How NOT to Guide Mount Everest w/Adrian Ballinger  

True, it shouldn't be a debate. The understory of today's post has relevance on the recent happenings in Tibet. It is too early to bring the details to light. I really appreciate that you took the time to watch. Thank you!

Since he brought up being a pilot think about this one for a second, in WW2 the 8th Air Force bomber crews were flying missions at 23,000 ft, in discussions I've had with people about that there's almost always someone who brings up these guy's who climb mountains like Everest without using oxygen and they try to assert that the reports during the war of someone's oxygen system on a bomber failing and them becoming hypoxic within a minute must be false, but it's like I have to explain to them, they may have been young men and in good shape but they lived and took off on their missions every day from relative sea level, unlike these climbers they didn't spend a week at an 18,000 ft (or whatever) camp adjusting to the thin air, they were taking off from airfields in east Anglia England which is around 100 ft above sea level and in about 30 minutes were at 23,000 ft for the next 7 or 8 hours, so yea, if their mask screwed up they could easily get into a state of mind where they didn't think they needed the plane to fly and jump out of it, it was such a concern that they had what was called "bail out bottles", you'll sometimes see pictures of bomber crewmen with a small oxygen bottle attached to their gear of sticking out of one of their boots, for a variety of reasons crewmen were instructed that if they bailed out at altitude not to open their chute until down around 5,000 ft, the bailout bottles were for fear that after jumping out at 23,000 ft without one hooked up to their mask they could become hypoxic and once down around 5,000 ft they wouldn't be in the state of mind to remember to pull their rip cord because they were enjoying the view. But for someone who isn't acclimated and lives at sea level and within minutes finds themselves 5 miles above the earth without that supplemental oxygen that hypoxic state of euphoria can overtake them that quickly, so even someone who has been up on the side of Everest for a month once above a certain altitude their judgment is definitely going to be impared and at that point they shouldn't have people's lives in their hand's, it's just irresponsible to do it.

Totally, thank you. Between you and me and a hole in the wall, this topic will be coming up again on this channel, based on some recent events in the world of the 8000ers. Cheers and thanks so much for watching

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Thank you very much for watching. I'll indeed ask Adrian and others about this. Reportedly, the gentleman you mentioned in your comment, endeavoring to complete the No O2 14 8000ers, was on Shishapangma this week when the avalanches took place, without O2, leading an expedition. How much that had to do with what took place, I honestly have no idea. Suffice it to say, no O2 guiding is happening out there, often. It's something that clients should fully understand before they step one foot out of Base Camp.

Thank you for considering and for ur input.

Totally agree. When I hear someone climbed Shishapangma or Gasherbrum II 'without oxygen' think, is there any other way? Well, yes....I guess the idea is they want to open the mountains to everyone and cash in. Bummer....when I was on Gasherbrum II in 1996 we literally had the mountain to ourselves.

I might be able to guess what your answer to this poll will be: ru-vid.com/show-UCEk3e_XGyNnqwK2ZlxH7fEAcommunity?lb=UgkxPcUvV8lR6-yKUHzOYIa26yeKCPCSS2N4 PS, thank you for watching!

It doesn't actually lower the altitude when you use O2. Unless you get in a pressurized bag, your body is still falling apart / deteriorating fast. A person is bound to die above 8000 meters even with O2. Its just a matter of time. It does help climbers to an extent, with brain function and strength, but it doesn't stop altitde sicknesses . In a way climbing with O2 is more dangerous than without. Because if you have been using O2 and run out above 8000, you arnt aclimated . So altitude sicknesses set in real fast. So if you use O2 , you gotta make for dang sure you dont run out. Folks who dont use O2 might not make the summit, but they pretty much always survive the decent when they decide to head down. When folks using O2 get altitude sikness - it often gets worse even though the person is decending into thicker air. Whereas a person not using O2 , feels better and better as they decend.

@ Aaronwalker YES. Oxygen does lower altitude. Pressurized bags is a reference to composition of air not pure oxygen. Yes your body is still deteriorating because our oxygen regulated so a bottle last certain amount of time. Using oxygen replaces oxygen that would be present in the air higher density (lower altitude,) therefore does change and lower perceived altitude the body is functional in. Yet the amount we can carry in regulated consumption may still not be sufficient depending on genetics, physical attributes and time for acclimatization.

No bottled O's surely leads to the loss of MANY brain cells....

​@@Mt.Everest.AB is talking about GUIDING without the use of bottled O's. Big difference here.