Chapter 388: Sneeze: It’s really not me
"OK, come quickly, no problem."
After sliding successfully to the other side, Bifang waved to his companions behind him.
"MY GOD." Jarrett came to the edge of the crack, and as soon as he looked down, his legs went weak and he began to make the sign of the cross with his hands in front of his chest.
"Come on, don't be afraid. Look, the rope is nailed very firmly and there is a safety rope. Even if you lose your grip you will not fall as long as you follow the correct movements." Bifang grabbed the long rope and shook it continuously, but the long nails on the ground did not move.
During every climbing season, the Sherpas repair the roads on the glacier, set up ladders, drill holes in the glacier, hammer in nails as long as forearms, and tie long ropes to make it easier for climbers to pass. This is their source of income and also their job. Almost every year, people die because of this.
Here, the Sherpas have become almost expendable.
Jarrett tremblingly tied the safety rope around his body, staring at the bottomless abyss. He felt his brain becoming more oxygen-deprived. He grabbed the ascender, and Yao Jun, who was standing behind him, saw it and simply pushed it.
"ah!!!"
"Alright, alright, you've already arrived, stop shouting, it would be really troublesome if there was an avalanche."
"Ah, uh, huh?" Jarrett opened his eyes blankly and stepped on the solid ice, which seemed very unreal.
Looking at the glacier behind him, Jarrett suddenly felt proud. The Khumbu Glacier, it's just like that, just close your eyes and open them, and it will be across, right?
When all the people behind him came over one after another, Rob breathed a sigh of relief and clapped his hands, saying, "Okay, this is the first glacier we have crossed. It's very simple, but there are hundreds and thousands more waiting for us behind! Don't let your guard down!"
Hundreds, thousands?
“…”
"Is there really no other way?" Jarrett ran over and grabbed Bifang's arm.
"Really not. Look here." Bifang pointed to the towering hanging glacier not far away and the faintly visible Nuptse Peak and the huge Mount Everest on both sides of the glacier. The thought of climbing these peaks made people feel quite stressed.
"These hanging glaciers, Nuptse and Everest are too close to us. The snow on them is very thick. The slightest vibration may cause them to collapse. So next time it's best not to scream. Try to hold it in as much as you can. It's very dangerous and will cause an avalanche."
Jarrett: “o(╥﹏╥)o”
[Jarett: I was stunned by what you said]
[The fake Khumbu Glacier, a huge crack that you can't see the bottom of. The real Khumbu Glacier, there are hundreds of them like this! ]
[I also thought that this was the crack in the Khumbu Glacier. I was curious why so many people died here. If so many people died, shouldn’t the crack have been filled up…]
【Glacier: I'm already filled】
【Ehh】
[That's not right. If the glacier moves every day, wouldn't the Sherpas have to come up every day to do maintenance? ]
"That's true in theory, but it's very difficult to do in practice, so many times climbers will encounter a situation where there is no road. At this time, we have to set up the ladder ourselves. Do you see my backpack?"
Bifang put down his backpack to show everyone, and they were shocked to find that there was a long telescopic ladder stuffed in the gap between the shoulder strap and the bag. Not only did the whole bag look stiff and stiff, it was also particularly straight!
"This is a telescopic ladder. When folded, it is only one meter long, but when unfolded, it is actually four meters long. Once we encounter a place where there is no road, we need to put up the ladder and then go over. Because it is not fixed, this is a really dangerous place."
"Mount Everest has very, very high requirements for equipment. Even aerospace-grade materials are used in many places. For example, for this ordinary climbing ladder, we must first ensure that the materials can work at extremely low temperatures. Many steels will become brittle at low temperatures. For example, Q345E can only withstand impacts of minus 40 degrees Celsius. If it is lower, it will become brittle and cannot be used. The lowest temperature on Mount Everest can be close to minus 50 degrees Celsius! Therefore, we must choose aluminum that is more resistant to low temperatures."
Bifang took a breath and continued, "Second, we need to reduce the weight while ensuring the structural strength as much as possible. So titanium cannot be chosen. Titanium is twice as heavy as aluminum. The specific strength of aluminum is already high enough. Third, the structural design. The more complex the design, the easier it is to break. Even a telescopic design can become a fatal factor in the environment of Mount Everest. Therefore, the design of the connection must be as simple as possible."
In addition to tickets, equipment is also one of the big expenses.
Just a bottle of oxygen, plus the high-altitude shipping fee, can cost as much as 500 yuan.
