r/whowouldwin • u/ThePriestofVaranasi • Jul 09 '25

Challenge Every human on Earth vanishes, except for one random person in the US. A button is placed on the summit of Mount Everest that can be pressed to undo this change. Can humanity be restored?

Every human on Earth vanishes without a trace, except for one random survivor: Ethan from the United States. Moments after the disappearance, a mysterious device materializes before him, displaying a message:
"Humanity can be restored. To activate revival, you must press the button housed at the highest point on Earth—the summit of Mount Everest."

Ethan essentially has as much of a prep time as he wants to gather all the essentials like food, water, weapons, vehicles and everything else that has been suddenly abandoned. He can raid supermarkets, libraries, military depots, and pharmacies for supplies. Ethan can still die of old age so this prep time isn't unlimited.

Now, Ethan faces an impossible gauntlet:
He must travel to Nepal and ascend to the summit of Mount Everest without dying.

Can Ethan survive long enough to reach the button and restore humanity?

1.5k Upvotes

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64

u/toolatealreadyfapped Jul 09 '25

Not just YouTube. Without a person keeping things active, you can expect basically ALL utilities like electricity, Internet, sewage to crap out within a week.

10

u/pj1843 Jul 09 '25

That's not the main issue really. You can go raid the local library to figure a lot of that out and get real good at reading user manuals.

The real issues arise when you realize your on a time limit because the fuel everywhere will degrade quite and will begin to ruin stuff.

Then once you get on the boat and start your journey your going to realize that there is no one to communicate weather patterns to you, so unless you picked a yacht with a Doppler radar your sailing blind and likely could just get dead in a squal or major storm.

Basically there is a lot that can and will go wrong with this without the infrastructure in place to support you.

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u/toolatealreadyfapped Jul 10 '25

All the books in the world can't replace months and years of experience that are typically required for a solo transoceanic trip. So yeah, you're on a time crunch, with A LOT more to do and learn and train and plan for than time allows.

And that's just to get to Nepal! We haven't even approached the issue of what to do once there. When is the last time, if EVER, someone handled a base to summit solo expedition?

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u/Throbbie-Williams Jul 13 '25 edited Jul 13 '25

You can do Africa to Europe in under 9 miles of sailing

North America to Russia in 2.5 miles.

Edit: with both of those examples you also don't have to have any navigation skills at all, you can see your destination at all times if you leave in daylight

Unless you start in Australia/new Zealand or on tiny islands like Vanuatu almost anyone would be able to cope with the sailing!

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u/CrabAppleBapple Jul 11 '25

You can go raid the local library to figure a lot of that out and get real good at reading user manuals.

Your local library has a book on trans Atlantic/Pacific solo voyages, extensive sea charts, extensive overland maps, extensive reading on how to prepare for that, how to prepare for a solo climb of Mt Everest. Books on mountain climbing to the skill level required to climb Mt. Everest? Books on the right meteorological conditions for your sea voyage? For the climb?

Anyone in the thread saying anything other than 'No, best bet is to hole up somewhere nice to wait out the rest of your days and leave the planet to all the other animals', is deluded.

3

u/pj1843 Jul 11 '25

Yeah, there is a very good chance your local library has all those things. Libraries be dope AF like that. That being said you are right, the humans best bet is to find a nice comfy house and do their best to live a nice comfortable apocalypse.

Honestly though if they actually wanted to achieve the goal, their best bet is to try and launch an ICBM at everest and hope to hit the button with a missile. Not sure that possible, but definitely a higher likelihood than trying to solo cross the Atlantic then scale everest alone with no training or real prep.

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u/CrabAppleBapple Jul 11 '25

Honestly though if they actually wanted to achieve the goal, their best bet is to try and launch an ICBM at everest and hope to hit the button with a missile. Not sure that possible, but definitely a higher likelihood than trying to solo cross the Atlantic then scale everest alone with no training or real prep.

Absolutely impossible I'm afraid. Even if they happen to work in a missile silo, it takes dozens of people to maintain, prepare for launch, target etc etc etc

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u/RocketDog2001 Jul 16 '25

How long could you be the last person on earth before you start getting visits from the Hatman?

