Mount Everest:The struggle to survive
...o say that “A well-hydrated climber with no oxygen support can actually perform BETTER than a dehydrated climber on oxygen.” In contrast to that theory, Peter Hackett, an emergency physician in Grand Junction, Colorado, believes it’s actually better to climb dehydrated. “…The body, for some reason, prefers to be dry at high altitude. My own thinking is that this is good for the body because it keeps the brain a little bit drier and softer. So that if it does start to accumulate a little water or get a little swelling, it can be tolerated better” (Hackett, 2000). The discrepancy between Hackett’s beliefs and the successful climbers’ leads me to believe that everyone’s body responds to extreme altitudes differently – a possible factor in the hundreds of deaths on Mount Everest. Frostbite and Hypothermia are also areas of concern for extreme mountaineers on Mount Everest. Successful climbers on www.mounteverest.net/expguide offered pictures of frost bite as well as some insight on how to deal with frostbite and help prevent it. “Feel your feet sometimes while climbing, stretch the toes, kick the boots in the snow once in a while for improved circulation” (Frostbite and Hypothermia, 2004). Frostbite usually occurs on the body’s extremities so it’s important for climbers to do this frequently. The tissues that have been frostbitten turn white and feeling is lost. It will eventually turn black and fall off. This will weaken your condition and make it more difficult to continue to or from the summit. Hypothermia is probably the quickest and deadliest factor on Mount Everest. “Cold temperature, but also strong wind causes the body to rapidly loose heat. You start to shiver in order to maintain body heat…you’ll get dizzy and disoriented. Then the shivering stops…your pulse gets weak and slow…you eventually slip into unconsciousness…and your heart stops beating” (Frostbite and Hypothermia, 2004). Hypothermia takes a maximum of thirty minutes to kill a person. I figure given the sub- zero temperatures and the short time it takes a person to die in those conditions, Hypothermia is probably what kills most unsuccessful climbers on Mount Everest. I’m quite sure that this was also the case for George Mallory and Andrew Irvine. Whether they made it to the top, fell, or simply died before then, I’m quite sure Hypothermia played a role in their misfortune. This brings to mind the question of ho...