Dear MountainZone:

I am sadly disappointed in not seeing any tribute of any kind to Alex Lowe or Dave Bridges on the anniversary of their tragic passing last year during their summit attempt on Shishapangma. I would have expected more from such a diverse site showing the world of climbing and other wonderful adventures in nature. Although the heartfelt letters from those that were touched by the loss of these two great and honorable men during the months following the tragedy are still available to read, I would have expected more from such a venue.

I would greatly appreciate some type of tribute to be made since these were men of conviction and honor. This is the least we can do for their memories and to convey our thoughts and continuing sympathy to the family and loved ones of Alex and Dave. They left behind a memory of greatness for those who venture among these wondrous mountains and continue to do what Alex and Dave loved most. It is in their memory that we should honor their love to these wild places.

You should have known the climbing world is remembering them today and always.

Sincerely,
Kristin S. Neustein

Editor's Note: We did consider doing a tribute on the anniversary. However, in cases like this, we always need to consider the feelings of family and close friends, so we consulted with them. They expressed a desire that the first anniversary be kept quiet, with no media attention, as it represents a very fresh and painful reminder of the loss they experienced.

In keeping with their wishes, we have done so. We will be doing a tribute in the near future, at a time not linked with such tragic memories.

Consider the Future in Climbing (October 03, 2000)

Dear Editor,

I love nothing more than high adventure, especially in remote places. I enjoy reading the stories of those who have climbed the world's biggest mountains. From their struggles of survival to their push for the summit to their victories. Unfortunately, I haven't read in any of their accomplishments concerning what efforts were taken to clean the mountain of their gear.

Sure it is hard enough to reach the summit or bivy in a snow cave, and when the storm calms or a climber regains his strength the first given thought is to escape the mountain — only to leave behind any gear that cannot be carried or is no longer of importance. Big mountains like Everest, K2, Annapurna, Cho Oyu (please read "Cho Oyu-stolen tents", Mountainzone dispatch October 2nd, 2000), Denali, etc. the ones that are a large contributor to the glacier population now become infected by human feces, rusting oxygen cartridges, fixed lines, ice screws, fuel cartridges, stoves, tents, etc. The most important part of the expedition has been forgotten. Why have you come to the mountains? To climb them or destroy them? To infect the perfect waters that provide for the world?

Sure, these happenings might not be within our lifetime but I have taught my children how to enjoy the wonderful natures of the Earth. One day, they may drink the water that has been infected by 20th century expeditions.

I strongly feel there are only a handful of true mountaineers in the world. Those that leave with everything they brought to the mountain. If we can hire porters to carry our loads in, then, why can we not hire porters to carry loads out? I truly pray that we are headed in this direction.

Think of how many people will be diseased one day, by the Earth's water source if we continue to allow this to happen. If you cannot handle properly placing a bowel movement at 20,000 feet than you probably shouldn't be there. If you cannot carry down the oxygen tank you carried up to a summit than you probably should never have summited. This is not a complicated matter. Only one that should be given strong consideration. For the cleanliness of our heritage.

James Fleming

Editor's Note: Thank you for your concern regarding the disposition of refuse and human waste on expeditions. We are concerned about it as well. All of the expeditions we work with make it a primary concern to leave a mountain cleaner than they found it. For example, check out these dispatches on Cho Oyu:
Considerate ABC placement
Packing Everything Out
Dan Mazur and Jon Otto, the leaders of the trip, make it their mission on their expeditions to minimize any human environmental impact. Thanks again for your vigilance. We and the Earth appreciate it.

Crocodile Trophy (September 13, 2000)

Dear Editor,

Thank you for your coverage of the Crocodile Trophy race. Our daughter was a competitor the race and we checked out your site everyday to get up to date information. It was terrific!

I must say our thoughts and prayers were with all the competitors, but especially Carrie, for their safety. The pictures of the blood and the descriptions of heat exhaustion provided concern but all is well that ends well and all who finished deserve our admiration. We admire you all! Clarkson and Martha Edwards [parents] and her brother and three sisters.

Clark Edwards

Dear Quokka (September 12, 2000)

I just wanted to voice my unhappiness about Quokka since it has taken over MountainZone.com. MountainZone has just not been the same, although the members of MyMountainZone were promised the same, if not better quality. I've been a regular visitor to MountainZone for years, I've bought hundreds of dollars worth of gear through GearZone, bought/bid on many items at Auction.... and I've been a loyal forum subscriber. Unsuccessfully I've tried to get a correspondence between Quokka and the MyMountainZone members - but Quokka has been unreceptive. Even ZoneAdmins that had very much been a part of MountainZone forums haven't been heard from of late. Right there tells you what went wrong with MountainZone. It's gone from a close family feeling, someone is there to listen atmosphere to this void where no one is home, just another site on the ever growing web.

This is actually a letter to Quokka, through MountainZone since Quokka is a gaping maw and I can't seem to get a lock on someone to send an email, letting them know that I will NOT be visiting Quokka, and that MountainZone has lost a loyal consumer from years past. And you know why? All because Quokka has no understanding of what they destroyed. And this, I assure you speaks for many more than just myself.

Anonymous

K2 Praise (September 4, 2000)

Thank you for doing such an incredible job of keeping us updated on the K2 expedition. I was impressed with how easy it was to get to the information I needed. As of now, my coach and close friend, Marty Schmidt, is attempting for the K2 summit; however, their summit date has been delayed multiple times. As I was reading the recent editorial notes, I was ashamed to see that someone would say " the members of the K2 Expedition sound like a bunch of spoiled rich brats."

These guys are up there doing everything they can to get to the top, still people have the audacity to criticize their devotion to reach that summit. Most of the climbers who are criticizing the Mexican team wouldn't even have the courage to sign up for this amazing high-altitude climbing expedition. I think that the MountainZone group did an amazing job of providing an unbiased article on the facts from over 6000 meters. I just wish people could see how hard these climbers are working to complete their attempt, making it a historical climb that will be remembered in the books. How many of these climbers who write in could say the same?

Mallory
Texas