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On Everest it has come down to survival of the lowest.
- Thread starter not2sharp
- Start date
In the photo edition of "Into Thin Air' by Jon Krakauer there is a photo of a body of climber who was left where he died. The thing that got me was the body had been there for, if I recall correctly, years and no one had recovered it. Reading that book gives you some sense of just how harsh an environment it is, and recovering a body would be a genuine trial. Still, how many hikers walked by it, and is it still there?
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Fascinating thread. Have learned a lot about how we think we would handle a situation like someone dying in the snow.
I don't know what I would do unless this person was an actual part of my team. If I had asked him to come along, I would feel obligated to get him to safety or die myself in the trying.
I am a very poor swimmer. I saw someone drown once. I knew that if I tried to save him, I would drown also. Still I felt guilty. I felt guilty for not trying.
I had to be content that other people were trying to save him and the certain knowledge that I simply could not help him. Still I felt guilty. Still feel guilty now, 30 years later.
===============================================
BTW have read the stories about horrible crimes happening in front of a large group of people with no reponse from the group. People were interviewed afterwards and asked why they did not intervene. Most people said that since no-one else was doing anything, they did not know what to do. Whether they should intervene?
So if you are having a rpoblem and need help, it is a good idea to pick someone and say something like this, "You in the plaid shirt! I am having a heart attack. Please call 911! NOW!"
Most people will make the call.
It is like if you are laying on the beach and say to someone next to you, "Would you watch my stuff while I run to the bathroom?" Most people will watch out for your stuff. Otherwise, forget it.
So what happens if I am on Mt Everest and see someone in trouble? Hell, I don't know. I only know that the ONLY way I would be there would be in a helicopter. I sure ain't climbing something like that!
And the only way I would ever know what I would do in a situation like that would be for me to actually be there. Then I hope that I could and would make a decision that I could live with for the rest of my life.
It would certainiy would make a huge difference if I knew the person, for instance, I would get to Yvsa and drag him back down the mountain! A few others here also.
I don't know what I would do unless this person was an actual part of my team. If I had asked him to come along, I would feel obligated to get him to safety or die myself in the trying.
I am a very poor swimmer. I saw someone drown once. I knew that if I tried to save him, I would drown also. Still I felt guilty. I felt guilty for not trying.
I had to be content that other people were trying to save him and the certain knowledge that I simply could not help him. Still I felt guilty. Still feel guilty now, 30 years later.
===============================================
BTW have read the stories about horrible crimes happening in front of a large group of people with no reponse from the group. People were interviewed afterwards and asked why they did not intervene. Most people said that since no-one else was doing anything, they did not know what to do. Whether they should intervene?
So if you are having a rpoblem and need help, it is a good idea to pick someone and say something like this, "You in the plaid shirt! I am having a heart attack. Please call 911! NOW!"
Most people will make the call.
It is like if you are laying on the beach and say to someone next to you, "Would you watch my stuff while I run to the bathroom?" Most people will watch out for your stuff. Otherwise, forget it.
So what happens if I am on Mt Everest and see someone in trouble? Hell, I don't know. I only know that the ONLY way I would be there would be in a helicopter. I sure ain't climbing something like that!
And the only way I would ever know what I would do in a situation like that would be for me to actually be there. Then I hope that I could and would make a decision that I could live with for the rest of my life.
It would certainiy would make a huge difference if I knew the person, for instance, I would get to Yvsa and drag him back down the mountain! A few others here also.
The Australian had spent a night on the mountain in the open and had been pronounced dead and was apparently revived with a cup of tea and oxygen. He was then able to walk down to one of the camps with some assistance. Not very complex first aid and I'm sure some of the 40 who walked past the British guy could have managed that.
Stories here are also mentioning that some of the guided tours will refund 50% of your fee if they can't get you to the top. It makes for some very motivated guides, who may have been less than keen for their customers to stop to help a fellow climber who has not parted with the $$ with their company.
