Everest is littered with dead, exposed bodies

Re:Everest is littered with dead, exposed bodies by rdl on Tuesday December 07, 2010 @03:03AM (#1978392)

I'd be willing to assume a lot more personal risk to be the first person to do something like land on Mars or summit Everest, especially if it's not even clear that it can be done, than to be the 50th. Even more so if there is some compelling scientific benefit to going (which, thanks to robotics, there really isn't anymore, at least for brief boot/flag-planting visits).

There are extremely limited cases where it would be worth sacrificing someone's life to accomplish something (jumping on a grenade to save a bunch of other people, perhaps where acting saves other people). I could see people willingly sacrificing themselves for sufficiently otherwise unobtainable knowledge, but it would be immoral if not voluntary.

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Re:Everest is littered with dead, exposed bodies by burgerbrain on Tuesday December 07, 2010 @03:15AM (#1978420)

It's probably also worth noting that the first man to successfully scale Everest, Sir Edmund Hillary, has publicly voiced his disgust with those who leave their fellow climbers to die on the mountain.

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Re:Everest is littered with dead, exposed bodies by rdl on Tuesday December 07, 2010 @03:49AM (#1978467)

I think it's ok to leave dead bodies on the mountain to make your ascent, but not ok to leave someone who could possibly be saved. Taking any substantial risks to the living to recover bodies is completely unacceptable -- Everest is as good a grave as any.

I wouldn't take the 4% risk of death from climbing Everest at all just to be #50 in a single climbing season, though. I'd be willing to accept a 50% risk of death to be the first person on Mars.

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Re:Everest is littered with dead, exposed bodies by JabavuAdams on Tuesday December 07, 2010 @09:51AM (#1979177)

> Taking any substantial risks to the living to recover bodies is completely unacceptable

Why? This is a cultural conclusion that can be debated and modified. People are already risking their lives just by being on Everest, so it can't just be risking life == bad.

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Re:Everest is littered with dead, exposed bodies by mkramlich on Wednesday December 08, 2010 @01:49AM (#1982157)

Bringing up Mars in this discussion makes me think of Olympus Mons. The same kinds of folks attracted and willing to risk their life on being the 1000th person to reach the top of Mt. Everest may be even more attracted to being the first person to scale the tallest mountain in the star system.

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