Everest climber left to die alone

Washington Times ^ | 5/23/06

[Paddlefish]

Mark Inglis, an amputee who conquered Mount Everest on artificial legs last week, yesterday defended his party's decision to carry on to the summit despite coming across a dying climber. As his team climbed through the "death zone," the area above 26,000 feet where the body begins to shut down, they passed David Sharp, 34, a stricken British climber who later died. His body remained on the mountain.

Mr. Inglis, 47, a New Zealander, said: "At 28,000 feet it's hard to stay alive yourself. He was in a very poor condition, near death. We talked about [what to do for him] for quite a lot at the time and it was a very hard decision. "About 40 people passed him that day, and no one else helped him apart from our expedition. Our Sherpas (guides) gave him oxygen. He wasn't a member of our expedition, he was a member of another, far less professional one." Mr. Sharp was among eight persons who have died on Everest this year, including another member of his group, a Brazilian. Dewa Sherpa, a manager at Asian Trekking, the Katmandu company that outfitted Mr. Sharp before his climb, said he had not taken enough oxygen and had no Sherpa guide.

*********

The company charges $6,000 to provide services as far as base camp -- far less than the $35,000 or more cost of guided trips to the summit. Other mountaineers have criticized the commercialism of climbing the 29,035-foot peak, with guides charging huge sums to climbers with minimal experience.

[pepperdog]

Thanks all!

[Mr. Brightside]

Some people seem a little hypocritical here.

On one hand they say, "These climbers are inexperienced."

And yet they expect these inexperienced climbers to perform a mountain rescue at 25,000 feet.

[rockinonritalin]

That was a very disturbing book that I couldn't put down.

[American_Centurion]

Where was this guys party and why didn't they help him?

In their own bubble of self-absortion I guess. As far as they're concerned, they didn't make a press release about it to tout their upcoming book either. Bastards, indeed. But not greedy ones.

[abner]

The thing about Everest is, you don't get there unless you have at least SOME big mountain experience. They all know what can happen. I personally don't know why anyone would sign up for something where there is a one in five chance you won't be coming back. I think with this years fatalities, it may even be going closer to the one in four ratio.

[eddie willers]

Beck was lost on the South Col. (a flat saddle between Everest and it's adjoining mountain, Lhotse)

It is the site of Camp 4 and the last resting place before the assault and (hopefully) the return from the summit.

Though horribly frostbit and blinded, Beck was able to WALK....which allowed him to be assisted down the Lhotse Face into the Western Cwm, where a helicopter just barely made the highest rescue ever.

Had the weather not cleared, had there not been an IMAX team right behind, had Beck been unable to walk under his own power and had not the bravest helicopter pilot in the world been close at hand, Beck would have been left behind as well.

That's why he believes it was a miracle.

[BlessedBeGod]

We talked about [what to do for him] for quite a lot at the time...

Gee, do you think you could have used some of that "quite a lot at the time" to get him back down the mountain and save his life?

I can't even think of a name nasty enough to call these jerks.

[Guenevere]

What are you quoting from?

I read the book, and from my recollection, Beck was left to die, but willed himself to get up and stumble down the mountain....where he was then tended to.

[Mr. Brightside]

28,000 feet is above any air rescue attempt.

True. It is 8,000 feet above the rescue you cited. Beck Weahters was helecoptered from 20,000 feet. One and a half miles down an icy slope on the highest mountain in the world.

The military pilot, though a hero to us, was reprimanded for the successful attempt. And no doubt his superiors now have checks and balances in place to keep other pilots from trying to break his record.

[Steve_Seattle]

If he was in fact "near death" you are absolutely correct; at 28,000 feet, little if anything could have been done to save him, especially since the other climbers were not equipped for a rescue. But I'm not entirely sure if they were competent to judge whether he was near death.

[abner]

Don't forget... Beck gave up the first seat on the helicopter for a climber that was in worse shape then him. That always gets me! The helicopter came back a 2nd time... and Beck got on.

[maica]

High on Everest, with few exceptions, you stay were you lay.


#####

If up to forty people a day are traveling the same route, and a percentage do not make it back down, are World Greenies getting concerned about pollution on Everest? It sounds positively crowded to me. do climbers pack down what they carry up, or is that also considered secondary to beating death and reaching the summit?

[seowulf]

It's simple math. Attempting to save one dying man could have killed them all. They were at an elevation where brain damage has already started from lack of oxygen. They had to get back down to thicker atmosphere before they started dying too. The guy went up on the cheap and got his money's worth. First intelligent reply in the whole thread. Thank you!

You know, sometimes getting to the top is not the most important thing in life. If it is more important to you to crawl over the dying to get to your goal, then maybe you need a little more human compassion.

If they had enough O2 to make it to the top, they had enough to turn around and go down the mountain.

[Siena Dreaming]

Just saw "Into Thin Air" a couple nights ago.

Both leaders of both teams died...one out of stupidity one because he just had to keep going and one because he stayed with a climber determined to reach the top even though it was after the cutoff time of 2 pm. The latter leader was in a quandry; go back to save his own life or accompany the stupid climber because he felt responsible as the leader. He died for his decision.

The issue of cheap, inexperienced climbing teams came up. Some pay $35,000 to climb and some pay $6,000. Some in the $6,000 camp make stupid decisions for which other teams may end up being responsible. Sounds like that's what happened in this case.

If a sick or dying climber can walk it might be possible to get him down. But dragging a climber down seems impossible.

[radiohead]

These climbers were in what is called the "Death Zone."

I read the article, but can you explain "Death Zone" to me? Wouldn't there be breathing issues on most of the climb and that they'd have to have oxygen most of the time? Even at points where the atmosphere is thinnest, wouldn't oxygen take care of that?

And, I agree with previous posters - I've never heard an interview by one of these climbers that didn't make me want to smack them stupid.

[VOA]

Everest: The World's Most Elevated Graveyard

[spunkets]

" "the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" "

The guy on the mountain walked up himself. He made his own decisions and his fate was his responsibility. It's no one else's place to prevent him from walking up by his own free will and it's not their responsibility to save his rear when he fails.

"Love your neighbor as yourself."

The guy with no legs lost them in a prior climb. He probably lost his fingers in this one, and some more of his stumps. This is what they chose to do. If you love them, you'll leave them alone, it's their decision.

[VOA]

Everest: The World's Most Elevated Graveyard

[Old Professer]

What we have here is the purest self-interest; I admire the men who passed him by as I lament the passing of old ways - the future is for the living, get over it. /sarc

[vollmond]

I guess they have to let people die up there occassionaly, otherwise it wouldn't seem like such a big deal to climb Everest. It's pretty much a guided tour at this point. The support teams do most of the work - hauling gear, planning the ascent, setting up and breaking camp, cooking, etc. The only thing left for a climber to do is make a mad dash for the top once they get within striking distance.