Russian climbers who died on Everest. Climbers who died on Everest. Rescue work on Everest

Everest is, in the full sense of the word, the 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.”

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...

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? 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 conquer the peak 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, the world's media 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.”

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.

The first person to be alarmed by Sharpe'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, sufficient to break the climbing record for this very time of year.

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.

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 top 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 stepped 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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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 she 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, do not 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 quickly 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 Frances' body, lying exactly as we had left her, perfectly preserved by the cold 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 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.

“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.

“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.

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 is not.
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 she 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, do not 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 quickly 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.

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. Got off easy - four fingers were removed.

“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.

“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.

“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 left on the side of a mountain, believed to be 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. They say that the miners prefer to rise from this height to 455 m every day 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 help 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 mass 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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According to climbers, Everest can be called the mountain of death. About 200 people died trying to climb it. The bodies of some were never found, the frozen corpses of others still remain on mountain paths, in rock crevices as a reminder that luck is capricious, and any mistake in the mountains can be fatal.

There are quite a few reasons for the death of climbers - from the possibility of falling off a cliff, getting caught in a rockfall, an avalanche, to suffocation and fatal changes in the body in the form of cerebral edema that occurs due to very rarefied air. The weather at altitude is also unpredictable and can change in a matter of minutes. Gusts of strong wind literally blow climbers off the mountain. In addition, lack of oxygen causes people to do strange things that can lead to death: climbers feel very tired and lie down to rest, never to wake up again, or strip down to their underwear, feeling an unprecedented heat, while the temperature during the ascent can drop to - 65 degrees Celsius.

Francis Astentiev

George Mallory

Hannelore Schmatz

Tsewang Paljor

David Sharp

Marko Lihteneker

Shriya Shah-Klorfine

In addition to identified bodies, corpses of unknown climbers are encountered during the ascent or descent of Everest.

Many corpses lie in crevices between the rocks, which are difficult to reach.
The corpse of an unknown climber in the Advanced Base Camp

When Prince Siddhartha was born, it was prophesied that he would give up his entire vast inheritance and become a great teacher.
Fearing that the prophecy would come true, his father, the Raja of one of the Indian principalities, surrounded his son with care and comfort.
One of the raja's commands was to clear the city streets of sick and infirm people, the sight and conversations with whom could force Siddhartha to leave the fate of the heir to the principality.

But nevertheless, the prince was concerned about the problems of the commoners.
One day, in the thirtieth year of his life, Siddhartha, accompanied by the charioteer Channa, got out of the palace. There he saw “four sights” that changed his entire subsequent life: an old beggar, a sick man, a decomposing corpse and a hermit.
Then he realized the harsh reality of life - that illness, suffering, aging and death are inevitable and neither wealth nor nobility can protect against them, and that the path of self-knowledge is the only way to understand the causes of suffering.

This prompted him, in his thirtieth year, to leave his home, family and property and go in search of a way to get rid of suffering.

Today we know this great man by the name of Buddha.

At the core of his teaching was the concept of impermanence, that we should live our lives as productively as possible and not fear death.

Buddhists usually face death soberly. Many of them also treat corpses calmly. They make a distinction between a person's body, a temporary shelter, and his soul - an immortal essence destined for eternal real life.

Perhaps because we foreigners lead a much more mundane lifestyle, we are very uncomfortable being around dead bodies. As a rule, they make either a disgusted or disgusting impression on us. We are unable to distinguish between the earthly body and eternal life.
Many of us are afraid of dead bodies, but oddly enough, if the corpse becomes increasingly difficult to identify, then the horror that arose towards it is erased.
We are horrified when we see how a pathologist works with recently deceased people, but at the same time we can quite calmly observe the work of an archaeologist who has dug up the skeleton of a person from the distant past.

One of the things that shocks and surprises people to whom I tell about my climb to Everest is that they think that I climb to the top by stepping over a huge number of corpses.
But why weren’t these bodies brought down and buried according to the canons of the Buddhist religion? they ask me.

