Everest '96: Trapped in the Death Zone | Frozen | 4
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Anatoly Bukhraev staggers across the rocky terrain of the South Cull on Mt. Everest. It's pitch dark and he's about a quarter mile east of Camp 4, at an elevation of about 26,000 feet. An icy wind blasts across the plateau, chilling him to the bone. It's past 2 in the morning on May 11, 1996.

For over an hour, the Russian guide has been desperately searching for five stranded climbers. The previous afternoon, most of them were celebrating on the top of Everest. But due to delays, they had arrived late in the day, and on their descent back to camp, a brutal storm engulfed the mountain. As night fell, the climbers got lost in the blinding whiteout.

They've been stranded for so long now, Anatoly fears the worst. He knows there's also at least one more person in desperate need of his help. His boss, Scott Fisher, the leader of Mountain Madness, is a thousand feet up the mountain, with no oxygen, fighting for his life. Before leaving camp, Anatoly knew he couldn't accomplish both rescues by himself.

He tried to rally support from the Sherpas and climbers sheltering there, but everyone was either too exhausted or snow blind or delirious from a lack of oxygen. He couldn't find a single volunteer. Still, he soldiered on. He found a canister of oxygen, filled a thermos of hot tea, and headed into the storm alone.

it's still too dangerous for him to climb up to Scott in the blizzard. So he decided to focus his energies on the five climbers on the south call. He's now been awake for over 28 hours without rest. His whole body is aching, crying out for sleep. But he isn't ready to give up. Then, through the haze of snow, he catches sight of a faint glimmering light. As he gets closer to it, he realizes it's a headlamp.

He can see three statue-like figures huddled together behind a boulder, sitting on their backpacks. Anatoly exhales with relief. He's found them. He shines a light on the climbers. They're American clients of his: Sandy Hill Pittman, Charlotte Fox, and her boyfriend Tim Madsen. All three are alive, but Charlotte and Sandy barely respond to his presence.

Anatoly retrieves a thermos of tea from his pack and pours a cup for Tim. "Here, this will help warm you up." Anatoly scans the ground with his flashlight and spots another figure lying in the snow a few feet away. He crouches down. It's Yasuko Namba, the Japanese woman from Rob Hall's group. Her face is completely still, caked over with a thick layer of ice.

She's unconscious, but she's still breathing, barely. He knows it will be a miracle if she survives. That's four climbers, but there should be a fifth. An American named Beck Weathers. Anatoly turns to Tim. Where is Beck? I don't know. I looked over and he was gone. Anatoly clenches his jaw. He doesn't have time to search for anyone else right now.

He has to get the climbers he's found back to camp, but he only has the strength to bring one person at a time. He hooks up the oxygen canister to Sandy's regulator, then pulls Charlotte to her feet. He looks at Tim. "I'm taking Charlotte first. Get Sandy breathing. I'll come back as fast as I can with more tea and oxygen." Tim nods. Anatoly wraps Charlotte's arm around his shoulder.

and steps head on into the wind in the direction of camp. Charlotte struggles to move again after hours spent huddled in the relentless cold. They walk together at a snail's pace, one excruciating step at a time. Anatoly knows this night in hell is far from over.

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On the afternoon of May 10th, 1996, a powerful storm descended on Mount Everest. As climbers headed down from the summit, they were assaulted by hurricane force winds and whiteout conditions that slowed their progress to a crawl. By nightfall, 15 people from three expeditions were stuck on the mountain, unable to find their way back to camp or too weak to even try.

Among the stranded were Rob Hall and Scott Fisher, the leaders of Adventure Consultants and Mountain Madness. Their clients had paid a hefty sum to be guided up the world's tallest peak, and now many of them were fighting for their lives. In the early hours of May 11th, a rescue effort was launched to save people stranded in three separate locations, the South Call, below the balcony, and near the top of the South Summit.

