery for some additional years.
Fascinating video - thank you. (The UA-cam algorithm strikes again!) I know very little about Everest, but I am a first language Welsh speaker, so I can at least share a pronunciation tip. Cwm IS pronounced 'coom', but with the 'oo' in book, not the 'oo' in boom.👍
THANK YOU! I have a couple good pals in Wales, one of whom was my first climbing guide. We climbed a bunch in Chamonix back in the late 80's....another does the PR and marketing for the lion whisperer... I HAVE to get to Wales someday, it's in my DNA. Thanks for the primer on how to pronounce cwm!
Thank you for that tidbit, as I've been an Everest fan/reader/follower since the 96 disaster "into Thin Air." and then several of the classics, Without your phonetic analysis many will have to go back to Buddy Hackett's infamous classic Chinese Waiter comedy routine of the 1950's when he told diners to chose dishes off the menu: "Two from cowum A, one from cowum b:" Then as an aside to the listener he explained "Cowum!...c-o-l-u-m-n! I can spell it, just can't say it!"
Interesting. I watch a lot of Mount Everest videos and this is the first I've heard of the Hillary Step missing. And apparently it's been gone for nearly a decade!
I've always wondered this: is there an exact place that is considered the summit? If a group summits together, do you take turns standing in that one exact spot?
I´d say once your head is above the the highest spot of what you´re summiting and its within your touching distance you´ve summited. There are no trophy ceremonies once you get back down so it´s just that you think you´ve summited that counts whether you stood on the absolute spot that is highest or not.
@@teppo9585 I guess I wonder if some climbers regret not standing in the spot they considered the summit but were self conscious about speaking up and then descended.
It's indescribable to actually climb in the same path as Hillary and Tenzing. What dreams are made of. Now the MOST famous pitch is gone. Who doesn't enjoy a mystery. Mebbee Nepal guys have a great sense of humor? Thanks
I was reading a Reddit post about some guys account of the difficulty of certain sections on Everest. He was there after 2015. One thing he said that took me by surprise was “the Hilary Step was a cinche”. I hadn’t heard the rumour that the step was gone. Now his comment makes so much sense.
I got so frustrated with the conflicting stories that I finally got up from my easy chair, grabbed my coat, and went up to see for myself. Yup, part of it is gone, but most of it seems intact, albeit somewhat more fragmented than before. And thanks for sharing this (seriously).
I'm not going to believe my lying eyes. I'm with the gov, it's still there. At least in my mind whenever I think about Hillery and Norgay climbing it. Hearing him tell the tale of climbing the step was so awesome. Hard to think climbing that first, no safety ropes with that 8k foot drop off. But I'm sure nobody is going to change their minds and not climb if that's their dream. Just that part of following in those two giants steps is gone forever.
Indeed, Hillary and Tenzing are giants among men (and all humans). I had the opportunity to interview Sir Edmund in 2004 before he appeared at the 100th anniversary of The Explorers Club. I'll post that amazing talk he gave about the day he and Tenzing made the first ascent. That short interview is on the channel, called First On Top. I've also interviewed his son Peter on multiple occasions, and they are also on Everest Mystery. Here's the clip with Sir Ed: ua-cam.com/video/h3zEfPnrvUI/v-deo.html
i worked at the sedona supermax giant screen theater the first imax film we opened with and ran it for one year was EVEREST i saw it possibly 100+ times in my observation i believe the hillary step is gone
Definitely a great video but the to do a proper comparison you need images that are taken from roughly the same vantage point and the same focal length. The comparisons are from vastly different angles and the focal lengths are not the same or the images were cropped in the after 2015 which again makes it difficult to match up. To do it right you would need to compare some cracks that are very distinct and would not have changed do to the earthquake, then skew the image to overlay the before image and match it up as close as possible. Again with the after images zoomed in you cannot see any detail to align with the before images.
People that go to mt everest NEED TO PACK THE GARBAGE OUT THAT THEY PACK IN... I have been traveling into the wilderness for 60 years, and i ALWAYS PACK OUT...WHAT I PACK IN...
Absolutely! You might enjoy a recent video about new regulations being enacted on the mountain in the 2024 season. Please check it out and let us know in the comments your thoughts. Here is the link to Everest is in Trouble: ua-cam.com/video/0a2eAUy_vhw/v-deo.html
Cool video! Thanks. It wouldn't bother me but I also would never be able to make it that far. I enjoy the ocean and beach. Love watching videos about everest thou
So interesting you asked. Rob Hall was on Mt Cook when the landslide happened, and thought he was going to lose his life. It was too much of a side chat to include it. He is a fascinating and incredible story....I'll look into a story on him.
@@EverestMystery ~ Really!?! You’re kidding! What an amazing thing for Rob Hall to be on Cook during the landslide! I’d love a story from you on Rob’s life and career. Thanks again for awesome content! I’m a new and happy subscriber! ❤
Don’t think it is for anything nefarious that the Nepali government has denied the lost of the Hilary Step. The Nepalese people are very honourable and have a lot of respect for Ed Hilary for all the work he did for the Sherpa people long after his and Tenzing’s summit. He dedicated has life to the region ( which also cost him the life of his wife and daughter ) So I think it because they have lost something Iconic that honours a man who they deeply respect is the reason why they don’t want to admit that it’s gone… But hey, that’s just my opinion
Thats like saying the 4 million number of deaths at Auschwitz was held on for so long out of respect for the dead.. No. You need to go with the most accurate truth you can find at every time and acknowledge things aren´t like they used be, or how you thought they were once you know that to be the fact.
Did his wife and daughter die on Everest? In any event, I really appreciate your perspective. It sounds right to me, although I think financial factors might also enter into it a little. Thanks for sharing.
My earliest memory was when I was 4 yrs old, it was the conquest of Mt Everest. Ever since I have been obsessed with Mt Everest. Now that the Hillary Step is gone I have canceled my trip and dream of waiting 3 hours to climb the Hillary Step. I shall remain content with my monthly conquests of Mt Monadnock!
I think it's gone! Clearly, you can tell it's not there anymore. Thank you for pointing this out, with the proof to show it's really not there anymore. I would still make the climb. It's on my bucket list to climb Everest ☺️
I agree, and hope you get there so you can see for yourself! Thanks for watching...and, stay in touch so when you get to the mountain I can cheer you on from home!
