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View Full Version : What kind of gear do they use on Everest expeditions?



Earl Grey
02-16-2007, 20:17
Do they use the same stuff thats used on thru hikes but "warmer"? I mean is it stuff or very specialized custom gear? Sleeping bag and tent for instance, what kind of these would they use? Sorry hammockers no trees ;)

dloome
02-16-2007, 21:02
A friend of mine has done 3 of the "7 summits" and this is what I know about his gear:

Pack- Depends on the climb itself or climbing style. He usually brings two: One very big Gregory pack used to trek stuff to base camp or if setting up multiple camps on the way up, and one light rucksack for summit day, or if climbing "alpine style". (Going from base to summit in one shot without stopping at multiple camps on the way up.)

Tent- VERY strong freestanding tent, single wall construction, designed to be as aerodynamic as possible.

Bag-Sub zero bag, usually down because very high alpine air is extremely dry. Condensation can be a problem, I believe because the dewpoint is often inside the insulation itself, so I think most high altitude climbers use a vapor barrier liner as well. I know Feathered Friends reccomends a VBL for all their sub zero bags.

He also has a full down suit made by Mountain Hardwear that he uses for the highest or coldest climbs, otherwise a combination of fleece layers with a heavy duty shell. If going fast and light, he carries a tent but no sleeping bag, and sleeps in his down suit with the addition of a down quilt which is much lighter than his -40 degree sleeping bag. He's got thick gaiters to prevent his crampons from ripping a hole in his suit (or leg).

Most of the stuff is designed similarly to backpacking gear, just built a lot heavier and warmer, i.e., more down in the bag, more poles on the tent, more cordura on the gaiters, etc. The only really specialized stuff is all the climbing equipment which I odn't know anything about.

4eyedbuzzard
02-16-2007, 22:08
Somewhat similar stuff but all geared toward use and survival at < -40 degrees with high winds. Not really specialized for Everest per se, but for mountaineering in general. The gear is widely available, as thousands of people have summited Everest, most over the past two decades now that the political climate is stable and commercial guiding is commonplace. Mountaineers are somewhat weight conscious as well, but unlike hikers "bulletproof" comes before grams. This is the biggest difference. Equipment failure just isn't an acceptable risk to save weight. An equipment breakdown on the AT is usually only a inconvenience, but on an 8000 meter mountain you don't just lose a glove - you lose a hand. Blow a seam on a tent and you might well die.

Mags
02-19-2007, 17:17
A friend of mine did an 8000m peak in 2005 (Shishapangma). It was supposed to be two peaks total (I believe). When she returned from the climb on the first one to where her camp was...the camp no longer existed! :eek: She had to make an emergency snow cave/bivi.

She lost parts of her toes and took a while to recover.

She is also doing Everest in 2008.

She is far, far tougher than me.

And her story is another reason why mountaineering holds no allure for me. :)

http://www.climbingcentral.com/shisha/slideshow_el/


(By process of elimination, you can figure out which one is her picture)

The Weasel
02-19-2007, 17:21
For an interesting 'take' on Everest clothing, note how Mallory in '24 wore lighter and in many ways better clothing than is used today.

http://www.outdoorsmagic.com/news/article/mps/UAN/3517/v/1/

The Weasel

Earl Grey
02-19-2007, 17:23
That climb doesnt look too bad actually, just have to watch out for the crevasses. I dont see where in those pictures where things went wrong?

Mags
02-19-2007, 17:27
That climb doesnt look too bad actually, just have to watch out for the crevasses. I dont see where in those pictures where things went wrong?

Weather can be a bit nasty and 8013m. Her camp blew away. Literally. Hence the pics of frost bitten/black toes.

Mt. Washington is easy too....until Ma Nature decides otherwise.

Now picture that scenario at 8013m.

That's what happened to my friend.

