Everest is the highest point on planet Earth. Because of this unique distinction, people have climbed it continuously since Sir Edmund Hillary's first successful ascent in 1953. Everest Peak is located in Nepal and rises 29,035 feet (8,850 meters) above sea level. The mountain itself shares a border with both Nepal and Tibet. Due to harsh weather conditions on the slopes, climbers rarely attempt to complete the trek in May-June. Even then, the weather is quite inhospitable. The average temperature is minus 17 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 27 degrees Celsius), with winds of 51 miles (81 km) per hour.
The rest of the year, the cumulative air flow passes directly onto the slopes and winds can blow at hurricane force levels of 118 miles (189 km) per hour and temperatures can drop to minus 100 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 73 Celsius). Add to this the fact that there is less than one-third the amount of oxygen in the air compared to sea level and you can understand why Everest easily takes the lives of adventurers.
However, this does not diminish the adventurous spirit. It is estimated that more than 2,000 people successfully reached the summit of Everest, while 189 died. If you're one of the 150 or so people attempting to scale Everest this year, be prepared to see dead bodies along the way.
Of the 189 people who died in their attempts, it is estimated that about 120 of them remain there today. It's a terrible reminder for those trying to get to the top just how dangerous it can be. The bodies of dead climbers are scattered across Mount Everest and are too dangerous and difficult to remove. Reaching the top of Everest is a physical challenge unlike any other point on Earth. This makes rescue efforts almost suicidal.
Most of the bodies are in the "Death Zone" above the base camp parking lot at 26,000 feet (8,000 meters) in altitude. No one has ever studied the cause of death, but fatigue certainly plays a major role. Many bodies were frozen in moments of ascent, with a rope around their waist. Others lie in various stages of decay. Because of this, in recent years some experienced Everest climbers have made efforts to bury some of the more accessible organs on the mountain. A climbing team from China will lead an expedition to clear up some of the scattered 120 tonnes of rubbish left behind every year. During these cleanups, the plan is to remove any remains from the mountain that can be safely reached and carried down.
In 2007, Ian, a British climber, returned to Everest to bury the bodies of three climbers he met on his way to the summit. One of the climbers, a woman named Frances Arsentieva, was still alive when Woodall reached her on his first ascent. Her first words were “don’t leave me.” The harsh reality, however, is that Woodall couldn't do anything for her without endangering his own life or the lives of his team members. He was forced to leave her to die alone.
Climbing Mount Everest has become much safer over the past decade, thanks to advances in technology and climbing equipment. Satellite phones allow the climber to remain in contact with base camp to receive constant updates from weather systems in the area. A better understanding of what was happening around them also caused the death toll to plummet. In 1996, there were 15 fatalities and a total of 98 successful summit encounters. Just 10 years later, in 2006, there were only 11 deaths and about 400 summits. The overall mortality rate over the past 56 years is nine percent, but this percentage has now dropped to 4.4 percent.
Mountains occupy one third of the Earth's land surface. The Himalayas have 11 peaks over eight kilometers high. The highest point on the planet rises 8848 meters above sea level - a peak called Chomolungma in Tibetan, or Sagarmakhta in Nepali, which means “forehead of heaven”. And the British named it Everest, in honor of the head of the cartographic service, George Everest, who devoted more than 30 years of his life to filming this area of the former British colony.
Conversation with the mountains
On the approach to the famous mountain, on passes five kilometers high, prayer flags are tied to branches folded into a pyramid. People spend hours talking with the mountains, looking at the peaks stretching into infinity. Everest opens from the Dzha-Tsuo-La pass. Qomolangma base camp is located a stone's throw away from Rongbuk Monastery. The famous artist Vasily Vereshchagin, traveling in those places, wrote: “Whoever has not been in such a climate, at such an altitude, cannot form an idea of the blueness of the sky - it is something amazing, incredible...”.
