UKC

In April 2014 16 Sherpas were killed in an avalanche on Everest. In a series of articles Everest operator Russell Brice looks at the accident and its aftermath. Part two covers the search, and how bungling officials hampered efforts at base camp.

Read more at http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=6401

In reply to UKC Articles:

Are there any first hand accounts which don't originate from western guides or clients? In the interests of being even handed could UKC get an account from one of the liaison officers or someone from the Nepalese Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation?

In reply to duncan b:


UKC are not interested in being even handed. They are interested in supporting the western guiding companies who advertise with them.

In reply to UKC Articles:

I hate to say it, but I don't think this is a very good way of going about things in trying to record events. This is not 'the facts'. This is an opinion piece by one person involved, and to be honest, it just makes the whole Everest circus look even more unattractive.

In reply to UKC Articles:

Isn't gravity is the main cause of this tragedy?

In reply to tony:

I agree. It is wrong to suggest this is a news item rather than an opinion piece by someone who also has a commercial interest. What happened was a tragedy exacerbated in part by the fact that so many people are allowed on the mountain at one time. The guiding companies may well have acted with bravery and determination after the event but surely it is as much up to them as liaison officers and government officials to ensure that there are limits on the number of people climbing Everest every year. With less people the risks of tragedies like this are reduced, even if it does cut into profit margins. Everest has had terrible press in the recent past and everyone involved has to accept that they might have a role to play in ensuring that this changes in the future.

In reply to UKC Articles:

These "articles" leave a very bad taste in the mouth. Really shabby on UKC's part to put these up.

I don't want to hear from operators. I want journalism.

Looks like I'm going to have to go elsewhere for that.

(The Grauniad [ http://www.theguardian.com/world/everest ] and the Alpinist [ http://alpinist.com/doc/web14s/wfeature-everest-myth ] make it glaringly obvious how limited UKC's reportage is)

In reply to tony:

Yes, somewhat misleading title : "The Facts", very thin on these.

Guiding company blames ministry - shock horror.

I also found the repetitive reference to "my Sherpas" slightly jarring. I wonder if 'they' thought they were 'his'?

In reply to UKC Articles:

"Each LO is paid $2,500 plus travel expenses, so this spring we as expedition teams paid a little under $100,000 for nothing. Where did this money actually go? "

And how much, to put that in the smallest bit of context, does each client pay for the expedition? $50-60,000? The distribution of wealth here is hardly something to point fingers at coming from a commercial western position.

This is not 'fact' (to quote the title) based journalism without an attempt to research or reach alternate opinions, this is an opinion piece at best.

In reply to John Postlethwaite:


How would you prefer him to refer to them?

In reply to jon:

I think it's more a question of how the people from the Khumbu would refer to themselves.

Have a read of Life and Death on mt Everest by Sherry Ortner; it's not brilliant, but sheds more light on a complex set of relationships; providing helpful context to this particular disaster.

In reply to jon:


Is he saying it like 'my porters' or 'my ethnic group'. Probably o.k if its the first.

In reply to team fat belly:


This 100%. Honestly rename or take this down UKC.

In reply to FreshSlate:

Where is it suggested that this is a news item? The title is "NEW ARTICLE" not "NEWS ARTICLE". And the introduction says "Below is the second in a series of pieces from a Western operator's perspective"

In reply to Simon Caldwell:

It's just been edited. Thanks UKC.

In reply to UKC Articles:

There seems something morally wrong with linking a tragedy with commercial gain, which is what this article quite blatantly does.
Maybe something like 'Russell Brice' Everest guide would be more appropriate rather than having a direct link to his website from where it's possible to sign up for an Everest trip or similar.

As a direct result I'll be using this site considerably less.

In reply to FreshSlate:

Just a shame the UKC couldn't do a proper job editing the introduction, which still selectively emphasises the apparent significance of "bungling officials" hampering rescue efforts.

In reply to FreshSlate:

his 'family'

i reckon Brice's observations are worth reading. if i were Sherpa, i'd like to be part of his team..

In reply to malk:

Is that a joke?

In reply to FreshSlate:


Why don't you expand on that a bit?

In reply to jon:


How can I expand on a question?

Is it, or is it not, something designed to be funny?

Better for you?

In reply to FreshSlate:

No. Which part of his reply did you think was a joke?

In reply to jon:

All of it, none of it? He hasn't told me yet. I'm unsure if he's being serious, could go either way.

In reply to FreshSlate:

Not a very difficult question to answer. Which bit do you think he's joking about? To help you I've quoted the possible answers below.

In reply to jon:

If he's making a sarcastic response, it's most likely that the entirety of the post is sarcastic, its not that long. If you like, I think all of 1, 2, 3 could be a joke. That's what I meant by 'all of it', literally the first 3 words of my last post but easy to miss I suppose.

In reply to FreshSlate: You're all making a basic assumption that you can get a sensible answer out of anyone on here! People tend to be arses just for the sake of it.

In reply to Frank the Husky:


Whereas you are always balanced and polite

In reply to FreshSlate:

not joking. i've read a bit about him and he seems to be one of the better guys in the world of everest operators..

In reply to malk:

Tough going this forum haha. Fair enough. Best of a bad bunch.

In reply to Jonny2vests: Yes, I am! Thank you for noticing.

In reply to FreshSlate:

I did think that maybe you had some reason to doubt malk's sincerity so obviously. You know, like perhaps you know Russel Brice personally or even slightly, or had had dealings with him.

In reply to jon:

Everyone else in this thread has criticised a biased and poorly written article written by a commercial operator on Everest. It's not like he would have been first in line. I thought he was being sarcastic, possibly, yes.

Malk thinks he's one of the better operators, although putting it across as 'if I was a sherpa', (sorry malk) is a little crass and I thought it could have gone either way. Also his use of a couple of full stops and the exaggerated use of 'family' as opposed to something more tempered as ‘colleagues' or 'friends' also hinted that way. As I said, it could have gone either way.

As it stands I don't give a shit about the author, it's a terrible article that was originally labled 'The Facts', with a link to his commercial website. It's actually a opinion piece designed to throw as much mud at the Nepalese government as possible, even how a Nepalese government official did not respect people of his 'repute'.There were many allegations of grievances without giving the (any) other side of the story. All of this is as far removed from the facts as possible, UKC should not have published it.

In reply to FreshSlate:

Have you been to Nepal? Have you been to the Himalaya? Have you been involved in a commercial expedition? Have you met or know anything about Russel Brice? I'm sorry Mr Wolfo but you're spouting from a very uninformed view point and until you have a little bit more knowledge and experience it's better you wind your neck in.

In reply to shantaram:

The article is shit and biased, that statement is not a character assassination, it's a critique of some pretty dodgy writing clearly affected by commercial interests. All we get from this is that he wants a regime more sympathetic to western guiding companies. I've given my reasons, you've said nothing. Do you honestly think this is a impartial and comprehensive account of events suitable of the sub-heading, 'the facts'? I'm interested in hearing these arguments but I imagine you'll just post some fluff again about not knowing how many dogs Brice has.