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 “load 200” 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—altitude 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 result, 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 infrastructure of the path (installation of handrail safety ropes) and constructing intermediate stops, “guiding” the client and providing him with insurance throughout the entire journey.
Along with this, 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 at 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 tiptoes, 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 Qomolungma (1924): Andrew Irwin - far left in the top row, George Mallory - leaning 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 the 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,” and yet 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 Irvine, 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 put it bluntly, 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.
There are several reasons why those killed on Everest are not always taken away.
Reason one: technical difficulty
There are several ways to climb any mountain. Everest is the highest mountain in the world, 8848 meters above sea level, located on the border of two countries: Nepal and China. On the Nepal side, the most unpleasant section is located at the bottom - if only the starting altitude of 5300 can be called “bottom”. This is the Khumbu Icefall: a giant “flow” consisting of huge blocks of ice. The path runs through cracks many meters deep along stairs installed instead of bridges. The width of the stairs is just equal to the boot in the “crampon” - a device for walking on ice. If the deceased is on the Nepal side, it is unthinkable to evacuate him through this section by hand. The classic route of ascent passes through the spur of Everest - the eight-thousandth Lhotse ridge. Along the way there are 7 high-altitude camps, many of them are just ledges, on the edge of which tents are molded. There are a lot of dead people here...
In 1997, on Lhotse, a member of the Russian expedition, Vladimir Bashkirov, began to have heart problems due to overload. The group consisted of professional climbers, they correctly assessed the situation and went down. But this did not help: Vladimir Bashkirov died. They put him in a sleeping bag and hung him on a rock. A memorial plaque was erected in his honor at one of the passes.
If desired, the body can be evacuated, but this requires an agreement with the pilots regarding non-stop loading, since there is nowhere for the helicopter to land. Such a case happened in the spring of 2014, when an avalanche hit a group of Sherpas who were laying a route. 16 people died. Those who were found were taken out by helicopter, their bodies placed in sleeping bags. The wounded were also evacuated.
Reason two: the deceased is in an inaccessible place
The Himalayas are a vertical world. Here, if a person falls, he flies hundreds of meters, often along with a large amount of snow or stones. Himalayan avalanches have incredible power and volume. The snow begins to melt due to friction. A person caught in an avalanche should, if possible, make swimming movements, then he has a chance to stay on the surface. If there is at least ten centimeters of snow left above him, he is doomed. An avalanche, stopping, freezes in seconds, forming an incredibly dense ice crust. Also in 1997, at Annapurna, professional climbers Anatoly Boukreev and Simone Moro, together with cameraman Dmitry Sobolev, were caught in an avalanche. Moro was dragged about a kilometer to the base camp, he was injured, but survived. Bukreev and Sobolev were not found. A plaque dedicated to them is located on another pass...
Reason three: death zone
According to the rules of climbers, everything above 6000 above sea level is a death zone. The principle of “every man for himself” applies here. From here, even if someone is injured or dying, most often no one will take it out. Every breath, every movement is too hard. A slight overload or imbalance on a narrow ridge - and the savior himself will find himself in the role of a victim. Although most often, in order to save a person, it is enough to simply help him descend to the height to which he already has acclimatization. In 2013, a tourist from one of the largest and most reputable Moscow travel companies died on Everest at an altitude of 6000 meters. He moaned and suffered all night, and by morning he was gone.
An opposite example, or rather an unprecedented situation, occurred in 2007 in China. A couple of climbers: Russian guide Maxim Bogatyrev and an American tourist named Anthony Piva were going to the seven-thousander Muztag-Ata. Already near the top, they saw a tent covered with snow, from which someone was waving a mountain stick at them. The snow was waist-deep, and digging a trench was hellishly difficult. There were three completely exhausted Koreans in the tent. They ran out of gas, and they could neither melt their snow nor cook food. They even went to the toilet on their own. Bogatyrev tied them directly in the sleeping bag and dragged them down, one by one, to the base camp. Anthony walked ahead and walked the road in the snow. Even climbing from 4,000 meters to 7,000 just once is a huge load, but here I had to do three.
Reason four: high cost
Helicopter rental costs about $5,000. Plus - complexity: landing will most likely be impossible, so someone, and not just one, must get up, find the body, drag it to the place where the helicopter can safely hover, and organize loading. Moreover, no one can guarantee the success of the enterprise: at the last moment the pilot may discover the risk of the propellers catching a rock, or there will be problems with removing the body, or suddenly the weather will deteriorate and the entire operation will have to be curtailed. Even under favorable circumstances, evacuation will cost around 15-18 thousand dollars - not counting other expenses, such as international flights and air transportation of the body with transfers. Since direct flights to Kathmandu are only within Asia.
