Baruntse post mortem: bad luck or bad decision-making? Im sorry if i came off as hurtful, and Im sure you do have empathy for other climbers, and try to help to the best of your ability in extreme circumstances. Marty (left) and Denali Schmidt during their new route on Denali in 2011. . Why did Harry's Mountain Heroes leave Everest early? The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. He held me up for nearly an hour, was on his own and seemed very nervous. In the event of a rescue the casualtys own team will be the first to help, but other teams will assist where appropriate. An espresso machine? A $300-million (minimum) gondola to Dodger Stadium? "A friend had told me before I left to be careful, and asked how I would feel picking up the chidren without fingers," she recalls. Deciding conditions were too unstable, all went back to base - except for the Schmidts, who decided to push on to Camp 3. If Reinhold Messner wasnt the first person to climb all the 8,000m peaks, who was? Part way up he met an exhausted Ukrainian, descending after completing a partial new route on the opposite side of the mountain. Toubkal and Ouanoukrim: a High Atlas winter wonderland, Bill Tilman: Nepal's very first trekking tourist. You also omitted the fact that the two climbed the peak with out the assistance of bottled oxygen (the benchmark style of accent, against which all others should be measured. What's the world's best mountain for cheating? This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Guide "Now, because of the commercial reality of the mountain, you come across so many people whose ability level is certainly low. Patrick, Id definitely recommend having a look at Dark Summit, its a good study on the question of leaving someone / helping someone. So the reason you dont help people on Everest is due to the fact that because of your self inflicted tiredness of reaching the summit driven by self desires,and it would be futile to help others, at the risk of your own life on the way down? All the best maybe our paths will cross again Neil. Maybe a few of the less experienced climbers who take on the big peaks dont know exactly what theyre letting themselves in for, but Im sure that the majority are under no illusion of whats required. The whole notion of comparing a drunk to a dying person is like saying, all drunks walking home and having trouble, will die on their journey home. What a box of mountaineering books tells me about our post-coronavirus future, Ojos del Salado and the Pua de Atacama: the videos, Cool Conversations: experience the mountains during lockdown by social distancing Kenton Cool-style, Revised edition of The Baruntse Adventure available from all good e-bookstores, An interview and audio excerpt from Feet and Wheels to Chimborazo, An audio excerpt from my book Seven Steps from Snowdon to Everest, What Im learning from Robert Macfarlanes reading group about Nan Shepherds The Living Mountain, Why the outdoor community should not ignore coronavirus restrictions, Kangchenjunga Base Camps Trek: the videos, Keep safe from coronavirus with namaste, the Nepali handshake, Introducing Wilderness Prime: a superb introduction to the Great Himalaya Trail, Much ado about yetis: Nepals latest tourism blunder, How the Duke of Cornwall stole a footpath and I rediscovered it, BREAKING NEWS: False alarm as climbers tracking device suggests he is trapped inside toilet tent, The true summit of Manaslu: a long-standing mystery solved, The tragedy of Armero: the 1985 eruption of Nevado del Ruiz, Los Nevados: exploring the volcanoes of Colombias Cordillera Central, How the Colombian pramo thwarted the Spanish conquistadors, The five days of Colombia's Cocuy Circuit trek on video, A return to the mountains of Colombia, with a volcanic twist, Climbing Cotopaxi: the most beautiful of all the colossal peaks of the Andes, Review: Touching the Void, on stage in London's West End, Climbing Tungurahua and entering the throat of fire, Paperback of Feet and Wheels to Chimborazo: the perfect gift to slip inside your Christmas stocking, Monte Amaro up the backside: a bittersweet ascent in the Apennines. Risks It would have been tempting to stop there and rest, but Hargreaves knew that to do so would only worsen her situation. Theres no shame in admitting when youve been guided all the great explorers valued local knowledge after all! If I see someone in trouble, I typically help, even if I dont like them personally. Wouldnt it be funny if when you reach the summit first thing you see is Starbucks. I was mentally exhausted because the North Ridge is basically one long rock scramble which demands concentration almost every single step of the way. She admits that climbing mountains like Everest is a selfish activity - "I've got an ego as big as Mount Everest," she says - but is quick to defend any suggestion that she is inconsiderate to her two children, Tom, aged six, and Kate, aged four. Thanks for posting the link J. Id not seen it before, but its a good discussion and one thats very relevant to this post and well worth reading for all armchair critics. The British Mountaineering Council (BMC) is the representative body that exists There are still relatively few deaths on Everest, and its usually possible to identify bodies on the route from year to year. We had