The window is sacred for those of us that only occasionally get out and hike and climb. But when it works out so well in a great location like the Presidentials… Well, words don’t do it justice, does it?

Great blog by the way. I’m really happy I found it. I’m also a suppressed lover of mountaineering and mountaineering history. I’m looking forward to more of your posts.

Alan’s site is one of the better resources. Thanks for pointing it out!

By the way, I love the shot from Marcy Dam on The Life Scout!

This year’s Everest season has received probably the widest coverage ever with the help of the explosion of social media and the extensive use of satellite communication. Most participating commercial expeditions (US/Canada), such as IMG, RMI, Peak Freaks, National Geographic, have live blogs. In addition, many of the participating climbers created their own websites and also transmit their ongoing experiences on a regular basis. What is more, a number of journalists and mountaineers closely follow and share the events and the progress of the climbers of this season. Probably one of the most informative and most frequently updated blog rolls is that of Alan Arnette (http://www.alanarnette.com/blog/category/everest-2012/).

The abundance of freshly pressed news and immediately released personal stories makes following the season extremely exciting, which in turn fuels one’s desire to climb the Giant even more. At the same time, the recent releases are also thought-provoking, since they present different perspectives of the tremendous undertaking and the extreme environment.

There are many ways to climb a mountain but only one way to climb it right. The information and examples regarding this idea are abundant and accessible. Given these means, aspiring climbers can make a conscious choice to walk the path with integrity, responsibility, and respect towards the mountain and fellow climbers.

Lack of organization between climbing teams, inexperience and obsession (or greed in a sense) of climbers, is putting a lot of people in danger on Everest. I agree with your statement that people want to put a notch in their belt by climbing Everest, but does it really mean as much as it did? Maybe to the average non-climber, but in the climbing community I don’t believe a “tourist climb” up Everest really counts for much.

I just watched “The Wildest Dream” the other evening and I tried to imagine what climbers like George Mallory would think of this system. The mystery and aura around Everest is long gone and as long as hundreds of people can shell at the cash they want a ticket to the top. These kinds of disasters, I fear, will become commonplace soon.

Thank you so much for such an elaborate post on the subject. I read it with great fascination. It is more than an answer to my question – the list and references to women mountaineers are a real eye-opener to me! Gelinde Kaltenbrunner, and all the other outstanding female climbers, serve as role models, and make mountaineering even more inspiring.

Climbing is a wonderful activity, and I never imagined becoming so fond of it virtually in an instant. Since my descent from Imja Tse, the mountains are always on my mind, and until I return to Nepal for a summit attempt of another peak or two, I hope to learn more about how to do it best as a woman. Thank you again for pointing out to me the resources.

I trust that many other unsuspecting or aspiring lady climbers will find your post helpful as well. Climbing is not terrifying at all with an experienced and qualified mountain guide, who can make stepping over the threshold of “fear” seem like a piece of cake. What is beyond that step is extraordinary in every sense, and in many ways, inexplicable. One has to experience it for oneself in order to truly understand.

I wish everyone many happy and safe climbing adventures.

Sincerely,
Erika Chisarik