But high mountains are a cruel element, complex and unpredictable, and climbers have no time to admire the beauty of the skies. Each step on a deadly path requires utmost attention and caution. For climbers, climbing Everest is often the achievement of a lifetime and the potential to become... an unusual mummy.
They were the first
The British expedition of 1921 chose the route to storm the summit. General Charles Bruce first proposed the idea of recruiting porters from the Sherpa tribes living in the surrounding area. In May 1922, the British established an assault camp at an altitude of 7600 meters. George Mallory, Edward Norton, Howard Somervell and Henry Morshead climbed to 8000 meters. And George Ingle Finch, Bruce Jr. and Tezhbir made the first attempt at an assault with oxygen cylinders - “English air,” as the Sherpas mockingly called it. The expedition had to be abandoned because seven Sherpas, the first victims of Everest, were killed in an avalanche.
In 1924, during an expedition, the Norton-Somervell pair first went up, but Somervell soon felt ill and returned. Norton rose to 8570 meters without oxygen. A team of Mallory and Irwin launched an assault on June 6. The next day they were seen in a break in the clouds, like two black dots on a snow field at the top. No one saw them alive again. In 1933, Win-Harris found Irwin's ice ax near the northern ridge. And on May 1, 1999, Konrad Anker saw a shoe sticking out of the snow. It was Mallory's body. According to experts, they could have conquered Everest on June 8, 1924 and died during the descent, falling off the ridge during a snowstorm. A wallet and documents were found in Mallory's pockets, but there was no photograph of his wife and a British flag - he promised to leave them at the top. It remains a mystery whether the researchers climbed Everest? After a series of unsuccessful expeditions, on May 26, 1953, Henry Hunt and Da Namgyal Sherpa brought a tent and food to an altitude of 8,500 meters. Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, who climbed a day later, spent the night in it and at nine o’clock in the morning on May 29 climbed to the top of Everest! But the Western media for a long time claimed that the first conqueror was a white man from New Zealand, Sir Hillary, and the native Sherpa Norgay was not even mentioned. Only many years later was justice restored.
"Death Zone" and moral principles
Altitudes above 7,500 meters are called the “death zone.” Due to the lack of oxygen and cold, a person cannot stay there for a long time. And in acute cases of mountain sickness, climbers develop swelling of the brain and lungs, coma and death occur.
In 1982, 11 Soviet climbers climbed Everest. At the beginning of the 1990s, the era of commercial mountaineering began, and its participants did not always have proper training. Sir Hillary said that “human life was, is and will be higher than the top of the mountain.” But not everyone agrees with this. Many believe that one climber should not risk his climb and his life because of the poor preparation and exaggerated ambitions of another. Climbers heading to Everest may abandon a dying colleague, and few of them will risk their lives to help him. The Japanese group indifferently walked past the dying Indians. As one of them stated later:
- We are too tired to help them. An altitude of 8000 meters is not a place where people will allow themselves moral considerations.
We also passed by the dying Englishman David Sharp. Only one Sherpa porter tried to help him and put him on his feet for an hour. In 1992, while descending from the peak, Ivan Dusharin and Andrei Volkov saw and saved a man lying in the snow, abandoned by his companions to die; as it later turned out, he was the guide of an American commercial expedition. He told them:
- I recognized you, you are Russian, only you can save me, help!
In the spring of 2006, with excellent weather, 11 more people remained forever on the slopes of Everest. The unconscious Lincoln Hall was brought down by Sherpas and survived with frostbite on his hands. Anatoly Bukreev saved the lives of three members of his commercial group at an altitude of 8000 meters.
Passing by dying people, climbers are sometimes simply unable to help them. The problem is the physical impossibility of saving them if there is no iron health. At altitudes of 7500-8000 meters, a person is forced to simply fight for his life, and he decides for himself what to do in this case. Sometimes trying to save one can lead to the death of several people. And when a climber dies at an altitude of more than 7,500 meters, evacuating his body is often an even more risky undertaking than climbing.
