1. Life On The Edge
By rule, whoever had not reached the top by then should have turned around or they would be descending in the dark with low oxygen. However, Hall continued to encourage the ones still climbing, while Fischer brought up the rear and did reach the summit until around 3:45 P.M. Over ten thousand feet below the climbers, those left at Base Camp noticed a serious problem. Paula Viesturs "saw a bank of huge, bruise-colored clouds rolling up the mountain. Clouds that were almost certainly carrying a storm" (Kluger). The clouds turned into a murderous blizzard, stranding 19 climbers above Camp IV. During the night Hall, Fisher, and one of Hall's clients died somewhere below the summit. Nearly three thousand feet below them and just 300 horizontal yards from camp, a snow-blinded group of eleven climbers had veered off course and huddled behind a rock to try and stay alive (Krakauer 207). Despite their efforts, three of those climbers died in the frozen snow. Although no one knows what entirely happened on that fateful day,the highest one day death toll" in the history of climbing Mt. Everest, many have asked why so many lives were lost (Roberts 84). Some blame the commercialization of Mt. Everest others criticize the number of inexperienced climbers, while yet others point to the guides themselves.
In the spring of 1996, thirty different expeditions were on the flanks of Everest, at least ten of them organized as money-making ventures. Nepal, the southwest side of the mountain, recognized the crowds of climbers as a potential threat to the safety of others, culture of Nepal, and natural environment. In 1991 Nepalese ministers decided on a solution that would decrease the number of people trekking up the mountain while bringing cash into the poverty stricken country: just charge more for the climbing fees required to climb Everest. From 1991 to 1992 the price went from $2,300 for any number of people on a team, to $10,000 for a team of nine, with an additional $1,200 for each added climber.
The first chapter of the book catapults the reader to the summit of Mt. Everest, moments before the tragic chain of events that made up the disaster begin. ... It is this fact that is the reason for the author to join a team to climb Everest. ... The climbers in the story are gambling with their death the whole time. ... This is a sort of theme for the latter part of the book when the climbers are staring into the pupils of death. ...
In April 1992, a young man from a well-to-do East Coast family hitchhiked to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt. ... Krakauer calls his death "a terrible accident- that was not, by all appearances, an eco-suicide but a series of wrong choices. ... Doing a quick investigation into the circumstances behind McCandless' death, he wrote a memorable article for Outside magazine. ... Mother Nature on Everest (as described in Into Thin Air). ...
Japan is a More Developed Country (MDC) and is situated in the East Asia sub-region. India is a Less Developed Country (LDC) and is located in the South Asia sub-region. Both countries display a variety of physical and human aspects. The physical aspects include; relief, climate, vegetation and reso...
Lina and Vincin Gapbrel have been married for ten years now. They have been trying to produce a child for six years now. However Lina has had several miscarriages, so the two have been pretty much alone except for their golden retriever named Bob. Originally, both Lina and Vincin were born in Asia...
Not until the untimely death of her father King George VI in February of 1952 did Elizabeth accede to the throne as Queen Elizabeth II and was also separately proclaimed Queen of Canada. ... The days of regulation were over, the British Commonwealth had just claimed Mt. Everest for its own, and, most importantly of all, the nation had great hope for its new and young queen. ...