Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 30 of 32

Thread: Maria Strydom dies on Mount Everest, tackled trek ‘to prove that vegans can do anything’

  1. #1

    Maria Strydom dies on Mount Everest, tackled trek ‘to prove that vegans can do anything’

    http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...ackled-trek-t/

    May 23, 2016

    An Australian woman who intended to prove that “vegans can do anything and more” died Friday while attempting to scale Mount Everest, the highest mountain on Earth.

    Maria Strydom, a 34-year-old Monash Business School finance lecturer, made it roughly 400 meters shy of the summit when she began suffering from altitude sickness and died while attempting to descend.

    “She could not resist any more her weakness, and she stopped breathing right there,” said Furtengi Sherpa, the operational manager of Seven Summit Treks.

    Strydom previously made it to the top of some of the tallest mountains in the world, including Denali and Kilimanjaro, and she was determined to scale the seven highest summits on Earth, of which Everest ranks first.

    In an interview published on March 2 on the Monash Business School website, Strydom said that she and her husband, who both are accomplished climbers who consume neither meat nor dairy, together set their sights on Everest after doubts were raised by skeptics due to possible iron and protein deficiencies caused by their diets.

    “It seems that people have this warped idea of vegans being malnourished and weak,” she told the website. “By climbing the seven summits, we want to prove that vegans can do anything and more.”

    Her husband, Robert Gropel, also began suffering from high-altitude pulmonary edema while climbing Everest, but he was evacuated by helicopter and is expected to survive.

    “Physically he’s OK, we think,” his father, Heinz Gropel, told the Australian. “Mentally, he is a mess. He’s just lost his wife. These guys were not amateurs. They were experienced climbers.”

    “She was not a risk taker,” Strydom’s friend, Carly Moulang, told the Sydney Morning Herald. “She was not willing to take unnecessary, risks and she was strongly of the belief that she would return safe, even if it meant that she didn’t summit. In the case that she did not reach the summit, she was prepared to return to Everest for another attempt.”

    In addition to Strydom, two other mountain climbers died on Everest last week, including an Indian man and a Dutch man, who was in the same group as Strydom and her husband, before he succumbed to altitude sickness during his descent, The Associated Press reported on Monday.



  2. Remove this section of ads by registering.
  3. #2
    She went for what she believed in. RIP
    ================
    Open Borders: A Libertarian Reappraisal or why only dumbasses and cultural marxists are for it.

    Cultural Marxism: The Corruption of America

    The Property Basis of Rights

  4. #3
    Sucks but they knew what they were getting into. Everyone who climbs that mountain knows the risks. RIP.
    "I am a bird"

  5. #4
    Check, on that can do anything, like die on Everest.

  6. #5
    First world problems, where middle aged "risk takers" die on mountaintops to overcome the stultifying smog of "safety" that they have wrapped themselves, and everybody else, in.

  7. #6
    Looks pretty obvious this article was posted because I bumped a thread showing low fat diets don't cause obesity that featured a girl who happens to be vegan. If so, pretty childish. If not, what's the moral of the story, even vegans can die trying to scale Mt. Everest? Two others in the group also died on that climb.

    In addition to Strydom, two other mountain climbers died on Everest last week, including an Indian man and a Dutch man, who was in the same group as Strydom and her husband, before he succumbed to altitude sickness during his descent

  8. #7
    Diet isn't why she died from altitude sickness. "Vegan" was irrelevant.

    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-36355920

    Mount Everest: Altitude sickness claims third death in three days

    23 May 2016

    An Indian climber has died on Mount Everest, becoming the third fatality in as many days on the mountain.

    Subhash Paul died on Sunday after reaching the summit a day before, as Sherpa guides were helping him descend.

    A Dutch man and an Australian woman both died earlier in the weekend as a result of altitude sickness.

    Some 30 climbers have suffered frostbite or become seriously ill on Everest in recent days, as the spring climbing season comes to a close.

    Two other Indian climbers who had been with Mr Paul have also been reported missing in the so-called "death zone" near the summit.

    However the mountain's most successful female climber reached the summit for the seventh time on Friday.

    Altitude sickness, also known as acute mountain sickness, occurs when people have difficulty adapting to low oxygen levels at high altitude.

    Most cases are mild and result in headaches, nausea or dizziness, but in rare cases there can be a potentially fatal build-up of fluid on the brain and lungs.

    What are the chances of getting it?