But before I answer this question, I'm going to debunk the popular media myth that Everest is literally littered with the bodies of dead climbers.
Debunking this myth is very important because it is what proves that climbing Everest is inherently unethical. Believe it or not, many people even hold a grudge against climbers who climb Everest, believing that they are completely devoid of conscience, that they will stop at nothing to reach the top of Everest, and that climbers are ready to walk to the top even over the corpses of their comrades.

Returning to the theme of the myth, we can say with confidence that Everest is littered with the bodies of dead climbers just as much as Antarctica is littered with the bodies of dead pioneers of Shackleton’s era.

Yes, it is true that more than 200 people died on Everest during their ascents, and that the bodies of the vast majority of them are still on the mountain.
But on the other hand, Everest is a huge territory, and most of the bodies of the dead are hidden in the depths of the Northern Wall, the Kangshung Wall and the Khumbu Glacier. These "burials" are as inaccessible as if the bodies were buried several hundred meters underground. And even more so, not a single climber will stumble or step over them when climbing to the top.

Perhaps the best example of this is on the Northeast ridge of Everest in 1924.
Some people believe that if climbers can find Irwin's body, he will also have a camera with him that could reveal the century-old secret of Everest: whether Irvine and Mallory were on its summit in 1924.

However, for almost 100 years now, climbers have been searching for Irwin’s body on the North Slope... For this, both the visual method and aerial photographs and satellite images are used. But all searches turn out to be in vain, and apparently Irwin’s body will never be found.

There are many more corpses in our city cemetery, and they lie much denser.... Of course, not all are hidden from view, but at the same time, every tombstone marks these bodies, but there are also places where there are no tombstones.... and this means that when I walk with the graves of my relatives, I unwittingly step over or even step on the graves of other people who have been buried for a long time.

So let's stop reacting to tabloid headlines. Everest is not littered with corpses!
Over the past 100 years, less than 300 people have died in this mountain range. There are hundreds of other places on Earth that have had much greater casualties.
But what shocks people so much when we talk about corpses on Everest? Perhaps the fact is that these bodies remain on the mountainside and are not taken to the valleys where they could be buried in the ground.
So why is this happening?

A simple answer to this question is the fact that in most cases it is simply impossible to carry out such an operation.
Helicopters cannot operate at high altitudes due to the thin atmosphere, and on the Tibetan side, their flights in the highlands are generally prohibited by the Chinese government!

Even if a person died in the arms of his comrades, lowering the body from a great height will take all the climbers and sherpas of the expedition, and in the pre-summit zone, even the well-coordinated work of the entire team may not help in the descent.
Most climbers, when stepping above the "death zone", are aware of this fine line between life and death. And they consider their safety as their first priority and not reaching the top at any cost.
In addition, a special operation to remove the body of the deceased from the mountain to the valley will cost tens of thousands of dollars to the family of the deceased, and will also endanger the lives of other climbers taking part in this operation.
Climbers' insurance typically covers search and rescue, but these policies do not cover the recovery of a deceased person.

The bodies of those climbers who died after falling off the route are often unattainable for the rescue team, and in such harsh conditions, these bodies very quickly freeze into ice.

The bodies of those climbers who died from exhaustion, located near the ascent route, are often at the edge of the field of view, or after some time, end up on the slopes of the South-West Face or on Kangshung from the Tibetan side.
A similar thing happened to David Sharp, a British climber who died on the northeast ridge in 2006. His body was removed from the climbing route at the request of his family.
A similar thing happened to the Indian climber Tsevan Paljor, who died in 1996, but his body remained in plain sight in a niche on the north-eastern part of the ridge for almost 20 years: but now it is not there... apparently it was removed from the route.

Yet every year people die on Everest, and in most cases their bodies remain on the mountain. If you attempt to climb to the top and climb to it, you will probably notice several bodies of the dead along the way.

I also walked near the bodies of the dead, but I did not dwell on them. I understood that these few bodies were only a small fraction of those killed who remained here forever over the past decades.
I saw that some bodies were lying along the route, they died from exhaustion, and I could understand how they died, I knew how they suffered and understood that I could not afford to leave my family and friends with such grief.