A race was on to bring them to safety before altitude sickness and hypothermia took their lives. This is the fourth and final episode, Frozen. Helen Wilton leans closer to the radio and listens. It's around 5 in the morning on May 11th, and she's in the Adventure Consultants communications tent at base camp, anxiously waiting to hear from her team's leader, Rob Hall.

Yesterday afternoon, Rob got trapped near the top of the mountain, and he hasn't picked up his radio in almost 12 hours. One of their clients, a postal worker named Doug Hansen, collapsed near the summit, and Rob insisted on staying with him. And one of their guides, an Australian named Andy Harris, was last seen near the south summit. But Helen isn't clear where he is now.

She can't imagine what it would have been like for them to spend the night so high up on the mountain in the blizzard. She had gone to sleep hoping that they would somehow make it back to Camp 4. Suddenly, she hears bursts of static over the airwaves. Rob, this is Helen. Do you read me? Rob, are you there? Helen, I'm stuck. Where are you, Rob? Is Andy with you? I'm at the south summit.

Andy was with me last night, but I don't know where he is now. He was very weak. Helen's heart sinks. She was hoping he'd say he was on the south call, but at least he's still alive. As the conversation continues, it isn't easy for her to assess Rob's situation. His speech is slurred and difficult to understand. His brain is surely starved of oxygen.

Still, she's able to piece some facts together. Rob has two full oxygen canisters with him, but the valves on his mask are clogged with ice, so he hasn't been able to get air flowing. He's been struggling to de-ice it with his frozen hands. Rob says his legs aren't working either. Helen takes a breath. What about Doug? Is he okay? Doug is gone. Her heart drops to the floor.

Robbo has said that if a client passes away on your watch, you may as well be dead. Remorse and guilt builds inside her, just as she's sure it's building in Rob. Finally, Rob gets his oxygen working, and Helen feels a burst of hope. She urges him to try to climb down. Think of that baby of yours on the way. Keep moving. What about Beck and Yasuko? How are the clients?

Helen doesn't know, but she needs Rob to focus on himself. Please, don't worry about everyone else. We're taking care of them. Just get yourself down. Okay. I'll try. The winds are still raging, but it's getting light out. Helen realizes that it might be possible for a rescue team to go up now. Rob, I'm sending up help. If you can start moving down, the Sherpas will meet you somewhere below. Okay.

Helen signs off with Rob and immediately calls their lead climbing Sherpa, Aang Dorje, at Camp 4. She's going to rally a team to rescue her leader and friend. Anatoly Bukhriev pulls the crampons off the boots of Sandy Hill Pittman and helps lay her down in her sleeping bag. It's after 5 in the morning, and he's in a tent at Camp 4. It's been four hours since he first set out to find the stranded climbers on the south call.

He's now managed to bring Charlotte Fox, Tim Madsen, and Sandy back to camp, where they're warming up. His hands and feet feel like ice, and his body is completely drained of energy. He doesn't know how he can possibly go out again right now for the others. His stomach twists with feelings of guilt. Yasuko Namba is still out there on the verge of death.

As for Beck Weathers, someone needs to figure out if he's still alive on the call, or if he's fallen off the Kangsheng face. His mind then turns to his boss, Scott Fisher. Every member of Mountain Madness is now safe and accounted for, except their leader. The sun is rising. Anatoly thinks maybe he can go up and find him soon. The flap of the tent opens, and a Sherpa named Pemba enters with hot tea.

Anatoly motions to him to come closer. I need to talk to Lopsang. We need to pull a team together to help me bring Scott down. Lopsang Jangbu is the lead climbing Sherpa for the Mountain Madness team. A few hours ago, he returned to camp, frantic and weak, after having to leave Scott behind. Lopsang pleaded with Anatoly to go back up for Scott. Pemba looks concerned. Anatoly, you can't go up.

You need to rest. You need oxygen. Anatoly knows he's right. He's fading fast. But he also knows Scott is counting on him. Pemba, please. Tell Lopsang. Someone needs to go find Scott. Pemba nods. Also, tell Rob's team. Two of their climbers are still on the south call. I don't know if they're still alive. He tries his best to give directions to where they are.