Many people's monthly salary is not enough to even breathe a breath of oxygen on Mount Everest.
Then there are down jackets, which have a windproof and waterproof outer layer, and need to remain soft even in severe cold, and be as light as possible.
The zipper needs to be designed with full-pressure tape and waterproof strips to ensure that it can be opened and closed smoothly even when wearing thick gloves; it must be filled with duck or goose down, and the filling volume must be at least 90% to cope with the low temperature of -30+℃ in strong winds.
"There are also mountaineering boots designed specifically for altitudes above 8,000 meters. The pair I'm wearing weighs 1,413 grams... Running shoes are generally 300 grams, and most ordinary outdoor mountaineering shoes are only 500 to 800 grams. Climbing snowy mountains is very dangerous for frostbite. Many climbers are forced to have their limbs amputated after coming down the mountain because their limbs have been frozen to death. The warmth of the shoes is very important. My pair is more like a set of shoes and boots than a pair of shoes. It has an outer boot, an inner boot, a leg cover, an insole, and an outermost outsole. This makes it completely unable to bend like ordinary shoes, and my feet and calves feel like they are firmly trapped."
Bifang lifted up his trouser legs and showed his thick boots to everyone.
It is simply a huge thickened version of snow boots, connected as a whole, and looks very inflexible.
There is no way around it, you have to make necessary sacrifices for warmth.
In his previous life, Master De had to undergo amputation because his toes became necrotic due to inadequate warming measures during a survival trip in an extremely cold region. Bifang's eyelids were twitching as he watched his toes become extremely swollen from the cold.
"Frostbite is cold at first, and when the tissues gradually freeze to death, you will feel pain and tingling, because your tissue fluid is freezing, and the blood turns into ice crystals that pierce the cell membranes and explode the entire cell. This is an irreversible process. Even if you recover, the cells will not be able to regain their vitality. However, it is still recoverable because your cells will continue to reproduce. However, when the degree of necrosis is too high, to the point where even the nerves are damaged, amputation is necessary. Your toe is completely irreversible at this point. It is just a piece of frozen meat attached to your body. When you return to a warm place, it will become a piece of rotten meat. If it is not removed, your entire right leg and even your life will be threatened."
Yao Jun was listening carefully at the side, but as he was listening, he felt a chill on his toes. He looked down and fortunately his toes were still there.
Asshole, that's an amputation, could you please not make it sound so lightly?
"However, there is no road longer than your feet, and no mountain higher than you. Unless you are at high altitudes or at the North and South Poles, wearing these under normal conditions can really suffocate a person to death."
Bifang smiled and stepped over a small crack. The crack was only half a meter wide and looked like it had just appeared. It was still very small. Perhaps in ten years, it would grow into a big glacier.
[I was told how much these equipments cost, which made me give up]
[I found the same one on Amazon... $6,000...]
[Less than 40,000. Hmm, much cheaper than I thought.]
【The boss appears! 】
【Send the express under Big Ben, place it on top and send it from below. 】
[I learned something new. I discovered one of Fang Shen’s hidden professions: material mechanics! Take a note in your notebook. Astrologer, zoologist… add a materials scientist.]
[So what else is there that Fang doesn’t know? Tell me all of it at once, so that I can cut my butt with a knife and open my eyes.]
Bifang smiled and said, "Yes, there are many things I don't know, such as why ice is so slippery."
Why is ice so slippery?
Fang Shen doesn’t know?
Question marks appeared on the audience's faces, are you kidding?
Tony thought this was a very simple question, because it was ice, so it was slippery. But when it came out of Fang Shen's mouth, it didn't seem that simple. Tony raised his head and looked at his friend Peter, whom he hadn't seen for a long time.
"Peter, why is the ice so slippery?"
Peter bit the tip of his pen and didn't hear what Tony said at all. Ever since Fang Shen encouraged him last time, his mind had been wandering. He had been doing outdoor research and didn't even watch Fang Shen's live broadcast.
We even specially set up a migratory bird website. Although it doesn't have much traffic at present, it is indeed a good start. We have also contacted the migratory bird protection organization and keep it updated.
This year it is almost time for the migratory birds to return, and a large number of them are already on their way.
Eh, I wonder if it will go more smoothly this time. Those damn poachers should have been wiped out long ago.
"Peter? Peter!"
"Uh, huh?" Tony called out several times, and Peter suddenly woke up and realized that his partner was talking to him.
