Posted on 05/24/2006 1:58:55 PM PDT by Mr. Brightside
'Raise hell' over Everest deaths secrecy
25 May 2006
By KENT ATKINSON
An explorers' group which runs a news website monitoring attempts to climb Mt Everest says it has been battling to provide more transparency on the way some climbers die on its slopes.
The group said on its website said that New Zealand double amputee Mark Inglis' disclosure that as many as 40 mountaineers continued climbing past a Briton who was in trouble two hours above Camp Four on the north (Chinese) side of Mt Everest had broken some of the secrecy.
Inglis who climbed with professional expedition leader Russell Brice, said the Briton, David Sharp, was left on the mountain, still alive. Inglis said the mountain was littered with bodies, at least nine on the route he took.
"You have to physically step over so many," he said.
The New York-based ExplorersWeb said on a news site written by climbers, it had been fighting the silence surrounding some deaths in the mountains.
"Death is a fact, but silence is the cancer," the group said on its website yesterday. "We must all speak up, ask questions and raise hell.
"Each time, we have been told that the secrecy is only a concern for the victims' families and (that) we have no respect", it said.
"Climbers on the mountain say they don't want to upset the families."
"Time after time, it has turned out that the hush has served much less noble agendas: to cover up foul play in mountains without law".
Ten climbers have been confirmed as having died on Everest so far this season.
This leaves the 2006 season running second, in terms of fatalities, behind the disastrous 1996 season which killed 19 climbers.
Then, the toll included eight in a single day, May 12, when New Zealander Rob Hall died on the slope looking after an ailing client. Another New Zealander, Andrew Harris, 32, of Queenstown, died trying to reach Hall.
Rob Hall's wife Jan Arnold said no one should be pointing fingers of blame at Mark Inglis and his climbing team for not attempting to rescue a dying British mountaineer.
Mrs Arnold who summitted Mt Everest herself said on Campbell Live last night the chances of rescuing a climber stranded above 8000 metres in the "death zone" were extremely slim.
Mrs Arnold said she understood Inglis sought help by radioing to base camp and was instructed to leave Sharp.
This action has brought criticism from Everest's first conqueror Sir Edmund Hillary.
Mrs Arnold said: "This is extrememly difficult to judge from any of us who weren't actually up there and I would not point the finger at anyone in this situation."
" When you are up there you can barely breath, you can't eat, you can barely drink – all you can really do is plod on upwards with this one thing in mind.
"What it would involve to launch a rescue would almost be beyond the brain capacity of a person at high altitude."
Mrs Arnold recalled the moments when her husband Rob called her from the summit shortly before he died.
She said she knew there were attempts to rescue him by the Sherpas and that was what mattered the most.
"It's the trying that counts," she said.
"You would never point a finger, and I feel sorry for Mark (Inglis) to have to face these many fingers and I congratulate Mark on what he's done – I sympathise with him." Mrs Arnold said climbers at the high point are carrying the bare minimum for themselves to survive.
"They're battling right to the very edge of their own ability."
"Rob, my husband, used to say the chance of you being able to be rescued above 8000m is like as if you're on the moon – it's virtually impossible."
The world was alerted to Sharp's death on May 15, the same day he was seen by Inglis, by a blog entry by Brazilian Vitor Negrete.
Since then, Negrete died climbing alone without supplementary oxygen.
Details of Negrete's death were widely known within a day but the Everestnews.com website said nobody would talk about Sharp until Inglis and fellow New Zealand climber Wayne Alexander disclosed that he was left to die by 40 climbers who went past him while he was in trouble.
Sharp had climbed alone after two previous unsuccessful attempts in 2003 and 2004, without oxygen. Both times he was forced to turn back at 8470m.
This time, he apparently reached the summit with the help of two oxygen bottles from his trekking company, which took him only to base camp.
Climbers would normally take Sherpas and four or five oxygen bottles for a summit bid, according to the trekking company which outfitted him.
ExplorersWeb said the China Tibet Mountaineering Association which takes the money for permits to climb on the northern side was "embarrassingly out of control".
"The ignorance of Chinese authorities for anything but to charge permit fees has led to an over-crowded, lawless and dangerous situation on Everest's north side, adding to the risk of the climb itself," the explorers said.
"Commercial budget expeditions are signing up clients by the dozen and base camp has a bar and a mobile brothel. Individual climbers are robbed in high camps, which this year has contributed to at least one climber's death".
Sorry, but the "status" of being the 715th (or whatever) person after Hillary and Tenzing to climb Everest seems to be very minor compared to the potential loss of life and the impact on the environment of the Mountain.
Creepy, as is the main story about leaving the guy to die.
I've gotten into an argument with someone over this because he said the guy was going to die anyway. I don't see the evidence fo that. There've been plenty of cases of people surviving "certain death" if given medical attention, and I am no bleeding heart, but $35k or "he's not in our group" or "He was stupid" or no--you don't just step over a dying man and go on with your pleasure climb when you could share oxygen and get him to safety.
"Ten climbers have been confirmed as having died on Everest so far this season."
What have we become.....?
Gee, China not being a good enough nanny-state for ya? People want to live on the edge of exteme, but have big brother ready to rescue them.
If he was going to die anyway, would your debate opponent be willing to put him out of his misery and, say, plunge his ice axe into the man's skull? What if nobody's looking; the act is totally anonymous?
"What it would involve to launch a rescue would almost be beyond the brain capacity of a person at high altitude."
Sorry, but this sounds like CYA bigtime, like the John Kerry stories of soldiers who "can't control themselves" and kill innocent people.
The excuse here is basically "You lose your mind on the way up and just keep going"? BS
LOL He's a lawyer, I shouldn't have expected anything else.
I agree. Help the other climber. Period.
I also believe, however, that these people are dumb***** for attempting the climb in the first place...and for those who will leave behind families, shame on them for the needless and worthless risk. If they want risk, join the military (if American or British) and put their sense of adventure to productive use.
Some people are saying that it would've been impossible to save him, but since they didn't attempt to save him, no one will ever know. Regardless, it seems to me that there are those situations in which it's better to save your soul and lose your life than save your life and lose your soul. They should've tried. Just mho.
this is horrendous
40 climbers passed a dying man. two hours from camp. not one of them would pass their chance for glory to care for this man? 2 hours from camp? these climbers were many more than two hours from their summit. they had many more than 2 hours worth of time to help.
excuses? brain deprived of oxygen? so they must push on? right.
disgusting.
every climber who passed that man should have his/her name posted on the internet so the world can know what he/she did to get their moment of glory.
their everest conquest should come with a asterik dipped in blood.
There is another post regarding this. Do a search. Seems the fellow did not use a proper guide...actually not one at all. As the saying goes, "Stupid is as stupid does"....and by the way, I'm a redneck! I am sorry he is dead, but one does not attempt such a task without proper preparedness.
Besides, Hillary Clinton has already picked her namesake, so #715 is in the noise.
Most likel;y they would all be alive if they had stayed the hell off the mountain. Its a bit like Bungy jumping, if the cord breaks thats your ass. You buys your ticket, you takes your chance. people involved in extreme sports are asking to die, I cant see risking other peoples lives bcause they are stupid.
I think this story strikes a nerve with me because I recently chatted with someone on FR about why I don't watch sports anymore, one reason being the commentators who are all trying to be Olberman, the players who are more into "bling" than sportsmanship.
The casual tossing-aside of human life in this story seems part of a greater theme.
"and by the way, I'm a redneck"
Noooo, really??? I could never have figured that out by your name! (Play some Skinard, baby!)
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