Pemba nods again and leaves the tent. Anatoly holds a warm cup of tea in his swollen hands and takes a sip. With each swallow, he feels his frozen body thawing. He lies back and tries to imagine where Scott is right now. He hopes his strength and experience have enabled him to survive the night. Anatoly rests his eyelids for a moment, then quickly passes out. He has nothing left.

Stuart Hutchison trudges through the snow on the eastern side of the South Coln. It's 6am, and the young Canadian doctor is out in the storm with a team of four Sherpas. It's now light out, and they're trying to locate his teammates, Yasuko Namba and Beck Weathers. Yesterday, Stuart turned around early in the day, before reaching the summit, and made it back to Camp 4 in the afternoon.

In the evening, when he realized his teammates were missing, he started banging metal pots together at the edge of camp, hoping to guide the lost climbers back. He went out alone several times during the night, but had no luck. This morning, he learned that Anatoly Bukhriyev from Scott's team had been up all night too. Unfortunately, they must have missed each other in the storm.

An hour ago, Stewart was tending to one of his guides, Mike Groom, who's seriously frostbitten. That's when he got word that Yasuko and Beck were still out here on the brink of death. Stewart's other guides, Rob Hall and Andy Harris, are still up high on the mountain. Their team's lead climbing Sherpa, Aang Dorji, was getting ready to go rescue them.

So, without any leadership available, Stuart realized he had to step up and be the one to go out. He and the four Sherpas have been following directions passed on from Anatoly. Stuart scans the plateau, looking for any signs of Beck and Yasuko. Suddenly, one of the Sherpas yells out, Over there! Ahead, Stuart can see two bodies, partially buried in the snow. Only their hands and feet are sticking out.

The Sherpas all stop in their tracks. Stuart understands that they are superstitious about the dead and don't want to get too close. He approaches the first body. He can't even tell who it is. There's a thick sheet of ice covering the climber's face. He gently removes the ice. It's Yasuko. Her face is porcelain white and her eyes are dilated. Stuart leans in closer and is stunned to discover that she's still breathing.

but nearly dead. He then heads over to the other body, 20 feet away. As he gets closer, he sees it's Beck. Stuart clears the ice from his face and discovers that he too is hanging on by a thread. Beck's right glove is missing and he has frostbite all over his hand. Stuart, a cardiologist, has never seen humans so close to death and still breathing.

Horribly shaken and overwhelmed, he approaches one of the Sherpas, a respected veteran of Everest named Lakpa. They're both very near death. What should we do? Lakpa speaks solemnly. We must leave them where they are. Lakpa explains that even if they dragged them back to Camp 4, they wouldn't survive long enough to make it down to base camp, and any attempt to carry them down would jeopardize the lives of others.

Stewart agrees, though it's agonizing. It's proper triage. They must save resources for those who can actually be helped and get themselves down alive. Tashi Tsering hurries up the mountain ridge, about a thousand feet above the south call.

He's a Sherpa with mountain madness, and he's with another Sherpa from his team and one from the Taiwanese team. The three of them are headed for a location below the balcony, where they hope to rescue their expedition leaders, Scott Fisher and Macalu Gao. It's just before 1pm, and the skies are clear, but the winds have not let up. Tashi is exhausted from yesterday's brutal descent from the summit.

But he didn't hesitate when his boss, Lop Sing Jang Boo, asked him to go rescue the leader. He's been climbing as fast as he can for three hours now in the pummeling wind. He feels worse for the two Sherpas from Adventure Consultants who left camp before he did. They have an even more grueling climb all the way to the south summit to rescue Rob Hall. Finally, Tashi sees two figures come into view seated on a small ledge.

It's Scott and McCullough. Tashi kneels next to Scott. He's still breathing faintly, but his eyes are vacant. His down suit is wide open. Tashi knows that people suffering from hypothermia can sometimes feel as though they're burning up. It's their body's final attempt to warm freezing limbs. It's not uncommon for them, in their delirium, to remove their clothing, even though it makes their condition worse.