    It can affect anyone that goes above 8,000ft (2,500m). But Tibetans are said to possess a gene allowing them to cope with life at high altitude.

    Around 30% of people experience a mild form of the condition and recover naturally, but between 1-3% develop the most severe form. It is not unusual for it to claim lives on Everest.
    This is the first climbing season for two years on Everest.

    In 2014, 16 guides were killed in an avalanche, leading to protests that prematurely ended the season, then an earthquake in Nepal last year killed at least 18 people on the mountain and closed climbing routes.

    With the mountain open again, climbers have been taking advantage of good conditions in large numbers, with nearly 400 reaching the summit from the Nepalese side since 11 May.
    That is about 35 people a day reaching the summit. Quite a parade. That results in a lot of trash left behind.

    https://news.vice.com/article/one-ye...-mount-everest

    In the year since the accident, attention has also turned to human impacts on the ecology of Mount Everest. Researchers and climbers told VICE News that as the number of ascents each year has increased, so has the amount of garbage and human waste left behind. And climate change, they say, may be transforming the mountain, bringing greater risks as glaciers melt and the mountain surface becomes more unstable.

    Between 70,000 and 100,000 visitors descend upon Mount Everest each year, Alton Byers, director of science and exploration at the US-based Mountain Institute, told VICE News. At base camp, visitors annually produce about 12,000 pounds of human waste each year, which often ends up in the waterways that nearby villages rely upon, he said.

    "It's getting notorious — people getting sick from water contaminated by dumping human waste," he told VICE News.

    Further downhill from base camp, lodge owners who house visitors before and after climbs use septic tanks that often leak, further polluting the water, Byers said. Springs have dried up due to warmer temperatures and changing precipitation patterns. In this way, the pollution is a "climate change stressor," he said, worsening the effects of global warming. Adding to the ecological degradation, lodge owners dispose of solid waste in huge, open-air garbage pits.

    "The place is getting covered with landfills, creating an environmental hazard for humans and animals," Byers said.

    'What we're seeing is a massive reduction in glacial cover and a lot of instability.'
    Waste is an equally complex issue further up the mountain, where climbers frequent the same few routes to attempt safe ascents — and where they leave behind their refuse to avoid carrying any extra weight. Plastics, tents, oxygen tanks, and even the corpses of past climbers lay scattered on the slope.

    Nepal's government has told climbers to bring down an amount of garbage on their descent equal to what they left behind, and a local guide, Dawa Stevens Sherpa, has started a non-profit to pay people who bring down waste.

    But even these well-intentioned efforts at conservation have run into problems. The nearby village of Gork Shep has served as a dump for Mount Everest waste, but has already reached its limit, meaning waste must be hauled further downhill.

    "It's unsightly but they ran out of room at Gork Shep, so they're taking it lower," Garry Porter, an engineer working in the region, told VICE News. "It's an eyesore."


    The image of a few strong men competing alone against the mountain is now an illusion.
    Last edited by Zippyjuan; 05-24-2016 at 01:11 PM.

  9. #8
    “She was not a risk taker,” Strydom’s friend, Carly Moulang, told the Sydney Morning Herald. “She was not willing to take unnecessary, risks...


    Lol
    Pfizer Macht Frei!

    Openly Straight Man, Danke, Awarded Top Rated Influencer. Community Standards Enforcer.


    Quiz: Test Your "Income" Tax IQ!

    Short Income Tax Video

    The Income Tax Is An Excise, And Excise Taxes Are Privilege Taxes

    The Federalist Papers, No. 15:

    Except as to the rule of appointment, the United States have an indefinite discretion to make requisitions for men and money; but they have no authority to raise either by regulations extending to the individual citizens of America.



  10. Remove this section of ads by registering.
  11. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by Danke View Post
    “She was not a risk taker,” Strydom’s friend, Carly Moulang, told the Sydney Morning Herald. “She was not willing to take unnecessary, risks...


    Lol
    Just happened to have ~$100K to throw away on something frivolous.

  12. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Zippyjuan View Post
    Diet isn't why she died from altitude sickness. "Vegan" was irrelevant.

    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-36355920





    That is about 35 people a day reaching the summit. Quite a parade. That results in a lot of trash left behind.

    https://news.vice.com/article/one-ye...-mount-everest





    The image of a few strong men competing alone against the mountain is now an illusion.


