and you thought Twight was dead?
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coldthistle.blogspot.com/20…
Add to that list Diamox for clients, guides and the idoits on Rainier. Did it myself on occasion bitd but agreed with Twight on this and would take the label of cheater even further now obviously. |
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Interesting read. It is funny to note that people that are in the spotlight as elite athletes (Lance, for instance), catch a ton of flack for doing something that is no more cheating than using supplemental oxygen is, yet the hordes of people summitting Everest every year basically being dragged by guides receive praise. They are equal forms of cheating if you ask me. |
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BTW this might get some more attention if it were placed in a different forum like general climbing or something |
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I'm a huge fan of Mark's writing style and brutal honesty. Pick up his book "Kiss or Kill" for more. |
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The state of the Everest region from an environmental standpoint alone should be enough to ban bottled oxygen in the Himalaya. How many empty bottles are up there? Thousands? Tens of thousands? It's a disgrace. |
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+1 what ryan says. Human glutony. |
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Ryan Williams wrote:The state of the Everest region from an environmental standpoint alone should be enough to ban bottled oxygen in the Himalaya.An aesthetic issue, yes. A clutter issue, yes. But an environmental issue? Seems like a stretch...and an overuse that dilutes the meaning of the term "environmental issue. These countries have vastly greater environmental issues to worry about: air pollution, access to clean drinking water, proper waste management, etc.. Few people other than us self-righteous climbers care a thing about a few hundred empty metal canisters on a desolate mountainside. |
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"But an environmental issue? Seems like a stretch" |
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Dane wrote:"But an environmental issue? Seems like a stretch" Not at all. Eliminate O2 from the mountain and the crowds instantly are gone. Environmental impact drastically lessened.This ^^^ The fact that this mountain range lies in developing countries that have problems with pollution in their cities doesn't change the fact that humans are ruining the Everest for personal gain. When a piece of the natural environment on this planet is being destroyed, I call it an environmental issue. |
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never happen ... those nepalese need the money ... |
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Screw those brown people and their third world problems. We're debating mighty conqueror dick swinging white man ethics here. |
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I'm not sure why this bothers so many people so deeply. |
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Ryan Williams wrote:The state of the Everest region from an environmental standpoint alone should be enough to ban bottled oxygen in the Himalaya. How many empty bottles are up there? Thousands? Tens of thousands? It's a disgrace.Totally agree...of course I'm a person that will never climb everest, but in general the state of the peak and the certain type of people that climb it make me not want to. I don't even find literature or film on the subject interesting anymore. Although an incredible mountain, humans of course have just turned it into a dump for their own egos. It was pretty cool however the art that was recently made out of the junk from Everest. Off topic of course... |
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Tico wrote:Screw those brown people and their third world problems. We're debating mighty conqueror dick swinging white man ethics here.What are you talking about? The destruction of a mountain would be no more or less of a tragedy in the US or France. And I'm sure you could find plenty of Nepalese people who would rather us all stay away. Many of the environmental problems in the cities and areas around Everest are actually due to the swelling population during peak climbing and trekking seasons. There is no infrastructure to handle the waste that humans create in Kathmandu during peak seasons. Some villages experience rolling blackouts because of the influx of visitors that require 24 hr electricity. I'm glad that some of the locals see a smidgen of the money that white people spend to get to the top of the world, but if you really think that the Everest guiding industry is a good thing for Nepal or China then you are sorely mistaken. They bring in a lot of money through permits, but that money is seen by a teeny tiny percent of the population. The rest is down to how much money people spend in the local economy, and sadly enough, that just isn't much in the grand scheme of things. I could care less about whether bottled o2 is cheating or not. If I was going to do Everest I'd try it w/o o2, but that doesn't mean I know what I am talking about. All I am saying is that the region is being destroyed and it's a sad thing. Disallowing the use of o2 would certainly decrease the amount of people on the mountain, therefore alleviating the stress put on the environment. In 1998 a team removed 1.2 TONS of waste from Everest, mostly from base camp. How much do you think has been left up there since then? |
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Ben Brotelho wrote:It is funny to note that people that are in the spotlight as elite athletes (Lance, for instance), catch a ton of flack for doing something that is no more cheating than using supplemental oxygen isYou clearly don't understand all that Lance did - that is understandable though he has/had a huge PR machine. |
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The "rules" are arbitrary. The only real rule should be not to lie about your accomplishments. |
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IIRC, Twight's marketing angle has always been "I'm more extreme and purer than anybody else" and this just seems like more of the same to me, now attempting to capitalize on Armstrong's recent negative publicity. |
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the article was first published months ago... |
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Difference is, everyone who enters the Tour declares they will not use PED's. It's a prerequisite for entering the race. |
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Does Cesare Maestri consider as a cheater as well? |
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exactly--Everest is a recreational activity, undertaken by affluent white people....there's no competition, hence no "cheating," by definition. |