@poutinedream5066 I will, my family already knows what my plans are. I have enough sense to know when to turn around. I will climb Everest if I have to turn around, then it was meant to be. I want to live to climb another day. The mountain is not going anywhere 😉
@@Caminiti01 ~ just remember please, that most folks ‘have enough sense to know when to turn around’ when they are planning their ascent. But it’s a whole different thing to have that sense when you are in high altitude, and executive functions are extremely challenged!
I just had to put down my dog, and throughout this whole process of having to lose my childhood partner, your videos have been a blessed distraction. Thank you for all of the time and effort you’ve put into becoming this experienced and making these videos. You’re the best! I’ve mentioned your videos to two people in my personal life already.
Oh I'm so sorry about your dog. I think of mine every single day on a hundred occasions. Everything reminds me of him. So, as a lover of pets I send you my condolences. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment and to share part of your journey. I'm glad you're here and will strive to keep creating content that is worth watching.
It's the highest garbage dump in the world despite these climbers profess they so respect the beauty and awesomeness of this mountain and then turn around and leave all their human excrement and trash behind because they want to brag and get a pat on the back for their achievement. They'd never climb it if they were the last people on the planet. Selfish people.
I think that the Nepalese government’s continued denial about the Hillary step’s trip down the mountain is silly. I understand that the step was iconic, however, it’s still Everest for pete’s sake! The mountain will still be the challenge of a lifetime, and even without the Hillary step, it will continue to claim more lives. I am not a mountaineer, but it’s quite obvious by looking at the photos that the step is no longer there. Thank you for sharing your passion for the mountains with the rest of us. I love mountains. I shall continue to live vicariously through you. BTW, I’m happy to hear that you live in New Hampshire. I lived there for a time and had my first honeymoon in the White mountains. I saw the old man in the mountain several times before he fell. It’s a beautiful state. 💗
It is a sign of the times, the Hilary step, like the spirit of true adventure that is not fueled by ambition and chasing social clout, has been lost. There are some who still go out looking for it, but most these days are just looking to turn their experience into a pay check of some kind.
It is absolutely gone. Plus, the movie Everest really showed the challenges to climb up Hillary Step and the log jam. It wouldn't make a single difference with the name being gone. I think I speak for ALL climbers when I say the reason anyone would want to climb Everest is, "Because It's There" -Edmund Hillary & George Leigh Mallory, former mountaineer R.I.P Thank you for your amazing documentaries. I am new here and definitely enjoying the episodes. Stay safe and God bless
Another example of nature changing is the collapse of Wall Arch in Arches Nation Park in 2008. Overnight, the arch fell. There was no human intervention that caused it to fall. It fell over night. The park ranger said that Arches is a living landscape. It changes slightly on a daily basis. I think they may be trying to hide the Hillary Step collapsing because it’s an iconic part of the climb to the summit. I also think if the media got this information, it could lead to a bunch of click bait type articles being published. The articles could look bad for the country and make it look like they cant take preserve the mountain.
IMO... The Hillary Step being gone (I think it did fall), could be viewed as a small reasoning to the ones climbing with their pocketbooks to do it. Admitting a large hurdle of the end of climb is gone could motivate more people to bring their trash up there to stay. Great video, just got my subscribe!
If true, the real sadness of this development is that Rob Hall might have not perished if it had been gone at that time - his demise was critically linked to inability to navigate the Hillary Step on way down with the other disabled climber. Rob Hall - RIP
I’m so pleased I found this channel. This is some really great info I’ve come across with your videos. I am a long time climber myself with lots of peaks across many continents but only one 8,000 meter summit to my records- last year I summit Choy Oyu with Alpine Ascents and had a decent experience but was off put by a few things.. I now have my eyes on an expedition to finally conquer Everest next year as I have a broken wrist at the moment.. otherwise I would be at base camp right now 😢 but I am considering RMI expeditions (expensive but my life is not worth potential savings going with another team). I’m wondering if any have any good suggestion’s for guys like me weighing my best options - I don’t want to get myself into a situation like many you detail in your videos. Thanks for the content! Maybe a video on how to not get yourself killed choosing sketchy expeditions haha 😂
At 15:00 the Hillary Step is in both photos. In the photo to the left the step is only partially shown at the upper left of the photo. The snow is different in each photo causing the climbers to choose different routes.
So the Hillary Step collapsed! No big surprised there. This "mountain" will continue to break down. More slabs, boulders, chunks and pieces will fall off - more crevasses will open. It's completely normal and natural. It's probably best to stay off that mountain - these events can happen at any time.
Nature isn’t permanent, it is always changing. It’s crazy that the earthquake happened almost a decade ago but this topic is still up for debate- at least according to the Nepalese government.
My old eyes say the rocks look different, some not as weathered. Something is appearing to be missing. Climb the mtn? No friggin way, I like my comforts in my retirement.
H.A. Boom Boom! The mountain has become a carnival attraction. Given little real respect. Hey. Why don't we give it the OHS treatment. Hillary step is slowing people down. We NMA people are very practical people. No Hillary step, no Hillary step. More summits. Less jams. Far more potential fee payers in the future. Simples!!
Nepal thinks that climbers are just there for the hillary step. But its for Mt Everest. The whole mountain, the top of the mountain. Really the hillary step was just a big rock that was in the way😂😂. Rocks break off from mountains all the time. Just like ice bergs break off, volcanos are never the same after blowing. Losing a big rock isn’t going to stop people from climbing the sacred mountain. Just like the ice shelves are constantly moving. It is just a rock after all. Thank you for all the work you put into your videos. I was never really interested in Mt Everest until I saw one of your short videos. After that, I found your channel & have been hooked ever since. Thank you so much🌻
I can only imagine that the decision makers in the government have never actually been to, or understand, Everest so they have some bizarre idea that the Hillary Step was a drawcard for tourists. Because realistically if it's absence makes for an easier, safer climb it should be more of a _boon_ for the govt, with more climbers summiting and therefore more money to be made. Nothing else makes sense to me, because no reasonable person would think that someone going to the effort & expense of an Everest climb is going to be so disappointed by this that they'd cancel or demand lower fees. The summit is the drawcard, after all. I honestly can't imagine that an exhausted climber in the death zone is going to be anything other than _relieved_ that they have an easier climb without it! And even if it was some kind of special drawcard or desired destination, with the rock now being further down the mountain it means even more climbers will potentially have a chance to interact with it. 🤷♀️
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I’m not a mountain climber; but I’ve read my favorite book “White Spider” 4 times. What disappoints me more than anything is that nobody has taken the time or effort to recreate the 1938 climb on film in a documentary recording each phase of the climb so that we may experience the original climb of the Eiger through the eyes of someone actually on the mountain. If you could make that happen it would be great.