Reason five: fiddling with certificates
Let's add: international fuss. Much will depend on the level of dishonesty of the insurance company. It is necessary to prove that the person is dead and remains on the mountain. If he bought a tour from a company, take a certificate of the tourist’s death from this company, but it will not be interested in giving such evidence against itself. Collect documents at home. Coordinate with the Embassy of Nepal or China: depending on which side of Everest we are talking about. Find a translator: Chinese is okay, but Nepali is difficult and rare. If there is any inaccuracy in the translation, you will have to start all over again.
Obtain airline consent. Certificates from one country must be valid in another. All this through translators and notaries.
Theoretically, it is possible to cremate the body on the spot, but in fact in China everything will get stuck trying to prove that this is not the destruction of evidence, and in Kathmandu the crematorium is in the open air, and the ashes are dumped into the Bagmati River.
Reason six: body condition
The high altitude Himalayas have very dry air. The body quickly dries out and becomes mummified. It is unlikely that it will be delivered entirely. And probably few people would want to see what a loved one has turned into. This does not require a European mentality.
Reason seven: he would like to stay there
We are talking about people who climbed on foot to the altitude of long-range aviation, met sunrises on the way to the top, and lost friends in this snowy world. It is difficult to imagine their spirit enclosed between the numerous graves of a quiet cemetery or in a cell of a columbarium.
And against the backdrop of all of the above, this is a very weighty argument.
Tips and instructions
Source: Adventure Team "AlpIndustry"Altitude sickness(miner, acclimukha - slang) - a painful condition of the human body that has risen to a significant altitude above sea level, which occurs as a result of hypoxia (insufficient oxygen supply to tissues), hypocapnia (lack of carbon dioxide in tissues) and is manifested by significant changes in all organs and systems of the human body. body.
If treated incorrectly or taken incorrectly (delay in evacuation down), mountain sickness can even lead to the death of the sick person. Sometimes very quickly.
Since not every sports group has a medical professional, in this article we will try to make the symptoms of mountain sickness “recognizable” and the treatment tactics understandable and reasonable.
So at what altitudes should you expect mountain sickness to develop?
At altitudes of 1500-2500 m above sea level, slight functional changes in well-being are possible in the form of fatigue, increased heart rate, and a slight increase in blood pressure. After 1-2 days (depending on the athlete’s training) these changes, as a rule, disappear. Blood oxygen saturation at this altitude is practically within normal limits.
When climbing quickly to an altitude of 2500-3500 m above sea level, the symptoms of hypoxia develop very quickly and also depend on the training of the athletes. When planning a very short period of time for acclimatization of a group, which is now far from uncommon, if after a training climb on the 3-4th day of ascent, a sports group already enters a technically difficult route, the participants may experience symptoms from the nervous system - inhibition on the route, poor or slow execution of commands, sometimes euphoria develops. A calm and modest athlete suddenly begins to argue, shout, and behave rudely. In this case, it is very important to immediately check the indicators of the cardiovascular system - hypoxia will be manifested by an increase in heart rate (more than 180), an increase in blood pressure (this can be determined by the strength of the pulse wave on the wrists), an increase in shortness of breath (shortness of breath is considered an increase in the number of breaths more than 30 for 1 minute). If these symptoms are present, the diagnosis of mountain sickness can be made for sure.
At an altitude of 3500-5800 meters blood oxygen saturation will be much less than 90% (and 90% is considered normal), so manifestations of mountain sickness are more common, and the development of its complications is also often observed: cerebral edema, pulmonary edema.
During sleep, the patient may experience pathological rare breathing (so-called “periodic” breathing, caused by a decrease in the level of carbon dioxide in the blood), mental disorders, and hallucinations. A decrease in carbon dioxide in the body leads to a decrease in the frequency of inhalations during sleep due to a decrease in the activity of the respiratory center of the brain (when a person is awake, the number of inhalations is regulated by consciousness), which further increases hypoxia. This usually manifests itself in the form of attacks of suffocation or even temporary cessation of breathing during sleep.
During intense physical activity, symptoms of altitude sickness may worsen. However, a little physical activity is useful, as it stimulates anaerobic metabolic processes in the body and neutralizes the increase in hypoxia in organs and tissues. The need to move in order to overcome it was mentioned by many high-altitude athletes (Reinhold Messner, Vladimir Shataev, Eduard Myslovsky).
Extreme heights include the level above 5800 m above sea level, prolonged stay at such an altitude is dangerous for humans. High levels of ultraviolet radiation, strong, sometimes hurricane-force winds, and temperature changes quickly lead to dehydration and exhaustion of the body. Therefore, those who climb to such a height must be very hardy and trained to the effects of hypoxia, and must consume a sufficient amount of water and high-calorie, quickly digestible foods during the ascent.
