Posted: Feb 07, 2008 12:28 pm EST
(MountEverest.net) Last year, Swedish climber and researcher Janne Corax compiled a list of the six highest yet unclimbed peaks in the world - and submitted a number of other cool suggestions at ExplorersWeb.

Over-wintering in Lhasa, Janne has since been climbing in Tibet but here goes a different story from him: A debrief from the little known events that took place last year on Muztagh Ata in China.

Janne has interviewed a number of climbers involved in the climbing tragedy, their testimony highlighting the heroism and indifference dividing our mountains today.

Muztagh Ata 2007 debrief
By Janne Corax

Muztagh Ata, meaning "the Father of Snow Mountains" in the local language is located in the western extreme of the Kunlun in the Chinese province Xinjiang. It's a huge, beautiful peak surrounded by green pastures and located close to the ancient Silk Road.

The mountain has a reputation to be the easiest way to reach above 7000 meters and annually it attracts a large number of climbers from all over the world.

Year by year the business has grown

Hundreds and hundreds travel to the outback of China to make an attempt and needless to say, the background and the experience of these alpinists vary widely. When a mountain becomes popular it also attracts those who smell the commercial potential.

There are plenty of organizers and you can find the whole range of quality. Year by year the business has grown at the same speed as the increasing numbers of climbers attempting the peak.

Some of the reputable, reliable and good ones are around, but there are also some of those "cowboy outfitters" which don't have a clue what they're doing. The combination of the above has made Muztagh Ata one of those commercial peaks where anything can happen and this season tragedy struck.

Fortunately, a Russian mountain guide and some climbers with the old, traditional alpinist views were around. If not, more people would have had their final resting place on the windswept slopes of Muztagh Ata.

Stefan Backlund: "They tossed notes out of their tent, reading HELP"

Stefan Backlund, a Swedish solo climber recalls the following.

"It all started when I was resting in my tent in C1. A Korean girl came up to me asking if I had seen her friends which were on a summit attempt. She had started to worry as they had been away longer than expected."

"She had heard nothing from them for over 72 hours. Later on the same day two Germans arrived at C1. They had gotten a note from the Koreans, which were in a tent in C3 (appr. 6900m)."

"They had thrown out small notes from the tent, where it was written 'HELP' and they had also received a note written in Korean. An Austrian had also passed them in C3, but he didn't understand what the Koreans had tried to tell him."

Fellow climbers: "We don't know if they are dead or alive"

"I started to worry and tried to talk the Korean girl into arranging a party going up to C3 to find out what was going on. For some reason she was hesitating, but in the end the question was asked to some HAPs. It all got messy as the HAPs demanded $100 plus jackets and boots and a wild discussion and bargaining session broke out."

"I thought the matter ended well and the Koreans and the HAPs struck a deal, but came the next day, nothing had happened. I walked down to BC to find out if anyone had any news or more information about what was really going on higher on the peak."

"No one knew anything substantial, nor showed any real interest in knowing more about the situation, let alone getting a rescue party together. I tried to encourage members from a commercial expedition in which I knew many of the members."

"My request was drowned in a lot of stupid arguments like: "We don't know if they are dead or alive" and, "perhaps their families want their bodies to remain up there."

The Koreans had been without water and food for about 6 days

"I started walking up the next day. At a break just over the icefall, I met Max, a Russian mountain guide and his American client trying to help two very exhausted Koreans down."

"I was told one was dead higher on the peak. In a joint effort with Maks, one of his clients and some more climbers we managed to get the almost unconscious Koreans down to through the icefall. In total I was told the Koreans had been without water and food for about 6 days."

Maksim: "Out of the buried tents, a man walked out asking for help"

Maksim 'Max' Bogatirev, professional mountain guide & mountain rescue team worker from Maykop, Russia tells the following story:

"On July 15, Antony Piva and I went for a summit attempt from camp 3. At night there had been heavy snow-fall and our tent had been fully covered by snow. All other alpinists had gone down to BC, but we decided to try the summit. Our camp was placed at 6700m."

