The 1996 Everest Disaster: Responsibility as the Cause

Prior to 1996, Everest climbing was primarily elite climbing, centered around professional mountaineers.

However, Rob Hall and Scott Fischer devised a new business model for Everest climbing by creating commercial guiding services that charged high fees to lead clients to the summit.

In high altitudes, the environment is so extreme that it is difficult for rescue teams to even preserve themselves, and many people actually lose their lives.

Moving one body requires at least six Sherpas and helicopter support, but even this is impossible in the Death Zone, so bodies left for long periods serve as landmarks on climbing routes.

The author, who participated in the climb on the condition of documenting it, miraculously survived the accident and published a book about the disaster. Doug Hansen, a colleague of Hall and Boukreev, also joined this author's team.

There is a section called the 'Death Zone' where oxygen levels rapidly decrease with increasing altitude, and the body begins to give up on survival.

If one stays too long at altitudes above this Death Zone, the body starts to die, so Hall strongly instructed everyone to complete all climbing activities quickly and descend promptly.

Accordingly, there was a rule to 'descend unconditionally at 2 PM,' but due to delays in the team's climbing operation, the descent time coincided with reaching the summit.

Rob Hall was a responsible leader who managed the base camp and coordinated among climbing teams.

After summiting and descending, Rob Hall found Doug Hansen in a state of exhaustion. Despite recognizing the danger, he turned back towards the summit with him.

Ultimately, Rob Hall violated the descent rule and remained on the summit, losing radio contact and becoming stranded.

Hall expressed his strong will not to abandon his colleague and descend alone by saying, 'We are both listening.'

Early the next morning, Rob Hall reported the disappearance of Doug Hansen and Andy Harris from near the South Summit, informing of his own critical situation.

Base camp connected Rob Hall with his wife, who was seven months pregnant, via satellite phone. Rob Hall, even in his imminent death, left a final reassuring message that he was fine.

His body was found 10 days after communication ceased by another team, but at his wife's wishes, it was not recovered and remained on Everest.

Various opinions exist as to why Rob Hall, a professional climber, continued to ascend in adverse weather conditions.

His personality, unable to abandon someone, or his will to help a friend, are cited, but the exact circumstances are unknown due to poor communication in the bad weather.

Beck Weathers, after losing visibility in a snowstorm, waited at the site as instructed by Rob Hall before being swept away and isolated by the snowstorm.

Beck Weathers miraculously walked back to camp after spending a night exposed to the extreme cold.

He suffered severe frostbite, causing parts of his body to turn black. This incident later became the subject of several documentaries and the 2015 film 'Everest'.