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Nepalese 82-year-old ex-minister dies on Everest(while trying to climb it)

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Vehl Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-10-11 06:36 PM
Original message
Nepalese 82-year-old ex-minister dies on Everest(while trying to climb it)


KATHMANDU (AFP) – An 82-year-old former Nepalese foreign minister has died in his attempt to become the oldest person to climb Mount Everest, a government official said Monday.

Shailendra Kumar Upadhyaya died on Monday afternoon, hours after arriving at camp one in his record attempt, the official told AFP by telephone from Everest base camp. The cause of his death is not yet known.

Upadhyaya had said he wanted to raise awareness about the capabilities of elderly people by scaling the world's highest peak, which has claimed the lives of hundreds of mountaineers.



At least he tried. Hats off to him
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Old and In the Way Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-10-11 06:37 PM
Response to Original message
1. What a way to go...nt
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maxsolomon Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-10-11 06:44 PM
Response to Reply #1
2. it likely wasn't pleasant.
headache and nausea unto death are not my preferred method.
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muriel_volestrangler Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed May-11-11 04:34 AM
Response to Reply #2
20. Yeah, a nasty way to go
Talking to Xinhua, Murari Bahadur Karky, Joint Secretary at Tourism Ministry said that he had complained of respiratory uneasiness and was coughing, he also had a high blood pressure at Camp I (5,700 meters) then was immediately proceedto climb down back to Base Camp (5,360 meters). However, he fell sick and passed away on the way back.

Updhayay had left for the Everst camp on April 18 to break the previous record set by Nepali citizen Min Bahadur Serchan, who summitted Mt. Qomolangma on May 25, 2008 at the age of 76.

http://english.cri.cn/6966/2011/05/10/2021s636581.htm


It's probably as unpleasant as drowning or hanging.
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dems_rightnow Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-10-11 06:45 PM
Response to Original message
3. Catastrophic fail
"Upadhyaya had said he wanted to raise awareness about the capabilities of elderly people"

Score update: Father Time 100 billion, People 0
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malaise Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-10-11 07:53 PM
Response to Reply #3
11. LOL
Just the truth :rofl:
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yawnmaster Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-10-11 07:56 PM
Response to Reply #3
13. He died with purpose. Much better than a slow wither.
Most humans will die eventually. He was master of the method.
Hats off.
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Vehl Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-10-11 06:48 PM
Response to Original message
4. one out of 3 humans will die unless treated in such altitudes..merely due to altitude sickness
oft due to the lungs filling up with liquid. Unless treated immediately death occurs within a day.

He was indeed taking a huge risk..but my guess is that he wanted to go out with a bang. His reasoning was probably that if he did it, its a guineas record, if he failed..well he was gonna die sometime soon anyways.
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Stevenmarc Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-10-11 06:51 PM
Response to Original message
5. Well he can cross Everest off the bucket list.
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kestrel91316 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-10-11 07:35 PM
Response to Original message
6. He raised awareness of the LIMITATIONS of the elderly, I'm afraid.
But a noble effort, nonetheless. RIP sir.
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spanone Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-10-11 07:43 PM
Response to Original message
7. good show, sir!
:patriot:
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tammywammy Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-10-11 07:43 PM
Response to Original message
8. I watched the movie "Into Thin Air" about the expedition up Everest where a bunch of people died
We watched it at school actually in my Practice of Management & Leadership class. Anywho, it was actually a decent movie.
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Kceres Donating Member (839 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-10-11 07:48 PM
Response to Reply #8
9. The book was good, too. I would recommend.
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tammywammy Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-10-11 07:55 PM
Response to Reply #9
12. I want to read the book
I did more research on the teams that went up on that climb after watching the movie. One of these days I'll read the book, it was really fascinating the bit of reading I did manage to find online. There was a great multi-page article on a website written from one of the guys that went up a couple/three weeks later for National Geographic (they filmed the Everest movie). http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/everest/ed-viesturs-3.html
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Brother Buzz Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-10-11 07:58 PM
Response to Reply #9
14. I would not recommend reading "Into Thin Air" in the winter months

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tammywammy Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-10-11 07:58 PM
Response to Reply #14
16. Ahh, well I'm in Texas and it's almost summer
Edited on Tue May-10-11 07:58 PM by tammywammy
I should pick it up soon. :)

Heck watching the movie made me chilly!
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no_hypocrisy Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-10-11 07:49 PM
Response to Reply #8
10. Our 8th grade classes were shown the Nightline Program on climbing Everest.
The kids were fascinated, hardly breathed while watching it. I set up the show by showing a map of the world to demonstrate the distance between the U.S. and Nepal. I pointed out how expensive it was to embark on such a mission and the potential to die a bitter and lonely death.
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tammywammy Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-10-11 07:58 PM
Response to Reply #10
15. Everest is fascinating
I'm not delusional enough to think I could ever climb it though. ;)

I had never really thought about Everest much, until this class where we discussed it at length. Everest is something to respect. I believe she allows you to climb it, it's not something you "conquer."
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Vehl Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-10-11 08:09 PM
Response to Reply #15
17. I once met a lady who had climbed it
Edited on Tue May-10-11 08:10 PM by Vehl
She was the mother of one of my Japanese friends. It was obvious, just by glancing at her how she was able to pull it off..."determination" was written all over her face. My friend is planning on climbing it within the next decade or so..and I and some of my friends are trying to dissuade her from trying it..given that she is just out of college and might want to experience life a bit more before taking on such a dangerous task! But I guess some people dont want their parents one-up them :P
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tammywammy Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-10-11 08:13 PM
Response to Reply #17
18. I think as long as she knows and really understands that sometimes you have to turn around
And then DOES turn around if she needs to, even if that means not summiting, she'd be okay. I think that's what happens up there. People start getting sick and instead of turning around, push on further to a point where they'll never get back down.

And I understand that about competing with your parents. My mom graduated summa cum laude and I have a year to pull my GPA up 0.1 to make it to summa from magna. I'm attending the same university my mom graduated from. lol :)
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Vehl Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue May-10-11 08:21 PM
Response to Reply #18
19. I totally agree
As you said; one has to recognize one's own limits in devours such as these.Often its the overconfidence and stubbornness against commonsensical logic staring you at your face is the habit that takes the lives of many mountaineers.

Btw, Good luck on your competition with your mom! I'm sure you would be able to make it:)
I once had similar notions..but the last couple of my major classes in my final year under a professor who would have even made even the Nazi's quiver dashed those hopes :)). But at least we studied our asses off under him and came up with a much better understanding of the subject at the cost of a slightly lowered GPA.lol

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Vehl Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed May-11-11 02:40 PM
Response to Original message
21. more info


The former minister is reported to have complained of health complications when he got to 5,800m (19,000ft).
His climbing companions gave him water and oxygen after he collapsed but could not resuscitate him, officials say.

Altitude sickness - caused by reduced atmospheric pressure and oxygen levels at high altitudes - is a common cause of death among mountaineers in Nepal.Mr Upadhyay's body is expected to be airlifted to Kathmandu on Tuesday.

As a young political activist he joined Mahatma Gandhi's movement against British rule in India and was imprisoned in December 1960 for protesting against King Mahendra.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13344757
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