Why are the bodies of the dead not removed from Everest? Death on Everest: the bodies of dead climbers still lie on its slopes

There can only be mountains higher than mountains, not for the faint of heart.

Do you remember we discussed a BEAUTIFUL POST ABOUT THE TOP OF THE WORLD?

You probably noticed the information that Everest is, in the full sense of the word, a mountain of death. Storming this height, the climber knows that he has a chance not to return. Death can be caused by lack of oxygen, heart failure, frostbite or injury. Fatal accidents, such as a frozen oxygen cylinder valve, also lead to death. Moreover: the path to the top is so difficult that, as one of the participants in the Russian Himalayan expedition, Alexander Abramov, said, “at an altitude of more than 8,000 meters you cannot afford the luxury of morality. Above 8,000 meters you are completely occupied with yourself, and in such extreme conditions you do not have extra strength to help your comrade.” There will be a video on this topic at the end of the post.

The tragedy that happened on Everest in May 2006 shocked the whole world: 42 climbers passed by the slowly freezing Englishman David Sharp, but no one helped him. One of them were television crews from the Discovery Channel, who tried to interview the dying man and, after photographing him, left him alone...

And now readers WITH STRONG NERVES can see what a cemetery looks like at the top of the world.

On Everest, groups of climbers pass by unburied corpses scattered here and there; these are the same climbers, only they were unlucky. Some of them fell and broke their bones, others froze or were simply weak and still froze.

What morality can exist at an altitude of 8000 meters above sea level? Here it’s every man for himself, just to survive.

If you really want to prove to yourself that you are mortal, then you should try to visit Everest.

Most likely, all these people who remained lying there thought that this was not about them. And now they are like a reminder that not everything is in the hands of man.

No one keeps statistics on defectors there, because they climb mainly as savages and in small groups of three to five people. And the price of such an ascent ranges from $25t to $60t. Sometimes they pay extra with their lives if they save on small things. So, about 150 people, and maybe 200, remained there on eternal guard. And many who have been there say that they feel the gaze of a black climber resting on their back, because right on the northern route there are eight openly lying bodies. Among them are two Russians. From the south there are about ten. But climbers are already afraid to deviate from the paved path; they may not get out of there, and no one will try to save them.

Terrible tales circulate among climbers who have been to that peak, because it does not forgive mistakes and human indifference. In 1996, a group of climbers from the Japanese University of Fukuoka climbed Everest. Very close to their route were three climbers from India in distress - exhausted, frozen people asked for help, they survived a high-altitude storm. The Japanese passed by. When the Japanese group descended, there was no one to save; the Indians were frozen.

This is the supposed corpse of the very first climber to conquer Everest, who died on the descent.

It is believed that Mallory was the first to reach the summit and died on the descent. In 1924, Mallory and his partner Irving began the climb. They were last seen through binoculars in a break in the clouds just 150 meters from the summit. Then the clouds moved in and the climbers disappeared.

They did not return back, only in 1999, at an altitude of 8290 m, the next conquerors of the peak came across many bodies that had died over the past 5-10 years. Mallory was found among them. He lay on his stomach, as if trying to hug the mountain, his head and arms frozen into the slope.

Irving's partner was never found, although the bandage on Mallory's body suggests that the pair were with each other until the very end. The rope was cut with a knife and, perhaps, Irving could move and, leaving his comrade, died somewhere lower down the slope.

Wind and snow do their job; those places on the body that are not covered by clothing are gnawed down to the bones by the snowy wind, and the older the corpse, the less flesh remains on it. No one is going to evacuate dead climbers, a helicopter cannot rise to such a height, and there are no altruists to carry a carcass of 50 to 100 kilograms. So unburied climbers lie on the slopes.

Well, not all climbers are such selfish people; after all, they save and do not abandon their own in trouble. Only many who died are themselves to blame.

In order to set a personal record for oxygen-free ascent, American Frances Arsentieva, already on the descent, lay exhausted for two days on the southern slope of Everest. Climbers from different countries passed by the frozen but still alive woman. Some offered her oxygen (which she refused at first, not wanting to spoil her record), others poured a few sips of hot tea, there was even a married couple who tried to gather people to drag her to the camp, but they soon left because put their own lives at risk.

The American woman’s husband, Russian climber Sergei Arsentiev, with whom she got lost on the descent, did not wait for her at the camp, and went in search of her, during which he also died.

In the spring of 2006, eleven people died on Everest - nothing new, it would seem, if one of them, Briton David Sharp, was not left in a state of agony by a passing group of about 40 climbers. Sharpe was not a rich man and made the ascent without guides or Sherpas. The drama is that if he had enough money, his salvation would be possible. He would still be alive today.

Every spring, on the slopes of Everest, on both the Nepalese and Tibetan sides, countless tents grow up, in which the same dream is cherished - to climb to the roof of the world. Perhaps due to the colorful variety of tents resembling giant tents, or due to the fact that anomalous phenomena have been occurring on this mountain for some time, the scene has been dubbed the “Circus on Everest.”

Society with wise calm looked at this house of clowns, as a place of entertainment, a little magical, a little absurd, but harmless. Everest has become an arena for circus performances, absurd and funny things happen here: children come hunting for early records, old people make ascents without outside help, eccentric millionaires appear who have not even seen a cat in a photograph, helicopters land on the top... The list is endless and not has nothing to do with mountaineering, but has a lot to do with money, which, if it doesn’t move mountains, then makes them lower. However, in the spring of 2006, the “circus” turned into a theater of horrors, forever erasing the image of innocence that was usually associated with the pilgrimage to the roof of the world.

On Everest in the spring of 2006, about forty climbers left Englishman David Sharpe alone to die in the middle of the northern slope; Faced with the choice of providing assistance or continuing to climb to the top, they chose the second, since reaching the highest peak in the world for them meant accomplishing a feat.

On the very day that David Sharp died, surrounded by this pretty company and in utter disdain, media around the world sang the praises of Mark Inglis, the New Zealand guide who, without legs amputated after a professional injury, climbed to the top of Everest using hydrocarbon prosthetics. artificial fiber with cats attached to them.

The news, presented by the media as a super-deed, as proof that dreams can change reality, hid tons of garbage and dirt, so Inglis himself began to say: no one helped the British David Sharp in his suffering. The American web page mounteverest.net picked up the news and started pulling the string. At the end of it is a story of human degradation that is difficult to understand, a horror that would have been hidden if not for the media that undertook to investigate what happened.

