Rob Hall – Into thin Air

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Robert Edwin “Rob” Hall (1961 – 1996) has been a Mt Everest head guide in the 1990s.

He was a New Zealand mountain guide and organized guided tours to Mount Everest with the guide agency Adventure Consultants yearly. By 1996, Rob Hall had completed four summits of Everest, more than any other non-Sherpa mountaineer and he had successfully guided thirty-nine climbers up to the top – a true “legend of Mt Everest”. Hall’s reputation for reliability and safety attracted clients from all over the world. Rob Hall was well known in the mountaineering world as the “mountain goat” or the “show.”

Hall grew up in New Zealand where he climbed extensively in the Southern Alps. In 1988, Rob Hall met Gary Ball, with whom he climbed the Seven Summits in seven months. After that success they founded Adventure Consultants in 1992.

Into thin Air

Rob died during the tragedy on Mt Everest 1996. In a cold and stormy night he was at the end too exhausted, like seven other people, to find sufficient shelter.

In spring 1996 he organized a tour for some clients. On summit day Rob Hall tried everything to allow all of his clients to reach the highest point of the world. Unfortunately he stuck too much to this objective and did not descend even when really bad weather came up.

These events have been well described in countless books. Among them Jon Krakauer’s “Into Thin Air” – the journalist John Krakauer was a member of Rob Hall’s team – and Göran Kropp’s “Ultimate High: My Everest Odyssey”. The “crazy Swede” drove all the way from Sweden by bike and climbed Everest only using the equipment he carried with him.

The death of Rob Hall was dramatized in the 2015 film Everest, including his call to his wife Jan Arnold and his rivalry to the mountain guide Scott Fisher and his expedition. Other teams members like Tsewang Paljor, Green Boots died at the same night on the North Side but are less reflected.

Ascend from South

The expeditions of Rob Hall and Scott Fischer tried, like most expeditions, to reach the top from the south-side of Mt Everest. This side is more exposed to bad weather, such as monsum, but easier to reach than the north-side.

The last camp before summit day is located on the south-col in 8.000 m height. This is where the death-zone starts and humans should reach this camp on descend at minimum. From here, climbers follow the southeast-ridge upwards, over the balcony to the south-summit (looks like the summit on above painting) always close to the dangerous east-face.

The last meters of the climb are rather exposed and include famous Hillary-Step, before finally reaching the small summit!

Rob Halls dead Body

Rob Halls body remains on the mountain close to the place where he died, just below the south summit:

The picture has been taken from Göran Kropp’s book “Ultimate High: My Everest Odyssey”. Göran summited Mt Everest about twelve days after Rob Hall died.

Göran also found the body of Scott Fisher.

This painting is part of the set Legends of Mount Everest with more portraits of climbers. Click for an extensive description.