I think the confusion could be as simple as the government there thinking of the Hilary Step as a geographical location on the mountain, rather then a couple of specific large bolders. "The Hilary Step is still there, but the new route is to the right of the old route." Or one could say from this idea that the Hilary Step just got easier because the bolders are gone....
Lhakpa Rangdu's photoset for the NTB from 2017 proved conclusively it's gone.
@@JohnQPublic11 Great book! And great idea about the Eiger climb in '38. I'm happy you've found the channel!
Like the guitar
Technically it's not "gone" it's just in a different location lol
It may not longer be intact, in which case it will be in a number of different locations !
Some tourist took it home as a souvenir.
That's so true about it not being technically ''Gone''
I remember reading that matter can never be destroyed, just transformed into it's basic atoms.
Hillary Step is still on Everest, somewhere.
It's a shame that Everest is so 'populous' now, and so littered with human bodies and oxygen bottles and human waste.
{Even though Sherpas are paid to carry it down....}
At the base camp. You can climb it there.
@@thrilledorkilled4958 Haha! Very good
Anyone who is shocked that a government would lie once or repeatedly has a LOT of reading and living to do. History (not the revisionist kind) is a great teacher.
You are absolutely right!
Amen
The Hillary Step disappeared a long time ago, I now realize. Hillary and Norgay both carefully described their journey to Life magazine just a few days after they returned. They found a sheer rock face that seemed impossible until Hillary discovered a chimney on the side. Squeezing into the chimney, they shuffled their way up. That was the Hillary Step in 1953. To say that mountains change is an understatement. My grandfather was sent to Canada by a coal company to investigate the Frank slide in 1903. Both my parents were raised in those mountains. The highways there constantly warn of falling rock. The Sherpas would know that avalanches change the mountains. I think he was pulling your leg to say, " That rock came from there." As to the position of the Nepal government, Why not? We live in a world of denial and propaganda and a population that feeds on it. Nepal will bleed every dollar it can for as long as it can.
Great post
thank you.@@ACshinealight
Interesting story. However, something doesn’t add up to me. My 85 year old father was born in 1939. My grandfathers were born in 1914 and 1915 respectively - both died in their 90s. So, if your grandfather was sent to Frank in 1903 to investigate the slide, you must be about 140 years old now, or older. Pretty cool 😎
@@creid7537 your arithmetic is seriously, seriously deficient.
Someone investigating an event in 1903 could easily have been roughly 30 years old, so born in about 1870. One or more of their children could easily have been babies or born after that investigation. Up until about 1910 would be standard. Then that person born in 1910 could have had a child at about the age of 30: in about 1940. Said person could easily still be alive now and thus the claim would very much be true.
Do try and do your basic arithmetic correctly: it'll make you look much less silly if you succeed.
If the trajectory makes sense, it could be the step.
If a Sherpa says it is gone, and look! here is the boulder, I believe him. It's their mountain. They know. And you can see that the path changed shape.
Absolutely! Lhakpa was totally adamant about it....
@EverestMystery: You should've taken several overlapping photos around and above the boulder and have a reference scale in the images, such as you or your Sherpa. That'll allow specialists to construct a 3D model and compare it with the Hillary Step. Of course, we don't expect the rock to be intact and match perfectly.
BTW, the government in Nepal should haul the boulder down to KTM and set it up as a tourist attraction. Even unfit tourists can climb it to pose for pictures.
As for the geographic feature that's left where the Hillary Step was, it can be called Hillary Stoop.
I’m no expert nor mountain climber, but my eyes tell me that it’s gone. The pictures clearly show the topography has changed. Why the lies is beyond me because Everest is still there to climb with or without the Hillary Step. I would tend to think it is a better deal as anything that assists to make the ascent and descent most especially, easier would be welcome. This just might save a few more lives.
Exactly 100%. I grew up in Mount shasta. A small little mountain town in california. And I know every inch of that mountain. If something were to change I would know it immediately. Just by looking through the telescope at her don't even need to go up. Growing up next to a majestic Mountain you really learn all of her folds and Contours to a degree. I even know the tree line so well I could probably draw it. As well as her silhouette. Just from memory alone.
The highest hill I ever climbed was the Food Lion parking lot - but even I can confirm - The Hillary Step is definitely gone.
Lol this made me chuckle 😂 I haven't heard 'food lion' in years! especially when if any, a hill is in a food lion parking lot.. it's Abt an inch high 😂😂
you mountaineer you. what kind of equipment do you use to traverse it ?!
@@Gizziiusa You need a beer belly and one of them motorized go cart buggies with an oxygen tank. Minimum.
@@Mike_Baldwin Ahhh, the "Geriatric Golf Course Setup" Duly Noted.
@@Mike_Baldwinthat’s funny 😂😂😂
There is no doubt it is gone. Everest is a great climb for those who wish to summit. The Hillary step falling off takes nothing away from that. I would say more individuals could possibly summit because the Hillary step was a very dangerous place. Nepal would make more money because most likely more will try to summit IMO. This has been a great video and very informative.
Great point Katherine
The Step is an infamous bottleneck. Many people have died waiting on others to summit and return the same route. If it is gone, then maybe more climbers will be able to find an up route and a down route.
"Because it isn't there."
Good one!
well played
That's pretty good!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
😂
I think anyone with a goal of getting to the summit would not have the Hillary Step being gone change their mind about doing it.
I have to agree.
I just changed my mind about it. I was thinking of maybe summiting one day. But without the good ole Hilary Step, what's the point?
