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Screwed up: Should 13 year old be allowed to go and attempt to climb MT Everest?

Should Social Services step in and stop this?


  • Total voters
    29
Nope. If his parents are willing to allow it, and he wants to do it, what business is it of anyone else's.
 
Last time I checked, everest was in Nepal......;)
I don't see how U.S. law applies here......;)
 
All power to him. I love hiking, and wish I were as much a prolific hiker at he is, and he's only 13!
 
All power to him. I love hiking, and wish I were as much a prolific hiker at he is, and he's only 13!

I'll play devil's advocate here and say that calling climbing Mount Everest 'hiking' is quite the understatement. It is like calling the disgustingly macho yet so homoerotic performances of UFC 'fighting'.
 
I'll play devil's advocate here and say that calling climbing Mount Everest 'hiking' is quite the understatement.

I agree

and... I don't think anyone should be climbing mt everest
 
The kid is basically signing his death though. Isn't it the job of social services to ensure child safety? Isn't this negligence? Just wondering...im eager to hear what you have to say.

Life isn't totally safe.

I'm glad this kid and his parents have the balls to experience the world, without worrying who gets upset about it.
 
I'll play devil's advocate here and say that calling climbing Mount Everest 'hiking' is quite the understatement. It is like calling the disgustingly macho yet so homoerotic performances of UFC 'fighting'.

Except it is fighting. What do you call it then, when two men punch and kick each other in anger?
 
Absolutely he should be allowed, as long as his parents are with him.

And his parents are in more danger than he is, actually. The decreased O2 climb gets significantly more dangerous and difficult as one ages.

Kudos to this boy, he's accomplished more at age 13 than most people do their entire lives. He's done things that most people only dream of. Without a doubt he should be allowed to do this. He's obviously very skilled and knowledgeable about what it is he's doing, along with his parents.


I would love to be able to climb Everest, but I hold no illusions that I'd ever be fit enough to get to the summit. I'm going to settle for the 2nd camp as soon as do this workout regimen for a few more months and get in better shape.
 
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Except it is fighting. What do you call it then, when two men punch and kick each other in anger?

Savagery.

+3.
 
So long as his parents consent, he ought to be able to do anything that is not outright illegal to do.
 
He's got years of climbing experience already. His parents are not only going with him, but they're also very experienced as well. I read on the boy's website that his father is a trained flight medic, with years of experience in field medicine and rescue. I honestly don't see a problem with this. Their expectations are reasonable, too. If they don't make it to the top it won't be a big deal. They'll try again another time.

Also, not to make light of the real possibility that the boy might die in this adventure, but even if he does, he's lived a much more intense and interesting life than 90% of the adults I know.
 
Also, the question in the thread title doesn't match the question in the poll, I almost ticked the wrong box.

To answer the thread title: Yes, he absolutely should be allowed to climb Mr Everest as long as his parents are with him.

To answer the actual question in the poll: NO, social services has no business getting involved in this situation.
 
The death rate as late as 2006 remained 1 in 10.

BBC NEWS | Health | Concern over Everest death rate

Of the summits listed in the article that the boy has climbed, only 2 are technical routes, McKinley and Carstenz Pyramid, and both of those are considerably shorter than Everest. That said, if he were an adult, he certainly would be considered fit to climb Everest.

The problem is that as a parent you can't just allow your kid to take any risk. You don't own your kids, they are not your property. So it seems there are some ethical and legal questions here.
That's the number of successful attemts divided by the number who dies. Of course you can't use that number because it doesn't show the risk of a random person attemting to climbing mount everst and end up dying.

After this source, the death rate is 1.3% when you include unsuccesful ascents. Probably around 2% if you discount sherpas WikiAnswers - What is the death rate on mt. everest
No suprise, most people who try to ascent Mount Everst fail.

Also, I don't see the problem. The kid wants to do it, the parents want the kid to do it. My question is rather, why should we stop him?
 
Also, the question in the thread title doesn't match the question in the poll, I almost ticked the wrong box.

To answer the thread title: Yes, he absolutely should be allowed to climb Mr Everest as long as his parents are with him.

To answer the actual question in the poll: NO, social services has no business getting involved in this situation.

OH... I answered the poll question wrong then. :3oops:

Social services should mind their own beeswax on this one.
 
Mount Everest has been made into a trash heap by all these climbers, what's one more?
 
You mean what's one more frozen body?

No, I mean all the trash and debris that these climbers leave behind. They are a bunch of reckless idiots with no respect for the environment. The only real mountain men there are the Sherpa guides...
 
No, I mean all the trash and debris that these climbers leave behind. They are a bunch of reckless idiots with no respect for the environment.

I know, I was just adding my own twist.

The only real mountain men there are the Sherpa guides...

Who ironically never climbed the mountain before westerners started hiring them.
 
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I'll play devil's advocate here and say that calling climbing Mount Everest 'hiking' is quite the understatement. It is like calling the disgustingly macho yet so homoerotic performances of UFC 'fighting'.

It's mountain climbing. Either way it's an experience. He knows it's risky, and so do his parents. Chances are he's had some sort of doubt in making the decision to climb Everest. But, he is climbing it so that must tell you something about him. There are risks in life, and that is what some people live for. If it isn't your piece of cake, so be it.
 
If he wants to take the risk, it's his decision. Social Services should be allowed to inform him of the risks but not stop him from climbing it.
 
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