First attempt to summit Everest in 1922

The video details the first attempt to climb Mt. Everest in 1922 following a 1921 expedition that surveyed the mountain to determine the best route for the climb. 

While today climbing Everest is a bit of a rich man's tourist trap, in 1922 it was a challenge in largely unknown Himalayan territory. In 1922 they made three attempts to summit Everest, but each fell short, with their highest climb ending 2,000 feet below the summit. The last ended in an avalanche that killed nine porters. Still, they learned valuable lessons on the expedition, the most important being the value of bottled oxygen. It is a very interesting video.

This is all very foreign to me. As a Florida resident our tallest mountain range is located in Disney World and features such awesome peaks as Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain, The Matterhorn, and Expedition Everest. You 'climb' them by riding in little cars, which seems preferable to me than having to hack out ice steps on the side of a cliff, although you will encounter such perils as animatronic Yetis and the like. 

 

Mount Everest helmet cam - Khumbu Icefalls

This is filmed on Mount Everest. The climber is descending from some place called the Western Cwm to Base Camp via the Khumbu glacier. In the video's comments Theodore Fairhurst, who posted the video, has this to say about the route:

The Khumbu Ice Fall is in constant movement and turmoil. Everytime i went through it the upper route was different. I witnessed an avalanche 100 feet in front of me at dawn. It is serene, scary and tumultuous at the same time. We always started climbing up through it at 3am when it was coldest and most solid. It is the job of the 'Ice fall doctors' to reset the ladders daily. However, more harrowing is summit day above the balcony. See more details on my site: DareToReach.ca Thanks.

The Ice Fall Doctors are Sherpas who maintain the ladders that cross the difficult parts of the Khumbu glacier. That is the area where most of the deaths on Everest occur. The ice of the glacier moves daily, so the ladders need to be adjusted continually during the climbing season. You can read more about them and the route at the article Everest Ice Doctors Operate on the Khumbu Icefalls.

I wonder how well the job of being an Ice Fall Doctor pays? Regardless, and given my druthers, I think I would much rather be a life guard on a tropical beach to an Ice Doctor no matter what it pays.