Please pay attention to this photo. It shows a view of the Everest route from the third stage. The photo was taken from a height of 8600 meters. If you study it in detail, you can see four corpses on the slope of Everest.
Two bodies lying close to the route most likely died from exhaustion. One body is 50 meters below, partially covered in snow, and another is hanging over the edge of a rocky area. These bodies were carried by climbers away from the trail, which was essentially the equivalent of a burial.

In general, in this section, near the third step, there is a large number of bodies of the dead, this is due to the fact that from here, the top of Everest seems to be at arm's length, and this deceptive fact forces climbers to move to the top despite their condition, when the right decision was would turn down.

Let me remind you once again that this photo was taken at around 8600 meters and only about 100 people a year pass this section, and those who found the strength to reach such a height are already having difficulty finding the strength to fight for their own survival.
Only in this photograph did I discover the bodies of two more dead climbers, because in fact, with my own eyes I saw only two on this step...
But as paradoxical as it sounds, these two bodies helped me survive the ascent

I have since removed this photo from my blog to prevent inappropriate comments and conversations.
I have left here only a low-resolution version of the photo, which would make it very difficult to distinguish the bodies of the dead.

Some people who hear about bodies lying on Everest say that the mountain should be closed to climbers in memory of those who remained there forever.
I don’t quite understand this approach, but I think that this opinion arises when people do not know at all what mountaineering is, what climbing to the tops of mountains is.
Climbers who go to Everest understand and know about the risks, they themselves decided to take this risk, because mountaineering and victories enrich their lives.

Of course, not everyone believes that such a risk is worth the reward, but this is the choice of every climber. Mountaineering and mountains are not a place where it is wise to interfere with the choices of others.
I don’t know a single climber who would like the mountain to be closed for climbing in memory of those who died, of those who took risks and their risk was higher than they could overcome.

Perhaps it would be easier if people saw climbing Everest as a metaphor for life. And if you want to live life, you must accept that from time to time you will see corpses, because the dead are part of real life.
Perhaps this look will help to more soberly assess the situation with Everest and understand what the corpses on the mountainside mean.
Every death is a tragedy for the loved ones of the deceased, but death is an unchangeable part of our existence. Death accompanies us all throughout our lives. And when someone dies, we can learn to be more merciful and become a better person.

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Everest is the Golgotha ​​of our time. Those who go there know that they have every chance of not returning back. “Roulette with rocks”: lucky or unlucky.

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, there will be more and more corpses every year. What is unacceptable in ordinary life is considered the norm at high altitudes - Alexander Abramov.

Not everything depends on the person: a strong chilly wind, a treacherously frozen oxygen cylinder valve, an incorrect calculation of the timing of the ascent or a late descent, a broken rope, a sudden snow avalanche or an icefall collapse, or exhaustion of the body.

In winter, the temperature at night drops there to minus 55 - 65°C. Closer to the apical zone, hurricane snowstorms blow at speeds of up to 50 m/s. In such conditions, the frost “feels like” is minus 100 - 130°C. In summer the thermometer tends to reach 0°C, but the winds are still as strong. In addition, at such a height there is an extremely rarefied atmosphere all year round, which contains a minimal amount of oxygen: on the border of the permissible norm.

No climber wants to end his days there, to remain an anonymous reminder of the tragedy that happened.

In the 93 years that have passed since the first mountain expedition to the highest peak on Earth, about 300 conquerors of Chomolungma died trying to reach its peak. At least 150 or even 200 of them are still there on the mountain - abandoned and forgotten.

Most of the bodies rest in deep crevices, among stones. They are covered with snow and bound by centuries-old ice. However, some of the remains lie on the snow-covered slopes of the mountain within direct visibility, not far from the modern climbing routes along which extreme tourists from all over the world make their way to the “head of the world.” So, at least eight corpses lie near the trails on the northern route, and a dozen more on the southern route.

Evacuation of those killed on Everest is an extremely difficult task, due to the fact that helicopters practically do not reach such a height, and weakened people are physically unable to drag a heavy “200 load” to the foot of the mountain. At the same time, the bodies of the dead are well preserved there due to constant extremely low temperatures and the almost complete absence of predatory animals.