Regards
Pinpoint
Stories here are also mentioning that some of the guided tours will refund 50% of your fee if they can't get you to the top. It makes for some very motivated guides, who may have been less than keen for their customers to stop to help a fellow climber who has not parted with the $$ with their company.
Regards
Pinpoint
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Two climbers who left another dying at Everest later said "there is no place for humanity over 8000m". So why go there at all?
If a climber is concerned about his own safety while still ascending and therefore does not help or even comfort a dying fellow human, he got his priorities wrong.
If he is on the descent and knows he himself will barely make it, no one would ever blame him.
But looking away, be it on Everest or some backstreet where someone gets beaten up because he has the wrong colour of skin is common behaviour in so-called civilised societies.
If a climber is concerned about his own safety while still ascending and therefore does not help or even comfort a dying fellow human, he got his priorities wrong.
If he is on the descent and knows he himself will barely make it, no one would ever blame him.
But looking away, be it on Everest or some backstreet where someone gets beaten up because he has the wrong colour of skin is common behaviour in so-called civilised societies.
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Edmund Hillary is more than qualified to "look down his nose" at those climbers. How come that all the other "old men of the mountains", when asked about this situation, were of the same mind as Hillary? Maybe because they were born and raised in a time when ethics were of more importance than today.Blue Jays said:
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Here's the story of Lincoln Hall's rescue:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/hall-descends-everest-on-yak/2006/05/28/1148754864958.html
Barely alive after a night in the "death zone" on Mount Everest, Australian climber Lincoln Hall told an American mountaineer who stopped to help him: "I imagine you are surprised to see me here?"
Mr Hall, who on Thursday was presumed dead high on the mountain but who was found still alive and rescued the next day, was today on his way to safety, being carried down Everest on the back of a yak.
After an extraordinary rescue operation by a team of Sherpas, Mr Hall was given medical treatment for frostbite and altitude sickness at Everest's advanced base camp.
Today he was being carried on the back of a yak the 20kms to base camp, at a relatively safe 5,300 metres.
As the rescue continued, details emerged of Mr Hall being found alive by American climber Dan Mazur after the Australian's own team had believed he was dead, and who gave him oxygen and hot tea.
Disoriented from the effects of cerebral oedema, an acute form of altitude sickness, Mr Hall was found with his legs over a sheer drop "half undressed and without a hat", Mr Mazur told EverestNews.com website.
"Lincoln's first words were: 'I imagine you are surprised to see me here'," the website reported.
"His fingers were in bad shape and much of his equipment was gone."
Mr Mazur, who abandoned his own summit attempt to help the Australian, alerted Mr Hall's expedition leader Alexander Abramov, who launched a rescue operation by eight Sherpas.
Despite spending a night exposed at an altitude of 8,700 metres, Mr Hall, 50, was able to walk into advanced base camp yesterday and chatted with his wife Barbara on the phone at their Blue Mountains home west of Sydney.
Long-time friend Simon Balderstone said early today that Mr Hall had spoken to his wife by telephone a second time before setting off on the 20km, six to eight hour descent to base camp, at about 5,300 metres.
"He's got a chest infection, on top of the cerebral oedema, and the frostbite, but it's not serious and it will improve once he gets to a lower altitude," Mr Balderstone said.
"His condition is expected to improve as he descends further down the mountain."
"He's coping well, he's obviously not totally together and bit out of it, as you would expect.
Photographs released today showed Mr Hall tired but smiling at advanced base camp before setting off for base camp at about 1pm (AEST).
Photos by Jamie McGuinness, of Project-Himalaya.com, also show Mr Hall being helped on to a black yak for the trek down the mountain, accompanied by a doctor and Sherpas. {more....}
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/hall-descends-everest-on-yak/2006/05/28/1148754864958.html
Barely alive after a night in the "death zone" on Mount Everest, Australian climber Lincoln Hall told an American mountaineer who stopped to help him: "I imagine you are surprised to see me here?"