David Sharp, who was climbing the mountain on his own as part of a climb organized by Asia Trekking, died when his oxygen tank failed at an altitude of 8,500 metres. This happened on May 16th. Sharpe was no stranger to the mountains. At the age of 34, he had already climbed the eight-thousander Cho Oyu, passing the most difficult sections without the use of fixed ropes, which may not be a heroic act, but at least shows his character. Suddenly left without oxygen, Sharpe immediately felt ill and immediately collapsed on the rocks at an altitude of 8500 meters in the middle of the northern ridge. Some of those who preceded him claim that they thought he was resting. Several Sherpas inquired about his condition, asking who he was and who he was traveling with. He replied: “My name is David Sharp, I’m here with Asia Trekking and I just want to sleep.”

North ridge of Everest.

New Zealander Mark Inglis, a double leg amputee, stepped with his hydrocarbon prosthetics over the body of David Sharp to reach the top; he was one of the few to admit that Sharpe had indeed been left for dead. “At least our expedition was the only one that did something for him: our Sherpas gave him oxygen. About 40 climbers passed by him that day and no one did anything,” he said.

Climbing Everest.

The first person to be alarmed by Sharp's death was the Brazilian Vitor Negrete, who, in addition, stated that he had been robbed in a high-altitude camp. Vitor was unable to provide any further details, because he died two days later. Negrete reached the summit from the north ridge without the aid of artificial oxygen, but during the descent he began to feel ill and radioed for help from his Sherpa, who helped him reach Camp No. 3. He died in his tent, possibly due to swelling caused by staying at altitude.

Contrary to popular belief, most people die on Everest during good weather, not when the mountain is covered in clouds. A cloudless sky inspires anyone, regardless of their technical equipment and physical capabilities, but this is where swelling and typical collapses caused by altitude await them. This spring, the roof of the world experienced a period of good weather, lasting for two weeks without wind or clouds, enough to break the record for ascents at this very time of year: 500.

Camp after the storm.

Under worse conditions, many would not have risen and would not have died...

David Sharp was still alive after spending a terrible night at 8,500 meters. During this time he had the phantasmagoric company of "Mr. Yellow Boots", the corpse of an Indian climber, dressed in old yellow plastic Koflach boots, there for years, lying on a ridge in the middle of the road and still in the fetal position.

The grotto where David Sharp died. For ethical reasons, the body is painted white.

David Sharp shouldn't have died. It would be enough if the commercial and non-commercial expeditions that went to the summit agreed to save the Englishman. If this did not happen, it was only because there was no money, no equipment, no one at base camp who could offer the Sherpas doing this kind of work a good amount of dollars in exchange for their lives. And, since there was no economic incentive, they resorted to a false elementary expression: “at the height you need to be independent.” If this principle were true, the elders, the blind, people with various amputees, the completely ignorant, the sick and other representatives of the fauna who meet at the foot of the “icon” of the Himalayas would not have set foot on the top of Everest, knowing full well that what cannot Their competence and experience will allow their thick checkbook to do so.

Three days after the death of David Sharp, Peace Project director Jamie Mac Guinness and ten of his Sherpas rescued one of his clients who had gone into a tailspin shortly after reaching the summit. It took 36 hours, but he was evacuated from the top on a makeshift stretcher and carried to the base camp. Is it possible or impossible to save a dying person? He, of course, paid a lot, and it saved his life. David Sharp paid only to have a cook and a tent at base camp.

Rescue work on Everest.

A few days later, two members of one expedition from Castile-La Mancha were enough to evacuate one half-dead Canadian named Vince from the North Col (at an altitude of 7,000 meters) under the indifferent gaze of many of those who passed there.

Transportation.

A little later there was one episode that would finally resolve the debate about whether or not it is possible to provide assistance to a dying person on Everest. Guide Harry Kikstra was assigned to lead one group, in which among his clients was Thomas Weber, who had vision problems due to the removal of a brain tumor in the past. On the day of the ascent to the summit of Kikstra, Weber, five Sherpas and a second client, Lincoln Hall, left Camp Three together at night under good climatic conditions.

Gulping heavily on oxygen, a little more than two hours later they came across the body of David Sharp, walked around him with disgust and continued on their way to the top. Despite his vision problems, which the altitude would have exacerbated, Weber climbed on his own using a handrail. Everything happened as planned. Lincoln Hall advanced with his two Sherpas, but at this time Weber's eyesight became seriously impaired. 50 meters from the summit, Kikstra decided to finish the climb and headed back with his Sherpa and Weber. Little by little, the group began to descend from the third stage, then from the second... until suddenly Weber, who seemed exhausted and lost coordination, cast a panicked glance at Kikstra and stunned him: “I’m dying.” And he died, falling into his arms in the middle of the ridge. Nobody could revive him.

Moreover, Lincoln Hall, returning from the top, began to feel ill. Warned by radio, Kikstra, still in a state of shock from Weber's death, sent one of his Sherpas to meet Hall, but the latter collapsed at 8,700 meters and, despite the help of the Sherpas who tried to revive him for nine hours, was unable to rise. At seven o'clock they reported that he was dead. The expedition leaders advised the Sherpas, worried about the onset of darkness, to leave Lincoln Hall and save their lives, which they did.

The slopes of Everest.

That same morning, seven hours later, guide Dan Mazur, who was walking with clients along the road to the top, came across Hall, who, surprisingly, was alive. After he was given tea, oxygen and medication, Hall was able to talk on the radio himself to his team at the base. Immediately, all the expeditions located on the northern side agreed among themselves and sent a detachment of ten Sherpas to help him. Together they removed him from the ridge and brought him back to life.

Frostbite.

He got frostbite on his hands - a minimal loss in this situation. The same should have been done with David Sharp, but unlike Hall (one of the most famous Himalayans from Australia, a member of the expedition that opened one of the routes on the north side of Everest in 1984), the Englishman did not have a famous name and a support group .

The Sharp case is not news, no matter how scandalous it may seem. The Dutch expedition left one Indian climber to die on the South Col, leaving him only five meters from his tent, leaving him while he was still whispering something and waving his hand.

A well-known tragedy that shocked many occurred in May 1998. Then a married couple, Sergei Arsentiev and Francis Distefano, died.

Sergey Arsentiev and Francis Distefano-Arsentiev, having spent three nights at 8,200 m (!), set out to climb and reached the summit on 05/22/1998 at 18:15. The ascent was made without the use of oxygen. Thus, Frances became the first American woman and only the second woman in history to climb without oxygen.

During the descent, the couple lost each other. He went down to the camp. She doesn't.