At altitudes above 6000 m complete acclimatization is even more difficult, in connection with this, even many trained high-altitude climbers noted numerous signs of mountain sickness during their stay at high altitudes (fatigue, sleep disturbances, slow reaction, headache, impaired taste, etc.).
At altitudes above 8000 m a non-acclimatized person can be without oxygen for no more than 1-2 days (and then only in the presence of general high fitness and internal reserves). The term “death zone” (lethal zone) is known - a high-altitude zone in which the body, to ensure its own vital functions, spends more energy than it can receive from external sources (nutrition, breathing, etc.). An extreme confirmation of the lethality of altitude is information from aviation medicine - at altitudes of about 10,000 m, a sudden depressurization of the aircraft cabin leads to death if oxygen is not immediately connected.
How does mountain sickness develop?
Most processes in our body occur with the help of oxygen, which, when inhaled, enters the lungs, then, as a result of gas exchange in the lungs, penetrates the blood, and, passing through the heart, is sent to all organs and systems of the human body - to the brain, kidneys, liver, stomach, as well as muscles and ligaments.
As altitude increases, the amount of oxygen in the surrounding air decreases and its amount in the human blood decreases. This condition is called hypoxia. In the case of slight hypoxia, the body responds to a decrease in oxygen levels in tissues, first of all, by increasing heart rate (increasing heart rate), increasing blood pressure, and releasing more young red blood cells from the hematopoietic organs - depot (liver, spleen, bone marrow), which capture additional oxygen, normalizing gas exchange in the lungs.
In the mountains, especially high ones, other factors are added to the decrease in oxygen content in the air: physical fatigue, hypothermia, and dehydration at altitude. And in case of accidents, there are also injuries. And if in such a situation you do not influence the body correctly, physiological processes will take place in a “vicious circle”, complications will arise, and the life of the climber may be in jeopardy. At altitude, the speed of pathological processes is very high; for example, the development of pulmonary or cerebral edema can cause the death of the victim within a few hours.
The main difficulty in diagnosing mountain sickness is due, first of all, to the fact that most of its symptoms, with a few exceptions (for example, periodic intermittent breathing), are also found in other diseases: cough, difficulty breathing and shortness of breath - in acute pneumonia, abdominal pain and digestive disorders - in case of poisoning, disturbances of consciousness and orientation - in case of traumatic brain injury. But in the case of mountain sickness, all of these symptoms are observed in the victim either during a rapid rise to altitude, or during prolonged stay at altitude (for example, when waiting out bad weather).
Many conquerors of eight-thousanders noted drowsiness, lethargy, poor sleep with symptoms of suffocation, and their health immediately improved with a rapid loss of altitude.
Common colds, dehydration, insomnia, overwork, and drinking alcohol or coffee also contribute to the development of altitude sickness and worsen well-being at altitude.
And simply the tolerance to high altitudes is very individual: some athletes begin to feel a deterioration in their condition at 3000-4000 m, others feel great at a much higher altitude.
That is, the development of mountain sickness depends on individual resistance to hypoxia, in particular on:
- gender (women tolerate hypoxia better),
- age (the younger the person, the worse he tolerates hypoxia),
- general physical fitness and mental state,
- speed of rise to altitude,
- as well as from past “high-altitude” experience.
The geography of location also influences (for example, 7000 m in the Himalayas is easier to endure than 5000 m on Elbrus).
So how does an athlete’s body react to a significant decrease in oxygen content in the surrounding air?
Pulmonary ventilation increases - breathing becomes more intense and deeper. The work of the heart increases - the minute volume of circulating blood increases, blood flow accelerates. Additional red blood cells are released from blood depots (liver, spleen, bone marrow), resulting in an increase in hemoglobin content in the blood. At the tissue level, capillaries begin to work more intensively, the amount of myoglobin in the muscles increases, metabolic processes intensify, and new metabolic mechanisms are activated, for example, anaerobic oxidation. If hypoxia continues to increase, pathological disorders begin in the body: insufficient oxygen supply to the brain and lungs leads to the development of severe complications. A decrease in oxygen levels in brain tissue first leads to disturbances in behavior and consciousness, and subsequently contributes to the development of cerebral edema. Insufficient gas exchange in the lungs leads to reflex stagnation of blood in the pulmonary circulation and the development of pulmonary edema.
