Chris Warner chat wrap

Chris Warner, 36, reached the summit of Mount Everest on Wednesday, May 23 with the Himalayan Experience Everest Expedition. The Oella resident, who owns and operates Earth Treks Climbing Center in Columbia, is one of four guides on a 34-person team. Chris has climbed several of the highest and most challenging peaks in North America, South America, Europe, New Zealand, Nepal, Tibet and India. Some of his conquests include Cho Oyu, Ama Dablam, Shivling, Mt. Blanc, Matterhorn and Mt. Baker.

• Read last June's chat with Warner

Mount Everest coverage

SunSpot: Chris Warner will be joining us at noon from Base Camp on Mount Everest at 17,200 feet.

SunSpot: Hi Chris. We're grateful you could join us. We have a ton of questions so we'll get started. Sun reporter Candy Thomson is here and she has some questions for you as well.

Candy, Baltimore Sun: With the traffic jams at the summit, the number of sick people and the overnight bivouac, did you ever flash back and think, "this is 'Into Thin Air' all over again?"

Chris Warner: You know, I guess in some ways it was. Obviously not the same details and stuff there was so much potential for people dying that day. It was just insane. I didn't climb Everest, I guided Everest that day, it was about working your ass off to help people stay alive. I'm not the optimist I was when I left home.

SunSpot: How obligated are you to help other people?

Chris Warner:Obviously, my No. 1 responsibility was my clients. That was a real big problem with the Spanish guy. People were on the radio telling me to forget about him because he wasn't our responsibility. But I felt, given all the variables in that situation, I had leftover energy to deal with him and that's what I did.

Christian, Baltimore: Did you meet the blind climber (Erik Weihenmayer), and was he an inspiration to others on Mount Everest?

Chris Warner:When I got to the summit there were 37 wackos on top. I hate talking about Everest right now, I'm not making it sound romantic. Imagine being on an escalator at Camden Yards, seeing someone you know and yelling at top of your lungs that person's name and it's not the person you think it is. ... On the summit, everyone does a presentation like a high school talent contest with banners and flags.

Joyce, Oella: What is it like to keep missing your wife on the phone?

Chris Warner: Tell her I'm crying at the moment.

Matt, Columbia: Please tell us about the conditions of the camps. Have they been significantly cleaned up? Is Mount Everest, at 29,035 feet, still the world's highest garbage dump?

Chris Warner:That's a hard question to answer. Refer them to www.earthtreksclimbing.com. There are a lot of dead bodies. There's a dead Indian guy, American woman, a Polish guy and now a Russian guy.

Michael, Zurich, Switzerland: What about the rescue role of Eric Simonson's group for your expedition participants?

Chris Warner: Eric Simonson did a really good job trying to help us out from Base Camp. The guys on the mountain (from his team) are good human beings. Without their help, Andy and Jaime wouldn't have been able to get down alive. You can't go to the summit of Everest two days in a row. It's physically impossible to do. They were unbelievably generous human beings. If you are going to the grocery store, would you step over the body of someone having a heart attack? You just wouldn't do it, you would stop and help. That's what those guys did. In the end, having helped them, they walk away richer human beings for doing that than had they gone to the summit. The summit is a piece of snow.

Kathryn, Baltimore:Can you describe the fear you felt, what was it a fear of, and how did you control your fear to accomplish your goal?

Chris Warner: I don't think I ever had a moment of fear. When we first knew Jaime and Andy weren't coming down at night, I'd call it just sorrow. I was intensely sorrowful because I didn't think they would come down alive.

SunSpot: How did Andy and Jaime make it?

Chris Warner:From the beginning, the sacrifice of an extra oxygen bottle made a huge difference. ... These two guys were suffering from cerebral edema, they were basically blind, lost all their fine and gross motor skills. It came down to Andy's instincts. He instinctfully did all the right things, dug a hole, protected themselves from the weather and Andy held Jaime all night long like a baby. Andy is in pretty tough shape right now, frostbite on his feet, hands, nose. They had oxygen and each other. When the Americans got there, they did the right thing.

Kiara, Columbia: How does the top of Everest compare to the movies and books?

Chris Warner: It's really pretty in books and it's got a great soundtrack in a movie. It's really beautiful. The North Ridge is absolutely spectacular. It's a good quality long ridge.

Jack, Madison, N.J.: What were your thoughts when you found "your" spot on the summit and looked out on the world...was it clean and sunny?

Chris Warner: A bunch of factors were going on. I'm guiding, moving back and forth between groups. It was really busy, I wanted to have a moment to myself. I walked downhill from the summit, had my place of solitude, had some mementos and took some time to spread those out. It was nice to have that moment, but it ended pretty quickly. I knew we were a long way from being down. I ended my whole personal moment with this laminated picture of Greg, held it up, said take a good look around and help get us down safe.