The next day, five Uzbek climbers walked to the summit past Frances - she was still alive. The Uzbeks could help, but to do this they would have to give up the climb. Although one of their comrades has already ascended, and in this case the expedition is already considered successful.

On the descent we met Sergei. They said they saw Frances. He took the oxygen cylinders and left. But he disappeared. Probably blown by a strong wind into a two-kilometer abyss.

The next day there are three other Uzbeks, three Sherpas and two from South Africa - 8 people! They approach her - she has already spent the second cold night, but is still alive! Again everyone passes by - to the top.

“My heart sank when I realized that this man in the red and black suit was alive, but completely alone at an altitude of 8.5 km, just 350 meters from the summit,” recalls the British climber. “Katie and I, without thinking, turned off the route and tried to do everything possible to save the dying woman. Thus ended our expedition, which we had been preparing for years, begging money from sponsors... We did not immediately manage to get to it, although it was close. Moving at such a height is the same as running under water...

When we discovered her, we tried to dress the woman, but her muscles atrophied, she looked like a rag doll and kept muttering: “I’m an American.” Please don't leave me."...

We dressed her for two hours. “My concentration was lost due to the bone-piercing rattling sound that broke the ominous silence,” Woodhall continues his story. “I realized: Katie is about to freeze to death herself.” We had to get out of there as soon as possible. I tried to pick Frances up and carry her, but it was no use. My futile attempts to save her put Katie at risk. There was nothing we could do."

No one deserves such an end. Katie and I promised each other that we would return to Everest again to bury Frances. It took 8 years to prepare the new expedition. I wrapped Frances in an American flag and included a note from my son. We pushed her body into the cliff, away from the eyes of other climbers. Now she rests in peace. Finally, I was able to do something for her." Ian Woodhall.

A year later, the body of Sergei Arsenyev was found: “I apologize for the delay with photographs of Sergei. We definitely saw it - I remember the purple puffer suit. He was in a sort of bowing position, lying immediately behind the Jochen Hemmleb (expedition historian - S.K.) “implicit edge” in the Mallory area at approximately 27,150 feet (8,254 m). I think it's him." Jake Norton, member of the 1999 expedition.

But in the same year there was a case when people remained people. On the Ukrainian expedition, the guy spent a cold night almost in the same place as the American woman. His team brought him down to the base camp, and then more than 40 people from other expeditions helped. He got off easy - four fingers were removed.

On Everest, the Sherpas act like fine supporting actors in a film made to glorify unpaid actors who silently perform their roles.

Sherpas at work.

But the Sherpas, who provide their services for money, are the main ones in this matter. Without them, there are no fixed ropes, no many climbs, and, of course, no rescue. And in order for them to provide help, they need to be paid money: the Sherpas have been taught to sell themselves for money, and they use the tariff in any circumstances encountered. Just like a poor climber who cannot pay, the Sherpa himself may find himself in dire straits, so for the same reason he is cannon fodder.

The position of the Sherpas is very difficult, since they take upon themselves, first of all, the risk of organizing a “performance” so that even the least qualified can snatch a piece of what they paid for.

Frostbitten Sherpa.

“The corpses on the route are a good example and a reminder to be more careful on the mountain. But every year there are more and more climbers, and according to statistics, the number of corpses will increase every year. What is unacceptable in normal life is considered normal at high altitudes.” Alexander Abramov, Master of Sports of the USSR in mountaineering.

“You can’t continue to make ascents, maneuvering between corpses, and pretend that this is in the order of things.” Alexander Abramov.

“Why are you going to Everest?” asked George Mallory.

“Because he is!”

Mallory was the first to reach the summit and died on the descent. In 1924, the Mallory-Irving team launched an assault. They were last seen through binoculars in a break in the clouds just 150 meters from the summit. Then the clouds moved in and the climbers disappeared.

The mystery of their disappearance, the first Europeans remaining on Sagarmatha, worried many. But it took many years to find out what happened to the climber.

In 1975, one of the conquerors claimed that he saw some body off to the side of the main path, but did not approach so as not to lose strength. It took another twenty years until in 1999, while traversing the slope from high-altitude camp 6 (8290 m) to the west, the expedition came across many bodies that had died over the past 5-10 years. Mallory was found among them. He lay on his stomach, spread out, as if hugging a mountain, his head and arms frozen into the slope.

“They turned it over - the eyes were closed. This means that he did not die suddenly: when they break, many of them remain open. They didn’t let me down - they buried me there.”

Irving was never found, although the bandage on Mallory's body suggests that the couple were with each other until the very end. The rope was cut with a knife and, perhaps, Irving could move and, leaving his comrade, died somewhere lower down the slope.

The question immediately arises, what about this: Didn’t this remind anyone of Varanasi - the city of the dead?

Well, if we return from horror to beauty, then look at the Lonely Peak of Mont Aiguille

More articles about Everest:

Climbing Everest (30 photos)
The first climber to conquer Everest without legs (5 photos + videos)
Hungry Ghosts on Everest
Nepal: the spirits of climbers who died on Everest haunt residents
Everest Spirits

Everest, aka Chomolungma, aka Sagarmatha, aka Shenmufeng. The highest point on Earth: 8848 meters above sea level. Conquering this peak becomes the peak of a professional climber's career. Or, as often happens, its end.

The first officially confirmed ascent dates back to 1953, when Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, who accompanied him, climbed to the top of Everest.

There is ongoing debate about whether the British George Mallory and Andrew Irvine have reached the top. They were last seen 150 meters from the summit on June 8 1924, after which both climbers disappeared. In 1999, a special expedition discovered Mallory's body; Irwin's body was never found.

As technical progress has progressed, climbing Everest has become accessible to a wider range of climbers. The requirements for the training of climbers and their health status have been reduced. The oldest person to conquer the mountain, American Bill Burke, climbed to the top in 2014, at the age of 72. Today, virtually anyone who can spend three months and several tens of thousands of dollars can try to climb Everest.

Everest Cemetery

From 1953 to the present, more than 260 people have died on Everest, including both climbers and Sherpas - professional hired help for climbers. As a rule, the bodies of the dead remain on the mountain forever. The point is not the high cost of the operation to bring the bodies down from the mountain. It is impossible to remove corpses from such a height due to severe oxygen starvation, which drains all the strength from a person.

Conditions on Everest are such that climbers often pass by colleagues who are still alive and do not try to pull them out, let alone their corpses. The bodies of those who died on the way to the summit or on the descent from it are preserved and remain as a reminder for those passing by. Perhaps someday they will become objects of study for future archaeologists.

George Mallory's body was not found until 1999.