A decrease in blood flow in the kidneys leads to a decrease in the excretory function of the kidneys - first a decrease, and then a complete absence of urine. This is a very alarming sign, because a decrease in excretory function leads to rapid poisoning of the body. A decrease in oxygen in the blood of the gastrointestinal tract can manifest itself as a complete lack of appetite, abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. In addition, when the level of oxygen in tissues decreases as a result of impaired water-salt metabolism, dehydration of the body progresses (fluid loss can reach 7-10 liters per day), arrhythmia begins, and heart failure develops. As a result of liver dysfunction, intoxication quickly develops, body temperature rises, and fever in conditions of lack of oxygen increases hypoxia (it has been established that at a temperature of 38°C the body's need for oxygen doubles, and at 39.5°C it increases 4 times).
Attention! If the temperature is high, the patient must be brought down immediately! A “miner” can add a catastrophic “minus” to any pathology!
Worsening the state of health and the effects of cold:
- Firstly, in the cold, inhalation is usually short, and this also increases hypoxia.
- Secondly, at low temperatures, other colds (sore throat, pneumonia) may be associated with pulmonary edema.
- Thirdly, in the cold, the permeability of cell walls is impaired, which leads to additional tissue swelling.
Therefore, at low temperatures, pulmonary edema or cerebral edema occurs and develops faster: at high altitudes and in extreme cold, this period, even death, can be only a few hours instead of the usual 8-12 hours.
The rapid onset of death is explained by the fact that processes develop according to the principle of a “vicious” circle, when subsequent changes aggravate the cause of the process, and vice versa.
As a rule, all complications in the development of mountain sickness develop at night, during sleep, and by morning there is a significant deterioration in the condition. This is due to the horizontal position of the body, decreased respiratory activity, and increased tone of the parasympathetic nervous system. Therefore, if possible, it is extremely important not to put a person suffering from altitude sickness to sleep at altitude, but use every minute to transport the victim down.
The cause of death with cerebral edema is compression of the brain matter by the cranial vault, wedging of the cerebellum into the posterior cranial fossa. Therefore, it is very important to use both diuretics (reducing brain swelling) and sedatives (sleeping pills) at the slightest symptoms of brain damage, because the latter reduce the brain’s need for oxygen.
In pulmonary edema, the cause of death is respiratory failure, as well as obstruction of the airways (asphyxia) by foam formed during swelling of the lung tissue. In addition to this, pulmonary edema during mountain sickness is usually accompanied by heart failure due to overflow of the pulmonary circulation. Therefore, along with diuretics that reduce swelling, it is necessary to give cardiac drugs that increase cardiac output and corticosteroids that stimulate the heart and increase blood pressure levels.
In the functioning of the digestive system, when dehydrated, the secretion of gastric juice decreases, which leads to loss of appetite and disruption of the digestive processes. As a result, the athlete sharply loses weight and complains of discomfort in the abdomen, nausea, and diarrhea. It should be noted that digestive disorders during mountain sickness differ from diseases of the digestive tract, primarily in that the other participants in the group do not observe signs of poisoning (nausea, vomiting). Diseases of the abdominal organs such as perforation of an ulcer or acute appendicitis are always confirmed by the presence of symptoms of peritoneal irritation (pain appears when pressing on the abdomen with a hand or palm, and sharply intensifies when the hand is withdrawn).
In addition, as a result of impaired brain function, a decrease in visual acuity, a decrease in pain sensitivity, and mental disorders are possible.
Symptoms
According to the time of exposure to hypoxia on the body, there are acute And chronic forms of mountain sickness.
Chronic mountain sickness observed in residents of high mountain areas (for example, the village of Kurush in Dagestan, 4000 m), but this is already the sphere of activity of local doctors.
Acute mountain sickness occurs, as a rule, within a few hours, its symptoms develop very quickly.
In addition, they distinguish subacute form of mountain sickness, which lasts up to 10 days. Clinical manifestations of acute and subacute forms of mountain sickness often coincide and differ only in the time of development of complications.
Distinguish light, average And heavy degree of mountain sickness.
For mild mountain sickness characterized by the appearance of lethargy, malaise, rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath and dizziness in the first 6-10 hours after rising to altitude. It is also characteristic that drowsiness and poor sleep are observed simultaneously. If the rise to altitude does not continue, these symptoms disappear after a couple of days as a result of the body’s adaptation to the altitude (acclimatization). There are no objective signs of a mild form of mountain sickness. If these symptoms appear within 3 days after rising to altitude, the presence of some other disease should be assumed.
At moderate mountain sickness characterized by inadequacy and a state of euphoria, which are subsequently replaced by loss of strength and apathy. Symptoms of hypoxia are already more pronounced: severe headache, dizziness. Sleep is disturbed: patients have trouble falling asleep and often wake up from suffocation, they are often tormented by nightmares. With exertion, the pulse increases sharply and shortness of breath appears. As a rule, appetite completely disappears, nausea appears, and sometimes vomiting. In the mental sphere, there is inhibition on the route, poor or slow execution of commands, and sometimes euphoria develops.
