Australian climber Lincoln Hall was rescued from Everest on Friday, in what is possibly the highest altitude rescue ever. Dan Mazur, a Canadian climber, found Lincoln alone in the snow at 8700m as he was ascending the mountain with a client. Miraculously, the Australian had survived the night at that altitude, despite having no oxygen and little shelter. Dan Mazur immediately abandoned his own climb to help with the rescue.
Lincoln Hall had already summitted Everest before he collapsed from altitude sickness. As he succumbed to the condition, a team of Sherpas tried to assist him down the mountain, but after struggling to help him for nine hours their expedition leader, Alexander Abramov, told them to leave him. He was reported dead on their descent.
By the time Dan Mazur found him, Lincoln Hall is thought to have been suffering from acute oedema, a swelling of the brain that occurs at high altitudes. He also had frostbite on his fingers and his face, which was exposed, as some of his protective clothing was missing. Mazur immediately gave him oxygen and tea, and radioed for help. Eleven Sherpas then re-ascended the mountain, with fresh oxygen and a stretcher, to help him.
The rescue team managed to bring Lincoln Hall down to the North Col at 7,040m, where he spent the night under treatment from a specialist doctor. He was then carried down the 22km of loose rock and ice to base camp at 5300m on a yak, on Sunday afternoon. His condition has improved steadily since his rescue, although he was suffering from acute disorientation during his time alone on Everest and so remembers little of it.
Despite being a success story, the incident has sparked the usual row about the state of the sport of mountaineering, especially on prestigious summits like Everest. Mr Mazur reported that two Italian climbers passed him shortly after he found Lincoln Hall, but pressed on with their climb instead of stopping to help. This adds to the existing row that was re-ignited when it emerged that successful summiteer Mark Inglis, from New Zealand, had passed dying British climber David Sharp in the course of his ascent, but didn't stop to help him - a decision which drew criticism from Sir Edmund Hillary.
If you want to have your two pennies worth on the moral debate surrounding the incidents, you can post your thoughts in the forum.
Photo thanks to www.everestnews.com.
