Into Thin Air

December 12, 2014

EVEREST NEWS
Disaster Strikes!

During May of 1996, the expeditions that set out to the top of the world were
surprised with a disastrous storm. The expeditions aected were Rob Halls
Adventure Consultants guided expeditions, a Taiwanese team, an American
commercial expedition, Scott Fishers Mountain Madness guided expedition.
These team had all left for the summit merely days apart, with mostly
heading up May 10th.

This congestion on the mountain could cause problems higher up, but
nonetheless, the expeditions stayed on schedule and started climbing up the
mountain as planned, eager to have the best weather for their climb.

Rob Halls team before

the tragedy. Eight of
them never made it
back from Everest.
Digital image. Amricas Box of
Thoughts. N.p., n.d. Web. 2
Dec. 2014. <http://
americaaguilera.com/intothin-air-by-jon-krakauer/>.

When the first people started reaching the mountain, it was well before the predetermined turn
around time, 2pm. Among the first to arrive at the summit were Jon Krakauer, Neil Beidlemn, Andy
Harris, and Anatoli Boikreev, around 1:25pm. At this time, most of them were getting little oxygen,
despite having bottle oxygen. This aected their problem solving and critical thinking, two incredibly
John Krakauer

Written by: Alina Katz

Into Thin Air

December 12, 2014

important things when climbing at such life

threatening heights.

The climbers celebrated their success and took a

few pictures. Wanting to go back down with their
expeditions, they waited on the summit for them.
They believed that they werent too far behind,
making this seem like an acceptable choice at
the time.

Little did they know that only one other climber,

Klev Schoening, would make it to the summit
before 2:00. There was no signs of the other
expeditions, and this began to worry the climbers
that had already reached the top.

Every climber reached the top, the latest after

4:00pm. This caused the climbers to be at the
Camp Four. At this point there was a heavy wind,
blowing snow everywhere that made it hard to
see and causing people to become disoriented.

This disorientation causes many people to walk

in the opposite direction, or just a bit o, of the
tents at Camp Four. This caused the climbers to be exposed to the storm,
that had grown stronger, and the cold.

Anatoli Boukreev, Mike

Groom, Jon Krakauer,
Andy Harris, and a long
line of climbers on the
Everest upper South
Ridge, with Makalu
behind, on May 10th 1996

Namba and Beck were left over night out in the storm. They had become
disoriented and didnt know which way it was
to the tents. There was ice on their face, and
When I saw
Digital image. Mr. Oncay's Website. N.p., n.d.
only when it was chipped o could you tell
Web. 9 Dec. 2014. <http://mroncay.com/blog/
those guys
2014/05/27/into-thin-air-a-personal-accountwho it was. Their hands seemed to be frozen
They looked like solid. The expedition decided that I wouldnt of-the-mt-everest-disaster/>.
they had been be worth their eorts to try and carry them
the mountain because of how close to death they were already.
through a five- down
They left them in the snow to let nature take them.

month war.

Many other climbers had become so disoriented and walked far enough
so that they werent found by their expedition. On May 11th, the groups
decided that even though their expedition leaders were stuck higher up the mountain, it was their
best option to head down to Camp Three because there was nothing they could do to help them.
Some say that if the expeditions, particularly Rob Halls, had turned around from the summit at the
predetermined time, most, or all, of the deaths could have been avoided.
-DAVID BREASHEARS

John Krakauer

Written by: Alina Katz