Perhaps it should divide the people who conquered Everest into two categories those the had a deal with the Hillary step who are non-trying forever and those who don’t have to deal with Hillary Stepp, who had an easier climb concept thank you for your video very informative based on the pictures I do believe that the other stuff is gone however, if I was inclined, declined the mountain that wouldn’t change my mind
Right it wouldn’t make sense to them
@@AlexanderNixonArtHistory As the man himself said "because it's there".
What this does is make climbing Mount Everest just that bit more achievable. As you've said in many of your videos, a lot of people have met their maker on the Hillary Step. The last difficult push, and one of the more difficult points of the entire climb, before the summit. Now it's gone, won't that encourage more inexperienced climbers with more money than sense to attempt the climb? I can understand Nepal's reluctance to admit it's gone on that basis.
Great video! Really enjoyed hearing and seeing the clear evidence that a legend has been assigned to memory. Gone but never forgotten.
Not surprising that something was changed during that terrible earthquake! I was in Langtang in about 1993 with my dad and was so sorry to see the pictures of it completely covered after the earthquake. You can't control Mother Nature. I'm grateful for your report and love your videos!
I was in Langtang in February 1990. There really wasn't even a village there. Just a tiny hamlet, a few scattered stone structures where the local families lived. Same further at the head of the valley, Kyanjin Gompa (?). I was surprised to read and see reports of so many people killed and how large the village had grown. I'm grateful I got to trek and experience the valley in it's pristine beauty. So sad about so many people perishing there years later.
You two were there . I will just listen .
(Just to point out, the earthquake took place in 2013, not three years after 1990.). Did you happen to visit the old Lama who lived in the little stone shack with his wife high up on the hillside? I can never forget his smile that was like a ray of light, but happened so fast that you couldn't get a photo! One of the highlights of that trip.
Oops, 2015, not 2013.
Ya... Not going now that the Hillary step is gone... of course, I wasn't going before, either! I enjoy your channel. Keep it up, amigo! SF.
LOL, love it, and THANK YOU!
This is fascinating. I am not shocked that the earthquakes in the region, that the topography has been changed, but the "cover up" is just amusing. On another side, I would love to hear something about how the descent works. I know that their is a specific mindset/pattern to the ascent, but you never hear much about the descent. Thanks for sharing this Thom. Great information as always.
Many more people die descending from mountains than ascending them. The main reason is gravity - slipping or stumbling on the ascent usually just slows you down for a short time, whereas losing your balance when travelling downhill can very easily lead to an uncontrolled fall. Other factors which makes descents more dangerous are fatigue and complacency, thinking that the difficult part has been done.
Because the descent kills everybody. There’s no one left to talk about it.
I guess my own personal act of courage was being an avid fisherman for 60 years without ever having learned how to swim. I used to tell everybody that it didn’t matter to me because the water temperatures that I fish in we’re enough to kill anybody whether you could swim or notI. You know -- cod, pollock flounder, whiting, black fish, all of them cold water fish.
Thanks for watching and for the question about what it's like descending.... From the summit Lhakpa and I were back at Camp 4 in three hours flat....
@@JohnBernardon-py7wf nobody cares
As a lurker on this channel, I'd just like to say thank you for the amazing content as always! It's so informative and easily understandable for someone like me with little mountaineering experience.
I thought the collapse of the Hillary Step was fairly common knowledge. I remembered it was covered extensively - at least in the U.S. - when it happened. Lots of climbers interviewed talked about how much easier the climb is after the collapse. I’m not at all into climbing, just mildly interested in climbing on Everest as many are.
Much appreciated! I'm glad you are here and glad you took the time to let me know
They talked about the Hillary step being gone after the quake in 15, and you could see it was gone in pics back then.
It sounds like if the experts say and show it’s gone, then it’s gone and there’s perfectly good evidence as to why. The government saying it’s still there is perhaps due less to their interest in prospective climbers and more to the devastating loss of the esteemed historic name and landmark. It perhaps lowers the country’s status in their own perception of how the world values them.
The government in Nepal should haul the boulder down to its capital city and set it up as a tourist attraction. Even unfit tourists can climb it to pose for pictures.
Amazing content. It is clear from the photos that the Step is no more. Thank you for your clarity and lack of “filler”. Straight to the point. Nice.
With the Step being on the Glacier in front of the Lhotse Face it makes it a hell of alot easier to climb, That in itself would be a tourist attraction.
*a *lot. Two words.
@@OttoByOgraffeyMuch like the Hillary Step, Something occurred to my missing space in between to where it is no longer there.
@@OttoByOgraffeyYou ever get sick of correcting people🤷🏼♂️🤦🏼♂️. Better the OP dgaf😉
@@OttoByOgraffeyIf you're gonna file through UA-cam comments just to correct people on that mistake, you've got alot of work ahead of you
@@OttoByOgraffey Thank you for pointing out my space bar missed a cue, I am glad you can feel halfway validated by doing so.
Im not going to make a judgement (yet... just at 4:20 rn) cause I am not an expert at all when it comes to mountains or mountaineering.
But I cant understand why people put feelings over reality. Im not necessarily speaking about the Hillary Step, but about Pluto.
People tried to keep Pluto as a planet, although the facts are clear, its not a planet. Why reject reality? I think I will never understand human behaviour...
EDIT: Great video! Just one small tip: I was jumping back and forth between 12:48 and 14:00. For somebody with no expertise, it would have been more clear if those pictures had been shown side by side or right after eachother. The sharpie markings really helped a lot though! And to answer the question left open in the original comment: Yeah, I think its gone.
It's definitely gone. I paused at the 2 comparisons and looked at the surrounding rocks. To me, i can see that it's gone. I'm into rock hunting, and looking at rock formations is how rock people find things. One of the Grand Tetons lost part of a face a couple of years ago. It was what the locals called the sleeping woman's face. You can find pictures of the before and after on social media. I would still go climb Everest even if though the step is gone. I would like a rock from Everest too. Don't know if that's allowed. I've readed up on some of the rocks on Everest. I think the yellow band is interesting. This is an interesting topic. I didn't know that the government there was saying The Hillary was still there.