Kate, Columbia:Did Marco get hurt snowboarding? Do you think he's crazy?

Chris Warner: Marco didn't get hurt, but boy he took some chances. That boy isn't crazy, he's just so far ahead of his peers, it's not even funny. Ten years from now, people would know how to do what Marco does. He was close to twice as fast as everyone else on the mountain. He blew past everybody.

Jeff, Baltimore:About how much does an experienced climber spend on expeditions, equipment, etc. on average in a given year? Do climbers get any help from corporate sponsors, like other athletes?

Chris Warner: It's my profession, so I'm paid to be here and luckily, I'm sponsored by a lot of different companies. But a normal climber, who would climb on an expedition like this, it would cost about $50,000. You'd have to hold a lot of bake sales. The people who buy a bargain trip, the chances of survival are much less.

Melissa, Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Hi Chris when are you coming home?

Chris Warner: First week in June. We're still in Tibet. Our yaks came down with the gear, we have to sort it. Nothing is quick here.

Bob, Columbia: Hi Chris and greetings from 600 students and staff at Wilde Lake Middle School. One burning student question is how could you cry at high altitudes. Don't tears freeze? Kids have loved your journal!!

Chris Warner: It depends on the rate of flow. If you are crying real hard it takes a while to freeze.

Marty, Houston: How much training would it require to get to Base Camp? I know you can practically drive there, so I'm guessing there's no physical challenge... Does the altitude still require a lot of training?

Chris Warner: You can drive to base camp on the North Side, but you better have a car in good shape.

Jon, Columbia: Congratulations, is this going to be a yearly trip or are you looking at other mountains that you haven't climbed yet?

Chris Warner: I'm definitely not going back to Everest next year. My idea of mountaineering is climbing in Earth Treks in Columbia.

Audrey, Columbia: Do you feel any better from you stomach virus/sickness?

Chris Warner: I did have a chest infection which I got over with antibiotics. Luckily I have no injuries or frostbite, but it's going to take a while to rebuild my body.

Joann, Glen Burnie: What was the worst thing that happened on this climb?

Chris Warner: The whole thing is so morbid. The worst thing I witnessed, I was totally shocked. I was standing at Camp 4, our guys were coming down. There was a moment where I wasn't torn apart emotionally. Then, all of a sudden, a body flies through the air, rolling down the cliff face. It was a Russian climber who had died and his body slipped off the rocks. It was unbelievable.

Steve, Salina, Kan.: What is the first luxury at home you look to use?

Chris Warner: I've had 3 showers in two months, so a shower. I know it's June, but heat would be wonderful.

Kiara, Columbia: My class is writing realistic fiction stories about your trip to Everest. About how many hours did you climb a day to reach the summit?

Chris Warner: On summit day we climbed between 2-4 hours.

Maurizio, Baltimore:When looking at the pictures it seems as though the Sherpas do most of the work. Are they paid the same as a non-native would for their very dangerous work or are you exploiting them by getting the cheapest labor possible to bring your equipment up the mountain? And how do the natives feel about the western ideal of "conquering" the mountain. It seems to me that they would have a great reverence toward Everest, and would never try to climb to the top for public recognition.

Chris Warner: There's a very extensive formula for paying Sherpas. On average, they make 20 times that national salary for two months of work. That's just cash, that doesn't include insurance, profit-sharing, equipment allowances. It's a very complex formula. They do very, very well. Climbing to the summit for these guys is unbelievable - this is a huge professional and personal opportunity for them.

John, Baltimore: What food do you want to eat?

Chris Warner: I lost 20 + pounds in three days, so anything that will make me fat.

Kaylee, Washington Crossing, Pa.: How long does it take to fly home and how many different flights?

Chris Warner: We'll leave on the 31st and won't get home for at least a week.

Brittany, Columbia:What items did you leave on the top of the world, if any?

Chris Warner: The gold encrusted, bejeweled Jubuliam cross came out first. A "pointer" belonging to Greg Pickering, a picture of a gym member's son's wedding, Buddhist prayer flags and a black pouch filled with a crystal from Mt. Kailas.

Joe, Baltimore:What is the weather like?

Chris Warner: It's not too bad at Base Camp, maybe 30s or something like that. Any precipitation is snow, that's for sure.

Jerry and Barbara, Reisterstown: Your reports have been so wonderful - you are going to write a book, aren't you? Can we play "extras" when you make a movie?

Chris Warner: We talked about that on the way down. At this point, no.

SunSpot: Thanks for your time Chris. We know it's about 10:30 p.m. there and you are still recovering.

Chris Warner: Thanks guys.