While we congratulate all the well-deserved athletes for their victory at the Olympics, there is an extreme sport that some believe is even harder. The challenge of conquering the highest mountain peaks in the world.
Now do not run away with disgust, just stay a few minutes longer. You might learn something interesting.
I cry tears of empathy when I see athletes commit to their utmost. After years of hard self-imposed discipline and self-denial, pain and perseverance, both athletes and viewers find it nothing short of a tragedy to be pissed off the post by a thousandth of a second. These hard-working athletes deserve all the recognition they get.
However, some say trying to conquer one of the world’s highest mountains is an even more demanding extreme sport. Once an athlete is on the podium, it’s just a short jump down to the parties after the Olympics with other athletes and friends.
Not for mountaineers. Once the climber has reached the top, is the job only half finished?
When oxygen levels drop, the body’s system compensates. All climbers must go through this process if they are to survive the long struggle to get to the top. It is known as altitude acclimatization. The heart rate rises, extra red blood cells are produced, and non-essential bodily functions are temporarily shut down. Breathing becomes deeper and more frequent. Food digestion efficiency decreases.
Elevation acclimatization can take up to a period of days or even weeks. Dozens of climbers are forced to gather for a period of up to two months in the base camp on Mt. Everest, 16,000 feet above sea level. Anxiously, they wait for their turn to begin their ascent. The results of not stopping acclimatizing are catastrophic and deadly.
In the death zone, which is just over 22,950 feet, the human body can no longer acclimatize. Above 24,600 feet, it becomes difficult to sleep and digest food almost impossible. A prolonged stay results in deterioration of bodily functions, loss of consciousness and eventually death. The longest ever recorded stay on top of Mt Everest was just over 21 hours. However, most climbers stay only about twenty minutes. There are no millions who see and applaud them. It is a very solo achievement and experience. Even other climbers hold some attention. Their whole focus on simply surviving.
Once the long-awaited and hard-working goal has been reached, there is no simple ‘go out of the mountain and get out of here’. No helicopter slips past and picks up the worn-out athlete. No easy slip to the bottom if the climber wants to stay alive. Every extreme step towards the ascent must now be painfully repeated on the long descent home.
Even if someone is injured or wounded, there can be no rescue mission. Other climbers often cannot help their climbers. Mountaineering must be the ultimate experience in self-confidence, as the icy mountain and determined man meet in a head by will collision.
Sir Edmond Hillary and Peter Tenzing were the first to conquer Mt. Everest in May 1952. Many had tried before them. For the British Empire, it was the Crown Prize when Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne.
In 1966, 84 climbers reached the top, but 12 people died. This was the worst year to date in the history of the mountain. Unfortunately, all records have since been broken.
A 76-year-old Nepalese has topped the record for the oldest climber after 71-year-old Japanese climbed in 2007. The Nepalese man says he might just do it again. More than 3,500 Nepalese have climbed the mountain as guides for climbers who pay up to $ 50,000 dollars for the opportunity to try to conquer the world’s highest mountain. The Nepalese government is charging $ 25,000 for every mountaineer who would reach out and accept the icy challenge.
Sherpa guides climb without oxygen support.
Appa Sherpa has climbed Everest 11 times, while Ang Rita Sherpa and Babi Chiri Sherpa have both climbed 10 times.
At the Olympics, no competitor needs to worry about the waste they create. Throw it in a trash can and walk away. Not on the mountain. Each expedition is responsible for removing the waste, especially empty oxygen tanks.
The local Sherpa people regard Mount Everest as a jealous goddess who severely punishes illegal sex performed on her icy slopes. However, she is not the only mountain who behaves cruelly towards her conquerors. She has a far more dangerous sister known as K2.
Recently, 11 lives were lost on K2’s deceptive slopes, in the worst incident since 13 climbers died during a two-week period in 1986. K2 has been nicknamed ‘The Mountain That Invites to Death’.
Regret is once again quoted as lack of preparation, wrong choices and lack of experience. The same thing was said about the 1986 expedition, which also ended in disaster.
From extreme adventure sports to Olympic platform, there will always be prayers for those for whom the impossible has a special attraction. They are not experts, but they have higher ambitions than most other people. These men and women have four things in common:
1st driving ambition
2. Believe in yourself
3. great determination
4. and endurance.
They are not afraid to dream big dreams. These people are driven to the top through planning, patience and perseverance and an immortal determination to never give up. Like these elite athletes and mountaineers, you can also dream big dreams through a blue moon opportunity.
Read also Olympic Games 2012 Sports Carnival