"Rainbow" way
On one of the most popular climbing routes, here and there, multi-colored clothes of the dead peek out from under the snow. To date, more than 3,000 people have visited Everest and more than 200 bodies remain forever on its slopes. Most of them have not been found, but some are in plain sight. The bodies of dead, frozen or crashed climbers have become an everyday part of the landscape on the classic routes to the summit. Several points along the route are named after them, and they serve as eerie landmarks as you climb the peak. Climatic conditions - dry air, scorching sun and strong winds - lead to the fact that the bodies are mummified and preserved for decades.
All the conquerors of Everest pass by the corpse of the Indian Tsewang Palchor, called Green Shoes. Nine years after her death, Frances Arsentiev's body was only lowered down a little, where it lies, covered with an American flag. In 1979, while descending from the summit, the German woman Hannelore Schmatz died from hypoxia, exhaustion and cold in a sitting position on the southeastern ridge of the mountain at an altitude of 8350 meters. While trying to lower it, Yogendra Bahadur Thapa and Ang Dorje fell and died. Later, a strong wind blew her corpse onto the eastern slope of the mountain. In the spring of 1996, due to a blizzard, frost and hurricane winds, 15 people died at once. It was only in 2010 that Sherpas found Scott Fisher's body and left it in place, in accordance with the wishes of the deceased's family. Brazilian Victor Negrete wished in advance to remain at the top in case of death, which happened from hypothermia in 2006. Canadian Frank Ziebarth climbed without oxygen and died in 2009. In 2011, Irishman John Delairy died literally a few meters from the top. On the last leg of the thorny path in 2012, on May 19, German Eberhard Schaff and Korean Son Won Bin died, and on May 20, Spaniard Juan Jose Polo and Chinese Ha We-nyi died. On April 26, 2015, after an earthquake and avalanches, 65 climbers died at once!
There's money everywhere
Climbing Everest requires money, and a lot of it. Only a permit for an individual climb costs 25 thousand dollars, 70 thousand for a group of seven people. You have to pay 12 thousand for cleaning garbage from the slopes, 5-7 thousand for the services of a cook, three thousand for the Sherpas for laying a path along the Khumbu Icefall. And another five thousand for the services of a personal Sherpa porter and five thousand for setting up a camp. Plus payment for the ascent to the base camp with the delivery of cargo and equipment, for food and fuel. And also three thousand each - to the officers of the People's Republic of China or Nepal, who monitor compliance with the lifting rules. All amounts shown are in dollars. A climber can save on some expense items by refusing some services. If one paid twice as much to climb as another, does that mean he should have twice the chance of survival? It turns out that payment matters.
The already mentioned Hall was a member of a rich expedition with a large number of Sherpas, and he was rescued. And Sharp’s fate was decided by the fact that he “paid only to have a cook and a tent at the base camp.” Surprisingly, there are enough people who want to climb Everest. For money, Sherpas carry ambitious rich people literally in their arms to the very top. But there are still real enthusiasts, among them there are women. Unfortunately, the number of mummies - as scary landmarks on the "rainbow" path to the top of Everest - is likely to constantly increase.
According to climbers, Everest can be called the mountain of death. About 200 people died trying to climb it. The bodies of some were never found, the frozen corpses of others still remain on mountain paths, in rock crevices as a reminder that luck is capricious, and any mistake in the mountains can be fatal.
There are quite a few reasons for the death of climbers - from the possibility of falling off a cliff, getting caught in a rockfall, an avalanche, to suffocation and fatal changes in the body in the form of cerebral edema that occurs due to very rarefied air. The weather at altitude is also unpredictable and can change in a matter of minutes. Gusts of strong wind literally blow climbers off the mountain. In addition, lack of oxygen causes people to do strange things that can lead to death: climbers feel very tired and lie down to rest, never to wake up again, or strip down to their underwear, feeling an unprecedented heat, while the temperature during the ascent can drop to - 65 degrees Celsius.
