Woman's Vegan Diet May Have Played a Role in Her Death on Mount Everest
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janejellyroll wrote: »ClubSilencio wrote: »I remember a long time ago there was a website (although now with Google I'm sure the pics can easily be found) that showed the bodies of those who perished on their climb. I guess if they are too high up their bodies are left there. One of the eeriest things I've ever seen yet strangely beautiful.
According to an article I read last year, some of the bodies (placed in prominent positions) even serve as landmarks for climbers now.
Yep. Google Green Boots for an example. That's a real person whose name is known, but now he's just a landmark with recognizable boots. Sad.
http://imgur.com/gallery/4UJj00 -
janejellyroll wrote: »ClubSilencio wrote: »I remember a long time ago there was a website (although now with Google I'm sure the pics can easily be found) that showed the bodies of those who perished on their climb. I guess if they are too high up their bodies are left there. One of the eeriest things I've ever seen yet strangely beautiful.
According to an article I read last year, some of the bodies (placed in prominent positions) even serve as landmarks for climbers now.
Yep. Google Green Boots for an example. That's a real person whose name is known, but now he's just a landmark with recognizable boots. Sad.
I can see both sides of it. It's obviously sad that she died, but she has a kind of living legacy that many of us will never have. I would hate dying while climbing a mountain, but if climbing mountains was what I loved I would be pleased to know I became a part of the climber culture in such a way.
If I die while reading a novel, I may ask my husband if he'll prop me up at the library.4 -
janejellyroll wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »ClubSilencio wrote: »I remember a long time ago there was a website (although now with Google I'm sure the pics can easily be found) that showed the bodies of those who perished on their climb. I guess if they are too high up their bodies are left there. One of the eeriest things I've ever seen yet strangely beautiful.
According to an article I read last year, some of the bodies (placed in prominent positions) even serve as landmarks for climbers now.
Yep. Google Green Boots for an example. That's a real person whose name is known, but now he's just a landmark with recognizable boots. Sad.
I can see both sides of it. It's obviously sad that she died, but she has a kind of living legacy that many of us will never have. I would hate dying while climbing a mountain, but if climbing mountains was what I loved I would be pleased to know I became a part of the climber culture in such a way.
If I die while reading a novel, I may ask my husband if he'll prop me up at the library.
I can see that. Thanks for sharing your perspective.
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janejellyroll wrote: »ClubSilencio wrote: »I remember a long time ago there was a website (although now with Google I'm sure the pics can easily be found) that showed the bodies of those who perished on their climb. I guess if they are too high up their bodies are left there. One of the eeriest things I've ever seen yet strangely beautiful.
According to an article I read last year, some of the bodies (placed in prominent positions) even serve as landmarks for climbers now.
Yep. Google Green Boots for an example. That's a real person whose name is known, but now he's just a landmark with recognizable boots. Sad.
http://imgur.com/gallery/4UJj0
I've seen that exact album before. Fascinating in a somber sort of way. I sometimes wonder if those people knew what would become of them, what would they choose if given a do-over.0 -
Queenmunchy wrote: »Totally unrelated, but my daughter's friend's mom just climbed Mt. Everest last week for the seventh time.
Obviously not a vegan.
Clearly not. I heard she used sausage links in lieu of traditional climbing rope.
That would be a really great thing to do if she wanted to die.0 -
I think climbing Mt. Everest had more to do with her death than being a vegan. Just sayin'. 2
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lynn_glenmont wrote: »Without knowing if she was supplementing properly or not, it seems out of place to speculate about if her diet contributed to the altitude sickness and subsequent death. She and her husband were experienced, avid mountain climbers and long time vegans. I'm sure they had taken precautions to have a safe climb.
It's a tragedy that she died, as all deaths on Everest are, and my heart goes out to her husband who will have to cope with her loss.
How is it a tragedy when adults die in what is essentially a recreational endeavor that they should know carries a substantial risk of death? That's just the odds catching up to you.
Tragedy is when a child dies playing in her bedroom from a stray bullet fired out on the street, or a plane goes down killing hundreds because a bird got sucked into the engines, or a parent working two jobs gets hit by a car crossing an inadequately lit street after a 90-minute bus ride to get back to the kids.
