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Mount Everest
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The Everest Decade: 1996-2007
In 1996, a storm brought tragedy to the world's grandest stage. Ten years later, the spectacle is as bizarre, disturbing, and heroic as ever.
Text by David Roberts Photograph by Harry Kikstra/7 Summits
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THE EASY WAY? German climber Thomas Weber (left), 41, whose eyesight deteriorated at high altitude, climbs from Camp II with Pemba Tenzing Sherpa (right), 29. After reaching the summit, Weber fell fatally ill. Pemba risked his life trying to save him.
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For most nonclimbers, the curtain on
Everest lifted in 1996, the year a writer named Jon Krakauer (Into Thin Air) witnessed the deadliest storm in the mountain's history. A decade later we remember that season with an account by climber Ed Viesturs, who lost two close friends to the storm. The story, "Turn Around, Guys!", provides a guide's perspective on the decisions made that day and personal insight into a tragedy that resonates far beyond the climbing community.
For Part II of our feature, "The Everest Decade," Contributing Editor David Roberts examines this past spring on Everest in "The Mad Season." Even by Everest standards, it was a strange year. One climber, David Sharp, was left for dead by dozens of passing mountaineers, another, Lincoln Hall, rose like Lazarus at 28,000 feet (8,534 meters), and true heroism was displayed by the mountain's oft-overlooked characters: the Sherpas.
PART I: 1996
Turn Around, Guys!
By Ed Viesturs with David Roberts
What was it like for Ed Viesturs, America's preeminent high-altitude mountaineer, to watch his friends walk straight into disaster at 29,035 feet (8,850 meters)? A reflection, ten years later, on Mount Everest's deadliest season ever.
Read the article >>
PART II: 2006
The Mad Season, By David Roberts
This year, the weather was perfect. Nearly 500 climbers made it to the summit. But with record-breaking success came a rash of dumbfounding decisions and tragic deaths that may forever change the way we see Everest.
Read the article >>
MAPPING EVEREST
The 2006 Cast of Characters
The who's who of this year's Everest season: the naked Sherpa, the daredevil, the Playmate, the survivor, the double amputee, the abandoned, and the Sherpas. See the Everest map >>
More on Everest:
2007: A New Everest Mess
As record numbers reach for the summit, a question arises: Should the world's strongest climbers be forced to risk it all for a flagging few? Read the story >>
After the Storm: Into Thin Air Survivors Look Back
By the time the survivors of the storm of May 10, 1996 returned home they'd been battered by months at altitude, by frostbite, hypothermia, and windburn, and by the loss of eight of their friends, guides, and fellow climbers, including guides Rob Hall and Scott Fischer. But for many, the trauma was just beginning.
Hear the survivors, including Beck Weathers >>
Steroids on Everest
The latest trend in mountaineering may be pushing climbers over the edge. Read the article >>
First Helicopter Lands on Everest
French pilot Didier Delsalle touches down on top of the world in a controversial Everest first. Read the article >>
Adventure's September 2006 issue features 31 amazing adventure towns; chaos at the top of Mount Everest; an inside look at surfing California's Lost Coast; 11 fall weekend getaways near you; the best high-tech footwear, world class adventure travel; hiking the Alps, and more!
Subscribe now and save!
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