With a rapid loss of altitude, your health immediately improves before your eyes.
At severe mountain sickness symptoms of hypoxia already affect all organs and systems of the body. The result is poor physical well-being, rapid fatigue, heaviness throughout the body, which prevents the athlete from moving forward.
The headache increases, and with a sudden change in body position, dizziness and lightheadedness occur. Due to severe dehydration of the body, severe thirst worries, there is no appetite, and gastrointestinal disorders appear in the form of diarrhea. Possible bloating and pain.
During night sleep, breathing is disturbed (intermittent breathing), hemoptysis may occur (hemoptysis differs from bleeding in the presence of foamy sputum; gastric bleeding, as a rule, is never associated with a cough, and the blood coming from the stomach has the appearance of “coffee grounds” due to for interactions with hydrochloric acid of gastric juice).
When examining the patient: the tongue is coated, dry, lips are bluish, the skin of the face has a grayish tint.
In the absence of treatment and descent, mountain sickness leads to serious complications - pulmonary and cerebral edema.
With pulmonary edema in the chest, mainly behind the sternum, moist rales, gurgling, and bubbling appear. In severe cases, coughing may produce pink, frothy sputum from the mouth. The pressure drops, the pulse increases sharply. If treatment is not started immediately, the patient can die very quickly. Be sure to give the sick person a semi-sitting position to relieve the heart and breathing, give oxygen, and administer intramuscular diuretics (diacarb, furosemide) and corticosteroids (dexomethasone, dexon, hydrocortisone). To facilitate the work of the heart, you can apply tourniquets to the upper third of the shoulders and hips for 15-20 minutes. If the treatment is carried out correctly, the condition should improve quickly, after which an immediate descent should begin. If treatment is not carried out, as a result of heart overload, heart failure quickly joins pulmonary edema: the skin turns blue, severe pain appears in the heart area, a sharp drop in blood pressure, and arrhythmia.
High altitude cerebral edema differs from traumatic brain injury, first of all, by the absence of asymmetry of the face, pupils and facial muscles and is manifested by lethargy and confusion, up to its complete loss. At the very beginning of development, cerebral edema may manifest itself as inappropriate behavior (anger or euphoria), as well as poor coordination of movements. Subsequently, the symptoms of brain damage may increase: the patient does not understand the simplest commands, cannot move, or fix his gaze. As a result of cerebral edema, difficulty breathing and cardiac activity may occur, but this occurs some time after loss of consciousness. Brain edema is relieved by fractional (repeated) administration of diuretics (diacarb, furosemide), mandatory administration of sedatives or hypnotics that reduce the brain's need for oxygen, and mandatory cooling of the victim's head (lowering the temperature by several degrees reduces cerebral edema and prevents the development of complications!) .
Prevention of altitude sickness
Climbers and mountain tourists planning climbs and hikes in the mountains should understand that the likelihood of mountain sickness in participants is reduced by:
- good informational and psychological preparation,
- good physical fitness,
- quality equipment,
- correct acclimatization and well-thought-out climbing tactics.
This is especially important for high altitudes (over 5000 m)!
- Good informational and psychological preparation
Be boring in the best sense of the word. Find out thoroughly why mountains are dangerous, why heights are dangerous. Nowadays there is no problem finding any information on the Internet. And if you need an individual consultation with a specialist, then AlpIndustry employees are at your service.
- Good general physical preparation (GPP)
Prevention of mountain sickness consists, first of all, in the advance creation of good sports form for the athlete during the preparation phase for events in the mountains. With good general physical fitness, the athlete is less tired, better able to withstand the effects of cold, all his organs are prepared for high loads, including in the presence of oxygen deficiency. In particular, for athletes planning to climb high altitudes, it is necessary to include anaerobic training in the training cycle (running uphill, running with breath holding).
Victor Yanchenko, guide and head of our office in the Elbrus region, on the top of Elbrus.
One of the most experienced guides on Elbrus. More than 200 ascents to Elbrus.
- High-quality equipment
“The right” clothes, purchased in stores focused on mountain sports (“AlpIndustry”), bivouac equipment, equipment to ensure movement in the mountains - all these are factors that will save you from the cold (or heat, which can sometimes “ reach" in the sun with no wind), will allow you to move quickly and economically, will provide a reliable and protected bivouac and hot food. And these are factors to counteract altitude sickness.
The “equipment” section should also include planning for the correct selection of products: light, easily digestible, high in calories, with good taste. By the way, when choosing products, it is advisable to take into account the taste preferences of each group member.
