[14], Upon reaching the Hillary Step (8,760m or 28,740ft), the climbers again discovered that no fixed line had been placed, and they were forced to wait an hour while the guides installed the ropes. At 17:30, Adventure Consultants guide Andy Harris, carrying supplementary oxygen and water, began climbing alone from the South Summit (8,749m or 28,704ft) toward Hansen and Hall at the top of Hillary Step. Who knows, maybe the Hansen bloodlines extend across the waters. [6] In 2014, Lou Kasischke, also of Hall's expedition, published his own account in After the Wind: 1996 Everest Tragedy, One Survivor's Story. This is FRONTLINE's old website. In his book The Climb, Boukreev shared this explanation with Mark Bryant, the editor of Outside magazine: Also, Mr. Krakauer raised a question about my climbing without oxygen and suggested that perhaps my effectiveness was compromised by that decision. A phenomenon known in the climbing world as 'summit fever' may have played a part. "[3][pageneeded] Boukreev gives 18:00 as "the onset of a blizzard". However, he did accomplish what he set out to do. Lou Kasischke: Doug was a very likeable,. Thanks otherwise for the research. Everest for Doug Hansen, Rob Hall, Andy Harris and Yasuko Namba, http://www.mountainsoftravelphotos.com/Everest/Gorak%20Shep/slides/12%20Memorial%20Chorten%20Next%20To%20Gorak%20Shep%20For%20Rob%20Hall,%20Doug%20Han. Bronwen Scott-Branagan from Victoria, Australia on November 03, 2015: Thank you for a very interesting story, although it had such a sad ending. Mel Carriere (author) from Snowbound and down in Northern Colorado on November 10, 2015: I don't agree Scott. Shortly after midnight on 10 May 1996, the Adventure Consultants expedition began a summit attempt from Camp IV, atop the South Col (7,900m or 25,900ft). I'm glad you liked the story and thank you for the visit. So well-researched and captivating. Thanks for reading. It's an interesting write-up and I enjoyed learning a little more about Doug. and whatever their final wishes were should be honored. The climb is over for me." I knew a little about him from 'Into Thin Air' and also the movie but never picked up the fact that he was from near Seattle until I read the plaque on the bench. ISIS' growing foothold in Afghanistan is captured on film. And that's kind of the thing that I know that I've lost, and that's part of the true grief that has taken part, is that those people are so rare. Mel Carriere (author) from Snowbound and down in Northern Colorado on October 20, 2016: That was the impression I got too, Danae, that he would have been fun to hang around with. Perhaps the Everest film will help to resurrect his memory, and I hope to also do my humble part here. Mel Carriere (author) from Snowbound and down in Northern Colorado on November 06, 2015: I can always count on a nice word from you, Davika. He was a strong, lovable, slap-on-the-back sort of guy, who you could have a good laugh with. The Douglas Hansen who is presumed to have died on Mount Everest Monday during an expedition that ran into deadly storms at the summit is not, repeat that, not, the Doug Hansen of Orem who plans to scale the world's highest mountain again in 12 months. Thankfully, there are plenty of photos of the real Everest disaster to tell us what it was like on the mountain that day. A movie review is beyond the scope of this article, but having read Jon Krakauer's book after the film, I believe Everest is an accurate depiction of what went on at and beneath the summit of Mt. Doug told Jon Krakauer that Hall had called him "a dozen times" from New Zealand to urge him to get on board for a repeat attempt. I saw the movie when in came out and since gave read into thin air. Beck Weathers: Doug was one of those guys that you kind of instantly like. 2023 The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers on this website. Doug at the base of the Hillary Step on Mt. Man, I'm gettin' too old for this stuff." Of course he had faults, as we all do, but he truly seemed to positively impact all those how had the priviledge to know him. I never heard him have anything unpleasant to say about anybody. Since oxygen at the summit of Mt. Like Weathers, Gau was evacuated by helicopter. Doug Hansen was a real-life Seattle mailman who perished on the mountain. join the discussion. Now the question is whether or not it's true that Rob Moore actually pressed Doug Hansen to continue climbing the mountain and went so far as to "haul" Doug Hansen to the top. Happened to come across this article again. Doug Hansen, 1990 Peace and