Danger on Everest

Times Reporter     

 

Having summited Mount Everest back in 2000, the news of recent deaths on the world’s largest mountain hit hard for Byron Smith. On April 18, an avalanche killed 16 Sherpas; Smith was guided by one of their sons.

“You can’t predict avalanches,” said Smith, owner of Strathmore’s Byron Smith Ford. “You can’t outrun an avalanche, it’s just not going to happen.”

Smith said climbing Everest was a goal he set for himself when he was very young, wanting to challenge himself. Without his 12 high-altitude Sherpa guides, he would not have succeeded.

“It’s like driving from Strathmore to Calgary in a snow storm, with bad road conditions, and if you’re not paying attention, stuff happens in a hurry,” Smith said.

 “Without Sherpa, most people wouldn’t be getting to the summit. The expertise that they bring is their ability to function, and carry loads at high altitudes.”

Byron carried roughly 30 pounds of his gear, while his Sherpas carried twice that amount, facing 100 miles per hour winds. The whole trek, Smith said, is a true physical challenge, but mentally as well.

“The challenge of climbing Everest is getting over the psychology of the fact that it’s the highest mountain in the world – one misstep and you’re dead,” he said. “The view is tremendous. You can see 150 miles away or more. It’s pretty amazing, but you’re still concentrating on getting down.”

Smith also said that the journey is roughly three months – not only of hard work, but from being away from home.

“You’re isolated. You’re not even eating the foods you would have at home. If you’ve ever been deprived, that’s what it’s like at Everest,” Smith said, who’s diet consisted of vegetables, some meats, and freeze-dried foods.

“You really need to be hydrated. You’re drinking six to eight litres a day, in every capacity, from soups to teas to coffees to water,” he said.

Though he trained for weeks with an Olympic track coach and had climbed mountains prior to his attempt on Everest, it was still difficult to prepare.

“I’d replicated four-day summit cycles. You can’t train for altitude though. You’re just getting your body used to carrying loads and to running up and down mountains,” he said. “You climb high and you sleep low because your body has to replicate more red blood cells to carry more oxygen around to replenish your muscles. It takes three to six weeks to acclimatize, and some people can never.”

Half of all Everest summits have been completed with the help of Sherpa.

Smith plans on creating a fundraiser or concert to aid the families of the 16 Sherpa that were killed in the avalanche.