Really glad you took the time to watch...and interesting about the sleeping woman's face of the Tetons... Rocks from Everest: I have a bunch of bags of cool rocks, and specimens from the Yellow Band, and one from near the summit on the north and south. I got the one on the south, Renan Ozturk got the one on the north for me.
@@EverestMystery~ that is so cool! I love rocks too. Thank you so much for your very accessible, interesting, and informative content. I love your respectful vibe and am so glad to have found your channel!
Take home the boulder that once was the Hillary Step.
No, it is unethical to bring home pieces of the mountain, regardless of the size. You are a guest, a visitor responsible for being a wise steward of the mountain. Pack out what you bring in, food, equipment, poop, and leave the rest!
Interesting video, new to the channel, I had no idea that this had happened, but I must say, although is "sad" that the step is no longer there, it should make it less complex to summit. As you said, mountains change, is impermanence of nature. And you can see the change in the photos, the government should not worry about this issue, a climber will go to the mountain, no matter what.
00:19 What a beautiful still captured here ~!! I watch so very many of these mountaineering videos and have never seen this~!! I've never been able to imagine or "picture" the concept of just how steep the mountain is in parts. This is thrilling already~!!
Thank you very much! I'm glad that you're enjoying the video....and that you took the time to share your thoughts :)
I've been debating for years about climbing Everest. Being 65 and a heavy smoker who is afraid of heights the Hillary step always scared me. Now that it is clearly gone I'm going to climb it next year, should be a cakewalk. Wish me luck 🍻
65. Heavy smoker. Hillary Step gone. Hell, you could skip all the base camp stuff and shoot straight to the top. Take a heli from the airport to the mountain and back, and you'll only be away from home for a week or so! lol
0:25 you know what's annoying, few people capture the view looking straight down, as in this image. so we rarely get a sense of how dangerous the route is
Oh that route is easy peasy lemon squeeze, I could do that in 20 minutes. If you'll excuse me, I'm out of breath from walking to my car. 🤣
I really should have put more of that footage in, it's crazy how much exposure there is, right? Thaks for watching....much appreciated!
@@EverestMystery was not trying to criticize you. sorry. i've noticed this in nearly all of the videos i've watched.
I’m not into mountaineering or hiking but man, is this interesting. Thank you for the content.
While not a climber, I did some free climbing as a teenager. I didn’t know about the Hilary step falling. I think it’s amusing that the government is denying it. 😂
I don’t think it being gone will make a difference in someone not choosing to climb. I do think it will make it safer though. Even I know the step is a huge bottleneck.
Great video!
I have heard about your trip to Everest for years. I had at least one of your kids in class at KHS and I think it was the year you did Everest. Thanks for the video.
That's very cool, small world!
Bro I love the way you talk about mountaineering. You’re a great narrator!
I am not a climber. But, I always thought the goal of climbing Mt. Everest, was reaching the top! With or without the step, the top on the mountain is still there! I do understand how challenging that would be, when you are exhausted. Just a bit more...we are almost there. But, I never heard anyone claim they were going to climb it, because of the step. My plans are sailing around the world. Plan on leaving in 2026. Completely different challenge. But, nobody can argue the adventure is life changing! Been a sub for a long time. I enjoy how you present things! Godspeed, and RIP to those who never left the mountain!
Thank you again sir for the great content. I viewed the interview with Sir Edmund on the link you provided. I could see right away that he was so humble just like you. Your respespect for others is awsome. Thanks again.
Thanks for posting this . Grateful for people like you!! Happy to find your channel
I don't know about the Hillary step, but one thing I do know is your place looks nice and cozy with the fire in the stove!!
☺
Glad you covered this topic! Thank you!
As with millions of others, hearing about the 2015 earthquake inevitably leads to genuine questions about the integrity of the mountain and any significant changes to the Everest terrain. As Thom Pollard correctly suggests, surely certain leaders in the Nepali government have genuine concern regarding lost finances and fear people will not want to climb Everest due to this significant change. It's not as if climbing Everest is any less challenging now that the Hillary Step is gone. For most, getting to Everest and attempting a summit is a lifetime dream. Hillary Step or not, being able to summit and survive the descent must be life transforming.
Wow nice sharing 👍
The Chinese have nicked it along with Irvine and the camera
Zactly. That's a rock that'll never be found. They probably ground it up into fish tank pebbles or something. China be on some shit nobody else even thinkin about. They took that mf, who knows why, and yes, they will look you dead in your face and tell you you're looking at something that clearly is not there.
Lol
. . . And they’re busy copying it - and planning to have (re)installed on any mountain that’s got the ‘white stuff’ to make it ‘look’ … ‘just like Everest’.
Xi has it in his garden.
China has the camera
I caught a snapshot on another video of an incident that the channel used a photo in two different incidents highlighted but maybe connected. Do you have have a video or information on John Griffith being supposedly harassed by Sherpas on Everest? And is any of it linked Ueli Steck? I would prefer information from your channel.
Thanks so much, really appreciate the comment and your sentiment about the channel :) I know a fair amount about the incident that took place, having been told an extremely detailed first-hand account by a well-known mountaineer who was there when the incident took place. I was told that Ueli and Simone thought they were going to die that day....and my gut tells me John felt the same. They weren't the only ones in the crossfire... Thanks for the comment, it puts that story up on my radar, and might make for a great story to do.
@@EverestMystery~ yes please. That story sounds very interesting.
Great video, subscribed
Great Video, a very interesting story, thanks for sharing, new sub here!
Great video and it's confirmation for me 😊
My Mount Everest was a 3700 foot mountain in the Adirondacks of New York. It is called Debar mountain. It was in the summer and we sweat our asses off going up but when we reach the top it was freezing up there. Our greatest hardship occurred when we ran out of insect repellent half the way down. The mosquitoes and black flies had us for lunch! We were covered with bites with blood, running down the sides of our heads from the blackflies. That was the extent of Mountaineering for me.
Ever read Thoreau’s Maine Woods? The black flies are REAL, drive people to complete insanity and there’s nowhere to run. I love the Adirondack’s. That’s where it all started for me, along with the White Mountains of NH. Thanks for watching!
They are miserable. I got black fly bites that took over 6 months to heal.
Hold on... You are the Gentleman that discovered Mallory!!!!!😮
My orignal thought was, this is the face of a man that has seen his share of stuffs. I wish i would of read your Bio sooner..
