If you have ever thought about climbing Mount Everest then it is very likely that you will know all about the term Summit Fever. Many people have described it as an anticipation to reach the top of the mounting disregarding safety, and ethics, among other things. However, is Summit Fever a real thing? Or is it just a myth that was created to explain the actions of some climbers over the past couple of decades? Well, there are several theories that explain the so called Summit Fever.
There have been many examples of where Summit Fever has been mentioned in the media over the past couple of years that definitely do not paint the climbers in a positive light. For example, if you have read up about Mount Everest then you will probably have heard about Green Boots Cave. The reason this area of the Death Zone on Mount Everest is called this is because there is a body of a climber in this area who has been nicknamed Green Boots, because of his luminous green climbing boots.
Several years ago there was a story running about come climbers who had come across Green Boots, which of course, they were already expecting to do. However, when they reached Green Boots they discovered what they thought was another corpse. However, it was actually a climber who was still alive, called Sharp. The climbers and the Sherpa decided that there was nothing that they could do for Sharp as he was past saving, and they continued on their way up to the top of Mount Everest. Several more climbers also came across Sharp, but still continued up the mountain in the aim of getting to the top. However, this raises several questions.
Why didn’t they put a halt to their expedition and try to get help for the stricken climber? He had no sleeping bag, and no radio to call for help himself. This is one of the cases in which Summit Fever has been mentioned. Another is the case of a young woman who although she knew that she was in trouble, carried on up the mountain anyway. Other climbers have said that Summit Fever was the cause of her death. There are several things that have been mentioned as to why these climbers did what they did, even though it cost them their life, or someone else’s life.
Some people have suggested that it is in part due to the fact that the cost of climbing Mount Everest is thousands of pounds, which makes the climber want to achieve what they came there to achieve. Others have said that climbers do not want to return as a failure. Whatever the reason, Summit Fever certainly raises questions about the ethics of mankind, and also the common sense. Surely if these climbers knew that they were in danger, or that someone else was in danger then they would have done something about it to prevent anything bad from happening? Apparently not.