Freedom candidate in California's 43rd congressional district. I have seen several documentaries about climbing Everest but never heard this story. I picked Doug Hansen for this maiden voyage of Legendary Letter Carriers after seeing him depicted in the recent movie Everest, the story of the 1996 disaster on Mt. Looking forward to seeing the movie and your next installment. I had a motorcycle accident at age 16 and stayed away from them after that. The content here may be outdated or no longer functioning. Expedition member Beck Weathers was also left for dead in the blizzard but later made a miraculous return to camp, although his right arm, all the fingers on his left hand, his nose, and parts of his feet were later amputated because of frostbite damage. When Jon Krakauer attempted to rouse Doug out of his sleeping bag at Camp Two (21,300 feet) on April 26th, two weeks before the final ascent, Doug complained, "I feel like shit. Accounting for the increased volume of climbers in 1996 compared with previous years, the fatality rates on Everest dropped considerably, meaning that 1996 was statistically a safer-than-average year.[37]. Eric Dierker from Spring Valley, CA. He had a true passion for life. [Laughter] And I was saying, "Nope, not me! Laborer at Concrete Repair Specialist. I'm sorry I couldn't spin it with a cheerier ending, but poetic license doesn't cover non fiction, I suppose. Everest on May 10, 1996. Second they were way past the 2pm turnaround time. Frank Fischbeck (53)a - attempted Everest three times, reached the South Summit in '94 Doug Hansen (46) - attempted Everest with Hall's team in '95 (died on the South Summit) . I say - this is book material! Its all on him. Some people found his character and his methodical approach a little too serious in some ways until they got to know him a bit better and then they realized that, yeah sure, Rob was all business when it came to organizing things, but he liked to let loose when all was done, everything was completed the way it should have been. Invalid File Type. Because the pair then apparently ran out of supplemental oxygen, Doug became physically and mentally impaired and could not be coaxed onward by Hall. Mel Carriere (author) from Snowbound and down in Northern Colorado on November 24, 2015: Thank you Lawrence. Everybody had a hand in the tragedy, but it was mostly the fickle whims of nature. The 10th of May was another co-incidence as that was the birthdate of my Doug Hansen's son Tom (my cousin). So, we ended up watching some scattershot humour and spooks - Goosebumps! The story is very interesting and sad at the same time. Truth is I had never heard of Doug either, until I saw the movie. He absolutely is responsible for Robs death though. He was fit; he was tall; he was lean. Guy Cotter: Rob had a very dry, laconic sense of humor. I enjoyed your insights into Doug Hansen's life and the ill fated climb. On the way down, Ang Dorje encountered client Doug Hansen above the Hillary Step and ordered him to descend. Summit Physician Specialist, +7 more Utah State University Its all on him. You had me reading on here. I hope I can find some more famous letter carriers to keep the series going. Audrey Hunt from Pahrump NV on May 16, 2016: I must have been a mountain climber in another life or time. There are 300+ professionals named "Douglas Hansen", who use LinkedIn to exchange information, ideas, and opportunities. . Thank you Venkatachari M. It is a depressing ending, but Everest climbers seem to embrace this potential fate. I remembered how sad I was when had learned about the accident. Mel Carriere (author) from Snowbound and down in Northern Colorado on September 13, 2018: You are welcome Donna. He survived and eventually recovered, but lost his nose, right hand, half his right forearm, and all the fingers on his left hand to frostbite.[29]. I don't pretend that it is a professional poll. AP/Wide World Photos - From Into Thin Air, by Jon Krakauer. It gives a pretty fair rendition of Doug's experience. He was someone who worked very hard and played even harder. The fatalities included Scott Fischer, Rob Hall, Andy Harris, Doug Hansen, Yasuko Namba, Tsewang Samanla, Dorje Morup, and Tsewang Paljor. I am glad you could learn something new. She was reserved; she was a very quiet individual. The 1996 Adventure Consultants expedition was populated mostly by wealthy lawyers, doctors, and executives, as the healthy price per head of 65K would indicate. During this last communication, they chose a name for their unborn child, he reassured her that he was reasonably comfortable, and told her, "Sleep well, my sweetheart. [Laughter] But nevertheless, it was just something we talked about. "Mount Everest as seen from Drukair2 PLW edit" by Mount_Everest_as_seen_from_Drukair2.jpg: shrimpo1967derivative work: Papa Lima Whiskey 2 (talk) - Th Doug Hansen Featurette From the Movie "Everest" Comments [12], "Makalu" Gau Ming-Ho led a five-member team to Everest on 10 May 1996.