11/05/24
July 07, 2006
Amputee Everest summitter recants story: C'mon dude, which is it? This guy sounds more and more like a foolish jerk. Although, if he continues to climb, there won't be much left of him anyway.
The part about Sharp's parents hit me the same way. This guy is off the mountain. Shouldn't his thinking have cleared up by now?
posted by rcade at 08:27 AM on July 07, 2006
His thinking HAS cleared up. That's why this is so convenient: he says he radioed down; team leader says he didn't; gosh, everything is so confused up there that how can they be blamed for leaving Sharp to die? That mountain just screws up your thinking, so no one is to blame for anything. I've said it before: if the climbers were so far gone that they couldn't render aid, then they shouldn't have continued their ascent.
posted by joaquim at 11:58 AM on July 07, 2006
Sounds like more than his fingers and stumps got frozen and amputated.
posted by irunfromclones at 02:33 PM on July 07, 2006
Irunformclones, if you are talking about his unit I don't think he gets any.
posted by T$PORT4lawschool at 03:12 PM on July 07, 2006
I've only just pieced together that this is the same guy I saw a documentary about a few months ago (a documentary about him spending two weeks in an ice cave and ending up losing his legs). There's a fine line for me with people like this - on one side, they're incredible, driven, inspiring people who refuse to accept defeat; on the other side of the line, they're arogant, selfish, unrealistic people with a curious blend of delusions of immortality and a death wish. Towards the end of the documentary, I began thinking of this guy as the latter. I suppose if you spend two weeks staring death in the face (as he did), but then survive, you're going to be left feeling both indestructable and slightly like you cheated. As we discussed before, when we're sitting at home, it's all very well to say a climber should have done this or that to help - the reality of being halfway up a mountain (and that mountain in particular) is far removed from what's normal. That said, get your story straight before you talk to the press afterwards, then maybe the dead climber's family could have the space "to grieve for David in private" without you releasing revisions to your story.