Climbing Everest Naked

by Neil Woodburn on

It sounds like something I’d be dumb enough to try; scale the top of Everest and strip naked at 29,000 feet to celebrate.

Damn it if someone has already beaten me to it.

Last year a Nepali climber did just that. While it sent some chuckles through the climbing community, others weren’t so amused. Everest is, after all, the holiest mountain in the country and local Nepalese were shocked at the sacrilegious act which some have likened to stripping in church. The episode has caused such an uproar, in fact, that Ang Tshering, president of Nepal’s Mountaineering Association, has argued for “strict regulations to discourage such attempts by climbers.” I would assume that concern for one’s own private parts in minus 10 degree temperatures would be discouragement itself, but apparently it isn’t.

There is, however, a bit of irony here that has been nicely pointed out by Guardian Journalist Hank Wangford. It seems that naked mountain climbing may have originated many years ago on Everest itself (or at least very near it). The above photo is of legendary climber George Mallory crossing a stream in 1922 on his way to the holy mountain. Way to go George!

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Conrad Anker Climbing Everest 1920s-Style

by Willy Volk on

British mountaineer George (“Because it is there”) Mallory died on Mt. Everest in 1924. Though no one knows for sure whether he and his climbing partner, Andrew Irvine, summited the world’s tallest mountain, some have speculated that the pair — wearing gabardine, wool, cotton, and silk — were woefully unprepared to tackle the extreme temperatures there.

Now, a team of climbers — led by American Conrad Anker, who found Mallory’s body in 1999 — is trying to retrace their steps as closely as possible. In addition to using the same kinds of gear that Mallory used, replica clothes have been made especially for the modern-day climbers. Back in 1924, Mallory wore a Burberry suit over a woollen vest as well as a fur-lined motorcycle helmet and hobnail boots. Anker and his team are dressed the same way.

A documentary of the climb is being made. Though no modern-day climbing gear will be shown on the film, I doubt they’ll be shooting in B&W.

[Via Get Outdoors]