Nowadays, new conquerors of Everest, as part of numerous commercial groups, on their way to the top, pass by the corpses of dead fellow climbers.

Often fallen climbers are still dressed in bright special clothing: windproof gloves on their hands; on the body - thermal underwear, fleece jackets and down sweaters, storm jackets and warm trousers; on the feet are mountain boots or felt shekeltons with “crampons” attached to their soles (metal devices for moving on ice and compressed snow - firn), and on the head are hats made of Polartek.

Over time, some of these unburied bodies became "landmarks" or landmarks along public trails - elevation markers for living climbers.

One of the most famous "markers" on the northern slope of Everest is the "Green Shoes". Apparently, this climber died in 1996. Then the “May Tragedy” almost overnight claimed the lives of eight climbers, and in just one season, 15 daredevils died - 1996 remained the deadliest year in the history of climbing Everest until 2014.

The second similar incident occurred in 2014, when an avalanche led to another mass death of climbers, Sherpa porters and a couple of sirdars (the main ones among the hired Nepalese).

Some researchers believe that the “Green Shoes” is Tsewang Paljor, a member of the expedition consisting of Indians, or Dorje Morup, another member of the same group.

In total, in this group, which was then caught in a severe storm, there were about half a dozen climbers. Three of them, halfway to the peak of the mountain, turned back and returned to base, and the other half, including Morup and Paljor, continued on their way to their intended goal.

After some time, the trio got in touch: one of them radioed to their colleagues in the camp that the group was already at the top, and also that they were starting to descend back, but they were not destined to survive that “scrape.”

"Green Shoes"

It is noteworthy that in 2006, the English climber David Sharp, who also used to wear green mountain shoes, froze to death while on the “roof of the world.” In addition, several groups of his colleagues walked past the dying man while he was still breathing, believing that he was about to die. They are “green boots” from 1996.

The Discovery Channel film crew went even further - their cameraman filmed the dying David, and the journalist even tried to interview him. True, the television crew may not have known the true state of his health - a day later, when another group discovered him, he was still conscious. The mountain guides asked him if he needed help, to which he replied: “I need to rest! Need to sleep!

Most likely, among the causes of David’s death was the failure of gas equipment and, as a consequence, hypothermia and oxygen starvation. In general, a typical diagnosis for these places.

David was not a rich man, so he walked to the top without the help of guides or Sherpas. The drama of the situation lies in the fact that if he had more money, he would have been saved.

His death revealed another problem of Everest, this time a moral one - the harsh, mercantile, pragmatic, and often even cruel morals that exist there among climbers and Sherpa guides.

There is nothing reprehensible in this behavior of climbers - Everest is no longer the same as it was a couple of decades ago, because in the era of commercialization it is every man for himself, and Sherpas lower on stretchers to the foot of the mountain only those who have enough money to save themselves.

How much does it cost to climb Everest?

Most expeditions are organized by commercial companies and take place in groups. Clients of such companies pay Sherpa guides and professional climbers for their services, because they teach amateurs the basics of mountaineering, as well as provide them with “equipment” and, as far as possible, ensure their safety throughout the entire route.

Climbing Chomolungma is not a cheap pleasure, costing everyone from $25,000 to $65,000. The dawn of the era of commercialization of Everest was the early 1990s, namely 1992.

Then the now organized hierarchical structure of professional guides began to take shape, ready to make the dream of an amateur climber a reality. As a rule, these are Sherpas - representatives of the indigenous population of some regions of the Himalayas.

Among their responsibilities: accompanying clients to the “acclimatization camp”, arranging the route infrastructure (installation of handrail safety ropes) and constructing intermediate stops, “guiding” the client and providing him with insurance throughout the entire journey.

At the same time, this does not guarantee that all of them will be able to reach the top, and meanwhile, some guides, in pursuit of the “big dollar,” take clients who, for medical reasons, are a priori unable to make a “thrown march” to the top of the mountain.

Thus, if in the early 1980s. per year, an average of 8 people were at the top, and in 1990, about 40; in 2012, 235 people climbed the mountain in just one day, which led to hours of traffic jams and even fights between disgruntled mountaineering fans.

How long does the process of climbing Chomolungma take?