The route to Everest has long been studied. The climb to the mountain itself takes about 4 days. However, in reality, this takes much more time, considering mandatory acclimatization to local conditions. First, climbers get to Base Camp - on average, this transition takes about 7 days. It is located at the foot of the mountain on the border of Tibet and Nadas. After Base Camp, climbers climb to Camp No. 1, where, as a rule, they rest at night. In the morning they go to Camp No. 2 or Advanced Base Camp. The next altitude is Camp No. 3. Oxygen levels are very low here, and you need to use oxygen tanks with masks to sleep.
From Camp No. 4, climbers decide whether to continue climbing or turn back. This is the height of the so-called “death zone”, in which it is very difficult to survive without excellent physical fitness and an oxygen mask. Along this route there are mummified remains of the dead here and there. The bodies become part of the local landscape. Thus, part of the Northern route is called “Rainbow” because of the colorful clothes of the victims. Those climbers who are not climbing Everest for the first time use them as unique markers and landmarks for the ascent.
Francis Astentiev
American, wife of Russian climber Sergei Arsentiev. A married couple of climbers summited the mountain on May 22, 1998, without the use of oxygen. The woman became the first American woman to conquer Everest without using an oxygen mask. Climbers died during the descent. Frances' body is on the southern slope of Everest. It is now covered with the national flag. Sergei's body was found from a crevice, where he was blown away by a strong wind while trying to get to the freezing Frances.
George Mallory
George Malory died in 1924 from a head injury caused by a fall. He was the first to attempt to reach the summit of Everest, and many researchers believe that he achieved his goal. His corpse, still perfectly preserved, was identified in 1999.
Hannelore Schmatz
For a long time, the mummified corpse of this climber was located just above Camp No. 4, and she could be seen by all climbers ascending the Southern slope. The German climber died in 1979. After a while, strong winds scattered her remains near Mount Kangshung.
Tsewang Paljor
The corpse of this climber was located on the northeastern route and served as one of the noticeable landmarks for the climbers. Climbers called it "Green Boots". The man's cause of death was hypothermia. This body even gave its name to a spot on the Northern Route called "Green Boots". Radio messages from the group to the camp that the climbers had passed the Green Shoes point was a good sign. This meant that the group was going correctly, and there were only 348 vertical meters left to the top.
In 2014, Green Shoes was lost from sight. Irish climber Noel Hannah, who visited Everest at that time, noted that most of the bodies from the northern slope disappeared without a trace, some of them were moved by the wind over a considerable distance. Khanna reported that he was sure that “he (Paljor) was moved or buried under stones.”
David Sharp
British climber who froze to death near Mr Green Boots. Sharpe was not a wealthy climber, and attempted the ascent of Everest without funds for a guide and without using oxygen. He stopped to rest and froze to death without reaching the cherished peak. Sharpe's body was discovered at an altitude of 8,500 meters.
Marko Lihteneker
A Slovenian climber died while descending Everest in 2005. The body was found just 48 meters from the summit. Cause of death: hypothermia and oxygen deprivation due to problems with oxygen equipment.
Shriya Shah-Klorfine
Canadian climber Shriya Shah-Klorfine climbed Everest in 2012 and died during the descent. The climber's body rests 300 m from the summit of Everest.
In addition to identified bodies, corpses of unknown climbers are encountered during the ascent or descent of Everest.
Bodies that roll down the mountain are often covered with snow and become invisible.
Snow and wind turn clothes into rags
Many corpses lie in crevices between the rocks, which are difficult to reach.
The corpse of an unknown climber in the Advanced Base Camp
Evacuation of corpses is associated with significant financial, time and physical costs, and therefore is beyond the means of most relatives of the deceased. Many climbers are considered missing. The bodies of some were never found. Despite these facts, known to everyone trying to climb the mountain, hundreds of climbers from all over the world arrive at Base Camp every year to try again and again to reach their height.