He puts an oxygen mask on Scott in a desperate attempt to revive him. He then hears the Sherpa from the Taiwanese team shout, "He's awake!" Tashi looks over and sees that Makalu Gao is conscious and breathing oxygen. He's given some tea and then he's able to stand up. The three Sherpas agree that they can probably get him back to camp by short roping him down. Tashi turns back to Scott and tries to shake him awake

He gently pries open Scott's eyelids, but still gets no response. He knows there's no way they can carry him down while assisting McCollough. He feels horrible, but they have no choice. They must leave him. Tashi and the other Sherpas attach a rope to McCollough's harness, and the four of them begin their trek back to camp, leaving Scott Fisher alone on the mountain. Peach Weathers jolts awake and sits up in bed.

It's early in the morning, and the phone in her Dallas home is ringing. She rubs her eyes as she picks it up. Hello? Hi, Mrs. Weathers? It's Madeline David calling from the Adventure Consultants office in New Zealand. I'm afraid I have some horrible news. Peach takes a deep breath and does her best to remain calm. She learns that her husband, Beck, descended the mountain yesterday in a storm and never made it back to camp.

This morning, he was found dead in the snow. Peach struggles to speak. Is there any hope? No, I'm afraid not. I'm sorry. Peach hangs up the phone. Her worst nightmare has come true. Beck's obsession with climbing had created a rift between them over the years. And now, it's led to this. Their children suddenly have no father. Their family has been shattered.

Peach is in shock and needs support. She's going to call her closest friends and family. But there's something she needs to do first. Peach stands up and puts on her robe. As she walks towards her son and daughter's rooms, she has no idea how she'll find the words.

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Head over to Symbiotica.com and use code ODDS for 20% off and free shipping on your subscription order. Beck Weathers opens his eyes. His mind struggles to figure out where he is. Am I in bed? Am I dreaming? He rolls onto his side and sees his right hand in front of his face. It's gray and lifeless. The sight jolts him back into reality.

and he realizes that he's somewhere on the south call, alone. He wonders where the others are. Why was he left behind? He figures that no one is coming back to save him. It's up to him to get back to camp on his own. But he's beyond weak and severely frostbitten. He has no idea how he will even stand up, never mind walk. He closes his eyes. Suddenly, his family appears in his mind's eye.

His wife, Peach, and his son and daughter. The image of them is so vivid. It's like they're right there with him. He wants to reach out and touch them, embrace them, tell them he loves them. He has always known that climbing mountains was risky, but he did it anyway, even though it caused his wife so much pain. Why had he been so selfish to come here in the first place? He opens his eyes.

He realizes that if he doesn't stand up right now, he will never say "I love you" to his family again. Beck summons what little strength he has and pulls himself to his feet. He struggles to keep his balance as the wind pushes against him. He scans the blurry landscape. He's blind in his right eye, but he can see a bit with his left. He has a recollection from the night before.

Someone said they saw stars and could tell from their positioning that the wind was blowing from the west. Beck also remembers that Camp 4 lies to the west. So he figures Camp 4 must be somewhere upwind. He starts staggering into the wind, one unsteady step at a time. His hands are frozen. He hasn't eaten in three days or drunk any water in two. He's nearly blind.

and lost on Mount Everest. He laughs as he tells himself, "Don't sweat the small stuff." Beck is determined to keep walking. If he falls down, he'll get back up. He'll keep moving until he either walks into camp or off the face of the mountain. But no matter what, he won't stop. Helen Wilton grips her radio handset and looks at the distraught faces surrounding her.

She's in the Adventure Consultants communications tent at Base Camp. With her is their team doctor and a few members of the mountaineering community who know and love Rob Hall. It's late afternoon and they've just received discouraging news. This morning, Aang Dorji and another Sherpa left Camp 4 with tea and oxygen to rescue Rob and find Andy Harris if they could.