Mr Hall, who on Thursday was presumed dead high on the mountain but who was found still alive and rescued the next day, was today on his way to safety, being carried down Everest on the back of a yak.
After an extraordinary rescue operation by a team of Sherpas, Mr Hall was given medical treatment for frostbite and altitude sickness at Everest's advanced base camp.
Today he was being carried on the back of a yak the 20kms to base camp, at a relatively safe 5,300 metres.
As the rescue continued, details emerged of Mr Hall being found alive by American climber Dan Mazur after the Australian's own team had believed he was dead, and who gave him oxygen and hot tea.
Disoriented from the effects of cerebral oedema, an acute form of altitude sickness, Mr Hall was found with his legs over a sheer drop "half undressed and without a hat", Mr Mazur told EverestNews.com website.
"Lincoln's first words were: 'I imagine you are surprised to see me here'," the website reported.
"His fingers were in bad shape and much of his equipment was gone."
Mr Mazur, who abandoned his own summit attempt to help the Australian, alerted Mr Hall's expedition leader Alexander Abramov, who launched a rescue operation by eight Sherpas.
Despite spending a night exposed at an altitude of 8,700 metres, Mr Hall, 50, was able to walk into advanced base camp yesterday and chatted with his wife Barbara on the phone at their Blue Mountains home west of Sydney.
Long-time friend Simon Balderstone said early today that Mr Hall had spoken to his wife by telephone a second time before setting off on the 20km, six to eight hour descent to base camp, at about 5,300 metres.
"He's got a chest infection, on top of the cerebral oedema, and the frostbite, but it's not serious and it will improve once he gets to a lower altitude," Mr Balderstone said.
"His condition is expected to improve as he descends further down the mountain."
"He's coping well, he's obviously not totally together and bit out of it, as you would expect.
Photographs released today showed Mr Hall tired but smiling at advanced base camp before setting off for base camp at about 1pm (AEST).
Photos by Jamie McGuinness, of Project-Himalaya.com, also show Mr Hall being helped on to a black yak for the trek down the mountain, accompanied by a doctor and Sherpas. {more....}
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jmings said:
Hi Jerry:
I received your message and here I am.
My understanding, here, is a mountain climber was left to die while 40 other climbers passed him by and keep climbing. Also, how might this relate to cave diving and a diver in trouble in a life and death situation.
Some of my credentials might be good so you can make a decision about my qualifications to speak on this topic. I was a cave diver for 15 years and a cave diving instructor for 12 years. I was the National Association For Cave Diving International Safety Officer for 11 years and sat on the NACD board of directors. I taught extensively (and explored) in Florida and the Yucatan Jungle. My experience is extensive to a depth of 300' and linear penetrations/traverses in excess of 6,500 feet. I've blended and used every variation of breathing gas from air, nitrox and tri-mix to pure oxygen. Often all on the same dive at different depths. Dives up to five hours long were not uncommon. There's more, but that should be enough.
It used to be said that no trained and equipped cave diver ever died as long as they didn't break the five golden rules of cave diving. Unfortunately that changed about five years ago.
OK. On to survival in a cave. Three common sceanarios could occur.
1. Becoming lost in a cave (maze) with no idea of how to get out. This might be compounded by a total loss of visibility. Every cave diver and every student I ever taught was trained to stay calm, THINK, and fall back on training. As long as they have air/gas to breath they will probably get out. Cave divers have a second regulator attached to a 7' long hose so two divers can comfortably share air and can work their way out of a cave by feel, following a thin guideline on one air supply. They can share air and stay in communication with rudimentary touch contact hand signals.
2. Not properly managing your air/gas supply will kill a cave diver. Use 1/3 of your air going in, 1/3 for coming out and keep 1/3 in reserve in case another diver has to get on your air supply. THINK, don't panic.