Mags
02-19-2007, 17:35
From http://www.climbingcentral.com/shisha/dispatches.lasso?ID=64

The descent: this is so much easier than going up, well only for now--the descent always gets harder some how. I double-check every harness attachment (sometimes cumbersome underneath the big down coat) as I rappel down a section, or walk straight down the hill. Somewhere on the way down my water bottle fell off of my harness, but I planned on re-hydrating at C3. Using lovely friction with my body and gloves and lessons from past years, I quickly descend the fixed roped sections often catching Monty as he gets into or out of a rappel. But then about 75% back to C3, it happened--the descent (and everything) got harder mentally as we finally got to see the C3 tents. Or what was left of them. No tents were left standing. Our tent, which contained essentials to our survival, was flapping viciously in the wind. What did that mean? Were any of our things left? What would we do? After being the most physically tired I have been in my life, now I have to deal with this? What even does dealing with this mean? These questions swirled through my mind as the sun was setting over the Himalaya, slowly tipping the highest peaks in the world. Near sunset I looked east to see a colorful sky and a shadow of Shishapangma extending kilometers and kilometers to the east. But this was no time for pictures; the last few hundred meters into &lsquo;camp&rsquo; were telling as we were blown to the ground by the severe gusts several times.



File this dispatch under "MAN THIS SUCKS!!!"

But, did I mention she is tougher than me?

Continued:

There are no certain items you need to survive. Even if I am stuck at one of the highest, coldest places on earth, I do not need a tent or sleeping bag, ground pad or stove and pot. The will to live and protect myself and my partner is in the heart and in the mind.


You can read about post-trip frost bite recovery at:
http://www.climbingcentral.com/shisha/dispatches.lasso?ID=65

I saw her shortly after she returned. She was not the Val I knew. She was drained..tired, exhausted.

But, I saw her again recently. She is again the Val I knew who can quite frankly kick my ass at times. She is fired up again to be back doing what she loves: Mountaineering


As I said, tough gal.

dloome
02-19-2007, 18:48
That climb doesnt look too bad actually, just have to watch out for the crevasses. I dont see where in those pictures where things went wrong?



Oh my God.....

Namaste
02-19-2007, 21:43
If you think hiking the entire length of the AT is expensive check out this sight for equipment alone needed for an Everest expedition:

http://www.mnteverest.net/gear.html

4eyedbuzzard
02-19-2007, 21:50
That climb doesnt look too bad actually, just have to watch out for the crevasses. I dont see where in those pictures where things went wrong?

The cravasses are just one of so many dangers. Shishma is the least tall of the 8000 meter peaks, and considered one of the easier ones. That said it claimed the life of Alex Lowe in a 1999 avalanche. If Alex, arguable the best technical climber in the world at the time, can die on Shisha, anyone can.

There are no easy 8000 meter peaks. You are always courting death. Go often enough and you will eventually die. Not a matter of if - just when.

4eyedbuzzard
02-19-2007, 21:53
If you think hiking the entire length of the AT is expensive check out this sight for equipment alone needed for an Everest expedition:

http://www.mnteverest.net/gear.html

Add $6000 worth of bottled oxygen.

GlazeDog
02-20-2007, 10:07
File this dispatch under "MAN THIS SUCKS!!!"



O.K.--Consider it done.....

GlazeDog

Earl Grey
02-20-2007, 10:31
lol

Just one of the sleeping bags they recommend cost more than all the gear I use right now!

http://www.featheredfriends.com/ProductDetails.aspx?productId=32&CatId=1&ProductName=Snow%20Goose

Thats not even the warmest one, the Snowy Owl goes to -60F.

http://www.featheredfriends.com/ProductDetails.aspx?productId=34&CatId=1&ProductName=Snowy%20Owl

Coming in at 5lbs.

4eyedbuzzard
02-20-2007, 11:23
lol

Just one of the sleeping bags they recommend cost more than all the gear I use right now!

Coming in at 5lbs.

"OneSports" (boots) are on sale for only $549 (regularly $749) at http://www.marmotmountain.com/MMWmain.asp?Option=Detail&StyleID=15366

Coming in at 6 1/2 lbs + crampons :D

As tough as thru-hiking the AT can be, it is a safe walk in the park (and a cheap one) in comparison to summiting any of the 8000's.