good weather and frostbite wasnt a problem, but most Everest climbers also have to wrestle with extreme cold. Please dont use phrases like theme park attractions to describe bodies on Everest. We gave one of your team, Rainer, a lift back to Zhangmu. Here is a different point of view, from a pro with boat loads of climbing experience. Whetu Marama - Bright Star is the story of Sir Hekenukumai Ngaiwi Phuipi, Hek Busby, and his significance to Te Ao Maori, the Maori world, in rekindling their way-finding DNA and ancient navigation kaupapa - knowledge and lore, via an extraordinary . Unless you are trying to say that a person in need of help on Everest has brought their demise upon themselves doesnt need help, then I see no credible point to your analogy. This cookie is set by doubleclick.net. So it irked me that the commentary on the photo was not only disrespectful but also spreading misinformation. David Sharp (15 February 1972 - 15 May 2006) was an English mountaineer who died near the summit of Mount Everest. In 1994, New Zealand mountaineer, Mark Whetu, summitted Mt Everest with climbing partner and friend Mike Reinberger. The fatal game is a documentary about expedition that takes place in Everest and Cho Oyu. Four days of trekking joy. As of November 2022, 310 people have died while attempting to climb Mount Everest. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". I understand where youre coming from, especially if youre a paramedic. mark dicksons account sounded really tough for him. With no chance of reversing the long North Ridge in the dark, the two dug a snow hole 20 metres below the summit, the highest night out ever endured. We all have compassion and humanity. Is mountaineering in Nepal becoming too expensive? It is funny, but in another post you mention that you are a trekker with climbing ability. Sorry I dont have any information about Siad. There are other peaks to be climbed. i am not including those as sherpas/expedition guides all aiding those to fulfil their dream with their experience. Whetu lost most of both feet to frostbite. An engineer who runs. News as clarification(2 mins in). People line up like theyre circus attractions just to get a quick look at the carnage. Oh well, sometimes a happy thought must suffice. Woodward said Tigress Productions, filming on Everest for the Discovery Channel, had several staff on Everest, but Whetu was the only member of the film crew near Sharp. Then, with their climbing permit expiring on June 1, he and his companion had headed back up Everest "and the weather just came right in the last few days", she said. People read stories of climbers stepping over dead bodies, or walking past exhausted climbers who later die, and conclude were all a bunch of heartless bastards who are only interested in reaching the summit at all costs. This growth of interest has spawned a whole industry, with a specialist press detailing the achievements of the dedicated elite and scores of companies competing to sell expensive equipment. The beauty of mountaineering is that mountains come in all shapes and sizes, and consequently its a sport open for all levels of ability. Despite two hard years of disaster (2014 and 2015), by the end of 2016 there were 7,646 summits by 4,469 people. Rheinberger's condition quickly deteriorated and Whetu was forced to descend alone to organise more oxygen supplies. I understand the need for photos to ID bodies and provide proof of death for next-of-kin. Of all the myths that get written about by those with no experience, this is perhaps the most emotive, the most hurtful and the most damaging. I was very pleased to discover the identity of the climber with the skeletonized head (Peter Boardman). Even so, Alison Hargreaves had great difficulty raising sufficient money to climb Everest. Cookies categorised as necessary are stored on your browser and are essential for the working of basic functions of the website. I believe your comment suggests that Tenzig was there in a the commercial modern-day pack-horse sense of the word Sherpa. We respect the mountain and other climbers. Sometimes bodies are moved from the route simply by dropping them over the edge, and often this is done at the request of their families (Russell Brices Sherpas did this on behalf of David Sharp). 8000 Meters Facts Quoted in the Sunday Times, Woodward said he was "sitting almost on top of Green Boots, curled up in a foetal position. We should be able to confirm Mark apparent summit in a few days. Now you can sip lattes and chat on your laptop just like back home. Two strange plants of the Colombian paramo, Cocuy Circuit trek: You say cojones, I say cojines. Above about 8,000 metres the body ceases to function properly. Anyone who wishes to gain an insight into how or why deaths occurred on Everest this year should read Alan Arnettes summary of the whole season, a sensitive account written by a climber who has been on Everest 4 times and is familiar with how a seasons events unfold. Seven Steps from Snowdon to Everest out on Monday! As for the poor wife waiting for you to get home safely(drunk man anology) tell her you stopped to help a drunk man & if she says oh I was so worried about you sweatheart & fails to ask about the drunk man, then she is a jerk as well. On 24 July, in a good weather window, around 20 foreign mountaineers, together with Sherpas and Pakistan high altitude helpers, left base camp for a final attempt on K2's Normal Route. As for coffee shops and bars at base camp, it sounds to me like youve not been there? Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. And make quick judgments about weather to leave them there without even questioning abandoning the ascent to help them. Mark, my apologies if I sounded like a broken record rehashing previously stated arguments. His reasoning why experienced climbers dont go on Everest are dubiousits not the reason with the top climbers I knowits the cost mainly and the time required. Next to her skin she will wear polyester fleece layers of increasing thicknesses. What the deaths on May 19 had in common is they all kept going in spite of the advice of their Sherpas. My second audiobook Feet and Wheels to Chimborazo, narrated by Philip Battley. I should point out that I was only conceding Jonnys point about Ueli Steck climbing without Sherpa support, which was merely correcting a fact I didnt know at the time (and not insincerity as he alleged). Climbing Everest has never been cheap, but increases in peak fees and expedition costs in Tibet and Nepal have made high-altitude mountaineering big business. Cameraman Mark Whetu yelled at him to get moving, but there was no response. I then ended up summiting on the 25th. . On the other hand I dont regret overtaking another climber who I passed struggling on the Second Step. I wholeheartedly agree, though Im an amateur traveller so Im able to pick and choose where I go. Free Solo: my review of an Oscar-nominated climbing movie, Salt before breakfast: an ascent of Ojos del Salado, Cerro Vicuas, the worlds easiest 6,000m peak? I just like to re-state things in my own words for clarity. Our guy died., For Rob Hall, the opposite choice was equally clear. "The guy's a hero. Is it a bad thing the world is becoming more accessible? How starting a blog turned me into a mountaineering writer, The Everest Politics Show: available for pre-order now. I agree, our actions do count in the here and now as well as in the future. I strongly believe in Karma, and know at some point our actions boomerang on us whether theyre good or bad in nature. In addition, the comparison of the summit of Everest to your wife waiting at home does actually prove that you are all a bunch of heartless bastards since this comparison only implies that, relatively, getting home to your wife is more important than saving another life. Is this the worlds strangest summit cairn? One party is a Turkish expedition itself rescuing a stricken colleague. You would also have a better idea of how difficult it is to carry out a rescue at 8500m, and will have read my candid explanation of why I took the decisions I did on summit day. Even to dedicated mountaineers, the name Mike Rheinberger means little. Unfortunately there were a number of rescues needed and Marty responded saving NZ climber Mark Whetu and aiding in other rescue and recovery work on that route. Used by Google DoubleClick and stores information about how the user uses the website and any other advertisement before visiting the website. Some high-altitude climbers wear boots that have a battery-powered heating element to ward off frostbite, a problem exacerbated by altitude. If youve not read it already, you might find Maria Coffeys book, Where the Mountain Casts Its Shadow, interesting she discusses (amongst other things) the impact of finding Pete Boardmans body. There is evidently an immense amount of physical effort and discomfort involved, not to mention the psychological barriers that must be overcome, in addition to the physical ones. The north side was very quiet, only about a quarter of the numbers of the south, and the deaths on the north certainly cant be attributed to traffic jams. Fixed ropes are put up the entire route before anyone starts climbing. One Sherpa reached the vicinity of the camp and found it destroyed, and an avalanche trail about 400m wide. What a sad and lonely way to leave this World.. It was directed by Richard Dennison in 1997 and produced by JAM Films. Even within our expedition we had a wide range of ability and the ultimate goal crossing the Gondagora La was in doubt before the accident. There are still low budget companies operating on Everest. Well done and I look forward to reading more from Footsteps on the Mountain. Please read these before posting again. Would you sacrifice a digit for a summit? More than once I arrived in camp and was immediately sick in the vestibule. "Mark didn't say anything about the 50th anniversary. It may have been heroic to stay there with him and help him down, but I doubt Chongbas wife and children would have felt the same way about it if wed all died. Thank you very much for writing this report and also the links you included to other reports. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. People can rationalize anything if they try hard enough; but leaving someone thats in obvious distress, who will almost certainly die without assistance, takes rationalization to a whole new level. There is a photo of a dead climber circulating on the internet that has been wrongly identified as Peter Boardman. It doesnt help when the media publish emotive pieces which dont try to explain. She did not let it turn her back. It would never have occurred to me to google dead climbers remains, however an image search for Pete Boardman brought up the relevant photo. It took the pair from sunrise to sundown to descend only a few hundred feet, with Whetu dragging Rheinberger much of the way. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. Seven Summits When the 53-year-old Australian perished high on Mount Everest in the spring of last year, his death merited only a few paragraphs in the specialist climbing magazines. On the north side with the exception of Tsewang Paljor (aka Green Boots), who has now been there 17 years, they are all quite recent (2 or 3 years), as somebody usually moves them off the route eventually out of respect. Remember that your wife is waiting up for you and will not go to bed until youre home safely. Is acclimatising at home the future of Himalayan mountaineering? Everest with climbing partner and friend Mike Reinberger it was late in the day and after a freezing night camping on the summit of the worlds highest mountain, Whetu was faced with a terrible decision.to leave Reinberger or stay with him forever. Warner made radio contact with the pair that night but failed to get a response the following morning. Sgurr nan Gillean and Am Basteir: the Black Cuillins hair-raising finale, The best place on the internet to buy new paperback books, Sgurr na Banachdich to Sgurr a Ghreadaidh: touching cloth in the Black Cuillin. He hoped the tragedy might lead to an overhaul of how Everest expeditions were managed, so climbers were less likely to become stranded and more likely to have people nearby who could help them. I climbed the mountain because I enjoyed it; it was an amazing experience and if other people have a problem with that for whatever reason, I cant change that. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, campaign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. Even Ueli Steck climbed with a Sherpa this year. He did not summit Everest until 2012. How civilised does an expedition base camp have to be? Criticism accepted. The nearest tea shops are Gorak Shep some distance further down the trail. Readers The risk of frostbite can be balanced with modern equipment (down suits, down mitts, thick mountaineering boots, electrically-heated hand and foot warmers, and also oxygen which helps with circulation). On the 19th I aborted my first summit bid due to bad weather. Some of the bodies have never been found, some serve as grim "markers" along the route, and some are only exposed years later when the weather changes. I don't wake up every morning and think, 'Oh God! Thank-you for sharing, Thanks guys for all your kind messages and support. When well-meaning people found Art Gilkeys body on K2 many years after he died from a fall in 1953 and returned it to the US for burial, his expedition leader Charles Houston was very unhappy and felt he should have remained where he fell. Chuck, youve hit the nail on the head in identifying the problem with these photos being circulated. At Camp Six, now in the death zone, a number of them turn An early history of the 8000m peaks: Mummery, Crowley and the Duke of Abruzzi. Interestingly it was on a Spanish blog Los muertos del Everest (the dead of Everest), not an English one, although I dont dispute there existence. They reached Camp 2 at ca 6,700m on the 25th, but a group of Sherpas was unable to reach Camp 3 (7,200m) the same day due to the huge depth of new snow on the route. Should you get a refund if your Everest expedition ends early? Nobody said it did, and if you think thats what Im saying above then you have misunderstood. Is the first winter ascent of K2 a turning point for Sherpa mountaineers? The Of course this has pushed the problem over to Nepal, where many of the maverick climbers who used to be prevalent on the north side because of the low permit fees have now moved. The other expedition sourced all the resources they needed to continue the trek and continued on without much thought as to what our expedition was going to do. There is little money, even for the best mountaineers, in comparison with mainstream sports, but that does not mean that reputations are any less guarded. A few hardy But he made the right choice to turn around. When I reached the summit at 10am there was no sense of elation. Whether it is knowing youve had too much to drink before getting behind the wheel of an automobile, or knowing youre beyond your turnaround time on summit day, it comes down to personal responsibility. Both article and climbing. Climbers are far more likely to die if they join one of these outfits and try to climb on a shoestring, but only a small minority of climbers do this and even in these cases other operators usually help out in an emergency. Mark Whetu is known for Krampus (2015), Global Extremes (2003) and No Mean Feat (2003). Hes allowed himself to become blinkered by the vocal minority. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. ExplorersWeb reports 12 Himex clients and an unspecified number of Indian climbers saw Mr Sharp. My appetite was so reduced that I could barely force down half a dozen mouthfuls of food without throwing up, and was living on a starvation diet throughout. One person on the trip was very vocal in questioning the trek leaders decision to abandon the crossing and return back the way we came. They now have an expresso machine at EBC?! But yet they still climb, putting themselves at risk and anyone who tries to help them. Tents are made of breathable nylon stretched into dome shapes over light alloy poles, a far cry from the traditional wedge-shaped tents used by Ed Hillary and friends on the first ascent to Everest in 1953. Throughout this blog I have never hesitated to thank our Sherpas for all the help I received from them. Some of the books listed are fascinating and Id love to read them all, but unfortunately I only have so much free time to do so. I can only speak for myself, but I was climbing at my very limits on summit day, and focused on getting myself down safely. You can read my report of our climb via the North Ridge and see photos and video of it here. ), At Willie Nelson 90, country, rock and rap stars pay tribute, but Willie and Trigger steal the show. Going into the unknown with very basic equipment by todays standard must have been a daunting proposition. If you climb a peak that collapses in an earthquake, did you still climb it? While Everest climbers all pay for different levels of support, from the basic permit fees and base-camp-only services to full one-to-one Sherpa support, all of us still have to climb the bloody thing. And then there are those that cant. This is not the Daily Mail, and is not a place to be posting abusive comments. I was on the top at 3.50 in the morning(I was having a good day). Its good to know theyre not nameless and forgotten. If he had tripped & fallen & looked like he was dying, you would stop & tend to him after calling for help. I certainly couldnt have climbed the mountain without them, and the majority of the commercial clients Ive climbed with are happy to admit this. I guess its just a bit of wishful thinking on my part. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the website is doing. Perhaps some consideration should be given to the fact that some climbers on Everest are climbing with poor equipment, limited oxygen, no radio, no support. I have always been fascinated by everest, but know there is no way I could cope with the mental and physical efforts needed. Dont have the desire, dont have the money, and most likely its beyond my ability to climb the mountain under natural ability without 02. The Ring of Steall: a Scottish hill walking classic, The only video on YouTube of the whole Antisana climb, In memoriam: Jeremy Bunter Anson, who put Twixes on the Himalayan map, My journey along the Great Glen Way on a mountain bike. Quilotoa: the easiest way in Ecuador to look into a volcanic crater? "The trick of safe, high-altitude ascents is speed," she says. Imagine how you would feel in the same situation.. Knowing that youre going to die, that youll never see your loved ones again, and will probably suffer the indignity of being used as a landmark like Green Boots simply because youre fellow self-absorbed climbers cant spare the time or effort required to assist you. How does climbing Everest compare with winning a Nobel prize? to protect the freedoms and promote the interests of climbers, hill walkers and ,Unfortunately there will always be ignorant people,but we must ignore them. Climbing up on Solsbury Hill, but is it a real place? No one has climbed the world's two highest mountains within a matter of months as she is intending - most climbers would settle for one of them. To pass anyone in need let alone a dying person is not justified under any bloody circumstance. Mark Whetu, who nine year ago, spend the night out on Everest, appears to have done it again for his third time according to reports from New Zealand. "That was the bottom line for Rob. A sherpa with a helmet camera filmed the encounter, in which Sharp said "my name is David Sharp and I am with Asian Trekking". Sharp was not wearing the best protective equipment and had very thin gloves. Is Prince Harry really going to climb 'Mount' Everest? I now understand the rationale for leaving them in situ where they fell or succumbed to fatigue or the elements. Thats the emotive language of journalists looking for a story. Tell me something were you guys were at the Russians party? We never got as far as camp three on the 19th. A place he might possibly have frequented if hed still been around today . its finally time to go back. Venti iced caramel macchiato for Mark? All of the above happened on the south side, Everests most popular route. I despair slightly at the vitriol hurled at climbers on Everest who are trying to keep themselves alive and dont or cant help someone, when there seems to be substantially less criticism of those who climb with poorly supported groups and who go up the mountain knowing that because of their kit or lack of guide/team/Sherpa support or health issues or inexperience or whatever, there is a greater chance theyll get in trouble on the mountain. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. 16 years 4 months 19 days 15 hours 21 minutes. For some reason that photo really got to me.. After Whetu's mid-May summit attempt was overtaken by the rescue of the first Arab to climb Everest, Ms de Boer said it had seemed unlikely he would try again.

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