You are a History Book 💪
I thought that was Conrad Anker.
@@ohsweetmystery wasn’t just one guy, was a team of ppl, and this narrator was the cameraman on the team.
Yes, he is Thom Pollard and the man is a living legend but he is too polite to say anything. Go watch NAT GEO’s Lost on Everest. Thom is in it. He is also in other NAT Geo films. Dude is a LEGEND!! He was part is the team that discovered Mallory’s body! L-E-G-E-N-D!!!
Great video! New subscriber here from lake winnisquam! Made me feel at home when you referenced the old man in the mountain! I’ll never forget staring at it when I was a little boy hoping to someday stand on top of it! Love the information you’re sharing thank you so much!
Howdy neighbor, thank you for the subscribe! I'm glad you enjoyed the video.... Yes indeed sad about the Old Man of the Mountain. Cheers and thanks for watching!
My wife and I brought our kids through the notch last month. We both grew up here, right next to mt. CARDIGAN. Tried explaining to the kids that when we were young it was something to go look at " the old man" but alas, he fell off.
I think they thought we were joshing them, heck look at our licence plates!
Crazy Fact: Alan Arnette was on the mountain during the famous earthquake and was actually around the same spot where you saw the bolder later on. If it's true that's what you saw, I'm glad the step didn't hit anyone.
Yes, that is true....I honestly wish I'd left it in, somehow I drop chunks during the edit. I also edited out a clip from Dumb & Dumber about when the cop pulled them over and he asked what those five empty beer bottles were between them in the Shaggin' Waggin, and they replied 'that's nothing sir', lol
@EverestMystery Yeah I was curious about if him being there would make it in, but since it's more about The Step, I understood why it wasn't. But the sherpa who pointed the rock out to you was new info for me and crazy info if it's true! Which I think it could be because I think the Step is sadly, gone. I sat down and did a side by side with pics and you could see the Step is clearly gone. It doesn't make Everest less appealing. Maybe a little easier, but every part of the climb and the journey, maters. Even the walk to base camp. And anyone who makes it through the Kumbu ice fall has my respect. That thing scares me. I would rather climb the Northside just because it doesn't have kumbu over there. So anyone who makes it through the kumbu has my utmost respect.
Absolutely love your videos!! Fantastic content! Love it love it love it
An eloquent and compelling narrative.
Thank you, I'm glad you took the time to watch!
@@EverestMystery As am l!
Outstanding video per usual
Amazing video. Truly incredible that no
Matter how many summit Everest we all
Still insist on knowing every detail so intimately what is it with mountains and human beings wishing their conquer ?
I would still climb it. The Ice Fall takes top prize for the most treacherous section climbing up to the summit of Everest. But the Hillary Step is in its own right, equally treacherous, given the fact that climbers at that point are far more exhausted, and have been up in the death zone for many hours, trying to navigate difficult terrain.
But which is worse on the way back down, when they are even more exhausted?
I dont know how they do any of it, I’ll stick with just a few hours hiking at a time without snow thanks.
And we are just hearing about this 8 or 9 years later? What about recent climbers? What do they say?
The mountain has been "closed" since 2019 due to the pandemic and only this year reopened. Perhaps this attributed to the mystery for some additional years.
Thank you for letting me know, I had no idea and spoke too soon. Now it makes sense.
@@e.k.4508 2016, 2017, 2018 etc?
Fascinating video - thank you. (The UA-cam algorithm strikes again!) I know very little about Everest, but I am a first language Welsh speaker, so I can at least share a pronunciation tip. Cwm IS pronounced 'coom', but with the 'oo' in book, not the 'oo' in boom.👍
THANK YOU! I have a couple good pals in Wales, one of whom was my first climbing guide. We climbed a bunch in Chamonix back in the late 80's....another does the PR and marketing for the lion whisperer... I HAVE to get to Wales someday, it's in my DNA. Thanks for the primer on how to pronounce cwm!
Thank you for that tidbit, as I've been an Everest fan/reader/follower since the 96 disaster "into Thin Air." and then several of the classics, Without your phonetic analysis many will have to go back to Buddy Hackett's infamous classic Chinese Waiter comedy routine of the 1950's when he told diners to chose dishes off the menu: "Two from cowum A, one from cowum b:" Then as an aside to the listener he explained "Cowum!...c-o-l-u-m-n! I can spell it, just can't say it!"
Interesting. I watch a lot of Mount Everest videos and this is the first I've heard of the Hillary Step missing. And apparently it's been gone for nearly a decade!
I've always wondered this: is there an exact place that is considered the summit? If a group summits together, do you take turns standing in that one exact spot?
I´d say once your head is above the the highest spot of what you´re summiting and its within your touching distance you´ve summited. There are no trophy ceremonies once you get back down so it´s just that you think you´ve summited that counts whether you stood on the absolute spot that is highest or not.
@@teppo9585 I guess I wonder if some climbers regret not standing in the spot they considered the summit but were self conscious about speaking up and then descended.
It's indescribable to actually climb in the same path as Hillary and Tenzing. What dreams are made of. Now the MOST famous pitch is gone. Who doesn't enjoy a mystery. Mebbee Nepal guys have a great sense of humor? Thanks
I was reading a Reddit post about some guys account of the difficulty of certain sections on Everest. He was there after 2015. One thing he said that took me by surprise was “the Hilary Step was a cinche”. I hadn’t heard the rumour that the step was gone. Now his comment makes so much sense.
You might have seen my post on Reddit. Thanks for watching !
I got so frustrated with the conflicting stories that I finally got up from my easy chair, grabbed my coat, and went up to see for myself. Yup, part of it is gone, but most of it seems intact, albeit somewhat more fragmented than before. And thanks for sharing this (seriously).
Thanks for the video. I had missed this.
I'm not going to believe my lying eyes. I'm with the gov, it's still there. At least in my mind whenever I think about Hillery and Norgay climbing it. Hearing him tell the tale of climbing the step was so awesome. Hard to think climbing that first, no safety ropes with that 8k foot drop off. But I'm sure nobody is going to change their minds and not climb if that's their dream. Just that part of following in those two giants steps is gone forever.