When climbing at high altitudes, it is necessary to take multivitamins (preferably with a complex of microelements), antioxidants: tinctures of ginseng, golden root, Rhodiola rosea, ascorbic acid, riboxin (it is advisable to carry out additional fortification of the body in advance, 1-2 weeks before leaving for the mountains ). Taking drugs that affect the pulse rate (potassium orotate, asparkam) in the mountains is not advisable due to the occurrence of various forms of cardiac arrhythmias. Be sure to take products to normalize the water-salt balance (rehydron) in your first aid kit or drink slightly salted water.
Well, you shouldn’t forget about other medications in the first aid kit, just as you shouldn’t forget to consult with your doctor about its composition.
- Correct acclimatization and well-thought-out climbing tactics
Directly in the mountains, it is important to have good and properly carried out acclimatization, moderate alternation of ascents to heights and descents to the overnight location with constant monitoring of the well-being of group members. In this case, you should gradually increase both the height of the base camp and the height of the “peak” ascent points.
You can encounter a situation where an “athlete”, tired of the office, finally escapes into nature - to the mountains, in this case - and decides to relax and “to sleep better” to take a dose of alcohol.
So here it is:
The tragic consequences of such “relaxation” in history, even not so long ago, are known: this does not contribute to acclimatization at all, but on the contrary.
Alcohol, even in small doses, is strictly contraindicated in conditions of hypoxia, as it depresses respiration, impairs interstitial fluid exchange, increases the load on the heart and increases oxygen starvation of brain cells.
If the disease does occur...
If, when climbing to a height, one of the group members feels unwell, then in the case of mild to moderate illness, it can be overcome by a smoother acclimatization, without forcing it. That is, go down - come to your senses - go up higher, look at how you are feeling, maybe even spend the night - go down. And so on.
But the main thing is not to miss the symptoms of another disease (see above).
If the disease is severe, the victim must be taken down immediately, as the condition can worsen greatly in a matter of hours, and the descent can become dangerous not only for the victim, but also for other members of the group. Maybe even at night...
Treatment of acute mountain sickness, therefore, begins with the immediate descent of the sick participant to a lower altitude. The best remedy for increasing hypoxia is to increase the oxygen content in the air along with medications.
The following are required when transporting a patient with mountain sickness:
- drinking plenty of water,
- administration of diuretics,
- in case of a sharp drop in pressure or deterioration of the general condition - intramuscular injection of corticosteroids.
(Adrenal cortex hormones - corticosteroids - have an adrenaline-like effect: they increase blood pressure, increase cardiac output, and increase the body’s resistance to disease).
Taking 1-2 aspirin tablets can have some effect during hypoxia - by reducing blood clotting, it promotes better oxygen delivery to the tissues, but aspirin can be taken only in the absence of bleeding or hemoptysis.
Alcohol under conditions of hypoxia is strictly contraindicated - we have already talked about this, but in case of illness - we emphasize: CATEGORICALLY!
Thus, the following will help save the life of a person suffering from mountain sickness:
- firstly, correct and quick diagnosis of the symptoms of the disease,
- secondly, the use of modern medications to reduce hypoxia and prevent the development of severe complications,
- thirdly, the immediate descent of the sick participant in the ascent to a safe height for health.
Attention! The group leader is obliged be well aware of the use of medications in the group first aid kit and their contraindications! Consultation with a doctor is required when purchasing!
Attention! Group members must have an appropriate level of health (approved by a doctor) and notify the manager in case of chronic diseases and allergies!
Attention! We must not forget about one more important point. It may turn out that the strength and skills of your comrades will not be enough to evacuate you safely and quickly. And so that your loved ones and friends do not have to raise funds for a helicopter or the work of professional rescuers, DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE CORRECT INSURANCE POLICY!
Remember that when preparing for the climb, you need to pay special attention to the person you are going up the mountain with.
This could be a private guide, working illegally or semi-legally, who will offer a “sweet” price for his services. And in this case, if something goes wrong on the climb, then who will be responsible for your life, safety and resolution of conflict situations?
Prices for active tours from officially operating tour operators are not much higher than from clubs and private guides. And by choosing a company that operates legally on the market, you get a number of advantages:
- Routes and programs carefully designed by professional guides.
- The guarantor of fulfillment of obligations to you is not an individual, but a company that values its reputation and has financial and legal responsibility to its clients.
- Official payments; a complete package of documents and instructions allowing you to cooperate on equal terms and in legal security.