"We started at 6 in the morning. The snow was 1 meter deep. In 10 minutes we managed to walk 20 meters. We saw tents at 6900m. They were under snow. A man got out from a tent and asked for help."

Nobody offered to help, until the Chinese and the Swede

"Two of his friends were in the neighboring tent. Both were unconscious. We had to get them down quickly. We put the sickest man in a sleeping bag on a mattress, and fixed it all by rope."

"The man who had asked for help made me promise to come back for him and his friend."

"We began to pull the Korean climber downward. At C2 at 5400m we left him and went back up again to get the second person and then the same procedure with the third. It was a little bit easier than when bringing down the first person as there was now a ditch in the snow."

"We got no help from anyone until C2. Two Chinese alpinists helped out from 'Camp 6000'."

"We spotted Stefan's tent at the top of the icefall. He peeked out and asked, 'can I help you?' It was wicked, because nobody had wanted to help us before this. He helped us bring the most ill person through the icefall."

"I got down to BC by midnight. Antony at 2 am. He was in ski boots and it was hard for him to descend. When I told my friends Otto, Andreas and John that Antony's was in a spotty situation, they didn't hesitate to walk up in trekking shoes for Antony in the middle of the night."

Max chronology of events

The following is what Max knows about chronology of events before the rescue operation:

"On July 10 four Korean alpinists went for the summit from C3. Two were feeling bad and went back to the tent. Two summited. On the descent one of them got lost and disappeared. The day after the remaining three decided to head up and look for him, but the weather was bad and it deteriorated the following days."

"The climbers were stuck in C3. When we found them they had been without food and water for 6 days at almost 7000m. Two were unconscious."

"Some days later I found the fourth Korean dead high on the peak."

Janne: The scent of fast, hard cash

The whole mountain was full of climbers, but Max said it was very difficult to get any help from anyone. He asked some Polish climbers, but the answer was they couldn't because they had "no force".

Muztagh Ata veteran Sasha Nishikin was in BC and when he got to know about the situation he commanded his group of 10 Austrian clients to go up and help out. This group brought the last Korean down from C1 to BC. The second last had been helped down the last bit by some Swedish climbers.

One of Maks's last sentences in the mail he sent me is (the exact words): "The Russian alpinists never abandon dying comrades. This is a rule."

If this was the rule for more climbers, expedition leaders, porters, anyone on the peak we would have a different situation on mountains all over the world. Unfortunately this isn't the case nowadays. There are many examples whereof the ones on Everest are the most well known.

On the "commercial peaks" there is more to it than just the spirit of mountaineering though. As there are lots of climbers without the necessary experience which want to go for the higher peaks, the organizers have a large responsibility. Most are serious about the matter and do a good job, but there are also those which only smell the scent of fast, hard cash.

A live goat had to be brought to BC for slaughter

Muztagh Ata is no exception. The most outstanding examples this season are probably the following two; Scandinavian Ascents, notoriously bad in planning and with the philosophy of always climbing all peaks in alpine style, which of course is a fantastic idea on higher peaks, let alone with clients which can enter without any prior climbing experience. (Ed: Scandinavian Ascents have since folded.)

In the summer of 2007 the planning part reached a new low mark which will be hard to beat. The team ran completely out of food and a live goat had to be brought to BC for slaughter.

Seman Travel Service who usually has problems organizing a three day tour to the Taklamakan desert also wanted to get into the business this year. One evening the manager of the company walked up to me and asked: "My clients for Muztagh Ata will arrive later on tonight. Do you know what kind of tents they may need for the mountain?"

(Ed note: Story edited 12.54 pm - the other fatalities below involved one British, not American climber as earlier stated.)

Korean Choi Jang Yong, 44, perished July 11, 2007 at 7400m.

Two more climbers died on Muztagh Ata in the summer of 2007. One British and one Swiss perished by altitude related causes low on the peak. A rumor about a dead porter fortunately proved to be false. He was later found in good shape in the city of Tashkurgan.

Information provided by:
Janne Corax, Sweden
Stefan Backlund, Sweden.
Maksim Bogatirev, Russia.
David Kong, China.
Kong Baocun, China.

Photos by: Max Bogatirev

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