The summit of Everest is the highest point on our planet. Hundreds of brave men try to conquer this mountain every year. Over time, this place became not only a mecca for all climbers, but also one big cemetery for many people. Some of them remained there forever. In this article you will learn about some of the victims of Everest who became prisoners of this giant.
People who have never been interested in mountaineering probably haven’t thought about what happens when climbing a mountain. The weather can instantly change the situation for the worse and can easily take the life of an unprepared climber. One rash act can lead to death. At such a height, people who managed to maintain their sanity remain alive. It is a fact that most people die more often on the way down the mountain than on the way up. After conquering the peak, you immediately feel that everything is behind you. It is this false feeling that fails novice climbers. Others are destroyed by their stubbornness. Often, having climbed to an altitude above 7500 meters, which is called the “death zone,” many believe that they are obliged to reach the summit soon and do not listen to the warnings of their guides. This often becomes their last thoughtless act. Everest victims say goodbye to life in different ways, but the outcome, unfortunately, is the same for everyone.
Everest victim photo
According to official data in 2017, 292 people died on Chomolungma. Many remain lying on the Himalayan slopes like decorations on a Christmas tree. Due to the low temperature, bodies do not decompose and become mummified, so the corpses appear untouched. Retrieving bodies from great heights is very labor-intensive and costs a lot of money. There have already been expeditions, the purpose of which was to collect the dead and remove the garbage left by the climbers, but finding everyone is still an unrealistic task. At high altitudes, routine cleaning becomes a very risky endeavor, not to mention the heavy weight of the bodies. And such events are very rarely funded, so most often people are buried right on the spot. Some are draped in the flag of their home country.
The body of Frances Arsentieva. Everest victim
The famous American Frances Arsentieva became a victim of Everest back in 1998. She and her husband Sergei Arsentiev were in the same group and reached the top of Chomolungma in May. She was the first woman to climb the highest mountain without supplemental oxygen. During the descent, Frances became separated from the rest of the expedition. The entire group successfully reached the camp without her, and only there they noticed the climber’s absence. Sergei went in search of her and, unfortunately, also died. His body was found much later. Members of the South African and Uzbek expedition met Frances and spent some time with her, handing over their oxygen tanks and caring for her. Later, the British from her group returned and also helped her recover, but she was in critical condition. They failed to save her. All information about the incident is not supported by facts, and there were many people who saw Frances - there are so many versions. According to the Chinese liaison officer, the climber died in the arms of the Sherpas, but due to the language barrier between the group and the liaison officer, some of the information may have been misunderstood. Until now, no official witnesses to her death have been found, and there are inconsistencies in people’s stories.
Nine years later, one of the group members, Briton Ian Woodall, could not forgive himself for this incident and, having raised funds for a new expedition, went to Everest to bury Frances. He wrapped her in an American flag, included a note from his son, and threw her body into the abyss.
Everest victims photo. Sergei and Francis Arsentiev
“We threw her body into a cliff. She rests in peace. I was finally able to do something for her." – Ian Woodell.
Everest's first victims
On June 7, 1922, 7 people died at once. This is considered the first officially documented death while attempting to climb Chomolungma. A total of three ascents were carried out under the command of Charles Granville Bruce. The first two were unsuccessful, and the third turned into a tragedy. The expedition doctor believed that the last attempt was impossible, since the entire group had already lost strength, but other team members decided that the risks were small and moved on. George Mallory led part of the group through the icy slopes, but one of the snow accumulations turned out to be quite unstable. As a result, a collapse occurred and an avalanche formed, part of which covered the first group. It contained Howard Somervell, Colin Crawford and George Mallory himself. They were lucky to get out of the snow, but the next group was carried away by tons of snow flying from above. Nine porters were covered. Only two Sherpas managed to escape, and the rest died. Another participant was not found and was also presumed dead. Their names: Norbu ( Norbu), Temba ( Temba), Pasang ( Pasang), Dorodje ( Dorje), Sange ( Sange), Tupac ( Tupac) and Pema ( Pema). This tragedy opened the official list of Everest casualties and also marked the end of the 1922 expedition. The remaining group stopped climbing and left the mountain on August 2.
