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Scaling Everest
Aired May 29, 2003 - 13:18 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: One hundred and seventy-five people have died trying to reach the summit of Mt. Everest. We're joined now by our guest who is -- where is our guest, by the way? Who is in Katmandu. And how's the party going there? Are you there?
PETER HABELER, MOUNTAINEER: Yes, I am.
O'BRIEN: Are you in the midst of a celebration?
HABELER: Well, I guess, I am, yes, yes. You know, many other mountaineers, everybody from -- coming back from the summit of Mt. Everest.
O'BRIEN: So, Peter, you actually, Peter Habeler, scaled Mt. Everest 29, 000 feet...
HABELER: Would you say what you want? I need questions. I need questions, you know?
O'BRIEN: I'm asking you a question right now. The question is, whatever motivated you to go to the top of Mt. Everest without oxygen?
HABELER: Well, you see, in campaigns -- this was 25 years ago, we were trying to climb the highest point on Earth without machines, without the technique, which was very important. We did not want to use a machine between us, our bodies, and the mountain. So we were just going, more or less, naked, to this highest point on Earth. And what happens now, everybody using machines. Everybody using ropes, lines, everybody using oxygen. And this is not the real adventure. Actually, it's nothing, you know?
O'BRIEN: It's nothing. I suppose some of the people who have tried and failed might disagree with you a little bit, and might say it would be foolhardy to go up there without the help of some equipment.
HABELER: No, we are not talking about help of equipment, we talk about the help of Sherpas, we talk about the help of -- you know, other means, but once again, what's happening on Everest now is not real, this is a fake, you know, because people go up, and they have Sherpas along, in front of them, and behind them, and they use all these -- the technique -- I mean, it's like flying to the moon by yourself. If you are a pilot, you cannot do much, you know, you steer from Houston, Texas or whatever, I don't know.
But the main important thing is climbing, and climbing mountains, and climbing Everest, is a fight -- maybe not a fight, it's testing yourself against nature, and this adventurous type of thinking, I think, should be -- should survive. What happens on Everest, only on Everest. You don't talk about all these other 8,000 peaks. It's not real. It's not real, because, you know, nobody wants to do this by himself, he wants help. And this is -- I think, I think, you know, truly spoken. It's not -- this is not adventure. It takes nothing to do with adventure.
O'BRIEN: Quickly, your thoughts on Hillary and Norgay's (ph) accomplishment 50 years ago today.
HABELER: Well, that's a huge thing, you know? I mean, it was a really, really great thing in 1956 to climb Everest, and Hillary -- also of course his partner, they used some oxygen, OK. But then of course being able to train harder, being able to have better equipment -- I'm not talking about technical equipment. Maybe it's possible to go up to the highest point, and, I think, a real climb on Everest can only be done without using -- once again, I repeat myself -- the machines.
O'BRIEN: Peter Habeler, who summitted 20-some odd years ago Mount Everest without the aid of oxygen. Thank you very much for taking time from the celebration there spend a few moments with us here on CNN LIVE FROM. And enjoy the party.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired May 29, 2003 - 13:18 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: One hundred and seventy-five people have died trying to reach the summit of Mt. Everest. We're joined now by our guest who is -- where is our guest, by the way? Who is in Katmandu. And how's the party going there? Are you there?
PETER HABELER, MOUNTAINEER: Yes, I am.
O'BRIEN: Are you in the midst of a celebration?
HABELER: Well, I guess, I am, yes, yes. You know, many other mountaineers, everybody from -- coming back from the summit of Mt. Everest.
O'BRIEN: So, Peter, you actually, Peter Habeler, scaled Mt. Everest 29, 000 feet...
HABELER: Would you say what you want? I need questions. I need questions, you know?
O'BRIEN: I'm asking you a question right now. The question is, whatever motivated you to go to the top of Mt. Everest without oxygen?
HABELER: Well, you see, in campaigns -- this was 25 years ago, we were trying to climb the highest point on Earth without machines, without the technique, which was very important. We did not want to use a machine between us, our bodies, and the mountain. So we were just going, more or less, naked, to this highest point on Earth. And what happens now, everybody using machines. Everybody using ropes, lines, everybody using oxygen. And this is not the real adventure. Actually, it's nothing, you know?
O'BRIEN: It's nothing. I suppose some of the people who have tried and failed might disagree with you a little bit, and might say it would be foolhardy to go up there without the help of some equipment.
HABELER: No, we are not talking about help of equipment, we talk about the help of Sherpas, we talk about the help of -- you know, other means, but once again, what's happening on Everest now is not real, this is a fake, you know, because people go up, and they have Sherpas along, in front of them, and behind them, and they use all these -- the technique -- I mean, it's like flying to the moon by yourself. If you are a pilot, you cannot do much, you know, you steer from Houston, Texas or whatever, I don't know.
But the main important thing is climbing, and climbing mountains, and climbing Everest, is a fight -- maybe not a fight, it's testing yourself against nature, and this adventurous type of thinking, I think, should be -- should survive. What happens on Everest, only on Everest. You don't talk about all these other 8,000 peaks. It's not real. It's not real, because, you know, nobody wants to do this by himself, he wants help. And this is -- I think, I think, you know, truly spoken. It's not -- this is not adventure. It takes nothing to do with adventure.
O'BRIEN: Quickly, your thoughts on Hillary and Norgay's (ph) accomplishment 50 years ago today.
HABELER: Well, that's a huge thing, you know? I mean, it was a really, really great thing in 1956 to climb Everest, and Hillary -- also of course his partner, they used some oxygen, OK. But then of course being able to train harder, being able to have better equipment -- I'm not talking about technical equipment. Maybe it's possible to go up to the highest point, and, I think, a real climb on Everest can only be done without using -- once again, I repeat myself -- the machines.
O'BRIEN: Peter Habeler, who summitted 20-some odd years ago Mount Everest without the aid of oxygen. Thank you very much for taking time from the celebration there spend a few moments with us here on CNN LIVE FROM. And enjoy the party.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