[13]. An amazing man. Rob Hall had supposedly set a drop-dead deadline of 2 PM, after which all climbers who had not arrived at the summit were to be turned back out of concerns for severe weather and poor visibility that occur at the upper reaches of the mountain. Boukreev made a subsequent rescue attempt but found Fischer's frozen body at around 19:00. Four members of Hall's group. Ive stumbled accross this article again and am sad to see the poll still up. It's clear that he and Jon Krakauer formed a bit of a duo; I think that they thought that they had more in common with each other than they had maybe with the rest of us. He had failed to summit Everest the year before with Hall, and likely pleaded his guide to allow him to summit even though he was struggling and . Sometimes I wish it was me. And once you did know him and you were in his circle of friends, there was always a good time to be had. "[25] Shortly thereafter, he froze to death in his sleep. Mel Carriere (author) from Snowbound and down in Northern Colorado on February 19, 2016: Thank you Southeast. [4] Beck Weathers, of Hall's expedition, and Lene Gammelgaard, of Fischer's expedition, wrote about their experiences in their respective books, Left for Dead: My Journey Home from Everest (2000)[5] and Climbing High: A Woman's Account of Surviving the Everest Tragedy (2000). As a result, Hall was paying out-of-pocket to have Krakauer on his team.[9]. Just watch documentary movie Everest. More commonly, bodies in the death zone - above 8,000m (26,247ft) - are pushed off the edge of the ridge, a time honoured mountaineer's death. postal worker Doug Hansen, who had already attempted Everest unsuccessfully twice before) were determined to get to the top that day, come hell or high water. Beck Weathers: Andy may have lacked Himalayan experience, but he did have a lot of experience in New Zealand. He was the sort of guy that you ended up developing a good fondness for. Following the disaster, several survivors wrote memoirs. I'm looking forward to the next installment in your series! Wonderful perspective on this problematic climb. It seems to me that any finger pointing at all, at anyone, is pointless and counterproductive. [14], Hall radioed for help, saying that Hansen had fallen unconscious but was still alive. Doug Hansen was an American climber and postal worker who died during the infamous 1996 Mount Everest disaster. Most climbing Sherpas' duties require them to ascend at least as high as Camp III or IV, but not all of them summit. Mel Carriere (author) from Snowbound and down in Northern Colorado on November 14, 2015: As a matter of fact Deb, Adventure Consultants, the company that led Doug and others to their death on Everest, seems to be going stronger than ever. As my sister Angie said, thank you for honoring our father. On that same day, Doug also discovered some budding frostbite on his toes, parts of which he had lost during the 1995 trip. Doug was my favorite character in the movie because he's like most of us who nornally could never afford the price or time to train for such a tough climb. WGBH educational foundation. I love those mountain climbing shows myself even though I have severe vertigo now and don't like climbing so much as a ladder. Hollywood definitely put their twist on the story in "Everest" but other than Rob calling him Doug'y they did an okay. It is hard to place the blame on anyone in particular. He wasn't the sort of character who would stand up and just order everybody around; he always gave a lot back. In response, Hall advised Doug to wait it out a couple of days, telling him he was a "tough bastard" who would bounce back. Mountain Madness guide Beidleman and clients Klev Schoening, Fox, Madsen, Pittman, and Gammelgaard, along with Adventure Consultant guide Mike Groom and clients Beck Weathers and Yasuko Namba wandered in the blizzard until they could no longer walk, huddling some 20m (66ft) from a drop-off of the Kangshung Face. If you caught his eye, there was something about him that made you really want to know who this guy was. My dad was a good man. He must have been amazing, to work two jobs and