The first climbers to Everest. Standing from left are Andrew Irvine and George Mallory.
George Mallory made two more attempts to climb, unfortunately, the third time turned out to be tragic again. On June 8, 1924, two young and confident climbers left the high-altitude camp heading towards the summit. George Mallory and Andrew Irwin were last seen at approximately 1 p.m. Just below the Second Stage (8610 meters), Noel Odell, another member of the expedition, saw two black dots that slowly disappeared into the haze. After this, Mallory and Irwin were not seen again. Odell waited for them for a long time a little above the last camp at an altitude of 8170 meters, after which he went down to their place for the night and folded two sleeping bags in the tent in the letter “T”, this was a sign for people from the base camp, which meant: “No traces found , I can only hope, I’m waiting for instructions.”
George Mallory's body was found 75 years later at an altitude of 8155 meters. His corpse was entangled in the remains of a safety rope, which was broken in some places. This indicated a possible failure of the climber. Andrew Irwin's ice ax was also found nearby, but he himself has still not been found. Mallory was missing a photo of his wife and a British flag, which were the things he intended to leave at the summit. Two climbers became victims of Everest, and like hundreds of others, they remained legends for centuries for everyone who tries to climb to the top of this mountain.
Everest 2015 victims. Dozens of dead
On April 25-26, an avalanche occurred on Chomolungma due to an earthquake, which took the lives of many people. This was the biggest incident of all time. This year, a record number of people gathered on the slopes of Everest, because due to last year’s avalanche, which in turn took 16 human lives, many abandoned the climb and returned in the new year to try to conquer the peak again.
Everest victims photos
An evacuation was carried out, as a result of which 61 people were taken to safety and 19 were found dead. These days, many professional climbers and simply good people have left the world. Among them was Daniel Fredinburg, an employee of Google. He was here to map the area for one of the Google Earth-type projects. A large number of people who were at the base camp during the avalanche were injured. Most of the victims died there. The climbers who were in higher altitude camps were not injured, but were cut off from civilization for some time.
Everest victims instead of navigation
Some of the bodies remain lying next to the ascent paths. Hundreds of people pass by these mummies every season. Some of the dead have already become a local landmark. For example, the well-known “Mr. Green Shoes Everest”, which lies at an altitude of 8500 meters. This is one of the members of the Indian group that disappeared in 1996. A group of 6 people climbed to the top, three decided to stop climbing and return, and the rest said that they would continue climbing. The climbers who went up later radioed and reported that they had reached the summit. After that they were never seen again. The man in bright green boots lying on the slope was most likely once one of the climbers of the Indian group, presumably it was Tsewang Paljor. He was seen before the tragedy in the camp, wearing green boots. It lay on the mountain for more than 15 years and was a reference point for many conquerors of Chomolungma. Another climber who visited the summit in 2014 said that most of the corpses were missing. Most likely, someone moved them or buried them.
In 2006, for ridiculous reasons, David Sharp became a victim of Everest. He died long and painfully, but other climbers who passed by did not even stop to help. This is because he was wearing green boots, and most people thought that he was the famous Indian climber who died in 1996.
One of the last victims of Everest was the Swiss Ueli Steck. He left this world on April 30, 2017, trying to follow a route that had not yet been tested by anyone. Having fallen, he fell from a height of more than 1000 m and died.
Quite a large number of tragedies occurred at the “Third Pole”. Most people have gone missing and it is still unclear for what reasons. Every climb to the top is an incredible risk. The chances of staying on the slopes of this mountain forever and immortalizing yourself in history are quite high. Many people cannot understand why people do this and why they risk their lives. Even an experienced climber with extensive experience can become a victim of Everest, but this fact will never stop real adventurers. George Mallory was once asked: “Why are you going to Everest?”. His answer was the phrase: “Because he exists!”