The climber who died in 1996 became known as “Green Boots” due to the color of his shoes and has long served as a landmark. It is assumed that this is a member of the Indian expedition, Dorje Morup, or Tsewang Paljor, who died with him. In 2014, the body disappeared from the climbing route - most likely, someone buried it with stones.

American Frances Arsentiev died in 1998 along with her husband Sergei Arsentiev and will forever remain on the mountain. The photo was taken in 2007, when fellow climbers reached her body, wrapped her in a US flag and pushed her into the abyss. They couldn't do more.

Usually, the most that those who died on Everest can hope for is to be wrapped in the national flag. Most people don't even get this.

There are several reasons why those killed on Everest are not always taken away.

Reason one: technical difficulty

There are several ways to climb any mountain. Everest is the highest mountain in the world, 8848 meters above sea level, located on the border of two countries: Nepal and China. On the Nepal side, the most unpleasant section is located at the bottom - if only the starting altitude of 5300 can be called “bottom”. This is the Khumbu Icefall: a giant “flow” consisting of huge blocks of ice. The path runs through cracks many meters deep along stairs installed instead of bridges. The width of the stairs is just equal to the boot in the “crampon” - a device for walking on ice. If the deceased is on the Nepalese side, it is unthinkable to evacuate him through this section by hand. The classic route of ascent passes through the spur of Everest - the eight-thousandth Lhotse ridge. Along the way there are 7 high-altitude camps, many of them are just ledges, on the edge of which tents are molded. There are a lot of dead people here...

In 1997, on Lhotse, a member of the Russian expedition, Vladimir Bashkirov, began to have heart problems due to overload. The group consisted of professional climbers, they correctly assessed the situation and went down. But this did not help: Vladimir Bashkirov died. They put him in a sleeping bag and hung him on a rock. A memorial plaque was erected in his honor at one of the passes.

If desired, the body can be evacuated, but this requires an agreement with the pilots regarding non-stop loading, since there is nowhere for the helicopter to land. Such a case happened in the spring of 2014, when an avalanche hit a group of Sherpas who were laying a route. 16 people died. Those who were found were taken out by helicopter, their bodies placed in sleeping bags. The wounded were also evacuated.

Reason two: the deceased is in an inaccessible place

The Himalayas are a vertical world. Here, if a person falls, he flies hundreds of meters, often along with a large amount of snow or stones. Himalayan avalanches have incredible power and volume. The snow begins to melt due to friction. A person caught in an avalanche should, if possible, make swimming movements, then he has a chance to stay on the surface. If there is at least ten centimeters of snow left above it, it is doomed. An avalanche, stopping, freezes in seconds, forming an incredibly dense ice crust. Also in 1997, on Annapurna, professional climbers Anatoly Boukreev and Simone Moro, together with cameraman Dmitry Sobolev, were caught in an avalanche. Moro was dragged about a kilometer to the base camp, he was injured, but survived. Bukreev and Sobolev were not found. A plaque dedicated to them is located on another pass...

Reason three: death zone

According to the rules of climbers, everything above 6000 above sea level is a death zone. The principle of “every man for himself” applies here. From here, even if someone is injured or dying, most often no one will take it out. Every breath, every movement is too hard. A slight overload or imbalance on a narrow ridge - and the savior himself will find himself in the role of a victim. Although most often, in order to save a person, it is enough to simply help him descend to the height to which he already has acclimatization. In 2013, a tourist from one of the largest and most reputable Moscow travel companies died on Everest at an altitude of 6000 meters. He moaned and suffered all night, and by morning he was gone.

An opposite example, or rather an unprecedented situation, occurred in 2007 in China. A couple of climbers: Russian guide Maxim Bogatyrev and an American tourist named Anthony Piva were going to the seven-thousander Muztag-Ata. Already near the top, they saw a tent covered with snow, from which someone was waving a mountain stick at them. The snow was waist-deep, and digging a trench was hellishly difficult. There were three completely exhausted Koreans in the tent. They ran out of gas, and they could neither melt their snow nor cook food. They even went to the toilet on their own. Bogatyrev tied them directly in the sleeping bag and dragged them down, one by one, to the base camp. Anthony walked ahead and walked the road in the snow. Even climbing from 4000 meters to 7000 just once is a huge load, but here it took three.

Reason four: high cost

Helicopter rental costs about $5,000. Plus - complexity: landing will most likely be impossible, so someone, and not just one, must get up, find the body, drag it to the place where the helicopter can safely hover, and organize loading. Moreover, no one can guarantee the success of the enterprise: at the last moment the pilot may discover the risk of the propellers catching a rock, or there will be problems with removing the body, or suddenly the weather will deteriorate and the entire operation will have to be curtailed. Even under favorable circumstances, evacuation will cost around 15-18 thousand dollars - not counting other expenses, such as international flights and air transportation of the body with transfers. Since direct flights to Kathmandu are only within Asia.

Reason five: fiddling with certificates

Let's add: international fuss. Much will depend on the level of dishonesty of the insurance company. It is necessary to prove that the person is dead and remains on the mountain. If he bought a tour from a company, take a certificate of the tourist’s death from this company, but it will not be interested in giving such evidence against itself. Collect documents at home. Coordinate with the Embassy of Nepal or China: depending on which side of Everest we are talking about. Find a translator: Chinese is okay, but Nepali is difficult and rare. If there is any inaccuracy in the translation, you will have to start all over again.

Obtain airline consent. Certificates from one country must be valid in another. All this through translators and notaries.

Theoretically, it is possible to cremate the body on the spot, but in fact in China everything will get stuck trying to prove that this is not the destruction of evidence, and in Kathmandu the crematorium is in the open air, and the ashes are dumped into the Bagmati River.

Reason six: body condition

The high altitude Himalayas have very dry air. The body quickly dries out and becomes mummified. It is unlikely that it will be delivered entirely. And probably few people would want to see what a loved one has turned into. This does not require a European mentality.

Reason seven: he would like to stay there

We are talking about people who climbed on foot to the altitude of long-range aviation, met sunrises on the way to the top, and lost friends in this snowy world. It is difficult to imagine their spirit enclosed between the numerous graves of a quiet cemetery or in a cell of a columbarium.

And against the backdrop of all of the above, this is a very powerful argument.

Every climber is well aware that mountain peaks whose height exceeds 8000 meters are fraught with mortal danger for their conquerors. Under conditions, the human body completely loses its ability to recover, which is often the reason. The tragedy on Everest in May 1996 was a clear confirmation of this.