    Wouldn't iron deficiency compound the problem of not getting enough oxygen, which then causes a strain on the heart and forces your body to clot itself up with red blood cell over-production? the thing she died from.
    rewritten history with armies of their crooks - invented memories, did burn all the books... Mark Knopfler

  13. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by torchbearer View Post
    Wouldn't iron deficiency compound the problem of not getting enough oxygen
    Trust me, if she had iron deficiency, or if her iron was on the low side of the normal range, she wouldn't even think of doing a climb like that for it would have been self evident in her that she wouldn't have the strength to attempt it.

    But it is true that vegans have more iron deficiency than meat eaters, especially female vegans, but it's not for the reasons you think. Take a guess what the correct reason is.

  14. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by farreri View Post
    Trust me, if she had iron deficiency, or if her iron was on the low side of the normal range, she wouldn't even think of doing a climb like that for it would have been self evident in her that she wouldn't have the strength to attempt it.

    But it is true that vegans have more iron deficiency than meat eaters, especially female vegans, but it's not for the reasons you think. Take a guess what the correct reason is.
    Then Question- How many other climbers at that time also suffered from oxygen deprivation? Were there other vegans that had no issue, thus these two were the anomalies ?

    Iron deficiency occurs in women because of menstruation.
    rewritten history with armies of their crooks - invented memories, did burn all the books... Mark Knopfler

  15. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Danke View Post
    “She was not a risk taker,” Strydom’s friend, Carly Moulang, told the Sydney Morning Herald. “She was not willing to take unnecessary, risks...


    Lol
    Yeah, nothing risky about climbing Everest.


    Meh, lots of meat eaters have died climbing Everest, too. I doubt her veganism had anything to do with her death.
    Quote Originally Posted by Ron Paul View Post
    The intellectual battle for liberty can appear to be a lonely one at times. However, the numbers are not as important as the principles that we hold. Leonard Read always taught that "it's not a numbers game, but an ideological game." That's why it's important to continue to provide a principled philosophy as to what the role of government ought to be, despite the numbers that stare us in the face.
    Quote Originally Posted by Origanalist View Post
    This intellectually stimulating conversation is the reason I keep coming here.

  16. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Suzanimal View Post
    Yeah, nothing risky about climbing Everest.


    Meh, lots of meat eaters have died climbing Everest, too. I doubt her veganism had anything to do with her death.

    Since environment on the slopes changes, increasing and decreasing danger levels for climbers, the only apples we can compare these two vegans to are the meat eaters climbing at the same time.
    rewritten history with armies of their crooks - invented memories, did burn all the books... Mark Knopfler

  17. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by torchbearer View Post
    Since environment on the slopes changes, increasing and decreasing danger levels for climbers, the only apples we can compare these two vegans to are the meat eaters climbing at the same time.
    In addition to Strydom, two other mountain climbers died on Everest last week, including an Indian man and a Dutch man, who was in the same group as Strydom and her husband, before he succumbed to altitude sickness during his descent, The Associated Press reported on Monday.
    It doesn't say if they were vegans.
    Quote Originally Posted by Ron Paul View Post
    The intellectual battle for liberty can appear to be a lonely one at times. However, the numbers are not as important as the principles that we hold. Leonard Read always taught that "it's not a numbers game, but an ideological game." That's why it's important to continue to provide a principled philosophy as to what the role of government ought to be, despite the numbers that stare us in the face.
    Quote Originally Posted by Origanalist View Post
    This intellectually stimulating conversation is the reason I keep coming here.

  18. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by Suzanimal View Post
    It doesn't say if they were vegans.

    That would be the key. was it a vegan group, or a mixed group. a mixed group all dying means environment.
    rewritten history with armies of their crooks - invented memories, did burn all the books... Mark Knopfler



  19. Remove this section of ads by registering.
  20. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by Zippyjuan View Post
    Diet isn't why she died from altitude sickness. "Vegan" was irrelevant.

    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-36355920.
    She made it relevant when she decided to use it to make a point. It's now a joke.

  21. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by torchbearer View Post
    Iron deficiency occurs in women because of menstruation.
    Then that would mean she planned the wrong time of the month to attempt the climb.

    But not all women become iron deficient during their menstruation. Only the one's that is the correct answer I asked you to take a guess of and it can happen to both vegan and omnivore women.

  22. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by angelatc View Post
    She made it relevant when she decided to use it to make a point. It's now a joke.
    Even if her diet had no bearing on her death? Others died too and it doesn't look like they were vegan. It looks to be more of bad luck with the current weather conditions.