stll have energy to climb mountains. The bodies of Doug Hansen and Andy Harris have never been found. She had a variety of titanium things, because she could not carry quite the same weight physically. I argued with him on the point; I did say I didn't think it would work. Thanks for sharing this legendary mail carrier's story. Sherpas left Makalu Gau (at 8,230m or 27,000ft by Gau's account[23]) with Fischer and Lopsang when Gau, too, became unable to proceed. As expected, Hollywood takes some liberties, but it is a good entry-level lesson for those wishing to learn more about this ill-fated ascent. Search by Name, Phone, Address, or Email . I hope that this article and a few of the comments from people who knew him were able to add to your knowledge about Doug. Melody Lassalle from California on November 04, 2015: I had hear of the book and movie, but wasn't really aware of the story. [17], Scott Fischer did not summit until 15:45. Survey science aside, it is simply wrong and distasteful to try to assign blame in something like this. [33] He proposed banning bottled oxygen except for emergency cases, arguing that this would both decrease the growing litter on Everestmany discarded bottles have accumulated on its slopesand keep marginally qualified climbers off the mountain. They were joined by six client climbers, three guides, and Sherpas from Scott Fischer's Mountain Madness company, as well as an expedition sponsored by the government of Taiwan. You can send your sympathy in the guestbook provided and share it with the family. The guide found it impossible to get his client down the face of the steep Hillary step and refused to leave him there alone. I think climbers willfully put themselves in harms way by setting foot on Everest, knowing that the worst can happen and accepting that. I guess you can't appreciate life any better than when staring down a sheer precipice at the top of a mountain. press reaction. That says pretty much everything you need to know about what kind of guy he was. Doug did not concoqure what he set out to do. Finding any specific details on the Internet about Doug's pre-Everest life has been extremely difficult, however, as he seems to have vanished into semi-obscurity. The owner of Adventure Consultants, Hall had made a name for himself in mountaineering when, in 1990, he and Gary Ball summited the seven highest mountains in the world in seven months. Yes, Rob couldve said no, I wish he had. I feel very strongly that you should remove this poll of pointing fingers! Their victory is his victory, and failure is his failure. In the history of my career, as I have detailed above, it has been my practice to climb without supplementary oxygen. I was fortunate enough to play ball for my dad, coach with him for my younger sisters teams and then to take the field with him and compete. [citation needed], The expeditions quickly encountered delays. (Hey, it's my day off!) And, Scott Fischer was comfortable with that choice as well. At any rate, if you are a postal worker who knew or worked with Doug, please supplement this article by providing additional information in the comments below. Thanks for reading! By the time we reached the South Summit the sun had risen. We had a Post Office Football team. Thank you Cris Sp, I can certainly appreciated getting delayed because of Popeye's chicken. Damn it, didnt know the name back then.). Hall's Sirdar, Ang Dorje Sherpa, and other climbing Sherpas waited at the summit for the clients. You first meet him and you think, "This guy's all business." He loved to run steps and so did I. a talk with filmmaker david breashears . Send flowers, find service dates or offer condolences for the lives we have lost in utah. Last to get up was Rob's client Doug Hansen. readings & links. The owner and leader of Mountain Madness, Fischer was guiding Everest for the first time on the 1996 expedition. Hall said he would remain to help Hansen, who had run out of supplementary oxygen. :) Unfortunately, we didn't catch it. "Everest" tells the stories of two commercial operations that summited on May 10th: Adventure Consultants, led by Rob Hall, and Mountain Madness, led by Scott Fischer. I count myself very fortunate. The long and short is that at 2 PM, instead of turning Doug back, Hall put his arm around the struggling climber and assisted him up the slope. In my experience, it is safer for me, once acclimatized, to climb without oxygen in order to avoid the sudden loss of acclimatization that occurs when supplementary oxygen supplies are depleted. @Jonathan Doel - murder? I appreciate you dropping by. She was very proper, and she was an enjoyable individual to be around. Seems like most of the fatalities on Everest occur on the descent. Hall and Fischer received these before their planned summit attempts on 10 May. Eventually, Lopsang was persuaded by Fischer to descend and leave him and Gau. Sorry! All of the climbers then at Camp IV were exhausted and unable to reach Namba and Weathers. top photograph kynan bazley / hedgehog house Linda Crampton from British Columbia, Canada on November 04, 2015: Thanks for sharing the information about a person that I've never heard of before. In addition to the members of the Adventure Consultants and Mountain Madness teams, Mike Trueman, who coordinated the rescue from Base Camp, contributed The Storms: Adventure and Tragedy on Everest (2015). I do not even want to argue. Doug was my favorite in the movie. [28], Later in the day, however, Weathers regained consciousness and walked alone under his own power to the camp, surprising everyone there, though he was still suffering severe hypothermia and frostbite. Seemed like a good all around guy from the book. Well done. If a client sees that the summit is close and they're dead-set on getting there, they're going to laugh in your face and keep going.[32]. He was probably also inspired by the schoolchildren of Kent, Washington, who had given him a small flag to plant on the mountain's summit. That's an incredibly strong statement based solely on conjecture. I look forward to more installments in this series, this was very interesting to read. Thanks for reading. [citation needed], On 9 June 1996, three days after Sherpa Ngawang Topche died in hospital from high-altitude pulmonary edema,[11] a private memorial service was held for Scott Fischer attended by the climbers and sherpas from Mountain Madness at Kiana Lodge, near Seattle Washington. I didn't know him, I'm just a blogger and postal employee who is very pleased there are other postal employees who accomplished such tremendous things as your Dad did. I appreciate your nice words. And his look was just -- he had a lot of compassion in him, but he had a devilish look. The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers to this website may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Some times those decisions seem find for the immediate problem but ultimately lead to ones doom. The ill-fated 1996 Adventure Consultants expedition. And Rob would have everything organized; he'd be sort of making sure everything was going well. He liked to talk about climbing, and he made it clear that he was there, very determined guy, because he had been there the prior year. Thank you Diane. Rob Hall then extended the deadline, possibly out of a sense of competition with American guide Scott Fischer's team, who had successfully summited all of his clients. I guess those endless mail deliveries paid off in getting Doug in shapebetter shape than I've ever been in. His decision would prove to be a fateful one. And so, he certainly had the skill set that was required. Some people will achieve their goals and/or die trying. It was well written and I enjoyed reading it. One of the most shocking and well-known images from Mount Everest is of a body that was nicknamed "Green Boots". Thanks for reading! Unfortunately, the expedition turned disastrous due to a combination of factors such as poor decision-making, a . He was one of a small number of climbers to summit the two highest peaks on earth: K2 and Everest. However, Kruse suffered from altitude sickness and possible high-altitude cerebral edema (HACE), and stopped at Camp I. Fischer descended from Camp II and escorted Kruse back to Base Camp for treatment. I can't imagine why people get this urge to climb a mountain but I guess they just have to do it. Known as the "mailman" due to his profession, Hansen was part of Rob Hall's Adventure Consultants team, which aimed to summit Everest during the 1996 climbing season. I really don't know if I buy that. Thanks for reading. We must remember, we truly don't know all the details as neither my dad or Rob survived. But in reality he wasn't! [citation needed] Krakauer's account notes that by this time, the weather had deteriorated into a full-scale blizzard: "Snow pellets borne on 70mph[110km/h] winds stung my face. Mel Carriere (author) from Snowbound and down in Northern Colorado on November 02, 2015: FatBoyThin, the bad part about Everest is that the weather turns at the drop of a hat. A businesswoman from Japan, Namba summited Everest in 1996 to