Victims of the insidious peak

By a fateful coincidence, the entire year of 1996 became a sad page in the history of the conquest of Everest. During the season, fifteen people lost their lives storming this treacherous peak. Two commercial climbing groups, Mountain Madness and Adventure Consultants, were also affected by the disaster.

As evidenced by the chronicle of the 1996 Everest tragedy, they included six experienced, highly qualified guides, eight Sherpas - local residents hired as guides and porters, and sixteen clients who paid sixty-five thousand dollars for the opportunity to play with death on the icy slopes. For five, the ascent ended tragically.

How the 1996 Everest tragedy began

Early in the morning of May 10, when the sun's rays had not yet illuminated the peaks of the mountains, thirty daredevils began the assault on Everest, a peak rising 8848 meters above sea level. The groups were led by serious professionals Rob Hall and Scott Fisher. They knew that the entire area beyond 8,000 meters was called the “death zone”, and understood the need for careful preparation of climbers and strict adherence to established rules, especially when it comes to such treacherous peaks as Everest. The year 1996, the tragedy of which shocked sports fans, became a black page in the history of world mountaineering.

As those who were lucky enough to survive later testified, problems arose from the very beginning of the assault. The ascent schedule, which strictly regulated the time required to overcome each section of the slope, was immediately violated, as it turned out that the Sherpas had failed to install rope railings on the group’s path. When we finally got to the most critical area, which bears the name, we lost more than an hour of precious time there due to the accumulation of climbers from other groups.

Climbers have a rule that says: “If you're behind schedule, don't wait for trouble - come back!” Four commercial group clients, Stuart Hutchinson, John Tuske, Frank Fischbeck and Lou Kasischke, took this sage advice and survived. The rest of the climbers continued on their way. By five o'clock in the morning they reached the next important milestone, located at an altitude of 8350 meters and called the “Balcony”. There was again a delay, this time due to lack of insurance. But there were only a hundred meters left to the cherished peak. It beckoned, clearly silhouetted against the background of the perfect blue sky, and this proximity of the goal was intoxicating and dulled the sense of danger.

On top

Is one hundred meters a lot or a little? If you measure from home to the nearest cafe, then they are very close, but when we are talking about an almost vertical slope, thin air and a temperature of -40 ° C, then in this case they can stretch into icy infinity. Therefore, each climber overcame the last, most difficult section of the climb independently, choosing speed depending on his own well-being and strength.

At about one o'clock in the afternoon, Russian Anatoly Bukreev, an experienced climber and Honored Master of Sports, climbed Everest. He first set foot on this peak in 1991 and subsequently conquered eleven more eight-thousanders on the planet. Twice he was awarded for personal courage. He has saved many lives, including during the ascent of Everest (tragedy 1996). Anatoly died a year later in an avalanche in the Himalayas.

Somewhat behind Boukreev, two more appeared at the summit - commercial client Jon Brakauer and Adventure Consultants guide Andy Harris. Half an hour later they were joined by Mountain Madness guide Neil Beidleman and their client Martin Adams. The rest of the climbers were far behind.

Belated Descent

According to the schedule, the deadline for the start of the descent was set at two o'clock in the afternoon, but by this time most of the participants in the ascent had not yet reached the top, and when they finally succeeded, people rejoiced and took photographs for too long. Thus, time was irretrievably lost. This was one of the reasons for the event now known as the 1996 Everest tragedy.

Only at about sixteen o'clock did the base camp receive a message that all the climbers were at the top. He was the first to begin the descent, since of all those present he had spent the longest at the maximum altitude and could no longer cope without additional oxygen. His task was to return to Camp IV - the last stopping place before the summit, rest and return to help the others, taking with him oxygen cylinders and a thermos of hot tea.

In mountain captivity

Survivors of the 1996 tragedy on Everest later said that by the beginning of the descent of Anatolia, the weather had sharply deteriorated, the wind had risen, and visibility had deteriorated. It became impossible to stay further at the peak, and the rest of the team also pulled down. went down with one of the Sherpas named Lopsang.

Having reached the “Balcony” and finding themselves at a level of 8230 meters, they were forced to linger due to the extremely poor health of Fischer, who by that time had developed severe cerebral edema - a common phenomenon at extreme altitudes. He sent Lopsang to continue the descent and, if possible, bring help.

When Sherpa reached Camp IV, the people in it were not ready to leave the tents and again find themselves on the mountain slope among the snowstorm that had risen by that time. The last hope rested on Bukreev, but at that time he was leading three people out of snow captivity - Sandy Pittman, Charlotte Fox and Tim Madsen. Only in the middle of the next day did we manage to get to Fischer, but he was already dead. They couldn’t bring his body down, so they simply buried him with stones on a mountain slope. Everest, which he conquered (1996), became a monument to Scott. The tragedy continued its dark harvest.

By this time, the wind had become even stronger, and the snow it raised limited visibility literally to arm's length. In this most difficult situation, a group of climbers from the Adventure Consultants squad got lost, completely losing their bearings. They tried to find the way to Camp IV and moved blindly until they fell exhausted at the very edge of the abyss, fortunately, not reaching it a few meters.

It was the same Bukreev who saved them from certain death. In the impenetrable snow mess, he managed to find the freezing climbers and drag them one by one to the camp. This episode was later described in detail by Neil Beidleman, one of those who was lucky enough to avoid death while conquering Everest (1996).

Tragedy

Anatoly did everything in his power. He was unable to help only two people: the Japanese Yasuka Namba was already in a hopeless state by that time, and another member of the group, Withers, got lost in a snowstorm and could not be found. The next morning he himself reached the camp, but was so frostbitten that no one hoped for a successful outcome. He survived, but when he was airlifted to the hospital, doctors had to amputate his right hand, all the fingers of his left and his nose. This is how the climb to Everest (1996) turned out to be such a misfortune for him.

The tragedy that unfolded on May 11 continued in full force the next day. When the last climbers left the summit, two people brought up the rear: Rob Hall and his friend Doug Hansen. After some time, an alarming message was received from Rob that Doug had lost consciousness. They urgently needed oxygen, and Adventure Consultants guide Andy Harris headed towards them with a cylinder.

When he succeeded, Hansen was still alive, but in critical condition. The situation was complicated by the fact that Rob’s oxygen cylinder regulator had frozen over and could not be connected to the mask. After some time, Harris, who arrived to help, suddenly disappeared in the snowy darkness.

During the last radio communication session, Rob Hall reported that both climbers with him were dead, and he was practically hopeless due to severe frostbite. The man asked to speak to his pregnant wife, Jan Arnold, who remained in New Zealand. Having said a few words of consolation to her, Rob turned off the radio forever. The 1996 Everest tragedy ended this man's life. It was not possible to save him, and only twelve days later his body, petrified in the cold, was found by members of another expedition.