Indeed, Hillary and Tenzing are giants among men (and all humans). I had the opportunity to interview Sir Edmund in 2004 before he appeared at the 100th anniversary of The Explorers Club. I'll post that amazing talk he gave about the day he and Tenzing made the first ascent. That short interview is on the channel, called First On Top. I've also interviewed his son Peter on multiple occasions, and they are also on Everest Mystery. Here's the clip with Sir Ed: ua-cam.com/video/h3zEfPnrvUI/v-deo.html
How long before a resort is built on the summit?
i worked at the sedona supermax giant screen theater the first imax film we opened with and ran it for one year was EVEREST i saw it possibly 100+ times in my observation i believe the hillary step is gone
I remember that!!!! It made me absolutely fascinated with Everest ❤❤❤
Definitely a great video but the to do a proper comparison you need images that are taken from roughly the same vantage point and the same focal length. The comparisons are from vastly different angles and the focal lengths are not the same or the images were cropped in the after 2015 which again makes it difficult to match up. To do it right you would need to compare some cracks that are very distinct and would not have changed do to the earthquake, then skew the image to overlay the before image and match it up as close as possible. Again with the after images zoomed in you cannot see any detail to align with the before images.
People that go to mt everest NEED TO PACK THE GARBAGE OUT THAT THEY PACK IN... I have been traveling into the wilderness for 60 years, and i ALWAYS PACK OUT...WHAT I PACK IN...
Absolutely! You might enjoy a recent video about new regulations being enacted on the mountain in the 2024 season. Please check it out and let us know in the comments your thoughts. Here is the link to Everest is in Trouble: ua-cam.com/video/0a2eAUy_vhw/v-deo.html
The pre-earthquake photos don't seem to be a 40 foot face - had it changed since Ed and Tensing's climb?
Nature is always changing
Cool video! Thanks. It wouldn't bother me but I also would never be able to make it that far. I enjoy the ocean and beach. Love watching videos about everest thou
Well this has changed my life profoundly 😅
Lol, yea, mine too!!
Love your ending statement! 👍❤️
Have you done any videos on Rob Hall?? Enjoy your channel
So interesting you asked. Rob Hall was on Mt Cook when the landslide happened, and thought he was going to lose his life. It was too much of a side chat to include it. He is a fascinating and incredible story....I'll look into a story on him.
@@EverestMystery ~ Really!?! You’re kidding! What an amazing thing for Rob Hall to be on Cook during the landslide! I’d love a story from you on Rob’s life and career. Thanks again for awesome content! I’m a new and happy subscriber! ❤
It didn't change..it just rearranged! I've seen this channel a few times, but I must say the content here is critical.
Don’t think it is for anything nefarious that the Nepali government has denied the lost of the Hilary Step.
The Nepalese people are very honourable and have a lot of respect for Ed Hilary for all the work he did for the Sherpa people long after his and Tenzing’s summit.
He dedicated has life to the region ( which also cost him the life of his wife and daughter )
So I think it because they have lost something Iconic that honours a man who they deeply respect is the reason why they don’t want to admit that it’s gone…
But hey, that’s just my opinion
Thats like saying the 4 million number of deaths at Auschwitz was held on for so long out of respect for the dead.. No. You need to go with the most accurate truth you can find at every time and acknowledge things aren´t like they used be, or how you thought they were once you know that to be the fact.
Did his wife and daughter die on Everest? In any event, I really appreciate your perspective. It sounds right to me, although I think financial factors might also enter into it a little. Thanks for sharing.
You’re my favourite channel I just can’t afford to pay for it
Thank you! Your comment is worth more than one could imagine. I’m glad you are enjoying the channel 🙏🌄
Love your channel my friend I wish I could afford membership. I am fascinated by this mountain and the Hillary step is not there guaranteed.
Thank you so much, that means very much to me! I'm glad you are here and really appreciate that you are part of the community
My earliest memory was when I was 4 yrs old, it was the conquest of Mt Everest. Ever since I have been obsessed with Mt Everest. Now that the Hillary Step is gone I have canceled my trip and dream of waiting 3 hours to climb the Hillary Step. I shall remain content with my monthly conquests of Mt Monadnock!
I think it's gone! Clearly, you can tell it's not there anymore. Thank you for pointing this out, with the proof to show it's really not there anymore. I would still make the climb. It's on my bucket list to climb Everest ☺️
I agree, and hope you get there so you can see for yourself! Thanks for watching...and, stay in touch so when you get to the mountain I can cheer you on from home!
Omg, Please be careful, and make a steadfast list of turnaround symptoms and situations, and promise your loved ones you'll stick to it.
@poutinedream5066 I will, my family already knows what my plans are. I have enough sense to know when to turn around. I will climb Everest if I have to turn around, then it was meant to be. I want to live to climb another day. The mountain is not going anywhere 😉
@@Caminiti01 ~ just remember please, that most folks ‘have enough sense to know when to turn around’ when they are planning their ascent. But it’s a whole different thing to have that sense when you are in high altitude, and executive functions are extremely challenged!
I just had to put down my dog, and throughout this whole process of having to lose my childhood partner, your videos have been a blessed distraction. Thank you for all of the time and effort you’ve put into becoming this experienced and making these videos. You’re the best! I’ve mentioned your videos to two people in my personal life already.
Oh I'm so sorry about your dog. I think of mine every single day on a hundred occasions. Everything reminds me of him. So, as a lover of pets I send you my condolences. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment and to share part of your journey. I'm glad you're here and will strive to keep creating content that is worth watching.
@@EverestMystery ❤️
Not as bad traffic jams to the top!!!
It's the highest garbage dump in the world despite these climbers profess they so respect the beauty and awesomeness of this mountain and then turn around and leave all their human excrement and trash behind because they want to brag and get a pat on the back for their achievement. They'd never climb it if they were the last people on the planet. Selfish people.