Everest victims video
Mountains occupy one third of the Earth's land surface. The Himalayas have 11 peaks over eight kilometers high. The highest point on the planet rises 8848 meters above sea level - a peak called Chomolungma in Tibetan, or Sagarmakhta in Nepali, which means “forehead of heaven”.
And the British named it Everest, in honor of the head of the cartographic service, George Everest, who devoted more than 30 years of his life to filming this area of the former British colony.
Conversation with the mountains
On the approach to the famous mountain, on passes five kilometers high, prayer flags are tied to branches folded into a pyramid. People spend hours talking with the mountains, looking at the peaks stretching into infinity. Everest opens from the Dzha-Tsuo-La pass. Qomolangma base camp is located a stone's throw away from Rongbuk Monastery. The famous artist Vasily Vereshchagin, traveling in those places, wrote: “Whoever has not been in such a climate, at such an altitude, cannot form an idea of the blueness of the sky - it is something amazing, incredible...”.
But high mountains are a cruel element, complex and unpredictable, and climbers have no time to admire the beauty of the skies. Each step on a deadly path requires utmost attention and caution. For climbers, climbing Everest is often the achievement of a lifetime and the potential to become... an unusual mummy.
They were the first
The British expedition of 1921 chose the route to storm the summit. General Charles Bruce first proposed the idea of recruiting porters from the Sherpa tribes living in the surrounding area. In May 1922, the British established an assault camp at an altitude of 7600 meters. George Mallory, Edward Norton, Howard Somervell and Henry Morshead climbed to 8000 meters. And George Ingle Finch, Bruce Jr. and Tezhbir made the first attempt at an assault with oxygen cylinders - “English air,” as the Sherpas mockingly called it. The expedition had to be abandoned because seven Sherpas, the first victims of Everest, were killed in an avalanche.
In 1924, during an expedition, the Norton-Somervell pair first went up, but Somervell soon felt ill and returned. Norton rose to 8570 meters without oxygen. A team of Mallory and Irwin launched an assault on June 6. The next day they were seen in a break in the clouds, like two black dots on a snow field at the top. No one saw them alive again.
In 1933, Win-Harris found Irwin's ice ax near the northern ridge. And on May 1, 1999, Konrad Anker saw a shoe sticking out of the snow. It was Mallory's body. According to experts, they could have conquered Everest on June 8, 1924 and died during the descent, falling off the ridge during a snowstorm. A wallet and documents were found in Mallory's pockets, but there was no photograph of his wife and a British flag - he promised to leave them at the top. It remains a mystery whether the researchers climbed Everest?
After a series of unsuccessful expeditions, on May 26, 1953, Henry Hunt and Da Namgyal Sherpa brought a tent and food to an altitude of 8,500 meters. Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, who climbed a day later, spent the night in it and at nine o’clock in the morning on May 29 climbed to the top of Everest! But the Western media for a long time claimed that the first conqueror was a white man from New Zealand, Sir Hillary, and the native Sherpa Norgay was not even mentioned. Only many years later was justice restored.
"Death Zone" and moral principles
Altitudes above 7,500 meters are called the “death zone.” Due to the lack of oxygen and cold, a person cannot stay there for a long time. And in acute cases of mountain sickness, climbers develop swelling of the brain and lungs, coma and death occur.
In 1982, 11 Soviet climbers climbed Everest. At the beginning of the 1990s, the era of commercial mountaineering began, and its participants did not always have proper training. Sir Hillary said that “human life was, is and will be higher than the top of the mountain.” But not everyone agrees with this. Many believe that one climber should not risk his climb and his life because of the poor preparation and exaggerated ambitions of another.
