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".
You have an interesting FR name considering that you take issue with someone spending their own money as they see fit.
but pompous people have GOT to pompous.
he pompouses
she pompouses
all them pompous people got to pompous.
you make a good point.
i wonder how much is wasted by people each year on climbing everest.
You and 41 other people are standing on the Golden Gate Bridge and one jumps off. You see him hit the water and come back up. He is not dead, yet.
Are you willing to jump off the bridge to ATTEMPT to save his life? Are you going to start demanding that the other 40 people jump off the bridge and attempt to save his life?
Keep in mind that on this particular day, all fire/police and rescue services are on strike and it's just you and the other 40 people. Do you kill yourself to save him? Doubtful.
This is the circumstance those 40 people were faced with. Superman only comes in the movies.
well, at least there seem to be plenty of bodies up there, so anyone who is cannabalistically inclined won't go hungry.
Yes. Rob Hall called from the summit. He was near frozen, disoriented, yet tranquil.
He kept telling people below that he was getting up and moving. But they could see him through a telescope and they knew he was not telling the truth.
It's not like he was calling a 900 sex line for kicks. His wife was patched into a final phone call as a last ditch effort to get him motivated to get up and get moving.
It didn't work.
I think too many people have too much time on their hands.
Sir Edmund Hillary sees it different than you. I think I will give him the benefit of the doubt being he is the one who made it to the top and back down first.
However, I have his actual quotes and even he seems to leave plenty open to interpretation.
"On my expedition there was no way you would have left a man under a rock to die," said Hillary. "It simply would not have happened. If you have someone who is in great need and you are still strong and energetic then you have a duty really to give all you can to get the man down and getting to the summit becomes secondary."
I'll completely agree with Sir Hillary on this.
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".
So I should just step over stupid dying people and completely ignore them? When I die, and I'm up before the Judgement Throne, what excuse do I then tell the Lord for this?
Even if one believes in no God, surely we humans should show some compassion, even to the stupid?
v. sum·mit·ed, sum·mit·ing, sum·mits
v. tr.
To climb to the summit of (a mountain).
v. intr.
To climb to the summit.
My eyes get tired reading waaaaay across a row like this!
<>g<> Easier for everyone else to scan down than across too.
I was thinking of the
Andes catastrophe when
that plane went down
and searchers couldn't
find the survivors for
weeks. Some died of
starvation...a few
lived to fly another
day.
From what I've read, Sharp had made two unsuccessful attempts (without Oxygen) on Everest in prior years. This season, he was attempting it solo and (reportedly) with only 2 (two) bottles of gas.
I made plenty of comments on this on an earlier thread.
But in summary, hauling a body down a 30 degree ice slope at the top of the highest mountain in the world is a lot more difficult that you think.
Forty people passing by a dying man is apparently very easy, though. I don't see why some (not accusing you) are so cavalier.
Imagine the reaction we'd have if we learned that 40 strangers acted as a team to save one man? We'd be going "WOW!" Instead, most people are making excuses along the lines of "He was stupid, and they paid $35k, so..."
What the **** is the MATTER with some people?
Don't bother, I'm done with this story (again, not due to anything you've posted). The more I read of people's defenses of this action, the sicker I'm feeling.
Two hours from a tent that was still in the "death zone."
Staying at that altitude for more than 24 hours means death.
Mt. Darwin.
The 40 people were in different parties of 6-10 climbers each.
Climbers probably passed him over a 12-24 hour time span. It is not unusual for climbers to be stopped along the way. Many lose their battle with altitude sickness and try resting before deciding to go ahead or go back.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.