3. Deep diving kills. The impairement of deep diving on air is severe and the oxygen in the mix can kill you if you dive too deep for the mixture in your tanks. It's called oxygen toxicity and results in a gran mal type seizure and death by drowning. Equipment failures at extreme depth are seriously bad news. Increased breathing rate at extreme depth causes huge gas consumption and premature consumption of gas supply. At 300' depth you can see your pressure gauge needle drop slightly with each breath. Mixed gases must be used within the depth range they were blended for or they will kill you.
OK. Again, obey the five rules of cave diving, use the right breating mixture and be trained and equipped for the activity you are going to undertake.
I was an instructor and my students came from all over the world. Realisticly Florida and the Yucatan are the places to learn cave diving. I was involved in numerous real life rescues in caves because students make mistakes, lose it and are more prone to equipment failures than a seasoned caver. Better it happens in class with someone like me around. It was my job to save them no matter what it took on my part. There were some real close calls, but no diver ever died or was seriously injured with me. I have shared my air/gas supply for real, given away all my underwater lights to others (I didn't need light to come out and could dive their lights), etc. I even brought two students out in my arms (even through decompression) because they just lost it with fear. One student went berzerk at 170' on air (nitrogen narcosis) and fought me, dislodging some of my gear. I had to risk my life and over power him until he snapped out of it when I got him up to 80'. He didn't remember what happened.
As a cave diver I could not possibly abandon a diver in trouble in a cave. I would do whatever it took and whatever extrodinary measures were needed to bring the distressed diver out. Even if it cost me my life. I fully accepted the risks of the activity I undertook. My family was instructed to never sue any diver, cave owner or equipment manufacturer in the event of my death in a cave.
If trouble occurred on the way into a cave the dive was aborted. The team stuck together. Period. Solo cave diving is a whole other rant.
I don't know of any other activity where a team is truly a team that works together. Each diver know his job on the team and does it. It instills a tremendous sense of comraderie and satisfaction.
I wasn't on that mountain. But I could not abandon a cave diver no matter what the cost to myself.
I welcome questions and possibly even a new thread if there is cave diving interest.
Edit: I have a half ass hobby website. For a few cave diving pictures you could click on the cave diving topic at: http://members.cox.net/nettech3/ . Thanks for looking.
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Steve Poll said:
I also SCUBA dive, but I have no interest in caves. I appreciate that you like it Steve and sounds like you are very well prepared. I would like to know what you find so interesting in a cave?
Maybe you should start a new thread. Are there other cave divers here?
I like reef diving but rarely saw a need to get below 135 feet. Usually the bright colors and pretty fish are close enough to the surface that snorkling is enough.
I also find that most of the denizens of the deep are ok if you don't bother them. But seeing your first barracuda can be a heart-stopping experience!
Sea turtles are magnificent. Look like they are flying! I like turtles.
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pinpoint said:
as they say in EMT and other circles: "you are not dead, until you are WARM and dead..."
which means: a very cold person might seem dead and not respond. warm that corpsicle up, do live saving measure on them, and sometimes, they come alive, with little to no damage (especially brain).
there have been more than a few stories of someone say, going under the ice on a lake, being there over an hour, and being found, and revived. usually a youngster, but these days, who knows. that's... amazing.
so, who knows...
there's a special place in hell for cache robbers and a team mate that would plunder your supplies at your expense
bladite
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Bill Marsh said:
You are absolutely right. Most coral reef life is shallower than 30'. Deeper than that and reef critters are fewer and colors are lost due to absorption in the water.
Sport divers wear one cylinder. This rather small amount of air limits their bottom time, but that doesn't matter since sport divers don't do decompression diving. No deco diving is much safer than deco diving. Every time a diver does a deco dive it is like rolling the dice. Sometimes you win (no decompression sickness) sometimes you lose (bent).
I am in no way advocating cave diving or decompression diving. It was what I did and others on the cutting edge of diving with open circuit scuba and mixed gasses. I often dove with as many as five cylinders plus a few bottles staged along the way and rode a DPV (diver propulsion vehicle) through caves. To me, that was just about as good as it gets.