become the second Japanese woman to climb the highest peak on each of the seven continents. She just didn't have the body power. This is quite a story and I already look forward to the next installment. A guide for Adventure Consultants and helicopter skiing guide in the winter, Harris was making his first Everest summit attempt with the 1996 expedition. I generally avoid news about Everest because so much of it is incorrect or hyperbole. Is it possible that mighty Mt. The information I have mostly came from the book by the man who was on the expedition, Mr. Krakauer, but there is not 100 percent consensus among the survivors. Near 15:00, they began their descent. Sometime before 6 PM, Rob Hall finally descended alone to a place known as the South Summit, but at this point, neither Doug Hansen nor Andy Harris, a guide who had risked his life to go to their rescue, were with him anymore. Just watch a non-fiction movie Everest. This 3-day emergency medicine conference runs from November 9-12, 2022. Shortly after, Hansen collapsed and Hall refused to leave him, setting the stage for a tragedy. I appreciate you dropping in with the nice words. In fact, he's only able to afford this expedition because "the students of Sunrise Elementary School [] sold T-shirts to help fund his climb" (5.49). It's very difficult to turn someone around high on the mountain. The following is a list of climbers en route to the summit on 10 May 1996 via the South Col and Southeast Ridge, organized by expedition and role. That seems to be the consensus, that he was liked by everyone. He did not return. Everest came in 1995, as part of an expedition led by an accomplished New Zealand climber Rob Hall, who formed a company called "Adventure Consultants" to guide clients to the summit of notable peaks around the world. He was exhausted from the ascent and becoming increasingly ill, possibly suffering from HAPE, HACE, or a combination of both. And there was very little chance of her surviving in those sorts of conditions. Colin Garrow from Inverbervie, Scotland on November 02, 2015: Interesting piece - I've come across the book before but haven't read it yet. At 4.41 pm, Hall radioed base to say that he and Doug Hansen were in trouble on the Hillary Step shortly after summitting, and desperately needed oxygen. I respect your suggestion, however, and perhaps I will modify the title. View the profiles of people named Doug Hansen. 1996 Adventure Consultants Everest expedition. SANTA MONICA, CA - NOVEMBER 04: (L-R) Robert Hayward, Chief Operating Officer, Summit Entertainment, L.P, Patrick Russo, Principal, The Salter Group, Doug Hansen, President, Endgame Entertainment, Ashok Amritraj, CEO, Hyde Park Entertainment and Jared Underwood, Senior Vice President, Group Manager Entertainment, Comerica Bank Entertainment Group speak onstage during the 2011 American Film . I can't even talk. CrisSp from Sky Is The Limit Adventure on November 04, 2015: I was supposed to watch the Everest today. Outside the eight paying clients, there were also three guides, two of whom perished in a blinding blizzard that struck the summit on May 10th. "To summit is optional to return is mandatory. Previous to Douglas's . Uploading 1 Photo. He loved to have a laugh and a couple of beers with the crew like anybody else. And those people are, I think, very important to humanity actually, because they do change people by the way they conduct themselves in the world, by the way they give to the world, by the way they invite people into growing, to become bigger through daring, through, in Scott's case, adventure. Climbing without supplemental oxygen, guide Anatoli Boukreev from the Mountain Madness team was the first to reach the summit (8,848m or 29,029ft), at 13:07. U.S.A. on November 01, 2015: Death is a part of such adventures. On May 10, 1996, multiple different expeditions were attempting to. The previous day (9 May), Taiwanese team member Chen Yu-Nan had died following a fall on the Lhotse Face. [8], With the exception of Namba, none of the clients on Hall's team had ever reached the summit of an 8,000-meter peak, and only Fischbeck, Hansen, and Hutchison had previous high-altitude Himalayan experience. He authorized me to climb without supplementary oxygen. He was an optimistic, enjoyable, upbeat fellow. Rob had waited for Doug near the summit. He was a receiver & me the QB. Everest is an extremely dangerous enterprise, the massive mountain claiming the lives of more than 250 mountaineers since it was first attempted.
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