- Guides and experts undergo strict selection for professional training and ability to work with clients. By the way, AlpIndustry, together with the FAR (Russian Mountaineering Federation), is the organizer of the international school of mountain guides in Russia. Education at the School is conducted according to the International Standard IFMGA/UIAGM/IVBV. Our country is supervised by the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (ACMG). And school graduates work in the AlpIndustry Adventure Team.
In any case, the choice is yours.
Have a good and safe climb!
Adventure Team "AlpIndustry" on Mera Peak
You probably noticed the information that Everest is, in the full sense of the word, a 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.” There will be a video on this topic at the end of the post.
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...
And now to readers with STRONG NERVES You can see what the cemetery looks like on top of the world.
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? Here 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 visited 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.
Horrible 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 asking 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.
It is believed that Mallory was the first to reach the summit 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 whether to provide assistance or continue climbing 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 contempt, 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.”
North ridge of Everest.
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.
Climbing Everest.
The first person to be alarmed by Sharp'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 abilities, but this is where swelling and typical collapses caused by altitude lie in wait. This spring, the roof of the world experienced a period of good weather, lasting for two weeks without wind or clouds, enough to break the record for ascents at this very time of year: 500.
Camp after the storm.
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.
The grotto where David Sharp died. For ethical reasons, the body is painted white.
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 height 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 set foot 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.
Rescue work on Everest.
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.
Transportation.
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.
The slopes of Everest.
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.
Frostbite.
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 paths on the northern 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 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 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 lay 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 soon 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 kind 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. 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.
On Everest, the Sherpas act like fine supporting actors in a film made to glorify unpaid actors who silently perform their roles.
Sherpas at work.
But the Sherpas, who provide their services for money, are the main ones in this matter. Without them, there are no fixed ropes, no many climbs, and, of course, no rescue. And in order for them to provide help, they need to be paid money: the Sherpas have been taught to sell themselves for money, and they use the tariff in any circumstances encountered. Just like a poor climber who cannot pay, the Sherpa himself may find himself in dire straits, so for the same reason he is cannon fodder.
The position of the Sherpas is very difficult, because they take upon themselves, first of all, the risk of organizing a “performance” so that even the least qualified can grab a piece of what they paid for.
Frostbitten Sherpa.
“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.
“You can’t continue to make ascents, maneuvering between corpses, and pretend that this is in the order of things.” Alexander Abramov.
“Why are you going to Everest?” asked George Mallory.
“Because he is!”
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. Mallory was found among them. He lay on his stomach, spread out, as if hugging a mountain, his head and arms frozen into the slope.
“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.
Scary footage from the Discovery Channel in the series “Everest - Beyond the Possible.” When the group finds a freezing man, they film him, but are only interested in his name, leaving him to die alone in an ice cave:
The question immediately arises, how does this happen:
Francis Astentiev.
Cause of death: hypothermia and/or cerebral edema.
Evacuation of the bodies of dead climbers is very difficult, and often completely impossible, so in most cases their bodies remain on Everest forever. Passing climbers paid tribute to Frances by covering her body with an American flag.
Frances Arsentiev climbed Everest with her husband Sergei in 1998. At some point, they lost sight of each other, and were never able to reunite, dying in different parts of the mountain. Frances died from hypothermia and possible cerebral edema, and Sergei most likely died in a fall.
George Mallory.
Cause of death: head injury due to a fall.
British climber George Mallory may have been the first person to reach the summit of Everest, but we will never know for sure. Mallory and his teammate Andrew Irwin were last seen climbing Everest in 1924. In 1999, legendary climber Conrad Anker discovered Mallory's remains, but they do not answer the question of whether he managed to reach the summit.
Hannelore Schmatz.
In 1979, the first woman died on Everest, German climber Hannelore Schmatz. Her body froze in a half-sitting position, since initially she had a backpack under her back. Once upon a time, all the climbers climbing the southern slope passed by the body of Schmatz, which could be seen just above Camp IV, but one day strong winds scattered her remains over the Kangshung Wall.
Unknown climber.
One of several bodies found at high altitudes that remain unidentified.
Tsewang Paljor.
Cause of death: hypothermia.
The corpse of climber Tsewang Paljor, one of the members of the first Indian team to attempt to climb Everest via the northeast route. Paljor died during the descent when a snowstorm began.
Tsewang Paljor's corpse is called "Green Boots" in mountaineering slang. It serves as a landmark for climbers climbing Everest.
David Sharp.
Cause of death: hypothermia and oxygen starvation.
British climber David Sharp stopped to rest near Green Shoes and was unable to continue. Other climbers passed by the slowly freezing, exhausted Sharpe, but were unable to help him without endangering their own lives.
Marko Lihteneker.
Cause of death: hypothermia and oxygen deprivation due to problems with oxygen equipment.