I'm not saying I don't feel sympathy for her family, the way you would if a lifetime smoker died of lung cancer or a lifetime binge-drinker died of liver failure. I'm just missing what the tragic element is here.
Tragedy is defined as, "an event causing great suffering, destruction, and distress, such as a serious accident, crime, or natural catastrophe." (https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=tragedy+definition) so technically her death is a tragedy, but I understand your meaning. The climber knew the risks and decided to participate in the undertaking anyway, for recreation. It's not like she was being chased by bears or had to climb the mountain for food or to rescue another person. Still a tragedy as defined by Google definition, though.1 -
Article is complete nonsense1
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janejellyroll wrote: »ClubSilencio wrote: »I remember a long time ago there was a website (although now with Google I'm sure the pics can easily be found) that showed the bodies of those who perished on their climb. I guess if they are too high up their bodies are left there. One of the eeriest things I've ever seen yet strangely beautiful.
According to an article I read last year, some of the bodies (placed in prominent positions) even serve as landmarks for climbers now.
Yep. Google Green Boots for an example. That's a real person whose name is known, but now he's just a landmark with recognizable boots. Sad.
According to the BBC his name is Tsewang Paljor.
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positivepowers wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »ClubSilencio wrote: »I remember a long time ago there was a website (although now with Google I'm sure the pics can easily be found) that showed the bodies of those who perished on their climb. I guess if they are too high up their bodies are left there. One of the eeriest things I've ever seen yet strangely beautiful.
According to an article I read last year, some of the bodies (placed in prominent positions) even serve as landmarks for climbers now.
Yep. Google Green Boots for an example. That's a real person whose name is known, but now he's just a landmark with recognizable boots. Sad.
According to the BBC his name is Tsewang Paljor.
Thank you for adding his name. It's humanizes him.1 -
For anyone curious about how easily things can go wrong on Everest, read "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer...it's a very intense story that shows how experience doesn't always mean you can beat nature.0
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They were climbing the seven highest peaks on each continent and were very experienced climbers. There's a reason that area of Everest is known as the "Dead Zone" and 250+ people have died on the mountain with likely few being vegan. Although everyone that takes on this challenge needs to be at their best, it seems pretty capricious and headline-grabbing to blame this death on a vegan diet without a whole lot more evidence.2
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janejellyroll wrote: »ClubSilencio wrote: »I remember a long time ago there was a website (although now with Google I'm sure the pics can easily be found) that showed the bodies of those who perished on their climb. I guess if they are too high up their bodies are left there. One of the eeriest things I've ever seen yet strangely beautiful.
According to an article I read last year, some of the bodies (placed in prominent positions) even serve as landmarks for climbers now.
Yep. Google Green Boots for an example. That's a real person whose name is known, but now he's just a landmark with recognizable boots. Sad.
http://imgur.com/gallery/4UJj0
That was an incredible set of photographs.0 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »Without knowing if she was supplementing properly or not, it seems out of place to speculate about if her diet contributed to the altitude sickness and subsequent death. She and her husband were experienced, avid mountain climbers and long time vegans. I'm sure they had taken precautions to have a safe climb.
It's a tragedy that she died, as all deaths on Everest are, and my heart goes out to her husband who will have to cope with her loss.
How is it a tragedy when adults die in what is essentially a recreational endeavor that they should know carries a substantial risk of death? That's just the odds catching up to you.
Tragedy is when a child dies playing in her bedroom from a stray bullet fired out on the street, or a plane goes down killing hundreds because a bird got sucked into the engines, or a parent working two jobs gets hit by a car crossing an inadequately lit street after a 90-minute bus ride to get back to the kids.
I'm not saying I don't feel sympathy for her family, the way you would if a lifetime smoker died of lung cancer or a lifetime binge-drinker died of liver failure. I'm just missing what the tragic element is here.
I agree with you that your situations are much more tragic because of the innocence involved and the unavoidable nature of such events, but I thought about it before choosing that particular word and I'll stand by it.
