Into Thin Air discussion

How do you think you would react if you were climbing up Everest in the freezing cold and having to go through all the physical difficulties?

I'd like to think that if I trained well for it that I would be able to endure the climb. But when I think about it realistically I don't think I would cope well at all. I'm a pansy when it comes to the cold. It would be quite an achievement and bravo to those who have tried.

I don't think it would be possible to say how your body would behave above 20,000 feet until you got there. You can train for cold and improve your physical condition as best you can. What happens when you spend time in the death zone is a different story.

What would you do if a fellow climber was in danger? What if helping him might cause you to perish?
Krakauer has been accused of being a coward for not stepping out of his role as a journalist. He argued that he could not do that because he was reporting. Does your role as an observer end when someone is in danger?