They climbed in the storm for over six hours, but 700 feet below the south summit, the brutal winds became too dangerous for them to keep going. They tried their very best, but had to turn around. Helen heard Ang Dorje was sobbing when he returned to camp. All day, she and the others had been pleading with Rob to come down on his own.

Rob told them several times that he was going to try, but as far as she knows, he still hasn't moved from his nook at the South Summit. She takes a deep breath and radios Rob. Rob, this is Helen. I know you're tired, but I need you to move down. I want to, Helen. I just can't. Helen clenches her fist. Rob's life is on the line, and there's nothing she can do about it.

Rob says his legs are useless, and even if they weren't, his hands are so frostbitten that he wouldn't be able to clip onto the ropes. One stumble would send him tumbling to his death. When Aang Dorji gets here and I get some tea in me, I should be able to make a go of it. Helen swallows hard and turns to the others in the room. Their expressions mirror her anguish. Rob, Aang Dorji isn't coming.

He had to turn around. She lowers her head and listens to the crackle of the radio. I understand. I think I can make it another night out here. Can you get me that tea in the morning? She isn't sure how to respond. It was a miracle that Rob survived one night so high up on the mountain in such harsh conditions. It's hard to imagine that he could survive two, but there's no need for her to say that.

Okay, Rob. We will get you that tea. But please, try to move down. The others in the tent start pleading with him again, too. Crawl if you have to. You gotta move, Rob. Come on, man. You can't just sit there. Helen wants to believe that Rob still has a chance. But she knows the odds of him surviving are now slim to none. Rob always talked about the difficulty of being rescued in the death zone.

As he put it, "You may as well be on the moon." John Krakauer exits a tent at Camp 4 and takes a deep breath. It's 5:00 p.m., and he and Stuart Hutchinson just listened in on a heartbreaking radio conversation between Base Camp and their leader Rob Hall. Tragedy is too much to bear. As cold and windy as it is, he needs to step away and decompress.

The magazine article that he was hired to write has evaporated from his thoughts. All that occupies his mind are the lives that have been lost and the lives that still hang in the balance. This morning, most of the mountain madness climbers descended out of the death zone and route to camp two. But Krakauer and the rest of the adventure consultants team opted to stay put. Some were still in too much pain to attempt such a trek.

Others didn't feel right about leaving when Rob was still alive up on the mountain. He sees Anatoly Bukhriyev pacing on the outskirts of camp and approaches him. "What's the word on Scott?" Anatoly's expression is grim. Krakauer learns that three Sherpas just returned after having found Scott below the balcony in a comatose state. They had to leave him there. Anatoly looks wracked with guilt.

Maybe I should go up to check on him. Krakauer doesn't know what to say as he looks up toward the mountain. Winds are still blowing with a fury across the plateau, and it will be getting dark in an hour. Anatoly would be taking a huge risk if he were to climb up now. Just then, Krakauer spots a figure staggering towards them. As the figure gets closer, he sees it's a man with no face.

His nose and cheeks are blackened from frostbite. His right arm is bare and looks like white stone. He's stumbling forward as if he can't see. Krakauer gasps. "My God! Beck?" He wonders if he's hallucinating. He heard that Beck Weathers was found this morning, comatose and on the brink of death. And now, somehow, Beck is alive and he's walking.

He and Anatoly rush over to Beck and guide him back to the tents. They call out for help. "Stew, get out here! We need you!" Stewart, the young Canadian doctor, emerges from a tent. His eyes go wide. "Jesus! Is that Beck?" They all help Beck into an empty tent and bundle him up in a sleeping bag with several hot water bottles. They place an oxygen mask over his face and give him a steroid shot.

Stuart checks his pulse, but can barely hear one. Krakauer is shocked by Beck's condition. The three of them agree that he won't survive the night. All they can do is make him as comfortable as possible. Suddenly, Anatoly leaps up. "I need to go!" Krakauer watches as Anatoly scurries off to find more oxygen and tea before heading up the mountain. He understands why.