I was fascinated with what mother nature created underground. The huge rooms, tiny passages and the complexity of it all. Prehistoric fossils could be seen in certain caves. In the Yucatan the caves used to be dry so there are incredible speleothems preserved in them. I enjoyed the amount of precise planning that went into getting a dive going and executing it either alone or with a team. I also liked to pass my knowledge on to others that wanted to do it too. The water temperature in most Florida caves is 70*F. That doesn't sound too cold until you are in it for hours or staying still in it for a couple of hours decompressing.
There was also troglobitic life forms. Blind white fish. Blind white crayfish, remipedes, etc.
It just fascinated me. It challenged me. It was complex.
I didn't have to throw up on a dive boat!!
Steve Poll said:
Thank you, Steve. You certainly have focused my thoughts on the subject.
A diving thread sounds like a good idea. Some of my best memories are from my diving days. Funny thing, when I was terrified I was in little danger (i.e. first night dive and my light quit) but when I was in real danger (being rolled over rocks by the surf) there was no fear, just doing what needed to be done.
As my late brother, the International Terrorist (Cuban Freedom Fighter) said "When time slows down and the bullets are flying, you're too busy to be afraid."
Hi All-
I tried to send a BladeForums PM but the system wouldn't permit it. OK, back to talking about mountains, survival, exploration, caves, and the fragility of mankind on this big, blue planet!
~ Blue Jays ~
Just a minor point on an otherwise great thread...there is nothing "happy" about the Memorial Day holiday. It is intended to be a somber day of remembrance and reflection. The biggest mistake ever made is when it was moved to always occur on a Monday rather than just being on May 31st, regardless of day. Let this be my toast to the brave men and women who have ever worn a uniform in service of our beloved flag.Steve Poll said:
I tried to send a BladeForums PM but the system wouldn't permit it. OK, back to talking about mountains, survival, exploration, caves, and the fragility of mankind on this big, blue planet!
~ Blue Jays ~
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Back to mountains:
I think the crux of this problem is that people didn't rescue him but still continued up. A mixture of logic and decency dictates that if you have enough energy/resources to save him, you save him. If you don't have enough energy and resources, then you should be going down, because your own butt is on the line.
I have to go with TicTock (sorry for the spelling) on this one, and defer to the boots on the ground, with the following reasoning:
Would I step over a corpse on my way to the summit? In the lower 48, no. In the big mountains - Denali, Nepal, almost certainly. (S)he is going to stay nice and frozen as is. If I get to the top, I can think about taking the body down on the way back. I've busted my butt for years getting in shape for this, and achieving that personal goal outweighs hauling back a corpse of someone I don't know. Besides, being left on Everest to keep Mallory and Irving company would be a good resting place for a climber. (If it was a member of my party, especially somebody I knew, I'd be dragging their body back unless it was at extreme risk to my own life)
That brings us to the problem of figuring out if someone is alive. A deeply unconscious person doesn't have strong vitals. It's very difficult to evaluate vitals when you and the patient have heavy clothing on, much less the down suits that are standard on Everest. Plus, your brain is mush and it takes a good 20 minutes to go through this thought process. Given that he had spent the night out, there is a good chance he looked very dead to many of the early parties that "stepped over him".
But reports say he was standing (with help) and mumbling, so he was conscious. That means you can get him down, right? Maybe if he can walk down. In itself, walking a semi-conscious person down a high-angle snow field is not easy. It's somewhat easier if you have the right equipment - I've read an account of Airforce PJ's, probably the best-trained rescue specialists in the world, lowering someone from a high camp on Denali. There were at least four of them, and they had access to a rescue cache with ropes, litter, and various other equipment. Conditions were nasty, and even with the right equipment and peak fitness, the rescue was certainly life-threatening. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/06...103-9292270-8427017?s=books&v=glance&n=283155 Groups on Everest don't have this gear - they are stripped down to the bare minimum for a summit bid. Maybe they have a little extra rope and a digital camera to take pictures (yes, OK, people have hauled IMAX cameras and skiis and all manner of heavy junk to the top. But unless that's the reason you're going up, you have zero extra weight). Probably not enough to set up the complex anchors necessary for lowering an unconscious or semi-conscious person.
