TORONTO – Toronto resident Shriya Shah-Klorfine, 33, had a dream to climb the world’s tallest mountain, Mount Everest, and she achieved that dream on Saturday.
A few hours later however she was one of four climbers to die in an area called the “death zone” known for treacherous icy conditions and a lack of oxygen.
It’s undeniable that setting goals, dreaming big and having passion moves us along in life.
When that dream is climbing Mount Everest, a mountain that virtually anyone who’s paid the fees is permitted to climb, however, experience also has to be a key factor, according to one person who’s reached that goal.
On May 6, 1986, Sharon Wood became the first North American woman to climb Everest. She says preparation at high-altitudes and understating what’s at stake when going up to 8,000-metres have to come before the dream.
Even though Shah-Klorfine trained for two years by walking and running 19 kilometres a day with 20-kilograms (45 pounds) on her back, she didn’t have the climbing experience many experts say is required to attempt such a dangerous activity.
Gordon Janow, director of programs at Alpine Ascents International, one of the most reputable tour outfitters for Everest expeditions, says it’s not often that the Nepalese government turns people away for permits because of a lack of experience.
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He says his company ensured that everyone interested in climbing Everest takes a mountaineering course and has at least climbed a series of mountains, like North America’s tallest, Denali.
Grayson Schaffer, a writer with outsideonline.com who reported on Shah-Klorfine’s death from Everest say she was urged to turn back by her sherpas and other climbers after she had a late summit, but that apparently she was unwilling to quit. He says she repeatedly told her sherpas “No, I have to go; I have to go.”
“People are pulling off 8,000-metre peaks, as we know, hundreds, thousands now, in terms of Everest, but they’re getting lucky,” said Wood. “You know if anything goes wrong up there and they lack experience the odds are against them.”
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