It makes sense when viewed in the classical way--a character flaw that leads to the hero's downfall. In the case of mountaineers, their sense of adventure can be their undoing, and the sense of wasted life and unfulfilled dreams that they leave behind can be haunting.
But I also meant it in the sense that it's a grueling death that immediately impacts and puts team members at risk. Then usually the body is left behind to become a gruesome landmark for others who could very well be trudging along to their own deaths. Family members--who may have been dead set against an expedition-- may never have the closure of a real burial and have to carry the burden of their loved one's senseless death.
And no matter how you cut it, it's a personal tragedy for the people themselves who honestly believed, perhaps foolishly, that they had what it took and found out the hard way how wrong they were.
Thanks for the thoughtful response. You make a good point about the classical sense of tragedy and the character flaw.1 -
I don't mean to minimize her death, and it's likely that her diet was not a substantial contributor to her altitude sickness.
But isn't it likely that the reason her veganism is being blamed for her death is because her stated purpose in climbing Everest was to prove that “vegans can do anything?"
If she were a climber who died on Everest who just happened to be a vegan, I doubt that there would be much if any press about it. Instead she died on Everest as an evangelist of veganism.
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My cousin wasn't a vegan and he died climbing Mount Kangchenjunga from the same exact condition - altitude sickness.
I don't understand what you are trying to prove here but good luck trying to convince yourself or anyone certain diets can lead one to death at climbing Mount Everest.
It's Mount Everest for crying out loud not gulping down Mountain Dew.2 -
My cousin wasn't a vegan and he died climbing Mount Kangchenjunga from the same exact condition - altitude sickness.
I don't understand what you are trying to prove here but good luck trying to convince yourself or anyone certain diets can lead one to death at climbing Mount Everest.
It's Mount Everest for crying out loud not gulping down Mountain Dew.
I have been informed that that will also kill you.
Sugars are bad.1 -
My cousin wasn't a vegan and he died climbing Mount Kangchenjunga from the same exact condition - altitude sickness.
I don't understand what you are trying to prove here but good luck trying to convince yourself or anyone certain diets can lead one to death at climbing Mount Everest.
It's Mount Everest for crying out loud not gulping down Mountain Dew.
I have been informed that that will also kill you.
Sugars are bad.
I would have LOL'ed at your comment but at this time not really. Brought back bad memories. We never found his body. Indian Military helped us a lot but it was a lost battle. The snow storm that soon followed made it very difficult.0 -
My cousin wasn't a vegan and he died climbing Mount Kangchenjunga from the same exact condition - altitude sickness.
I don't understand what you are trying to prove here but good luck trying to convince yourself or anyone certain diets can lead one to death at climbing Mount Everest.
It's Mount Everest for crying out loud not gulping down Mountain Dew.
I have been informed that that will also kill you.
Sugars are bad.
I would have LOL'ed at your comment but at this time not really. Brought back bad memories. We never found his body. Indian Military helped us a lot but it was a lost battle. The snow storm that soon followed made it very difficult.
Sorry, I didn't mean to make light of your loss. I actually spent a fair amount of time yesterday reading through some of the stories about people who have died on Everest.0 -
You must kill to survive!1
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I don't mean to minimize her death, and it's likely that her diet was not a substantial contributor to her altitude sickness.
But isn't it likely that the reason her veganism is being blamed for her death is because her stated purpose in climbing Everest was to prove that “vegans can do anything?"
If she were a climber who died on Everest who just happened to be a vegan, I doubt that there would be much if any press about it. Instead she died on Everest as an evangelist of veganism.
I think you've hit the nail on the head in regards to why her death has been so newsworthy, but the journalism in this case seems a bit yellow. To make a comparison, imagine if a NASCAR driver had a known drinking problem and died in a crash while racing. Until his BAC could be tested we could only speculate if drinking caused his death and it would be irresponsible of reporters to imply so strongly that it did. Yet this is what's happening to Maria Strydom.
We might not ever know if she had vitamin deficiency. She was a seasoned, vegan mountain climber. She, like many others, did not survive Everest. That's all we know at this point.
Agree entirely with your first paragraph.0
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