Everest 1996: South Summit on the Ascent

A look at the oxygen situation on South Summit on May 10, 1996.
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[lumberlikwidator]

This is brilliant detective work. I wish I could hit the like button fifty times.

[drctrs]

Rarely, if ever, I watch a video for the second time to better understand the facts. With every of your videos, Michael, it’s a case that I have to watch it more than twice. Your approach is as scientific as it can be, given the scarcity of evidence. Your ability to deduce it from small and sometimes trivial pieces of information is what draws my attention to your videos. I’d call it high altitude forensics, and you - the Everest detective. :) I can’t wait when you complete your mission of telling the story of 1996 Everest disaster and write the ultimate authoritative book on the subject to finally put Krakauer’s disinformation piece to rest and out of circulation.

[SilverJ]

Excellent, excellent, excellent! I love your research and viewpoints!

[jonnyboy]

"...vanished into thin air." I saw what you did there Mikey!

[somjasa]

Thank you for putting some sense, with your research, into what most surely happen. I feel I'm stuck in a never ending loop of not understanding regarding the tragedy of -96. So many died for more or less "no reason".

I'm greatly looking forward to the next video. 😺

[PhilAndersonOutside]

Incredible investigative work Michael. You've effectively cracked the case, down to the most elusive details.

[jjzap]

The more I hear your analysis the more it all makes sense. Thank You Mr Tracy! The whole incident is a not surprising study of somewhat nefarious human nature. With Krakauer being the tip of that nefarious spear.

[fionawilson]

Fascinating and insightful video as always! I'm looking forward to part 2 of this. I remember reading Krakauer's description of Harris insisting the bottles were empty, and not questioning his assertion that Harris had been wrong... but that always came with a slight background confusion. The lack of oxygen continued to be a problem for the rest of the descent, and later rescue attempts; if there had really been a bunch of overlooked full bottles at south summit... why didn't they appear in the narrative again later?

Krakauer's narrative asserts that Harris was wrong about the bottles being empty, but then basically continues on from that point as if the bottles really *were* empty, despite claiming that they were full. But Krakauer is the king of the handwave.

[dawry]

What is note-worthy about Andy Harris is the fact that Lene Gammelgaard noticed on separate occasions during the ascent that he wasn't feeling very well. First time if I remember correctly on the South Summit actually and the second time on the summit itself.

Thank you for this video Michael, great to see how everything is starting to add up. Before your series on 1996 disaster I always had trouble piecing a coherent story from publicly available sources and rope fixing was so vague from few sources who actually presented it as an issue, that it was hard to believe as a cause.

[XGRIMYONEX]

From all accounts, Doug Hanson was struggling and didn't feel good and he decided to quit and turn around. Rob Hall talked him out of it and convinced him to continue. Rob Hall didn't get any clients to the summit the previous year, which the movie implied, so he was under immense pressure to get clients to the top in 96.

[phyton]

This is fascinating and casts a LOT more light on what really happened and why. Finally after all these years I understand much better. The amount of detail-obsessive work is considerable that it must take to figure all this out from disparate sources, not all of which are consistent, and statements of (supposed) fact that you can't know for sure whether they're factual or not until otherwise corroborated. I find myself wanting to make a big spreadsheet of exactly who arrived and departed from many different points (camp, Balcony, S. Summit, etc.) at exactly what time (or with different alternate possible times noted and source cited). Some animation geek could then make a video with labeled dots proceeding. What fun that would be to see! The point about the Taiwanese suddenly increasing their rate of ascent after leaving S. Summit is very telling. Kinda like pro athletes whose strength performance suddenly zooms up, and they're later found to have been doping. Thanks for all the work these take.

[biscaynediver]

Disagree with the contention that if only Adventure Consultants had more oxygen Doug Hansen would have walked down off the mountain. Hansen's problems weren't just a function of lack of oxygen. When Rob Hall turned him around from his descent and convinced him to go for the summit, he was signing Doug's death warrant. He was never coming back down, given the impending storm and Doug's seriously compromised physical condition.

[cameltrophy]

The hypothesis of the Taiwanese taking the O2 is a grenade into the liability of why... damn.

[dr.nigelcool]

This is a really excellent analysis with ironclad reasoning. For Krakauer, I suppose the missing oxygen bottle issue would not be a very dramatic narrative to base a magazine column and a book on--not as dramatic as a wealthy elitist woman causing all of the problems. You are generous in asserting that Krakauer did not understand the missing oxygen bottle issue; perhaps he understood it very well but also understood that the "wealthy elitist woman" narrative, though libelous and wrong, would sell more books.

[kennethdelorey]

But, but, how do we blame Sandy Pittman for the missing bottles? :)
Keep up the logical analysis Mr Tracy.

[LazyDaisyDay]

Perhaps its just the way he writes but, given that his place on the climb was 'free', Krakauer sure comes across as entitled and egotistical.

[jackharle]

Woo-hooo. Always a pleasure to receive this notice.

[kensilverstone]

This is the incredible solving of a mystery, that was apparently created by a best-selling book. Amazing. A real life Sherlock Holmes

[sharonkramer]

Would it be possible to organize your videos from oldest to the most recent? I cannot figure out which is first, second, etc. Now that Krakauer is answering you, it would help me to follow what is going on. I was an Everest junkie for many years. It is refreshing to hear your theories and careful investigation. But I’m an old lady now and I get confused rather easily. Maybe give a bit more of an explanation at the beginning of a video; it takes me a long time to understand what the exact topic is. I have to start the video over and over. I realize you can’t go back and change things but I thought I would ask anyway…..I read in one book years ago that Krakauer was asleep during the rescue of the people huddled together, freezing so close to the camp and Anatoli rescued most of the climbers. (Forgive me if I am wrong about that) Sleeping is nothing to be ashamed about (especially in freezing temperatures) as long as you don’t concoct a big lie…….thank you for your arduous exploration and explanation of so many foggy and confusing tales told by many well-meaning, though, misinformed people. I love listening to everything you have to share and it helps lessen the hurt I still feel for all the people lost during that terrible storm.

[angelaabbott]

Because Krak lied and then made $$ off the story, the truth may never be believed, sad story