Because if Beck survived after being left for dead, maybe Scott has too. Peach Weathers holds tightly to a friend's hand. She's sitting on a sofa in her living room in Dallas, where several of her closest friends have gathered to support her in the wake of her husband's death. She is still reeling from having broken the news to her son and daughter. She feels exhausted and empty.

She gets up and walks across the room to answer the phone. She's expecting calls from extended family as word gets to them. Hello? Peach, this is Madeline David from Adventure Consultants. Are you sitting down? She pulls up a chair and braces herself for whatever new horror is going to be revealed next. Peach, your husband is alive.

She gasps, overwhelmed with shock and relief. But the voice on the phone urges her not to get her hopes up. You need to understand, Beck is in the advanced stage of hypothermia, and there's very little chance that he'll survive. Peach is listening, but her mind is only thinking about one thing, how to get her husband to safety. I understand. Thank you, Madeline.

She hangs up and immediately starts dialing her network of friends and every politician in the state. She's going to find a helicopter to get Beck off that mountain, and nothing will stop her.

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It's 7.30 p.m., and the storm is raging even worse than the night before. For the past two and a half hours, he has been racing up the mountain, hoping to find Scott alive. But now, as he studies his face, Anatoly realizes there's nothing more he can do. Scott is dead. His eyes are glazed over in a fixed stare, and his teeth are clenched tightly.

Anatoly's headlamp casts an eerie glow. Scott looks like a frozen ghost, perfectly still, dusted in snow. He reaches forward and gently removes Scott's oxygen mask. Then he closes his eyes and hangs his head, overcome with sorrow. Around 150 people have died trying to summit Everest. Many of those bodies can still be found on its slopes.

frozen monuments to the climbers' ambition and the power of the mountain. Now, Scott Fisher has joined them. Anatoly collects a few items for Scott's family: his camera, ice axe, and favorite pocket knife. He carefully ties Scott's backpack over his face to keep away the birds and then descends back to the South Coal. Helen Wilton puts down her radio handset

It's 6:20 p.m., and she's still in the adventure consultant's tent at base camp with their team doctor and a few of Rob Hall's mountaineering friends. They've all been begging Rob to move down the mountain on his own. After Aang Dorji's rescue attempt failed, this was his only option left. Now, as another night approaches, they realize his chances for survival have all but vanished.

She picks up the satellite phone and calls Rob's wife, Jan, in Christchurch, New Zealand. After Jan answers, Helen picks up the radio handset. Rob, I have Jan on the phone. Would you like to speak to her? One sec. My mouth is dry. Let me eat some snow first. Helen holds the phone up to her radio handset. A minute later, Rob comes back on. Hello, sweetheart.

Helen stands by as the husband and wife comfort each other and speak about the future.

They talk about the baby girl they're expecting in a few weeks. And they choose a name for her. Sarah. Finally, Rob wishes Jan a good sleep and says goodnight. I love you, sweetheart. Please don't worry too much. Rob signs off, and Helen hangs up the phone. Tears are streaming down her face. She can't believe this is goodbye.

Beck Weathers hears the sound of a helicopter in the distance, but tries not to get too excited. It's early in the morning on May 13th, and he's standing above the Kambu Icefall at Camp 1 with John Krakauer and the team of climbers who helped him get here. His hands are wrapped in thick bandages, as if he's wearing oven mitts, but he's glad to be standing.

Two days ago, after he miraculously found his way back to Camp 4, everyone thought he was going to die. He even heard people outside his tent referring to him as the dead guy. But then he defied everyone's expectations. The dead guy stayed alive. Yesterday, with assistance from others, including Ed Visters and the IMAX team, Beck managed to get down the Lottie phase and back to Camp 2.

He even led everyone in singing Aretha Franklin's "Chain of Fools." Appropriate, he thought. At Camp 2, a medical team began treating him and the Taiwanese leader, Makala Gao. The doctors first gave him an IV and put his hands in warm water to thaw them. That's when he heard that his wife, Peach, was organizing a helicopter rescue at Camp 1. A very sweet but ridiculous idea.

it's almost impossible for a helicopter to fly above base camp. The air is too thin for the rotors to create enough lift. It could easily fall out of the sky. But apparently, Peach didn't know that.

