TikTok Trend Results in 28 Ambulance Calls at UMass

Quote of the Week:

“I can believe anything, provided that it is quite incredible.” —Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray

Fact of the Week:

If you’ve ever thought about jetting over to Nepal for the weekend and climbing Mount Everest, just know you’ll have to book your stay for a few extra nights. Or weeks for that matter. In fact, it takes about two months (and an average of $50,000) to climb Everest.

Okay, most people aren’t quite so clueless to think they can just skedaddle up Everest on a whim, but the amount of time it actually takes is surprising. Before ever getting to the mountain a climber trains for years. Once they’re ready, they fly to Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, before taking a much smaller plane to the town of Lukla. This flight is actually rated as the world’s scariest landing by Airline Ratings. The single runway has an 11.7% gradient and is located at the edge of the cliff. Any go-around due to a short final is prevented because of the steep mountains.

Once in Lukla, it’s an initial 8-14 days to get up to base camp (17,500 feet). From there to the 29,029-foot peak is another 40 days. The reason the process is so slow is because the climber must acclimate his body to the high altitude. The last camp, Camp 4, is at 26,000, just under the “Zone of Death,” as it’s known. The hike to the summit takes between eight and ten hours, with the return to Camp 4 taking about half that time. It’s the return that’s often most deadly.

At least 310 people (an average of 4.5 per year) have died on Everest since the mountain was first summited in 1953. Many of those deaths came after summiting, with several hikers dying just yards from their tents at Camp 4, unable to see because of poor visibility. A hiker is often exhausted on their descent, and the weather, which may have looked nice when they set out, can turn in an instant. Over 200 of these dead hikers’ bodies still remain scattered across the mountain. A few have been recovered, although other hikers have died during the recovery process. Perhaps most famous of the frozen corpses is Green Boots, an unidentified hiker (popularly believed to be Indian climber, Tsewang Paljor, who died in 1998) whose prominent green boots stick out of the snow near a cave entrance. Every party on the north side passed Green Boots until the body was moved to a less conspicuous location in 2014.

Climber News contributed to this article.

News Update:

Via Insider; Credit: Screenshot/TikTok - @kettlebellkel

TikTok trends tend to be dangerous. We all remember the Kylie Jenner lip challenge, which resulted in long-term nerve damage for many participants. Then there was the lesser-known blackout challenge, in which people would choke themselves until they passed out. They would keep the camera rolling until they woke up—if they ever did. And then, of course, came the Tide Pod challenge, which involved ingesting a Tide Pod, something that resulted in numerous deaths.

After the weekend UMass had, we can add a new TikTok trend to the list.

On Saturday, 28 ambulances were summoned to off-campus parties because of alcohol poisoning. This came after students began drinking from “blackout rage gallons,” or “BORGs," as they’re known. This TikTok trend involves people consuming a mixture of alcohol, electrolytes, flavoring, and water out of jugs.

ABC News reported that “There were so many calls for ambulances for student alcohol intoxication that neighboring agencies stepped in to help, officials said. The Amherst Fire Department said none of the cases were life-threatening.”

“In a statement, the university said the weekend's events will be assessed and steps taken to improve alcohol education. Incoming students already learn about physiological and medical risks of binge drinking.”

Perhaps, too, this explosion of over-drinking comes because of “Blarney Blowout,” an annual, unsanctioned event related to upcoming St. Patrick's Day. The combination of a TikTok trend centered around drinking and a holiday centered around drinking creates an inevitable outcome. Remove the TikTok aspect and the weekend might be one of fun rather than one spent in the hospital.

ABC News contributed to this article.

Sports Update:

Via The Detroit News. Credit: Young Kwak AP

Last week, we told you about Antoine Davis, the fifth-year guard who was 25 points away from tying Pistol Pete’s record for the most points in Men’s NCAA basketball history. On Thursday, Davis came up just short.

His eighth-seeded Detroit Mercy played one-seed Youngstown State in the Horizon League Tournament quarterfinals and led by three with under four minutes to go. Youngstown State mounted a charge, however, and took a five-point lead late in the game. With 22 points, Davis had a three-pointer at the buzzer to tie the record. It hit the back iron.

It would seem this would be the end of Davis’ career, but there now seems a possibility of one more game—a game in the CBI Tournament. Critics are arguing Detroit Mercy should not play if they are to get a bid. It would seem too blatant an attempt at simply grabbing the record. Davis is a great player, and it’s not his fault that he had the three-point line and five years (an extra one because of Covid, resulting in 144 total games) versus Pete Maravich’s three years (and only 83 games). He made a valiant effort but came up short, so let it be.

But the CBI, who usually invites teams with winning records from mid-major conferences, has hinted they might invite Detroit Mercy (14-19), if only for media coverage. It’s also a pay-to-play tournament, meaning Detroit Mercy will need to fork over $27,500. The announcement will come on Thursday whether or not Detroit Mercy will join.

USA Today and Yahoo! contributed to this article.

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