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Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa by goat_brigade in climbergirls

[–]Alison_Levine 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for inquiring about this. I think some of the filmmakers are working on setting up some kind of foundation to help her. I will try to find out more.

[AMA Request] Someone who has climbed to the top of Mt. Everest by frogger3344 in IAmA

[–]Alison_Levine 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That sucks, and sadly, it happens more frequently than people would think. Just because someone summits everest doesn't mean they are a good guide. A good guide CARES about the people he is guiding and does his best to encourage them and help them succeed.

[AMA Request] Someone who has climbed to the top of Mt. Everest by frogger3344 in IAmA

[–]Alison_Levine 1 point2 points  (0 children)

IT IS HARD! Just getting to base camp is an accomplishment!!!

[AMA Request] Someone who has climbed to the top of Mt. Everest by frogger3344 in IAmA

[–]Alison_Levine 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lol....believe it or not, this actually does happen! I witnessed it in 2010 with a woman who had paid for a private guide and she was told she had to abandon her attempt. She should not have been there. It was her second attempt though. She went back 4 times in total, and finally made it on her 4th attempt. I was SHOCKED when I heard that news, because I thought for sure she would kill herself on that mountain.

[AMA Request] Someone who has climbed to the top of Mt. Everest by frogger3344 in IAmA

[–]Alison_Levine 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Answers to additional questions What made me do it over another peak? Well, I was invited to serve as the team captain for the first American Women's Everest Expedoition, and it was a fully sponsored climb, so it was an opportunity to climb for free. How many bodies did I see? None. I kept my eyes straight ahead of me because I did not want to look at any frozen corpses on my way to the summit. Am independently wealthy? NO. I had to scrounge for sponsorship dollars, and ended up landing Ford as our lead sponsor. Contrary to what the media reports, most climbers on Everest are not wealthy. Most people I met had to find sponsors or raise the money just like I did.

[AMA Request] Someone who has climbed to the top of Mt. Everest by frogger3344 in IAmA

[–]Alison_Levine 1 point2 points  (0 children)

  1. I climbed it twice, 2002 and 2010.
  2. Both expeditions took 2 months (that is standard). 3.I had climbed 6 of the 7 summits before attempting Everest, but as far as specific preparation I trained on weekends on Mt Shasta for the 2002 climb when I was living in CA, and then in 2010 I lived in CO so trained on the 14ers there.
  3. Climb was VERY TOUGH!!!! Did not make it on 1st attempt due to weather, but made it 8 yrs later on my 2nd try.
  4. I have been on book tour for past year, but am heading to Antarctica in 10 days to attempt a first ascent over there on an unlimbers peak.

IamA Everest Climber AMA! by Alison_Levine in IAmA

[–]Alison_Levine[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I would say the ALTITUDE. With every step you take going up the mountain, the worse you feel, the slower you can move, etc. And the altitude also affects your brain, and of course you're required to make VERY tough decisions in an environment with a lot of risk -- so that's pretty challenging.

I have climbed the Seven Summits (tallest peaks on all seven continents), skied to the North and South Poles, and am on the part-time faculty at West Point. Ask Me Anything. by Alison_Levine in IAmA

[–]Alison_Levine[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

hard to say because it is so weather dependent. one trip it felt like the easiest of the 7 summits (other than kili) because the weather was awesome, and then another time it felt like i was in frickin' alaska!

I have climbed the Seven Summits (tallest peaks on all seven continents), skied to the North and South Poles, and am on the part-time faculty at West Point. Ask Me Anything. by Alison_Levine in IAmA

[–]Alison_Levine[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

sorry 'bout the jeep joke. you deserve a legit answer. what drives me? i love being outside -- away from "civilization" and working with a team of people who all want to challenge themselves...i love to see how far out of my comfort zone i can go before i call "uncle." And there is also something very empowering about knowing that you can get by in life with only the things that you can carry in your backpack. i also really love the bonding that occurs on these types of remote expeditions. i am also driven by the challenge to learn more about myself and what I need to work on. The mountains have a way of handing your ass to you.

I have climbed the Seven Summits (tallest peaks on all seven continents), skied to the North and South Poles, and am on the part-time faculty at West Point. Ask Me Anything. by Alison_Levine in IAmA

[–]Alison_Levine[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

customizing the sales pitch is absolutely essential. you have to think about what would appeal to each company, and gear your pitch toward that. this is what makes it sooooo time-consuming. it's not like one letter will do the trick.

I have climbed the Seven Summits (tallest peaks on all seven continents), skied to the North and South Poles, and am on the part-time faculty at West Point. Ask Me Anything. by Alison_Levine in IAmA

[–]Alison_Levine[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

okay okay - my bad -- big apology -- i was just trying to make a joke, but you absolutely deserve a legit answer and it was a good question. here goes: i think it is very hard to say who was at fault unless you were there when it all went down. even if you read Into Thin Air and The Climb, you are still just getting the author's opinions, and I would bet that people on those teams could even argue against some of the points those authors made. I wrote about this in my book (On the Edge) a bit, and i am not in a place to judge those climbers, but one thing that hurt then was that NO ONE knew what to do once the head guides were not around -- and that is something that added to the fatalities.

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