Posted: May 23, 2006 09:12 pm EDT
The New Zealand Press Association reports that Edmund Hillary has questioned the actions of Mark Inglis and others on the night British David Sharp, 34, died. "In our expedition there was never any likelihood whatsoever if one member of the party was incapacitated that we would just leave him to die,'' Hillary, told the Otago Daily Times today.

Hillary said people have completely lost sight of what's important and that the difficulties posed by operating at high altitude is no excuse. "I think the whole attitude towards climbing Mt Everest has become rather horrifying...people just want to get to the top, they don't give a damn for anybody else who may be in distress and it doesn't impress me at all that they leave someone lying under a rock to die."

"I radioed Russ"

It seems that this was David's third Everest attempt. He climbed alone, summited, but ran out of oxygen on descent and died at 8500 meters.

Mark Inglis told television New Zealand that his group passed the climber on their summit push. "And it was like, what do we do? You know, we couldn't do anything. That's, he had no oxygen, he had no proper gloves, things like that. I believe I've copped a wee bit of…"

Television New Zealand reporter: "Well, yes. Someone has suggested that maybe you should have stopped the ascent and rescued this man."

Mark: "Absolutely. Yep. It's a very fair point. Trouble is at 8,500 metres it's extremely difficult to keep yourself alive, let alone keeping anyone else alive. On that morning over 40 people went past this young Briton. I was one of the first, radioed, and Russ said, look mate, you can't do anything. You know, he's been there X number of hours, been there without oxygen, you know, he's effectively dead."

In another press report at Stuff website (Christchurch Press newspaper, New Zealand), mountaineer Graham Dingle responds to Hillary that a rescue is good "providing the circumstances are right." Graham says that it all depends; whether the climber is close to death and/or high up.

David's mother: "save yourself"

According to latest media, fellow climbers have backed Mark Inglis including the family of David Sharp. His mother, Linda Sharp, told her local newspaper in England: "Your only responsibility is to save yourself, not to try and save anyone else."

The family was notified by Russell Brice on May 16. "One of Russell's Sherpas checked on him and there was still life there," Linda Sharp told her local newspaper, the Northern Echo. "He tried to give him oxygen, but it was too late."

Doctor summiteer: Assess the danger to yourself first

Another Everest climber, Dr Dick Price, who reached the top of Everest in 1997 on his sixth attempt and has been involved in several rescues on the mountain, said:

"It is one of the most difficult things to do. People don't realise how technical and challenging Everest is, but near the top you can only walk about 10 steps without oxygen...one of the basics of first aid is to assess the danger to yourself first and it is no different in this situation."

Geoff Wyatt, a professional mountain guide based in Wanaka, said, "I would say that I would stop and help someone, but I am saying that stood in New Zealand. I have no idea if that is what I would actually do in that situation. At 8000 metres it might be a different story."

Except...it was on their way up

A poll run on The Press website showed 60 per cent of nearly 200 respondents thought Inglis should have stopped to help. That means that 40 per cent think he should have not.

An important thing to realize in light of all the comments, is perhaps the fact that the climbers passed David Sharp on their way up. It was not a question of their lives against David's - but his life against their summit.

In 1996, when a number of climbers were missing, some climbers didn't even want to leave their tents in camp 4 to do a headcount. Their reason; they didn't want to jeopardize their summit push.

Phone the webmaster before the family

Two years back, a guide phoned from Everest BC to a daughter announcing that her father was dead. The guide offered to send some summit pictures. 2 days earlier, from C4, he had already phoned his webmaster - asking him to update the website with the good news of his own summit.

In 2004, 6 people died on the North side with a total 7 fatalities on Everest that year. Novice climber Andre Bredenkamp told a South African news source, about the night of Andre's ascent, when three Koreans died: "One of them, fell and broke his leg. No one was able to move him or do anything. We covered him up with snow and he just went to sleep."

The Koreans were Park Moo-Taek, Chang Min and Paek Jun-Ho. Park Moo-Taek had 7, 8,000ers; and a very speedy triple header: Everest, K2, and Kangchenjunga in 1 year 11 months and 27 days.

So far, the north side has claimed 6 climbers, and the south side 3 plus one on the Lhotse face.

May 22, Russian Snow Leopard Igor Plyushkin, 54, complained that he didn't feel well at 7800 meters. Guides administered supplementary oxygen and adrenaline shots in a struggle for his life that lasted 1,5 hours. Igor died at 1.45 pm local time due to AMS. Expedition leader Alexander Abramov released the details the same day.

May 18, Brazilian climber Vitor Negrete perished on descent after a no 02 summit. Vitor climbed alone but managed to call his sherpa who went up and helped him to camp 3, where Vitor later died of altitude. Brazil media released the details the next day.

Vitor died only 3 days after learning that his team mate British David Sharp had vanished on his summit bid, on May 15. According to an interview with Washington Times, Double amputee Mark Inglis said that David Sharp, 34, was still alive at 28,000 feet, but was left to die at around 8000 meters by about 40 people who passed him that day. Both climbers were outfitted by Asian trekking, and climbing the north side. Asian Trekking did not provide information on the location, time or cause of David Sharp's death until May 23.

May 16, Swedish Tomas Olsson died on Everest North face in an attempt to ski down the Norton couloir with team mate Tormod Granheim. Tomas' snow anchor broke loose at a rock outcrop section and he fell from 8500 meters. Tormod free climbed down after his mate but found only gear scattered around. Details were published within 24 hours and a search party was dispatched the next day. Tomas body was discovered by a Sherpa at 6700 meters Saturday. Both climbers were unguided, sharing permit with an international group organized by Arun Treks & Expeditions.

This past weekend, French climber Jacques-Hugues Letrange died on descent from the summit. The French mountaineer had climbed Everest from its North side with his wife Caroline. No details have been released.

April 21, three Sherpas died in the Everest south side icefall, in a massive serac collapse: Ang Phinjo Sherpa was hired by IMG, Lhakpa Tseri and Dawa Temba were employed by Asian Trekking on an expedition listed as led by Douglas Tumminello & Apa Sherpa (Team No Limit) climbing the south side. Details were released by IMG the same morning.

April 7, an un-named Sherpa reportedly working for "an American team" on Everest north side became ill in ABC and died in BC. No details have been provided.

May 5, Czech climber Pavel Kalny fell to his death on the Lhotse wall (shared route with Everest south side). Pavel Kalny climbed with seasoned Czech climber Martin Minarik at the time of the fall. Pavel was found the next day by a team of Sherpas and a Chilean doctor who helped him down, but the climber died short of camp 3. Details from Martin are expected this week.

In terms of fatalities, the 2006 Everest season is now second only to the 1996 spring season which claimed 12 lives.

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