"What's wrong?"
Tony held his forehead with his hand. "What's wrong with you recently? I remember you liked watching God Fang's live broadcast the most. You haven't been online to chase stars in the last two times. Something is wrong. It's very wrong. Are you in love? Is it Mary from Class 3, or Gwen next door? It can't be Mary, but she is too tea, you may not be able to beat her..."
Peter twitched his lips. What was going on? He and Mary were just having a friendly conversation. They were both goose lovers. There was no such intention.
By the way, there is another photo album I want to give her. I would have forgotten about it if Tony hadn’t mentioned it. I will give it to Mary after Tony leaves in the evening. She seems to have a cold and it should be inconvenient for her to go out. She really should drink more hot water.
"Hey? Why are you daydreaming again?" Tony waved his hand in front of Peter's eyes.
"Um, okay, what is it?"
"Why is ice so slippery?" Peter bit his finger and hesitated for a while, "Because it is ice?"
"fool!"
[Because this thing is an unsolved mystery in the world! ]
[? Is this true or not? This thing is an unsolved mystery? ]
【Isn't it because the surface is smooth? 】
Bifang laughed, but the next moment he choked and coughed twice.
Shit, I was starting to feel short of oxygen too.
"Those who are interested in this question can search it online, but it is indeed an unsolved mystery. Ice is slippery because there is a layer of water film on it, which acts as a lubricant. Moreover, the water film will exist no matter how low the temperature is, but the molecular structure is not that of ordinary water. As for why, the scientific community still does not know."
"When walking on a broken glacier and encountering an ice crack that needs to be crossed, try to put the front end of the mountaineering boot on the edge of the crack, see the edge of the other side of the crack clearly, and step over it with big strides without hesitation. It is best to string everyone together with a rope, so that if someone accidentally falls into the ice crack, he can be pulled up without any danger. However, this requires everyone in the team to have a high degree of execution, otherwise there may be a situation where one person leads many people, and then no matter how hard you try, you can't pull them up."
They walked for more than half an hour, and the group kept crossing cracks of varying sizes.
All the audience in the live broadcast room were terrified, especially as various types of glaciers appeared further on.
Not all glaciers can be easily crossed with a rope. Bifang is climbing up the mountain, not descending. This type of glacier is only a very small part. Most of the glaciers are high in the front and low in the back, and it is impossible to cross them by rope descent. You need to pull the rope to go up, like climbing up the giant's steps.
There are cracks underneath, which makes it even more dangerous. Tie two ladders together, and place them on both ends. People climb up from the bottom. You can only hope that your teammates are reliable enough to hold you steady.
When encountering this situation, Bifang is always the first to go up, which is the most dangerous because you don’t know whether the ropes binding the ladder are loose. Once Bifang goes up, you can conduct a secondary inspection and reinforcement.
"My life is in your hands. Hold me up."
"Don't worry." Yao Jun made an OK gesture, "I won't lean on the wall even if I pee three feet into the wind, I'll lean on you!"
Bifang cursed with a smile and put his backpack on the ground.
"When climbing a ladder, it is best to go up light so that your center of gravity is more stable. Once you are up, use a rope to pull the bag up. This may be more troublesome, but it is safer."
I thought it was too light, and the ladder was made of two ladders tied together. In the cold wind, the whole ladder seemed a little shaky and kept shaking.
When Bifang stepped on it and came to the top of the abyss, the drone also came above his head.
At an altitude of nearly 6,000 meters and with the cold wind, even the drone was already shaky, and the shaking of the camera intensified the tension and terror of the entire operation.
On the shaking long ladder, Bifang walked alone above the abyss, above the earth, under the sky, and moved towards the snow-capped mountains.
Suddenly, Yao Jun sneezed violently and the ladder shook violently.
Bifang immediately held the ladder tightly. Yao Jun also knew that he was in trouble, so he hurried to hold the ladder. However, before the ladder was stable, Yao Jun opened his mouth and made a hoarse sound unconsciously.
There were some strange sounds mixed in with the howling cold wind.
Bifang held the ladder tightly and looked around. He sensed danger and his back felt cold. The ladder under him began to tremble, not because of the wind, but because of vibration!
The shaking gradually intensified, and the newly fallen snow slid on the ice surface. Everyone noticed the abnormality and looked around nervously.
"Avalanche! Rob! It's an avalanche!"
Bifang pointed at the top of the snow-capped peak and roared.