Climbers heading to Everest may abandon a dying colleague, and few of them will risk their lives to help him. The Japanese group indifferently walked past the dying Indians. As one of them stated later:
We are too tired to help them. An altitude of 8000 meters is not a place where people will allow themselves moral considerations.
We also passed by the dying Englishman David Sharp. Only one Sherpa porter tried to help him and put him on his feet for an hour. In 1992, while descending from the peak, Ivan Dusharin and Andrei Volkov saw and saved a man lying in the snow, abandoned by his companions to die; as it later turned out, he was the guide of an American commercial expedition. He told them:
I recognized you, you are Russian, only you can save me, help!
In the spring of 2006, with excellent weather, 11 more people remained forever on the slopes of Everest. The unconscious Lincoln Hall was brought down by Sherpas and survived with frostbite on his hands. Anatoly Bukreev saved the lives of three members of his commercial group at an altitude of 8000 meters.
Passing by dying people, climbers are sometimes simply unable to help them. The problem is the physical impossibility of saving them if there is no iron health. At altitudes of 7500-8000 meters, a person is forced to simply fight for his life, and he decides for himself what to do in this case. Sometimes trying to save one can lead to the death of several people. And when a climber dies at an altitude of more than 7,500 meters, evacuating his body is often an even more risky undertaking than climbing.
"Rainbow" way
On one of the most popular climbing routes, here and there, multi-colored clothes of the dead peek out from under the snow. To date, more than 3,000 people have visited Everest and more than 200 bodies remain forever on its slopes. Most of them have not been found, but some are in plain sight. The bodies of dead, frozen or crashed climbers have become an everyday part of the landscape on the classic routes to the summit. Several points along the route are named after them, and they serve as eerie landmarks as you climb the peak. Climatic conditions - dry air, scorching sun and strong winds - lead to the fact that the bodies are mummified and preserved for decades.
All the conquerors of Everest pass by the corpse of the Indian Tsewang Palchor, called Green Shoes. Nine years after her death, Frances Arsentiev's body was only lowered down a little, where it lies, covered with an American flag. In 1979, while descending from the summit, the German woman Hannelore Schmatz died from hypoxia, exhaustion and cold in a sitting position on the southeastern ridge of the mountain at an altitude of 8350 meters. While trying to lower it, Yogendra Bahadur Thapa and Ang Dorje fell and died. Later, a strong wind blew her corpse onto the eastern slope of the mountain.
In the spring of 1996, due to a blizzard, frost and hurricane winds, 15 people died at once. It was only in 2010 that Sherpas found Scott Fisher's body and left it in place, in accordance with the wishes of the deceased's family. Brazilian Victor Negrete wished in advance to remain at the top in case of death, which happened from hypothermia in 2006. Canadian Frank Ziebarth climbed without oxygen and died in 2009. In 2011, Irishman John Delairy died literally a few meters from the top. On the last leg of the thorny path in 2012, on May 19, German Eberhard Schaff and Korean Son Won Bin died, and on May 20, Spaniard Juan Jose Polo and Chinese Ha We-nyi died. On April 26, 2015, after an earthquake and avalanches, 65 climbers died at once!
There's money everywhere
Climbing Everest requires money, and a lot of it. Only a permit for an individual climb costs 25 thousand dollars, 70 thousand for a group of seven people. You have to pay 12 thousand for cleaning garbage from the slopes, 5-7 thousand for the services of a cook, three thousand for the Sherpas for laying a path along the Khumbu Icefall. And another five thousand for the services of a personal Sherpa porter and five thousand for setting up a camp. Plus payment for the ascent to the base camp with the delivery of cargo and equipment, for food and fuel. And also three thousand each - to the officers of the People's Republic of China or Nepal, who monitor compliance with the lifting rules. All amounts shown are in dollars.
A climber can save on some expense items by refusing some services. If one paid twice as much to climb as another, does that mean he should have twice the chance of survival? It turns out that payment matters.