She and her network of friends pressured their senator, who contacted the embassy in Kathmandu. After several pilots, understandably, declined to attempt such a dangerous rescue, an elite Nepalese army pilot named Lieutenant Colonel Madden KC agreed to try.

Beck is now at Camp 1, at almost 20,000 feet, and he can see a green helicopter moving up the valley, flying only feet above the ground. He knows that this is his best and maybe only chance at getting to safety. With his hands the way they are, he has no idea how he could possibly traverse the ladders and ropes of the Khumbu Icefall. But only once before has a helicopter ever landed this high.

Beck shakes his head. He worries this was a big mistake. He heard Colonel Madden is the best, but he isn't acclimatized to this height, and he isn't a climber. If he puts the chopper down and can't get it to take off again, he's a dead man. The helicopter is now close, encircling around a tiny landing spot between two giant crevasses. It's marked with a red X that Krakauer drew with powdered Kool-Aid.

The aircraft sputters in the thin air before finally touching down on the icy surface with its tail hanging over one of the crevasses. The pilot keeps the motor running as he motions for back to be brought on board. Krakauer helps lift him into the rear of the helicopter and slams the door shut. The chopper crests the edge of the icefall and then drops face first into the valley below.

As it falls, its blades desperately try to whip up air. A few seconds later, the aircraft steadies itself, and Beck is overcome with gratitude. They're safe. Tears start running down his blackened cheeks. Colonel Madden doesn't even know him, but he put his own life on the line to rescue him. Beck turns to his pilot and cries out. You saved my life.

Beck knows that he'll likely lose his right arm, but he couldn't be any happier. He's headed to a hospital in Kathmandu, and then home to his family. John Krakauer closes his eyes and smells the juniper incense swirling around him. He's standing in front of an altar at base camp. With him are about 50 other people.

They're at a memorial service for the five people from Adventure Consultants and Mountain Madness who were lost to the mountain. Yasuko Namba, Doug Hanson, Andy Harris, Rob Hall, and Scott Fisher. Krakauer listens as an ordained Lama chants Buddhist scripture. People have been sharing words about the dead.

He even took a moment to share some memories of Doug Hanson, a thoughtful and easygoing guy he only met a few weeks ago. It's all been deeply emotional, and many tears have been shed. As the ceremony ends, he turns to walk to some boulders on the edge of camp and sits down on one of them alone. He's still in shock. How could things have gone so wrong? How could five of his new friends be dead?

As moving as the ceremony was, he doesn't feel any sense of closure. There are still too many questions hanging in the air. Since he and the others arrived back at base camp, hushed conversations have bubbled up among them. Why wasn't everyone turned around at 2 p.m.? Why weren't the ropes set near the top of the mountain? Had Rob and Scott been too confident? Krakauer is already struggling with survivor's guilt.

What more could he have done to save people? It's hard to believe that soon he'll have to write a magazine article that will make him relive the trauma. But he knows it's an important story to tell. The questions need to be untangled. Krakauer hopes to find answers. But he realizes there may never be any satisfying ones. At the end of the day, this is Everest. It's exceedingly dangerous.

Always has been, always will be. He now understands just how much he underestimated the power of the mountain and the risk he took. Through glistening eyes, he takes in the majestic Kambu Icefall. Tomorrow, he will be heading back to Kathmandu. He will analyze everything that happened in good time. But right now, all he can do is cry.

Anatoly Bukhraev pushes his body up a steep, rocky slope. He's climbing again. Not Everest, her sister peak, Lhotse, the fourth highest mountain in the world. He drops his pack, takes a seat on a boulder, and stares across the vast Western Khum. It's May 17th, three days after the memorial at base camp. At the service, Anatoly said a few words about Scott.

and did his best to articulate his respect and fondness for him. But he walked away from the ceremony with a hole in his heart. As the other climbers prepared to return to Kathmandu, he knew that the solace he needed could only be found by climbing. So yesterday, he left on his own for the summit of Lhotse. He rises to his feet. From this vantage point, he can see most of the route up Everest.