  23. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by torchbearer View Post
    Then Question- How many other climbers at that time also suffered from oxygen deprivation? Were there other vegans that had no issue, thus these two were the anomalies ?

    Iron deficiency occurs in women because of menstruation.
    Given that 70,000 to 100,000 go up it every year, I am sure other vegans have done it at some point.

    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-36361984

    Two days before Maria Strydom and her husband attempted their ascent of Everest, another vegan climber made it.

    Kuntal Joisher, a Mumbai-born computer programmer, climber and adventure photographer now living in Los Angeles, wrote on his Instagram account that he had reached the summit.

    It was not his first attempt to reach the top of the world. In 2014, a large avalanche killed 16 sherpas near Base Camp in what was then the largest accident on Everest. The climbing season was cancelled and Mr Joisher's attempt that year ended.

    Then, in April last year, a large earthquake struck Nepal and swept away much of Everest's base camp while Mr Joisher was there.

    In 2014, after climbing Mount Elbrus in Russia in strong winds and whiteout conditions, Mr Joisher wrote an article for the Huffington Post website describing how he adapted to the challenge as a vegan.

    "I was able to adjust to all of these severe conditions while eating healthy vegan food such as raw vegetables and fruits, buckwheat, rice porridges, wheat breads, and dried fruits and nuts," he wrote.

    "There are plenty of vegetarian foods that are part of a core diet during high-altitude climbing expeditions. As such, veganising the menu isn't that difficult."

    The main issue, he said, was finding clothing and equipment that was suitable for vegans - he said he was unable to find an alternative to the down jacket needed at the highest altitudes.

  24. #21
    Quote Originally Posted by torchbearer View Post
    Then Question- How many other climbers at that time also suffered from oxygen deprivation? Were there other vegans that had no issue, thus these two were the anomalies ?

    Iron deficiency occurs in women because of menstruation.
    Given that 70,000 to 100,000 go up it every year, I am sure other vegans have done it at some point.

    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-36361984

    Two days before Maria Strydom and her husband attempted their ascent of Everest, another vegan climber made it.

    Kuntal Joisher, a Mumbai-born computer programmer, climber and adventure photographer now living in Los Angeles, wrote on his Instagram account that he had reached the summit.

    It was not his first attempt to reach the top of the world. In 2014, a large avalanche killed 16 sherpas near Base Camp in what was then the largest accident on Everest. The climbing season was cancelled and Mr Joisher's attempt that year ended.

    Then, in April last year, a large earthquake struck Nepal and swept away much of Everest's base camp while Mr Joisher was there.

    In 2014, after climbing Mount Elbrus in Russia in strong winds and whiteout conditions, Mr Joisher wrote an article for the Huffington Post website describing how he adapted to the challenge as a vegan.

    "I was able to adjust to all of these severe conditions while eating healthy vegan food such as raw vegetables and fruits, buckwheat, rice porridges, wheat breads, and dried fruits and nuts," he wrote.

    "There are plenty of vegetarian foods that are part of a core diet during high-altitude climbing expeditions. As such, veganising the menu isn't that difficult."

    The main issue, he said, was finding clothing and equipment that was suitable for vegans - he said he was unable to find an alternative to the down jacket needed at the highest altitudes.
    Many of the headlines since then have inevitably focused on the couple's lifestyle, However, there is no suggestion it played a part in what happened on Everest.

    But were Maria's concerns over people's perceptions of vegans fair? And what challenges do vegan adventurers in particular face?

    The physical evidence
    By committing to a diet that omits meat, fish and dairy, vegans risk missing out on certain nutrients that are crucial to building strength. Seeking alternative sources for those nutrients is the hard work.

    "You can do it and you can be a serious elite athlete," Dr Frankie Phillips, a registered dietician with the British Dietetic Association, told the BBC. "You can do it, but it's more difficult."

    Among the possible consequences of a poor vegan diet, she said, would be increased fatigue due to lower iron levels; weaker muscles because of a lower intake of amino acids that generate blood cells; and the risk of bones fracturing because of less calcium in the diet.

    All the required elements can be obtained from sources that fit a vegan diet or from supplements, Dr Phillips said. For example, two good vegan-friendly sources of amino acids can be combined to be more effective - a peanut butter sandwich does this job particularly well.

    But, Dr Phillips said, it was crucial to seek a dietician's advice if you were a vegan looking to take part in sports that involve extreme physical endurance.