The 1996 Mount Everest tragedy had a sad outcome. The Mountain Madness group suffered fewer losses, but its leader Scott Fisher died during the descent from the summit. The second team - “Adventure Consultants” - lost four people at once. These were: leader Rod Hall, his regular client Doug Hansen, climber-instructor Andy Harris and Japanese athlete Yasuko Namba, who did not reach Camp IV quite a bit.

Causes of the disaster

Today, after many years have passed since the sad events, analyzing the causes of this largest tragedy in the Himalayas, experts come to the conclusion that there were several of them. Conquering mountain heights exceeding eight thousand meters is always associated with risk, but its degree largely depends on how strictly the requirements for climbing participants are observed.

Among the reasons that resulted in the tragedy on Everest (May 1996), first of all, violations associated with the ascent schedule were noted. In accordance with the previously planned plan, both groups, having begun their ascent at midnight on May 10, were supposed to reach the mountain ridge at dawn, and at 10 a.m. on May 11 be at the South Summit.

It was planned to climb to the final point of the ascent - Everest - at noon. This plan remained unfulfilled, and the ascent lasted up to 16 hours. The violations provoked a series of fatal events that resulted in the death of people. Rule “If you're behind schedule, don't wait for trouble - come back!” was ignored.

Researchers cite a number of delays during the ascent as one of the reasons why the tragedy occurred on Everest in May 1996. The plan for the climb was that Lapsang and Rob Sherpas would leave camp before the rest of the team and install rope railings near the South Summit for the safety of the climbers. They did not do this due to an attack of altitude sickness in one of them. This work had to be done by guides Boukreev and Beidleman, which resulted in additional delay.

Security violations

In addition, the organizers of the climb committed a gross violation of safety rules that day. The fact is that on May 11, three groups set out to storm Everest. The tragedy of 1996 occurred largely because there were an excessive number of climbers on the slope that day, and there was a traffic jam before the last, most difficult section of the climb.

As a result, at an altitude of 8500 meters, in thin air and severe frost, tired people were forced to wait their turn, standing in the piercing wind. Subsequently, analyzing the reasons that resulted in the tragedy on Everest in 1996, the organizers of the climb justified themselves with the hope that a large number of participants in the climb would help them more easily cope with deep snow and other difficulties of the route.

Impact of natural factors on climbers

Everyone who makes ascents, and especially those who organize them, should know that at extreme heights the human body is subject to a number of negative influences. Among them is a lack of oxygen caused by low air pressure, and frost, sometimes reaching -75 ° C.

Aggravated by extreme fatigue as a result of climbing a mountain slope, these factors lead to increased heart rate, respiration, and sometimes hypothermia and hypoxia. At such altitudes, the body completely loses its ability to recover, and increased physical activity leads to its extreme exhaustion. These are the dangers that Everest conceals. The tragedy of 1996, which took place on its slopes, became a clear and sad confirmation of this.

As practice shows, among the causes of death for climbers at high altitudes, the most common is cerebral edema. It occurs as a result of low oxygen content in the air and leads to paralysis, coma and death. Another cause of death in conditions of thin air and low temperatures is called pulmonary edema. It often ends in inflammation, bronchitis and rib fractures.

Lack of oxygen, aggravated by high exercise, often causes heart attacks, which can also lead to death in the absence of immediate medical attention. Blindness caused by the shine of snow in clear weather also poses a significant danger to a person who finds himself in the mountains. It leads to accidents that Everest witnessed. The tragedy (1996), photos of the participants of which illustrate this article, provided rich material for understanding its causes and developing safety measures.

And finally, frostbite. As noted above, on eight-thousanders the temperature often drops to -75 °C. If we consider that wind gusts here reach 130 kilometers per hour, it becomes clear what a danger such extreme weather conditions pose to people’s lives.

In addition to the extremely negative impact on a person’s physical condition, all of these factors significantly worsen his mental abilities. This affects short-term and long-term memory, clarity of mind, the ability to adequately assess the situation and, as a result, makes it impossible to make the right decisions.

In order to stimulate the body's resistance to negative factors affecting it, acclimatization is practiced. However, in this case, her schedule was disrupted. The reason for this was the delay in the installation of high-altitude camps, as well as the poor preparation of the ascent participants themselves. As can be seen from their memories, many did not know how to properly distribute their strength and, wanting to save it, showed unreasonable slowness on the rise.

Weather factor and lack of oxygen

Experienced climbers know that even the most careful preparation of an expedition is not a guarantee of success. A lot depends on whether you are lucky with the weather. Everest is an area where it changes with amazing speed. Within a short period of time, it is possible to transition from a clear sunny day to a snow hurricane, covering everything around with impenetrable darkness.

This is exactly what happened on that ill-fated day, May 11, 1996. The tragedy on Everest also erupted because when the climbers, who had barely survived the delight of conquering the peak, began their descent, the weather sharply worsened. Blizzards and blizzards severely limited visibility and obscured the markers indicating the path to Camp IV. As a result, a group of climbers got lost and lost their bearings.

Hurricane winds, the speed of which reached 130 kilometers per hour that day, and severe frost not only exposed people to the danger of being swept into the abyss, but also led to a decrease in atmospheric pressure. As a result, the oxygen content in the air dropped. It reached 14%, which greatly aggravated the situation. This concentration required the immediate use of oxygen cylinders, which by that time were completely used up. The result was a critical situation. There was a threat of loss of consciousness, pulmonary edema and imminent death.

The lack of cylinders is a mistake of the organizers of the ascent, which Everest has not forgiven them for. The tragedy of 1996 also occurred because some of its participants were unprepared people who could not tolerate rarefied air. During acclimatization trips, they had to sleep with oxygen cylinders, which significantly increased their consumption. In addition, they were required in large numbers to rescue Ngawang Sherpa, who was urgently evacuated from a height.

The dangers lurking in the commercial approach to mountaineering

And one more important factor that caused the sad event of May 11, 1996. The tragedy on Everest was to some extent a consequence of the commercialization of mountaineering, which began in the nineties. Then structures appeared and quickly developed aimed solely at making a profit from the desire of clients to participate in conquering peaks. For them, neither the level of training of these people, nor their age, nor physical condition played a role.

The main thing was that the required amount was paid. In the case of Mountain Madness and Adventure Consultants, it was sixty-five thousand dollars. The price included the services of professional guides, expenses for food, equipment, delivery to the base camp and escort to the peak of the mountain.

