okansas.blogspot.com

okansas.blogspot.com
Occassional thoughts about orienteering

Friday, December 15, 2006

Everest and night O'

I watched a bit of TV while riding my exercise bike tonight - Everest: Beyond the Limits. The show is a documentary/reality series about some climbers on Everest. I'd never seen it before, but it made for intresting viewing while I rode. (Info on the show is at discover.com/everest).

The climbers on the last bit before the top use oxygen and a guide tracks their progress from a tent 1500 meters lower on the mountain. Russell, the guide, can talk to the climbers on a radio and give them direction.

On tonight's show the climbers move too slowly. They won't have enough time or oxygen to reach the summit and make it back down. They are suffering. Russell tells them to turn around, but they don't listen. The climbers are worn out, cold, and thier thinking is fogged. They're driven by their goals. Russell is comfortable, warm and thinking logically.

Tonight's show ended before we found out how all of this is going to end. I think next week is the final episode.

I wondered if having Russell tracking and making decisions for the climbers changed their behavior. If they didn't have someone making decisions, would the climbers be more careful? Would they have turned themselves around? Maybe a climber trivializes the decisions and risks when they know they've got a guide at a lower altitude making deciions for them.

This all reminded me of last night's orienteering training. I ran without a compass. Running without a compass raised the stakes, a lapse in concentration was riskier because I didn't have a compass. Having a compass, even if it was just in my pocket, would be like having Russell talking to me on the radio.

Well, of course that isn't true. But, that's the sort of thought that runs through you're mind when you're pedalling on a trainer in front of the TV.

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posted by Michael | 7:51 PM

2 comments

Comments:

Climbing Everest is a real challenge. I admire peoplewho can did it!

# posted by

Anonymous : 3:44 AM

Running hard at Clinton Lake can be almost as hard

# posted by

Anonymous : 5:08 PM

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