He can see the balcony, the Hillary step, and the summit. He can see the places where he failed, the places where he tried, and the places where he wishes he had tried harder. He can see the spots where he knows Scott and Yasuko Numba are at rest, and the South Summit where the story of what happened to Rob Hall, Doug Hansen, and Andy Harris lies hidden in the snow.

Then, Anatoly turns and looks upward to the summit of Lhotse. He doesn't know what he'll see when he arrives there, but he imagines it will be limitless and extraordinarily beautiful. That's exactly what his heart needs right now. So he picks up his pack and keeps climbing. On May 23rd, Ed Visters located Rob Hall's body in a nook at the south summit.

The bodies of Andy Harris and Doug Hansen have never been found. But Doug's ice axe was found not far from Rob, near an exposed section of the ridge. Andy's axe and jacket were also discovered near Rob's body. The exact circumstances of their deaths are unknown. In total, eight people died on Everest on May 11, 1996, including three Indian climbers who attempted the summit from the north side.

At the time, it was the deadliest day in the mountain's history. And then, in September of 1996, an avalanche on Everest claimed three more lives. Among them was Scott Fisher's lead climbing Sherpa, Lop Sang Jang Boo. In 1997, John Krakauer's article for Outside magazine was turned into a best-selling book called Into Thin Air.

In it, Krakauer wrote about the harrowing experiences of the climbers and raised questions about whether the tragedy could have been avoided. Krakauer challenged some choices made by Anatoly Bukhraev, especially his decision to descend from the summit ahead of his clients. While some climbers agreed with Krakauer, others stood in staunch defense of Anatoly. But everyone agreed that Anatoly risked his life to save others.

In December 1997, he was honored by the American Alpine Club for bravely rescuing Sandy Hill Pittman, Charlotte Fox, and Tim Madsen, and making a final attempt to save Scott Fisher. But Anatoly was not present to receive his award. He was back in the Himalayas, preparing to climb Annapurna, the 10th highest mountain on Earth. That expedition would be his last.

On Christmas Day 1997, while climbing Annapurna, Anatoly Bukhriev was killed during an avalanche. Despite these tragedies, the business of climbing Everest has continued to grow. 2023 saw over 600 climbers reach the summit. However, 18 people died, making it the deadliest year in the mountain's history.

Several survivors of the 1996 Everest disaster wrote books about their ordeal, including Anatoly Bukhriyev, Lena Gamilgard, Lou Kaczynski, and Beck Weathers. Following his helicopter evacuation, Beck had his right arm amputated, as well as his nose and the fingers on his left hand. He continued to work as a pathologist, while also branching out as a motivational speaker.

Beck still lives in Dallas, Texas, with his wife, Peach. He credits his family for saving his life.

This is episode four of our four-part series, Everest 96, Trapped in the Death Zone.

A quick note about our scenes. In most cases, we can't know exactly what was said, but everything is based on historical research. If you'd like to learn more about this event, we recommend the books Into Thin Air by John Krakauer, The Climb, Tragic Ambitions on Everest by Anatoly Bukhriev and G. Weston DeWalt, and Left for Dead, My Journey Home from Everest by Beck Weathers. I'm your host, Cassie DePeckel.

Matt Olmos wrote this episode. Our editor is Alyssa Adams. Sound design by Joe Richardson. Audio engineer is Sergio Enriquez. Coordinating producer is Desi Blaylock. Produced by Alita Rosansky. Managing producer is Matt Gant. Senior managing producer is Ryan Lohr. Senior producer is Rachel Matlow. Executive producers are Jenny Lauer-Beckman, Stephanie Jens, Marshall Louis, and Erin O'Flaherty. For Wondery...

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