I think it all boils down to conditions here: if the weather is good (say 30 below, -50 wind chill) maybe you have time to stop, give him some tea and oxygen, make him coherent enough to walk down. Rescue is possible in that situation. You can go up, collect trash, do a strip tease, whatever you want. If it's 100 below in a whiteout, you're going to be in trouble within minutes of stopping and trying to help. If you take your mitts off to check life signs or fiddle with the stove, you probably won't have fingers in five minutes. But again, why would you still go up in those conditions? It certainly cuts down your maragin of safety - to none. Yes, you can hike up and down wrapped in your little coccoon, but if anything goes wrong - even a zipper coming undone! - you're dead.
Without a lot more info, I'm not going to second-guess any one of the people who passed him by. Maybe he was saveable. Maybe he was too far gone. Maybe others would have died in a futile rescue. Should all 40 climbers have been on the mountain that day? Hard to say - complete neophytes don't hang out at 8000m, but I'm sure everyone was reacting differently to the extreme altitude. As has been said before, even the fittest, aclimated people can get into trouble if their bodies don't react well. Certainly the guides and sherpas should've been fit enough to assist, but they also had the people in their own parties to worry about. Too many variables to account for. I just hope that each individual ultimately comes to terms with his decisions that day.
I often think about stories of New York City - the woman raped in the middle of a crowd, the stranger crying for help in the street and nobody comes out. Certainly this story and this discussion will make me think next time I run into someone having trouble in the mountains. Once again, the Cantina gives me something to chew on, and makes me a better person.
(Experience note - my perspective comes from being D*MN cold hiking in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and going from sea level to 14,000' in the Sierra Nevada of California over about 4 days. It's fun when your brain starts to trip out and shut down! Much better to live at 5,000' and spend two weeks acclimating. I'm also certified in Advanced Wilderness First Aid by Solo, and have led groups in the Whites, so I've had to think about less extreme versions of this scenario. Hopefully, everyone stays happy and healthy and I never have to deal with the real thing!)
I think the crux of this problem is that people didn't rescue him but still continued up. A mixture of logic and decency dictates that if you have enough energy/resources to save him, you save him. If you don't have enough energy and resources, then you should be going down, because your own butt is on the line.
I have to go with TicTock (sorry for the spelling) on this one, and defer to the boots on the ground, with the following reasoning:
Would I step over a corpse on my way to the summit? In the lower 48, no. In the big mountains - Denali, Nepal, almost certainly. (S)he is going to stay nice and frozen as is. If I get to the top, I can think about taking the body down on the way back. I've busted my butt for years getting in shape for this, and achieving that personal goal outweighs hauling back a corpse of someone I don't know. Besides, being left on Everest to keep Mallory and Irving company would be a good resting place for a climber. (If it was a member of my party, especially somebody I knew, I'd be dragging their body back unless it was at extreme risk to my own life)
That brings us to the problem of figuring out if someone is alive. A deeply unconscious person doesn't have strong vitals. It's very difficult to evaluate vitals when you and the patient have heavy clothing on, much less the down suits that are standard on Everest. Plus, your brain is mush and it takes a good 20 minutes to go through this thought process. Given that he had spent the night out, there is a good chance he looked very dead to many of the early parties that "stepped over him".
