http://ourworld.unu.edu/en/vanity-pollution-and-death-on-mt-everest This article from 2013 talks about tourism, pollution, policies, commodification, and some economics of Sagarmatha National Park, and covers a lot of what came up during discussions. The author shows how the government of Nepal is stuck capitalizing on the National Park and its tourists. Catering to the demands of tourists has helped the economy…
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The Disposable Man
by nap •
We have talked about the importance of Everest climbing commercialization and how it has benefited the sherpa community of Nepal. However, this article explores the very real and problematic issues that surround the incredibly dangerous work that Sherpas undertake while working on Everest. Faced with the very real possibility of death, or serious injury these…
Links, Uncategorized
First Female Ascents
by The Crooked Spoke •
This week I wanted to follow up on some of our earlier discussion about gender in the mountains. While this article is not focused on the Himalaya, I feel that the same dialogue exists there. Andrew Bisharat (of Rock and Ice fame) provides an easily digested and interesting investigation of this highly charged subject, even…
Book Review
Eiger Dreams
by Josh •
The subtitle of Eiger Dreams is far more descriptive of the book than the main title is: Ventures Among Men and Mountains. That is really what Jon Krakauer’s book is about. The book Eiger Dreams is really a collection of different articles written by Jon Krakauer that he compiled together, covering the broad subject of mountaineering, and…
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Personal Article of Interest Week 15 George Montopoli
by mmg •
The articles that I chose to present to the class this week are about George Montopoli a personal family friend and prominent mountain climber and ranger in the Grand Tetons National Park. The two articles that I attached are about an ongoing project he and his daughter have embarked upon in which they attempt to…
Book Review
Between a Rock and a Hard Place
by Colton •
Between a Rock and a Hard Place is a true story that few people have not heard. If they do not know the book or protagonist by name, they more than likely know the basics of the tale. Aron Ralston is an extreme outdoorsman, a seasoned and experienced mountaineer. He has climbed most of the highest peaks of…
Film Review
Everest: IMAX film review
by Josh •
Everest: IMAX is the kind of documentary you would expect to get out of a forty-five minute documentary released in 1998. The movie is pretty straightforward, it follows three climbers that go to Everest with an IMAX film crew. The climbers are Jamling Tenzing Norgay, the son of Tenzing Norgay, Ed Viesturs from the United States, and…
Reading Response
The post-colonialism affect on Everest
by th •
In the article, Climbing Mount Everest: Post-colonialism in the Culture of Ascent, author Stephen Slemon explores the use of mountaineering literature, particularly in the past, as a colonial allegory. Although quite dry and mundane at times, the article picked up speed throughout the middle and sparked my interest while explaining the effects that commercialization has…
Reading Response
Week 14
by mkg •
The reading regarding the Postcolonialism in the Culture of Ascent felt very much like a refresher of material that has been discussed weeks prior but also had interesting facts that I had not been aware of. It has been heavily discussed in class and from every angle the reasoning behind commercialism within mountaineering, but what…
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Orientalism and Post Colonialism
by nap •
The idea’s presented within these articles are fascinating, to say the least. The idea of post-colonialism and Orientalism provide a sufficient background with the types of ethnocentric beliefs and ideas that were conceived about the vast unknown areas of the Middle East and the surrounding areas that would constitute the Orient. Edward W. Said having…