A Slovenian climber died while descending Everest in 2005. His body was found just 48 meters from the summit.
Unknown climber.
The cause of death has not been established.
The body of another climber was found on the slope and has not been identified.
Shriya Shah-Klorfine.
Canadian climber Shriya Shah-Klorfine summited Everest in 2012 but died during the descent. Her body lies 300 meters from the summit, wrapped in a Canadian flag.
Unknown climber.
The cause of death has not been established.
The original article is on the website InfoGlaz.rf Link to the article from which this copy was made -
Over the weekend it became known about the death of three climbers on Everest. They died from altitude sickness. It is unknown when the bodies of the victims will be returned to their relatives. Now there are more than 200 corpses at the highest point on Earth. “Futurist” figured out how climbers die and why they are not buried.
When climbers attempt to conquer Everest, they must accept a painful truth: if the mountain takes a life, it will not give up a body. Currently, more than 200 bodies of climbers remain on Everest. The highest peak on Earth, fraught with mystery and challenging daredevils, is now turning into a cemetery. To reach the summit, climbers are forced to step over the bodies of their predecessors.
“The bodies of climbers and Sherpas (representatives of the indigenous Nepalese people who often become guides in the mountains, editor’s note) are hidden in cracks, they are buried under avalanche snow and rest on the drainage area of the slopes - their distorted limbs are bleached by the sun,” writes the BBC Future.
The main landmark for climbers is the “Green Shoes Cave”. In 1995, an Indian climber climbed there to shelter from a snowstorm, but the stone vaults of the cave could not save him, and he froze. Since then, his body has shown the way to other summit conquerors.
The sad statistics continue to grow due to an increase in the number of people wishing to climb to the top. This weekend it became known about the death of three more climbers: Subhash Pavel from India, Erik Ary Arnold from Holland and Maria Strydom from Australia.
Peak Everest has been summited so many times that it's easy to forget how dangerous it is. Many climbers die during storms or fall down while climbing to the top. Statistically, most deaths on Everest occur due to avalanches. In 2014, an avalanche buried 16 climbers at a 5.8-kilometer altitude - after which climbing was temporarily banned. 2015 was the only year when Everest became truly inaccessible: not a single daredevil was able to conquer it. Only on May 11 of this year, an expedition of nine people led by Sherpa conquered the highest peak on Earth.
For those who have nevertheless approached their cherished goal and boldly claim that the height of Everest is just an altitude above sea level, the danger lies elsewhere. In high altitude mountaineering there is a term “lethal zone” or “death zone”. This is an altitude of 8000 meters, where a person can stay for no more than 2-3 days. During this time, a person loses resistance to the effects of altitude and develops altitude sickness. Symptoms of this disease were observed in Pavel, Arnold and Strydom who died this weekend. Mountain sickness is calledoxygen starvation (hypoxia), caused by a decrease in oxygen pressure in the inhaled air. Climbers find it difficult to adapt to dry mountain air and gusts of wind that make breathing difficult. Hypoxia is aggravated by physical fatigue, dehydration and ultraviolet radiation. Staying at high altitude for a long time, the climber becomes lethargic, his coordination is gradually impaired, and speech disorders are observed. The mind and body seem to turn off: at this moment a person can make an ill-considered decision, overestimating his physical capabilities. The climber, stricken by altitude sickness, is in a state of euphoria and actively resists the attempts of his comrades to interrupt the ascent and lower the patient down. He may be unable to act quickly in a dangerous situation.
It is still unknown when the bodies of the three dead climbers will be lowered from the mountain peak. Returning a body to the family of the deceased costs tens of thousands of dollars and requires the efforts of six to eight Sherpas, whose lives are at great risk.
“Even picking up a candy wrapper on a high mountain is very difficult because it is completely frozen and you have to dig around it,” says Ang Tshering Sherpa, president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association. “A dead body that normally weighs 80kg weighs 150kg under these conditions. In addition, it has to be dug out along with the surrounding ice.”
In addition, some climbers wish that if they die, their bodies remain on Everest - this is a tradition. However, their followers, who have to step over human remains, find this tradition creepy. Sometimes the bodies of the dead are placed in cracks or covered with stones, forming something like a mound. Since 2008, the Nepal Mountaineering Association has been sending expeditions to the peak to dispose of garbage, human waste and deal with burials.
Conquering Everest is no longer a conquest in the truest sense of the word. There are few corners left on Earth that can be conquered. You can climb Everest to scatter the ashes of a loved one to the wind, draw the name of your beloved girl on the ice, and feel omnipotent.
The main thing is to remember the person whose body now shows the way for others. He hardly wanted such a fate for himself.