Climbing to the top of the highest mountain in the world takes about two to three months, which involves first setting up a camp, and then a rather long process of acclimatization in the base camp, as well as short forays to the South Col for the same purpose - adapting the body to the unfriendly climate of the Himalayas . On average, during this time, climbers lose 10 - 15 kg in weight, or lose their lives - depending on your luck.

To better understand what it's like to conquer Everest, imagine this: you put on all the clothes in your closet. You have a clothespin on your nose, so you are forced to breathe through your mouth. Behind your back you have a backpack containing an oxygen cylinder, the weight of which is 15 kg, and in front of you is a 4.5 km steep path from the base camp to the top, for most of which you will have to walk on your toes, resist the icy wind and climb up the slope . Introduced? Now you can even remotely imagine what awaits everyone who decides to challenge this ancient mountain.

Who was the first to conquer Everest?

British expedition to Chomolungma (1924): Andrew Irwin - far left in the top row, George Mallory - leaned his leg on a comrade.

Long before the first successful ascent to the top of the “roof of the world,” which took place on May 29, 1953, thanks to the efforts of two daredevils - New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, about 50 expeditions to the Himalayas and Karakoram managed to take place.

The participants of these mountain climbs managed to conquer a number of seven-thousanders located in these areas. They also tried to climb some of the eight-thousanders, but this was not successful.

Were Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay really the first? It may well be that they were not pioneers, because back in 1924, George Mallory and Andrew Irwin began their path to the top.

The last time they came into view of their colleagues, they were only three hundred meters from the fatal peak, after which the climbers disappeared behind the clouds that enveloped them. Since then they have not been seen again.

For a very long time, the mystery of the disappearance of pioneer explorers who disappeared among the stones of Sagarmatha (as the Nepalese call Everest) excited the minds of many curious people. However, it took many decades to find out what happened to Irwin and Mallory.

So, back in 1975, one of the members of the Chinese expedition claimed that he saw someone’s remains off to the side of the main trail, but did not approach that place so as not to “run out of steam”, but then there were much fewer human remains there, than in our time. It follows that it is likely that it was Mallory.

Another quarter of a century passed when, in May 1999, a search expedition organized by enthusiasts stumbled upon a cluster of human remains. Basically, they all died in the 10-15 years preceding this event. Among other things, they discovered the mummified body of Mallory: he was lying face down on the ground, spread out, as if pressed against a mountain, and his head and hands were frozen to the stones on the slope.

His body was wrapped in a white safety rope. It was cut or interrupted - a sure sign of a breakdown and subsequent fall from a height.

His colleague Irwin could not be found, although the rope harness on Mallory indicated that the climbers were together until the end.

Apparently, the rope was cut with a knife. Perhaps Mallory's partner lived longer and was able to move - he left his comrade, continuing the descent, but also found his end somewhere lower along the steep slope.

When Mallory's body was turned over, his eyes were closed. This means that he died when he fell asleep, being in a state of hypothermia (many dead climbers who fell into a cliff, their eyes remain open after death).

Many artifacts were found on him: an altimeter, sunglasses hidden in a pocket on a half-decayed and wind-tattered jacket. An oxygen mask and parts of breathing equipment, some papers, letters and even a photograph of his wife were also found. And also the Union Jack, which he planned to hoist on the top of the mountain.

They didn’t lower his body down - it’s difficult when you don’t have the extra strength to drag the weight from a height of 8,155 meters. He was buried there, surrounded by cobblestones. As for Andrew Irwin, Mallory’s expedition partner, his body has not yet been found.

How much does it cost to evacuate a wounded or dead climber from Everest?

To be honest, carrying out an operation of this complexity is not cheap - from $10,000 to $40,000. The final amount depends on the height from which the injured or deceased is evacuated and, as a result, the man-hours spent on this.

In addition, the bill may also include the cost of renting a helicopter or plane for further transportation to the hospital or home.

To date, we know of one successful operation to remove the body of a deceased climber from the slopes of Everest, although attempts to carry out such activities have been made more than once.

At the same time, there are many cases of successful rescue of injured climbers who tried to conquer its peak, but got into trouble.