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u/Throbbie-Williams Jul 13 '25

From Almost anywhere on earth that isn't australia/new Zealand you can get to Nepal with very little sailing.

2.5 miles if you start in North america, sub 9 miles from Africa, you can see your destination at all times so don't even need to think about navigation!

The only real challenge is ascending Everest, even this is easier than usual as he doesn't actually need to survive after pressing the button.

It's not a challenge I'd like to do but it's far from as insane as it sounds.

The mountain is the only real challenge

32

u/gripsousvrai Jul 09 '25

book. good friend. Good book for sailing.

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u/heyvlad Jul 09 '25

Went far before I saw someone say the obvious answer.

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u/cockmanderkeen Jul 09 '25

I'm not sure transpacific boating for dummies is going to cut it.

1

u/gripsousvrai Jul 10 '25

Atantic, mediterenane , red sea , india.

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u/JustARandomGuy_71 Jul 12 '25 edited Jul 12 '25

Would the Suez Canal be operable?

I think the Panama Canal use a system of locks, that would not work without someone to open and close them, and probably would not work at all. Is the same true for Suez?

1

u/gripsousvrai Jul 12 '25

but u dont care if i 's work or not, u trash ur boat and u take an other at the other side....

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u/RocketDog2001 Jul 16 '25

Suez is sea level.

2

u/Critical-Werewolf-53 Jul 09 '25

😂 solo across the pacific 😂

1

u/sharkMonstar ​ Jul 10 '25

might as well call it suicide for dummies

0

u/gripsousvrai Jul 10 '25 edited Jul 10 '25

Atantic, mediterenane , red sea , india.
Why downvote?
U prefer go across the pacific???
Seem really much easier my propo.

1

u/JustARandomGuy_71 Jul 12 '25

It depends on where he starts.

If he is near the East Coast the Atlantic is marginally better, but if he is, let's say in California... Panama would be closed, either go down to Cape Horn, or must take the Pacific Route.

OR, cross the whole country to reach the East Coast, I guess. I don't know which would be worse.

1

u/gripsousvrai Jul 12 '25

cross a land drivable with road everywhere car and gasoline?
And make a really simplier way on the ocean?
I know some sailing and cross atlantic and pacific isnt marginally different , cap horn is one of the worst place to be...
But yep maybe go down and go by panama for cross atlantic from bresil.
What u want is to make each step the most easy.

1

u/Nopants21 Jul 10 '25

No way do you find the right book to teach you through text on how to cross an ocean solo in the right boat (which you have to find), after finding the right supplies. All of this with no power grid, no internet, limited fuel. It's not even a sure thing that the person is located anywhere close to the coast. Most actual sailors today would not undertake this journey, but a lone person with a book is supposed too?

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u/gripsousvrai Jul 10 '25

i m responding to someone saying you tube down.
Same now i will say book better then internet.
Limited fuel if u are alone on earth????
Nope .

I m from coast , i m not saying will be easy.
Just step one go to book .
Because hey where better will u find?????
Map book are really priceless same now...
Not with just one book u will make it .
But anyway cross the atlantic with a good boat is nt so hard.
If u have no tempest.
And luck.
But after u have the himalaya ;) have fun for restart human;)

0

u/Hannizio Jul 09 '25

You maybe could learn how to sail a boat over the English channel, but learning how to navigate the pacific and doing a multi week travel without gps or similar, is a whole different story. Even for an experienced solo sailer it would be a difficult challenge

3

u/gripsousvrai Jul 10 '25

Atantic, mediterenane , red sea , india.
Pacific too hard.
Atlantic at the good period of the year increase *10 ur luck.
And u can just read it.
But at least book and map are physically able.

1

u/Normal_Ad_2337 Jul 10 '25

The sewage will crap out., but Ethan will keep the crap going.

1

u/Hoskuld Jul 10 '25

Which kills off the everest attempt as well. Good luck getting up there without modern weather services telling you when a good window will be

2

u/toolatealreadyfapped Jul 10 '25

The more this guy researches in what needs to be done, the more likely he's going to accept the fate of humanity and just try to enjoy the time remaining.