Into thin Air: About Rob Hall und green Boots

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The Mt Everest catastrophe of 1996 is being discussed around the world since Jon Krakauer published the book „Into thin air“. It is presumed as one of the largest incidents at Mt. Everest, as ultimate proof that Mt Everest has its own will.

Two films, three books and many interviews fall short that the highest mountain of the world could tell many more episodes which are equally grave.

This was the origin of my set „Into thin air – about Rob Hall and green Boots “. I wanted to characterize Mt Everest by the stories the mountain tells. The press has covered the paintings internationally:

Painting the soul of Everest.

Explorers Web

Ill-Fated Everest Climbers 

AOL news

I am telling the story of the mountain with the portraits of

• Rob Hall
• Tsewang Paljor (Green Boots)
• Guides and Sherpa
  • Apa Sherpa
  • Untitled
• Survivors
  • Lincoln Hall
  • Usha Bista
• Dead Bodies
  • Fran Arsentiev
  • David Sharp
  • Vitor Negrete
  • Marko Lihteneker
  • Peter Kinloch
  • Morgan Boisson
• Recent incidents

What happened 1996 in thin air?

Rob Hall

Rob Hall, a mountain guide based in New Zealand, had successfully pioneered commercial guidance at Everest in the 1990s. This makes him a legend of Everest.

In 1996 he wanted to guide the next expedition to the summit – the journalist John Krakauer was his team member. Also other mountain guides, among them Scott Fischer, came to the mountain to lead own teams.

On Mt Everest many things did not work as planned. On summit day a heavy storm came up bringing all climbers above 8000 meters to the maximum of what their bodies could bear.

Rob Hall, Scott Fischer und four further climbers of the Rob Hall Team “Adventure Consultants” died and others were rescued being almost dead. All in all, 16 men died on Mt Everest in 1996.

Read more on Rob Hall here.

Tsewang Paljor (Green Boots)

The highest mountain on earth has two main climbing routes. On the north-east ridge of Mt Everest the team of Indo-Tibetan Border Police was ascending the exact same day as Rob Hall and Scott Fischer with their teams on the south-east ridge. Three of its members tried to summit, and did not return.

It is assumed, that Tsewang Paljor, a member of this Border Police, is the climber who died on a cave high up on the mountain. Read more about his Green Boots here.

Guide and Sherpa

Apa Sherpa

Apa Sherpa is the former record holder with 21 ascends of Mt Everest. People like him, not only sherpas, help others survive.

Helping others can mean to give up the dream to reach the top of Everest.

Untitled

The question whether or not it is ethical to leave other men dying in order to complete the own ascend is highly discussed.

In 2006 and 2007 a discovery channel documentation was aired which showed climbers up their way to the Mount Everest. The mountaineers shown here were part of the expeditions let by Russel Brice, the most renown Mt Everest mountain guide these days.

The series touts Brice’s experience, weather savvy, and professionalism compared to other groups on the mountain. Following the first season, Brice became part of a controversy over the death of climber David Sharp, who was found in a weakened state high on the mountain by Brice’s climbers.

Survivors

Usha Bista and Lincoln Hall would not be alive without the help of others.

Usha Bista

Usha Bista (born in 1985) is a Nepali women who almost died on Mt Everest. She was saved by other mountaineers after others have left her.

Lincoln Hall

Lincoln Hall (born in 1956) was an Australian Climber who was rescued from Mt Everest after summiting.

He became famous because he survived a night alone on the mountain and also, because he was rescued, while David Sharp died some days earlier being in similar circumstances.

Dead Bodies on Everest

Around 200 mountaineers died on Mt Everest – many of them being an unburied „dead body“ on the mountain – a list at Wikipedia is constantly maintained.

Fran Arsentiev

The American Francys Arsentiev died on descend – she was the first American women on the summit.

Her husband Sergei Arsentiev died in the attempt to save here.

Ian Woodall and Cathy O’Dowd interrupted their ascend after one hour due to the cold and the storm. For nine years her body greeted every climber of the north-route.

David Sharp

David Sharp death raised a controversy. The British mountaineer was an experienced climber who most likely died on descend. Being alone and without oxygen he sat down in the green boot cave presumably because of the cold of the night.

The next morning an expedition, lead by Russel Brice, passed David Sharp without helping. Only, Mark Inglis admitted to have seen David Sharp but not having helped.

Vitor Negrete

Vítor Negrete (November 13, 1967 – May 19, 2006) was a mountaineer and the first Brazilian to reach the summit of Mount Everest without supplementary oxygen.

Negrete first reached the summit of Mount Everest on June 2, 2005. He reached it again on May 18, 2006, this time without supplementary oxygen, but died on the descent

Marko Lihteneker

Marko Lihteneker was a Slovenian mountain climber. Lihteneker died due to oxygen problems around 8800m on his descent of Mount Everest.

Read more here.

Peter Kinloch

Peter Kinloch, IT specialist for Merseyside police, suffered blindness and began to stumble on descent from summit.

Three sherpas and the team leader stayed with him for 12 hours in an effort to get him down, but were finally forced to abandon him at 8,600m because of worsening weather conditions.

Morgan Boisson

Morgan Boissons was an American student who was driving with a bus straight from Shanghai in a short time up to the base camp.

He did not even intend to climb the mountain. Morgan Boisson passed away in the base camp because of anoxia.

Still the base case camps are popular tourist attractions.

Recent incidents

With todays technology it would be possible to make a visit to Mount Everest as comfortable as a night in a five star hotel (see my set „Scenarios for the Future of the highest mountain on earth“. Instead, guided expeditions are run which use a lot of equipment and the help of many Sherpa.

Mt Everest 2014, 2015

Presumably the biggest catastrophes happened years later. 2014 an avalanche hit the Khumbu Icefall burring 16 Sherpa guides. The Sherpa were fixing ropes for tourist climbers.

2015 even 19 men died, mainly because an earthquake hit Nepal and the southern base camp. Many of the victims have been Sherpa.

Mt Everest 2013, 2018

There are positive news also: It is reported that 2018 has been the best year in the history of climbing Mt Everest. 715 people are assumed to have reached the summit, more than 2013.

Only five fatalities have been noted.