I think that the Nepalese government’s continued denial about the Hillary step’s trip down the mountain is silly. I understand that the step was iconic, however, it’s still Everest for pete’s sake! The mountain will still be the challenge of a lifetime, and even without the Hillary step, it will continue to claim more lives. I am not a mountaineer, but it’s quite obvious by looking at the photos that the step is no longer there. Thank you for sharing your passion for the mountains with the rest of us. I love mountains. I shall continue to live vicariously through you. BTW, I’m happy to hear that you live in New Hampshire. I lived there for a time and had my first honeymoon in the White mountains. I saw the old man in the mountain several times before he fell. It’s a beautiful state. 💗
It is a sign of the times, the Hilary step, like the spirit of true adventure that is not fueled by ambition and chasing social clout, has been lost. There are some who still go out looking for it, but most these days are just looking to turn their experience into a pay check of some kind.
It is absolutely gone. Plus, the movie Everest really showed the challenges to climb up Hillary Step and the log jam. It wouldn't make a single difference with the name being gone. I think I speak for ALL climbers when I say the reason anyone would want to climb Everest is, "Because It's There" -Edmund Hillary & George Leigh Mallory, former mountaineer R.I.P
Thank you for your amazing documentaries. I am new here and definitely enjoying the episodes. Stay safe and God bless
Another example of nature changing is the collapse of Wall Arch in Arches Nation Park in 2008. Overnight, the arch fell. There was no human intervention that caused it to fall. It fell over night. The park ranger said that Arches is a living landscape. It changes slightly on a daily basis.
I think they may be trying to hide the Hillary Step collapsing because it’s an iconic part of the climb to the summit. I also think if the media got this information, it could lead to a bunch of click bait type articles being published. The articles could look bad for the country and make it look like they cant take preserve the mountain.
IMO... The Hillary Step being gone (I think it did fall), could be viewed as a small reasoning to the ones climbing with their pocketbooks to do it. Admitting a large hurdle of the end of climb is gone could motivate more people to bring their trash up there to stay. Great video, just got my subscribe!
If true, the real sadness of this development is that Rob Hall might have not perished if it had been gone at that time - his demise was critically linked to inability to navigate the Hillary Step on way down with the other disabled climber. Rob Hall - RIP
Came to my mind too when watching. RIP, Rob.
No such thing as if... only is.🤔
I’m so pleased I found this channel. This is some really great info I’ve come across with your videos. I am a long time climber myself with lots of peaks across many continents but only one 8,000 meter summit to my records- last year I summit Choy Oyu with Alpine Ascents and had a decent experience but was off put by a few things.. I now have my eyes on an expedition to finally conquer Everest next year as I have a broken wrist at the moment.. otherwise I would be at base camp right now 😢 but I am considering RMI expeditions (expensive but my life is not worth potential savings going with another team). I’m wondering if any have any good suggestion’s for guys like me weighing my best options - I don’t want to get myself into a situation like many you detail in your videos. Thanks for the content! Maybe a video on how to not get yourself killed choosing sketchy expeditions haha 😂
If the rest of Mt. Everest could now follow in the footsteps of the Hillary Step, I would have a realistic chance of climbing to the summit.
Now we just need the 3 steps to become the 3 ramps
New to mountaineering AS A HOBBY OF INTEREST… not climbing anytime soon! But I’m fascinated. Thank you for the content.
There was a big puddle outside my house yesterday.
Now it's gone and not a word from the government. Not A Word...🤣
Ever find out who took it?
@@Max_R_MaMint the government of course lmao
a worrisome silence from the Guys With Very Long Straws community following this incident.
At 15:00 the Hillary Step is in both photos. In the photo to the left the step is only partially shown at the upper left of the photo. The snow is different in each photo causing the climbers to choose different routes.
So the Hillary Step collapsed! No big surprised there. This "mountain" will continue to break down. More slabs, boulders, chunks and pieces will fall off - more crevasses will open. It's completely normal and natural. It's probably best to stay off that mountain - these events can happen at any time.
Nature isn’t permanent, it is always changing. It’s crazy that the earthquake happened almost a decade ago but this topic is still up for debate- at least according to the Nepalese government.
I drove by the old man of the mountain back in 1978!!!
We did in the late 80s- and photographed it.
Sounds like a classic PR move to boost Interest and Tourism not only in the Mountaineering industry but overall.
My old eyes say the rocks look different, some not as weathered. Something is appearing to be missing. Climb the mtn? No friggin way, I like my comforts in my retirement.
was there not a ladder there or is lader some were below this step
So if its gone , then it was probably different in 1924
Absolutely, although.....the Hillary Step is on the south side, Nepal. The Second Step, in Tibet where Mallory and Irvine were.
I've watched tons of videos on UA-cam and I wondered where it was/went. Maybe I was watching a different route? Thanks for this.
You can bypass it depending on the amount of ice that season.
H.A. Boom Boom! The mountain has become a carnival attraction. Given little real respect. Hey. Why don't we give it the OHS treatment. Hillary step is slowing people down. We NMA people are very practical people. No Hillary step, no Hillary step. More summits. Less jams. Far more potential fee payers in the future. Simples!!
Nepal thinks that climbers are just there for the hillary step. But its for Mt Everest. The whole mountain, the top of the mountain. Really the hillary step was just a big rock that was in the way😂😂. Rocks break off from mountains all the time. Just like ice bergs break off, volcanos are never the same after blowing. Losing a big rock isn’t going to stop people from climbing the sacred mountain. Just like the ice shelves are constantly moving. It is just a rock after all.
Thank you for all the work you put into your videos. I was never really interested in Mt Everest until I saw one of your short videos. After that, I found your channel & have been hooked ever since. Thank you so much🌻
That rock was teetering on the ridge as it was. It’s no wonder it got shaken off.
Either way, who cares. Doesn't effect life in any way what so ever
I can only imagine that the decision makers in the government have never actually been to, or understand, Everest so they have some bizarre idea that the Hillary Step was a drawcard for tourists.
Because realistically if it's absence makes for an easier, safer climb it should be more of a _boon_ for the govt, with more climbers summiting and therefore more money to be made.
Nothing else makes sense to me, because no reasonable person would think that someone going to the effort & expense of an Everest climb is going to be so disappointed by this that they'd cancel or demand lower fees. The summit is the drawcard, after all.
I honestly can't imagine that an exhausted climber in the death zone is going to be anything other than _relieved_ that they have an easier climb without it!
And even if it was some kind of special drawcard or desired destination, with the rock now being further down the mountain it means even more climbers will potentially have a chance to interact with it. 🤷♀️