Into Thin Air--Blog Post #1
Holly Voorsanger
Brio
For the first section of the book, I read through chapter 7 (page 104). So far, I am already captured by the fascinating history and culture of Mt. Everest. The writing in this book is phenomenal and so is the story. While reading this first section of Into Thin Air, I was really drawn into all the talk about the two main routes to the summit, and I was very curious as to the pros and cons of each route. Krakauer talked a bit about the routes themselves, but mainly about the commercialization and the way the countries deal witht the expeditions' impact on their economies. To dig a little deeper into the actual logistical and technical details about each main route, I went to www.mounteverest.net, where an article talks about the differences between the routes that are available when planning to summit the great peak.
According to mounteverest.net, the two main, most common routes are the Southeast Ridge and the Northeast Ridge. The SE Ridge is based in Nepal, while the NE Ridge is bases in Tibet. In 2003, some statistics on Everest ascents were compiled to show climbers the pros and cons of each route. According to the survery, the SE Ridge has been climbed 1140 times, with 80 deaths along the way. That shows a seven percent fatality rate over the course of its multiple ascents. The NE Ridge, on the other hand, has been climbed 655 times and there have been 62 deaths, resulting in a higher fatality rate of nine percent.
According to Alan Arnette (www.alanarnette.com), an Everest champion, there is a defined pros and cons list to each route. The SE route is good due to its slightly warmer temperatures, beautiful treks to base camp, and easy access to help from a helicopter or in the villages if needed. The downsides to trekking the SE route can be of course the treacherous Khumbu Icefall (as talked about in Into Thin Air), the crowds and the longer time spent at the summit. The NE route offers benefits such as less crowds, easy drive to base camp, easier climbing in terms of lower levels, and a shorter night spent at the summit. The downsides are the colder and harsher temperatures, the camps residing at higher elevation levels, more technical difficulties with smooth or loose rocks, and also there is no chance of helicopter rescue. While both routes offer good and bad likely qualities to any given expedition, it is obvious that the SE Ridge is favored over the NE, and is the route that Krakauer's group took.
According to mounteverest.net, the two main, most common routes are the Southeast Ridge and the Northeast Ridge. The SE Ridge is based in Nepal, while the NE Ridge is bases in Tibet. In 2003, some statistics on Everest ascents were compiled to show climbers the pros and cons of each route. According to the survery, the SE Ridge has been climbed 1140 times, with 80 deaths along the way. That shows a seven percent fatality rate over the course of its multiple ascents. The NE Ridge, on the other hand, has been climbed 655 times and there have been 62 deaths, resulting in a higher fatality rate of nine percent.
According to Alan Arnette (www.alanarnette.com), an Everest champion, there is a defined pros and cons list to each route. The SE route is good due to its slightly warmer temperatures, beautiful treks to base camp, and easy access to help from a helicopter or in the villages if needed. The downsides to trekking the SE route can be of course the treacherous Khumbu Icefall (as talked about in Into Thin Air), the crowds and the longer time spent at the summit. The NE route offers benefits such as less crowds, easy drive to base camp, easier climbing in terms of lower levels, and a shorter night spent at the summit. The downsides are the colder and harsher temperatures, the camps residing at higher elevation levels, more technical difficulties with smooth or loose rocks, and also there is no chance of helicopter rescue. While both routes offer good and bad likely qualities to any given expedition, it is obvious that the SE Ridge is favored over the NE, and is the route that Krakauer's group took.
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