Subsequently, one of the guides admitted that the clients who were part of the “Mountain Madness” were so unprepared for the climb that he was already sure of failure, and, nevertheless, led them to a height accessible only to experienced athletes. This endangered the lives of not only these tourists, but also everyone who went with them. At altitude, one person's mistake can lead to the death of the entire group. This is partly what happened. The Everest tragedy (1996), whose participants became victims of commercial interests, is a clear confirmation of this.

This article was written not to intimidate beginners to climb mountains, but so that climbers of any qualification know and remember that any climb in the mountains is dangerous, and climbing the most difficult mountains in the world is deadly. Let's consider one example: climbing the highest Peak of the world, and the most desirable for many climbers - (Chomolungma), 8844 m.

Chomolungma(Tib. Everest, or Sagarmatha(from Nepali - the highest peak of the globe, with a height according to various sources from 8844 to 8852 meters, is located in the Himalayas. It is located on the border of Nepal and China (Tibet Autonomous Region), the peak itself lies on the territory of China. It has the shape of a pyramid; the southern slope is steeper. With glaciers flow down the massif in all directions, ending at an altitude of about 5 thousand m. On the southern slope and edges of the pyramid, snow and firn are not retained, as a result of which they are partially exposed.

This mountain does not forgive pride and vanity. She kills those who underestimated or overestimated their strength. The mountain has no sense of pity or justice, it kills according to the principle - surrender - die, fight - survive. According to statistics, about 1,500 people have climbed Everest. From 120 to 200 remained there (according to various sources). Among these 200 people there are those who will always meet new conquerors. According to various sources, there are eight openly lying bodies on the northern route. Among them are two Russians. From the south there are about ten.

WHO FIRST CONQUERED EVEREST?

The message that spread around the world in early May 1999 left none of the climbers indifferent. According to ITAR-TASS, the body of Mallory, the leader of the English expedition of 1924, was found 70 m from the summit of Everest. In accordance with this information, the Russian press, based on comments from specialists, including mine, clearly concluded that Mallory had reached the summit. And therefore it is necessary to rewrite the history of the conquest of the highest mountain on Earth. (Until now, New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Norgay Tenzing, who climbed Everest on May 29, 1953, were considered the first climbers). However, as it turned out later, the body was found much lower - at an altitude of 8230 m; It is not clear where ITAR-TASS received other information.

“Yes, in the mountains there lie hundreds of corpses frozen from cold and exhaustion, who fell into the abyss.” Valery Kuzin.
“Why are you going to Everest?” asked George Mallory.
“Because he is!”

I am one of those who believe that Mallory was the first to reach the summit and died on the descent. In 1924, the Mallory-Irving team launched an assault. They were last seen through binoculars in a break in the clouds just 150 meters from the summit. Then the clouds moved in and the climbers disappeared.
The mystery of their disappearance, the first Europeans remaining on Sagarmatha, worried many. But it took many years to find out what happened to the climber.
In 1975, one of the conquerors claimed that he saw some body off to the side of the main path, but did not approach so as not to lose strength. It took another twenty years until in 1999, while traversing the slope from high-altitude camp 6 (8290 m) to the west, the expedition came across many bodies that had died over the past 5-10 years. Found among them. He lay face down, spread out, as if hugging a mountain, his head and arms frozen into the slope.
The climber's tibia and fibula were broken. With such an injury, he was no longer able to continue his journey.
“They turned it over - the eyes were closed. This means that he did not die suddenly: when they break, many of them remain open. They didn’t let me down - they buried me there.”
Irving was never found, although the bandage on Mallory's body suggests that the couple were with each other until the very end. The rope was cut with a knife and, perhaps, Irving could move and, leaving his comrade, died somewhere lower down the slope.

In 1934, the Englishman Wilson made his way to Everest, disguised as a Tibetan monk, and decided to use his prayers to cultivate willpower sufficient to climb to the top. After unsuccessful attempts to reach the North Col, abandoned by the Sherpas accompanying him, Wilson died of cold and exhaustion. His body, as well as the diary he wrote, were found by an expedition in 1935.

A well-known tragedy that shocked many occurred in May 1998. Then a married couple, Sergei Arsentiev and Francis Distefano, died.

Sergey Arsentiev and Francis Distefano-Arsentiev, having spent three nights at 8,200 m (!), set out to climb and reached the summit on 05/22/2008 at 18:15. The ascent was made without the use of oxygen. Thus, Frances became the first American woman and only the second woman in history to climb without oxygen.

During the descent, the couple lost each other. He went down to the camp. She doesn't.
The next day, five Uzbek climbers walked to the top past Frances - she was still alive. The Uzbeks could help, but to do this they would have to give up the climb. Although one of their comrades has already ascended, and in this case the expedition is already considered successful.
On the descent we met Sergei. They said they saw Frances. He took the oxygen cylinders and left. But he disappeared. Probably blown by a strong wind into a two-kilometer abyss.
The next day there are three other Uzbeks, three Sherpas and two from South Africa - 8 people! They approach her - she has already spent the second cold night, but is still alive! Again everyone passes by - to the top.

“My heart sank when I realized that this man in the red and black suit was alive, but completely alone at an altitude of 8.5 km, just 350 meters from the summit,” recalls the British climber. “Katie and I, without thinking, turned off the route and tried to do everything possible to save the dying woman. Thus ended our expedition, which we had been preparing for years, begging money from sponsors... We did not immediately manage to get to it, although it was close. Moving at such a height is the same as running under water...
Having discovered her, we tried to dress the woman, but her muscles atrophied, she looked like a rag doll and kept muttering: “I am an American. Please don't leave me..."
We dressed her for two hours. “My concentration was lost due to the bone-piercing rattling sound that broke the ominous silence,” Woodhall continues his story. “I realized: Katie is about to freeze to death herself.” We had to get out of there as soon as possible. I tried to pick Frances up and carry her, but it was no use. My futile attempts to save her put Katie at risk. There was nothing we could do."

Not a day went by that I didn't think about Frances. A year later, in 1999, Katie and I decided to try again to reach the top. We succeeded, but on the way back we were horrified to notice the body of Frances, she was lying exactly as we had left her, perfectly preserved under the influence of low temperatures. No one deserves such an end. Katie and I promised each other that we would return to Everest again to bury Frances. It took 8 years to prepare the new expedition. I wrapped Frances in an American flag and included a note from my son. We pushed her body into the cliff, away from the eyes of other climbers. Now she rests in peace. Finally, I was able to do something for her." Ian Woodhall.

A year later, the body of Sergei Arsenyev was found: “I apologize for the delay with photographs of Sergei. We definitely saw it - I remember the purple puffer suit. He was in a bowing position, lying just beyond Jochen's "subtle rib" in the Mallory area at approximately 27,150 feet. I think it's him." Jake Norton, member of the 1999 expedition.

“In such extreme situations, everyone has the right to decide: to save or not to save a partner... Above 8000 meters you are completely occupied with yourself and it is quite natural that you do not help another, since you have no extra strength” . Miko Imai.
“It is impossible to afford the luxury of morality at an altitude of more than 8,000 meters”
In 1996, a group of climbers from the Japanese University of Fukuoka climbed Everest. Very close to their route were three climbers from India in distress - exhausted, sick people caught in a high-altitude storm. The Japanese passed by. A few hours later, all three died.

“You can’t continue climbing, maneuvering between corpses, and pretend that this is in the order of things.” . Alexander Abramov.

The mountain kills in different ways, sometimes sophisticated, but every year an increasing number of climbers travel to its foot to test their fate and their strength.

Common causes of death at such altitudes:

– cerebral edema (paralysis, coma, death) due to lack of oxygen,
– pulmonary edema (inflammation, bronchitis, rib fractures) due to lack of oxygen and low temperatures,
– heart attacks due to lack of oxygen and high stress,
– snow blindness,
– frostbite, the temperature at such altitudes drops to -75,
– but the most common thing is exhaustion from exertion, because... At such an altitude, the human digestive system almost does not work; the body eats itself, its muscle tissue.

Frostbite:

Tina Sjogren

Climber Beck Withers was twice abandoned on the mountainside, believing he was frozen to death, but he survived, remained disabled and wrote the book Left for Dead (2000).

As early as 1924, Everest climbers noted that after nine weeks spent at intermediate altitudes, a person can rise to 8530 m and sleep two or three nights at an altitude of up to 8230 m. Ascents in free balloons were first shown in the seventies of the last century An unacclimatized aeronaut, having risen to such heights, quickly lost consciousness and died. If people are exposed to reduced pressure in a pressure chamber at sea level, then at a pressure corresponding to an altitude of 7620 m, they lose consciousness after 10 minutes, and at a pressure corresponding to an altitude of 8230 m, after 3 minutes.

The highest known altitude at which there is a permanent population is 5335 m. In the Andes at this altitude there is a mine village called Aconquilcha. It is said that the miners prefer to rise daily from this height to 455 m and not live in a special camp built for them by the mine administration at an altitude of 5790 m.

Everest climbers also noted that during the process of acclimatization, their physical condition improved up to a height of 7000 m. Above that, rapid and serious exhaustion of the body occurred, manifested in progressive weakness, drowsiness, the inability to restore lost strength and gradual muscle atrophy.

At altitudes of 6500-7000 m there is a slow depletion of the body, but this is smoothed out by the process of acclimatization, so that headaches and other symptoms of mountain sickness disappear, and for some time the climber’s health improves. But over time, appetite disappears, tissues begin to deplete, energy and performance decrease. The table below shows the longest stays of climbers on Everest at various altitudes:

Climbing to a height of more than 8000 m requires such colossal stress that it is unlikely that anyone is able to repeat it during the same expedition. Full recovery after such an ordeal takes many weeks.

Many ordinary people ask the question with horror: “Why aren’t the corpses removed from the mountain and buried?” But how can you explain to a person who has not been there what kind of mountain it is? That from a height of more than 8,000 thousand there are not many chances to descend on your own, and to remove a corpse you need to organize an entire expedition, which will cost a lot of money. But the main problem is that the whereabouts of most of these corpses are unknown.

Rescue work on Everest

Camp after the storm:

Many books have been written on the topic of Everest, many films have been shown. And yet, NS statistics do not decrease every year.

In 2006, there were 11 fatal accidents out of 450 successful ascents (2.4% mortality), and the overall (1922-2006) mortality rate is 6.74%.

Division by year:

1922-1989; 285/106 (37.19%)
1990-1999; 882/59 (6.69%)
2000-2005; 1393/27 (1.94%)
1922-2006; 3010/203 (6.74%)

Despite such chronological data, there were quite a lot of successful expeditions to Everest. Thus, the first successful ascent of a group of two people took place on May 5, 1982. The leader of the expedition, Evgeny Tamm, identified the first assault group consisting of V. Balyberdin and E. Myslovsky. Phenomenally resilient and resistant to oxygen starvation, Balyberdin led a relatively weak participant. Myslovsky’s ascent was difficult: to some extent, the doctors’ conclusions were justified. He dropped his oxygen equipment, suffered severely from the cold, and was suffocating. His partner gave him his oxygen mask and supported him psychologically in a dramatic moment. The assault on the top of the world by this first group was successful.

Somewhat later, nine members of the expedition climbed Everest. And their rise was dramatic. Very serious assistance had to be provided to the climber V. Onishchenko: at an altitude of 7500 meters he had an attack of acute mountain sickness with a sharp drop in blood pressure. He needed resuscitation. Myslovsky with frostbite on his fingers and toes, and V. Khreshchaty, who made a night climb to the summit with frostbitten feet, had to be urgently taken out of the base camp by helicopter. Climber Moskaltsev fell into a crack and received a traumatic brain injury. Everest was reluctantly conquered by athletes. Nevertheless, this massive ascent took place.

The 1982 expedition was an outstanding achievement in world mountaineering. The participants were awarded government awards. Balyberdin and Myslovsky received the Order of Lenin. But, unfortunately, later the record-breaking conquest of Everest was completely forgotten.

Summit 8844 m

And despite everything, Everest remains one of the most beautiful eight-thousanders in the world. But we must always remember that we cannot conquer the mountain, it can either let us in or not. And we can conquer our weakness and cowardice. And I immediately remembered the words from V. Vysotsky’s song...

If a friend suddenly turns out to be
And neither friend nor enemy, but so...
If you don't understand right away,
Whether he is good or bad,
Pull the guy to the mountains - take a risk,
Don't leave him alone
Let him be in conjunction with you -
There you will understand who he is.
If a guy is in the mountains - no,
If you immediately become limp - and down,
Stepped onto the glacier - and wilted,
I stumbled and screamed
This means there is a stranger next to you,
Don't scold him, drive him away:
They don’t take people like that up here either
They don't sing about people like that.
If he didn’t whine, didn’t whine,
Even though he was gloomy and angry, he walked
And when you fell off the cliffs,
He moaned, but held on
If I followed you as if into battle,
Standing at the top, drunk,
So, as for yourself,
Rely on him.

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