13 year old to climb Mt Everest

[Andy in Sig]

There will be people who will say that it is irresponsible to let somebody that young attempt this.

Other people will say that that is nonsense and he should be allowed to "live his dream".

Should he die, the latter will be remarkably quiet. That hill killed George Mallory and it has taken out a lot of other people since. That is worth pondering.

 

[Globalti]

I may be wrong but I believe the youngest one so far lost 5 fingers during his assent.

Jeeeze - Imagine losing your fingers at that age.....

 

[Rhythm Thief]

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/...mb-everest-for-crafty-ham-shank-201004132636/

 

[ChrisKH]

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/...mb-everest-for-crafty-ham-shank-201004132636/

That really did tickle me. But I can't laugh too loudly at work, someone may investigate.

 

[Chris James]

Oh i know Kilimanjaro is no Everest, but he did that aged 10! By the sounds of it he's had more climbing experience than half the people who go up Everest (some are just stupid) and he has put huge amounts of effort into his training. Don't think he would be allowed to do it if he wasn't up to it tbh.

Mmm, from what I have read, as long as you pay enough then there is always someone who will guide you up. Hopefully that same person will be around to guide you down if it all goes t1ts up.

I would have thought McKinlay and Elbrus would have been the most challenging he has done so far. My mate has climbed Aconcagua (and Kili) and his training was walking on Marsden Moor carrying a toilet seat in his rucksack!

 

[Mille]

Pushy, fame-hungry parents living by proxy?

That was sort of my thinking to be honest.

As for the mountain, the highest one he's done is what, 6900m? Everest is 8800m? That's 800m into the death zone, and nearly 2000m more than he has ever done. I'm fairly sure I wouldn't want to be up there at the age of 13 with a still developing body.

 

[ufkacbln]

Depending on source and year the death rate changes, but I believe in some years there is a ration of 1 person dying on Everest for every 6 that manage the Summit!

The rate has probably decreased, but estimates still vary between 4% and 10% of climbers attempting the climb will die.

 

[ufkacbln]

Mmm, from what I have read, as long as you pay enough then there is always someone who will guide you up. Hopefully that same person will be around to guide you down if it all goes t1ts up.

The point is that they don't...... the concept is that if you get into trouble there is no rescue or help - you are left to die.

Add to this the fact that you are far weaker on the way down than o nthe way up an also edema is setting in and exacerbating and you realise why more people die on the way down than up.

 

[Chris James]

The point is that they don't...... the concept is that if you get into trouble there is no rescue or help - you are left to die.
.

Good job for the likes of Anatoli Boukreev then

 

[darkstar]

Well i don't think the fact his body is not completely developed will be a problem, if a group are caught up in poor weather up there, nothing can be done. It doesn't matter if they are 30 years old and fighting fit, the weather will kill them. There are tougher climbs than Everest.

Where are people sense of adventure? Without lads like this the Human race would not have developed. Good luck to him.

 

[Andy in Sig]

I don't wish him ill luck but I do get annoyed when attention seeking knobheads get into difficulties and much better people than them go and risk their lives trying to rescue them.

 

[Crackle]

Mmm, from what I have read, as long as you pay enough then there is always someone who will guide you up. Hopefully that same person will be around to guide you down if it all goes t1ts up.

I would have thought McKinlay and Elbrus would have been the most challenging he has done so far. My mate has climbed Aconcagua (and Kili) and his training was walking on Marsden Moor carrying a toilet seat in his rucksack!

I think you've put your finger on it, impressive list but guided, not that guided expeditions are to be under-estimated but when the chips are down, guided expeditions have a habit of going spectacularly wrong as the clients lack the experience to extricate themselves. I do wonder exactly how competent a 13 year old can be.

Mind you to put that in perspective, he's probably better than me in the same way my 12 year old is a better rock climber than me but without the experience and ropework knowledge and of course in an emergency he'd lack the strength to help me.

Interestingly and as an aside, do you remember Alison Hargreaves? Well her son has followed in her footsteps.

 

[Arch]

Where are people sense of adventure? Without lads like this the Human race would not have developed. Good luck to him.

If everyone set out on potentially lethal adventures before they'd bred, there wouldn't be a human race....

And I think we owe more to the lad who stayed at home seeing what happened when he hit rocks together, than the ones that climbed mountains....

 

[darkstar]

And I think we owe more to the lad who stayed at home seeing what happened when he hit rocks together, than the ones that climbed mountains....

We certainly owe a huge amount to academics over the years, but adventure has also been vitally important. Yes i know this is not anywhere near the level of Shackleton et al. It's still pushing the boundaries.

 

[Arch]

And good luck to him if it's what he wants to do. I'm not sure what advances he's making for the world though, short of proving one way or the other that a 13 year old can do something a lot of adults have already done. I guess it'll be useful for anyone thinking of opening a Summit of Everest High School.

And I wasn't thinking of academics with my rocks example, more of experimental engineering...