    "Another issue is the sheer quantity you would need to eat," she added, an issue especially pertinent on Everest, where every kilogram counts as kits are carried up the side of a mountain. "Lots of animal-based foods are more densely-packed with energy, protein, vitamins and minerals.

    "Because there's so much fibre in a vegan diet, you would be spending much more time eating. Look at the Tour de France - the time cyclists have to take in more minerals is minimal."

    There is one big advantage vegans have over their meat-eating counterparts, though - and that is their lack of bulk. "Vegans tend to be a lot leaner," Dr Phillips said. "They carry much less body fat."

  25. #22
    Quote Originally Posted by Zippyjuan View Post
    "Among the possible consequences of a poor vegan diet, she said, would be increased fatigue due to lower iron levels; weaker muscles because of a lower intake of amino acids that generate blood cells; and the risk of bones fracturing because of less calcium in the diet."
    That's it right there, are these vegans on a healthy vegan diet, or a poor vegan diet. As that thread I posted about that ex-vegan girl who blames her health problems on her vegan diet, she was eating a poor vegan diet. The blame was all on her.

  26. #23
    Veganism didn't kill her; being an ornery vegan with something to prove vis–à–vis veganism killed her. That said, her diet was a non-factor in the physicality of the mission; it looks like she was a very accomplished climber.
    ROLL TIDE ROLL!!!
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

  27. #24
    Quote Originally Posted by farreri View Post
    Looks pretty obvious this article was posted because I bumped a thread showing low fat diets don't cause obesity that featured a girl who happens to be vegan. If so, pretty childish. If not, what's the moral of the story, even vegans can die trying to scale Mt. Everest? Two others in the group also died on that climb.
    The other two were probably vegans too , LOL



  28. Remove this section of ads by registering.
  29. #25
    Three deaths in three different groups of climbers (and two others missing presumed to be dead). The vegan woman's husband also got altitude sickness but did not die.

    An Indian climber has died on Mount Everest, becoming the third fatality in as many days on the mountain.

    Subhash Paul died on Sunday after reaching the summit a day before, as Sherpa guides were helping him descend.

    A Dutch man and an Australian woman both died earlier in the weekend as a result of altitude sickness.

    Some 30 climbers have suffered frostbite or become seriously ill on Everest in recent days, as the spring climbing season comes to a close.

    Two other Indian climbers who had been with Mr Paul have also been reported missing in the so-called "death zone" near the summit.

  30. #26
    Quote Originally Posted by Zippyjuan View Post
    Given that 70,000 to 100,000 go up it every year, I am sure other vegans have done it at some point.
    A couple hundred or so make it to the top. Still enough to make Everest one big garbage dump. Which has one advantage, it's slowly growing the mountain.

    I don't know what makes Everest less appealing, the fact that the mountain is filled with trash or the fact you'll encounter a whole bunch of dead bodies on your way up there.... http://imgur.com/gallery/4UJj0 (NSFW)
    "I am a bird"

  31. #27
    She's no Gary Johnson that's for sure
    It's all about taking action and not being lazy. So you do the work, whether it's fitness or whatever. It's about getting up, motivating yourself and just doing it.
    - Kim Kardashian

    Donald Trump / Crenshaw 2024!!!!

    My pronouns are he/him/his

  32. #28
    There ARE several other much cheaper and much easier ways to commit suicide.

  33. #29
    this is why you should always carry a cheeseburger with you when you climb a mountain...

  34. #30
    Quote Originally Posted by Zippyjuan View Post
    Diet isn't why she died from altitude sickness. "Vegan" was irrelevant.

    Springs have dried up due to warmer temperatures and changing precipitation patterns. In this way, the pollution is a "climate change stressor," he said, worsening the effects of global warming.
    Ah, so she died because of global warming.
    "Foreign aid is taking money from the poor people of a rich country, and giving it to the rich people of a poor country." - Ron Paul
    "Beware the Military-Industrial-Financial-Pharma-Corporate-Internet-Media-Government Complex." - B4L update of General Dwight D. Eisenhower
    "Debt is the drug, Wall St. Banksters are the dealers, and politicians are the addicts." - B4L
    "Totally free immigration? I've never taken that position. I believe in national sovereignty." - Ron Paul

    Proponent of real science.
    The views and opinions expressed here are solely my own, and do not represent this forum or any other entities or persons.

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast


Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •