Sir Edmund Hillary questions climbers actions for leaving a man behind on Everest
An article from the Otago Daily Times has Sir Edmund Hillary questioning the actions of climbers who left Englishman David Sharp to die as he lay in Everest’s “death zone” above 8000m a week ago. Sharp, a 34-year-old engineer, later died on the mountain.
Hillary told the Otago Daily Times, “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”.
In both 2003 and 2004 Sharp had climbed the mountain alone without oxygen and was forced to turn back at 8470m. This time, he apparently reached the summit with the help of two four litre oxygen bottles from a trekking company.
Hillary said people had completely lost sight of what was important – on his expedition there was no way you would leave a man under a rock to die.
“There have been a number of occasions when people have been neglected and left to die and I don’t regard this as a correct philosophy,” he said.
He said the difficulties posed by operating at high altitude were not an excuse. “You can try, can’t you? This is the whole thing”, Sir Edmund said.
You are in a dangerous situation, there’s no question about that. But at least you can try to rescue the life of a man who is obviously in distressful condition.
Sir Edmund has previously criticised the intensely commercial environment that has developed around the world’s highest peak and called for moratorium to give the mountain a break.
I think the whole attitude towards climbing Mount Everest has become rather horrifying. The 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.
A scientist who has studied oxygen use on Mt Everest told the Otago Daily Times he believed the life of the British climber could have been saved.
University of Otago scientist and mountaineer Dr Phil Ainslie said it might have been possible to revive the climber with bottled oxygen and even get him down to safety.
However, he said that one chance of making the summit would have dictated events.
Many on the mountain had paid upwards of $US75,000 ($A99,000) and were effectively being dragged up by guides, he said.
Editor: I bet there are some difference of opinions on this topic! Decide for yourself… read the Otago Daily Times article and discuss below.