But reports say he was standing (with help) and mumbling, so he was conscious. That means you can get him down, right? Maybe if he can walk down. In itself, walking a semi-conscious person down a high-angle snow field is not easy. It's somewhat easier if you have the right equipment - I've read an account of Airforce PJ's, probably the best-trained rescue specialists in the world, lowering someone from a high camp on Denali. There were at least four of them, and they had access to a rescue cache with ropes, litter, and various other equipment. Conditions were nasty, and even with the right equipment and peak fitness, the rescue was certainly life-threatening. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/06...103-9292270-8427017?s=books&v=glance&n=283155 Groups on Everest don't have this gear - they are stripped down to the bare minimum for a summit bid. Maybe they have a little extra rope and a digital camera to take pictures (yes, OK, people have hauled IMAX cameras and skiis and all manner of heavy junk to the top. But unless that's the reason you're going up, you have zero extra weight). Probably not enough to set up the complex anchors necessary for lowering an unconscious or semi-conscious person.
I think it all boils down to conditions here: if the weather is good (say 30 below, -50 wind chill) maybe you have time to stop, give him some tea and oxygen, make him coherent enough to walk down. Rescue is possible in that situation. You can go up, collect trash, do a strip tease, whatever you want. If it's 100 below in a whiteout, you're going to be in trouble within minutes of stopping and trying to help. If you take your mitts off to check life signs or fiddle with the stove, you probably won't have fingers in five minutes. But again, why would you still go up in those conditions? It certainly cuts down your maragin of safety - to none. Yes, you can hike up and down wrapped in your little coccoon, but if anything goes wrong - even a zipper coming undone! - you're dead.
Without a lot more info, I'm not going to second-guess any one of the people who passed him by. Maybe he was saveable. Maybe he was too far gone. Maybe others would have died in a futile rescue. Should all 40 climbers have been on the mountain that day? Hard to say - complete neophytes don't hang out at 8000m, but I'm sure everyone was reacting differently to the extreme altitude. As has been said before, even the fittest, aclimated people can get into trouble if their bodies don't react well. Certainly the guides and sherpas should've been fit enough to assist, but they also had the people in their own parties to worry about. Too many variables to account for. I just hope that each individual ultimately comes to terms with his decisions that day.
I often think about stories of New York City - the woman raped in the middle of a crowd, the stranger crying for help in the street and nobody comes out. Certainly this story and this discussion will make me think next time I run into someone having trouble in the mountains. Once again, the Cantina gives me something to chew on, and makes me a better person.
(Experience note - my perspective comes from being D*MN cold hiking in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and going from sea level to 14,000' in the Sierra Nevada of California over about 4 days. It's fun when your brain starts to trip out and shut down! Much better to live at 5,000' and spend two weeks acclimating. I'm also certified in Advanced Wilderness First Aid by Solo, and have led groups in the Whites, so I've had to think about less extreme versions of this scenario. Hopefully, everyone stays happy and healthy and I never have to deal with the real thing!)
not2sharp
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Tohatchi NM said:
They had at least 5 critical pieces of equipment:
1) Plenty of bottled Oxgen (enough for a large group to continue to the summit)
2) Plenty of rope (The slope at that level is so littered with decades of fixed ropes that climbers carry knives to free themselves in case they get accidentally tangled in the stuff)
3) All it takes is a set of hands to dig out a snow cave for shelter; which beats leaving him exposed on a slope to freeze
4) They had other camps along the mountain that could have staged to provide additional manpower and equipment. It may have taken a day or two to get there, but they would have prepared specifically for the rescue.
5) They had to have a plan. I seriously doubt that these professional guides had made zero preparation in case one of their charges fell incapacitated. It is not much of a ringing business endorsement to say: "Hi, come travel with us, and we will abandon you to freeze to death on mount Everest."
When something inexplicable happens it is always useful to seek an explanation by following the money. This may not have been a proud moment for humanity; but, I can't blame the climbers for their reluctance to part with a significant investment in personal effort, risk, and wealth; to come to the aid of an irresponsible and unfortunate climber. Still, I would welcome a frank discussion on this incident. Perhaps there is still something that can be done to protect the foolish, the unlucky, the mountain, and the sport.
n2s