Buried in the Sky: The Extraordinary Story of the Sherpa Climbers on K2's Deadliest Day (29 page)

180
when Pasang closed his eyes
Pasang originally arrived at Camp 4 around noon on July 31, and it was now roughly 6 a.m. on August 2.

180
“useless weight”
There are some celebrated exceptions. Dan Mazur and Jonathan Pratt survived a bivouac on K2 at 28,000 feet and kept their fingers and toes, thanks in part to a lightweight stove.

180
minus four degrees Fahrenheit
This figure (equivalent to -20°C) is Marco’s estimate.

183
skid mark
This photo was taken from Camp 4 by Pemba at 7:16 p.m.

183
“Is it bad?”
This exchange (and the one between Pemba and Eric) is from Chhiring’s recollection but corroborated by Pemba and Eric.

12: SURVIVAL

The accounts involving Tsering, Big Pasang, and Go are from interviews with Tsering. Padoan and Zuckerman both interviewed Tsering on separate occasions in Kathmandu in 2009. Zuckerman did a followup interview with him in Grindelwald, Switzerland, in 2010. Tsering’s conversation with Kim is told from Tsering’s perspective but corroborated by Pemba, Eric, and Chhiring. Wilco’s assertion that Jumik said help was coming is corroborated by the conversation between Lars and Go in Base Camp. The details of Wilco’s descent are from interviews with him and from his memoir.

185
Tsering
Tsering Lama was more commonly known as Chhiring Lama, reflecting the Nepali pronunciation of his Tibetan name. We refer to him by his Tibetan name to avoid confusion. He also sometimes goes by Chhiring Bhote in other books and articles.

189
corneas began to freeze
Even a slight breeze at this altitude can begin to freeze the corneas when a wind shield (such as goggles) is removed. Vision gradually becomes cloudy, and it takes at least six hours to recover sight. To avoid this, high-altitude mountaineers keep their eyes closed for five to ten seconds at a time and roll their eyeballs around on every third or fourth breath.

189
After about 200 feet
Wilco estimates that Jumik and his two Korean clients were hanging 50 to 70 vertical meters (164 to 230 feet) below his bivouac site.

190
twisting and cinching
This is what Wilco and others later figured must have happened.

190
help was on the way
When Ms. Go left Jumik the night before, she promised to send help, according to Lars, who spoke with Go at Base Camp on August 4 or 5.

190
“I
had to survive, too”
This quote is from a 2009 interview with Wilco at his home in Voorst, Holland.

190
Wilco was lost
See Wilco van Rooijen,
Surviving K2
(2010), p. 127.

190
three limbs
Or two limbs and an ice axe, maintaining three points of contact.

191
familiar combination
The number was also on speed dial, but the phone’s memory failed. Wilco had to dial by “feel.”

191
“I’m alive
”
Wilco’s conversations with Heleen are from his recollection.

13: BURIED IN THE SKY

The descriptions of the entangled men are from interviews with Marco and Wilco and from photographs taken by Pemba and Lars. The description of Big Pasang’s radio calls comes from interviews with Pemba. The description of the avalanche assumes a dry-slab avalanche because that is consistent with the conditions described by Tsering and what photos suggest. Several books provided details of what happens and what to do during an avalanche.
The Avalanche Handbook
, by David McClung and Peter Schaerer (Seattle: The Mountaineers Books, 2006), was an especially good source. Dr. Michael Su provided many of the details about asphyxiation and dying. The interaction between Tsering and Pasang is based primarily on interviews with Tsering but supplemented by interviews with Pasang and with Jumik’s mother, Gamu.

193
Around 8 a.m.
A photo by Lars, taken from Camp 4 at 8:06 a.m., shows Marco and Ger first encountering the tangle of men and Wilco descending below them.

194
after 9:58 a.m.
Pemba’s 9:58 a.m. photo taken from Camp 4 shows Marco leaning over Jumik’s head as Ger kneels beside him.

194
“nice of him, but weird”
Marco doesn’t recall giving any chocolate to Tsering and Big Pasang.

194
an avalanche roar
Marco does not believe what he experienced was a hallucination. During a 2010 interview with documentary filmmaker Nick Ryan, Marco acknowledged that the body could have been anyone wearing yellow La Sportiva Olympus Mons Evo boots and a red downsuit. Ger and Karim both wore that gear.

195
taken at 9:58 a.m.
This photo was taken by Pemba from Camp 4.

195
Jumik is gone
Pemba took this photo at 7:16 p.m. from Camp 4.

195
photo from 3:10 p.m.
Pemba photographed the corpses of Jumik and Big Pasang at 3:10 p.m. from a few feet away.

195
rescued himself
This is the assessment of Wilco and Marco, the last surviving witnesses to see Jumik alive.

196
sledding down
Or Ger may have used a simpler system. He might have rigged up a second rope that he had attached to the two living climbers and then cut the first rope.

197
two eyewitnesses
They were Big Pasang and Tsering, as described later in this chapter.

197
“dead man walking”
See Beck Weathers with Stephen G. Michaud,
Left for Dead: My Journey Home from Everest
(New York: Villard Books, 2000), p. 7.

198
four men
Big Pasang and Tsering counted four men, and Big Pasang reported this over the radio.

198
reported on the radio
Pemba received this radio call while he was trying to revive Marco.

198
thunderous boom
Tsering heard it.

202
death
What’s considered the moment of “death” varies among doctors, cultures, and jurisdictions. We define it here as the moment when breathing and circulation stopped.

203
“lose my family”
This quote is from an interview with Tsering and corroborated by Pasang.

14: THE FEARLESS FIVE

The description of Marco’s rescue is from interviews with Pemba and Marco, supplemented by Marco’s memoir. The descriptions of Wilco’s descent are based on interviews with Wilco, Cas, Pemba, Nadir, Tom, Maarten, Hoselito, Chhiring, and Chris. The description of Pasang’s return to Base Camp is from interviews with Pasang and Ngawang Bhote. The field hospital description is based on photographs and on interviews with Eric and Chhiring. We also discussed the treatment with Wilco and Marco. The scene at the Gilkey Memorial is from interviews with Nadir, supplemented by photos of the memorial and interviews with Hoselito, who was nearby. The authors visited the Fearless Five at the military base in April 2009, including the mess hall and barracks. The landing at Base Camp and Marco’s airlift were videotaped by the military. We reviewed this footage and interviewed the pilots involved in the rescues. Shaheen’s return comes from interviews with him. Zuckerman and Padoan visited the hospital rooms used by Marco and Wilco and interviewed the medical personnel who treated them. We also relied on information broadcast by media outlets. Details about personal responses to the disaster stem primarily from news reports but also from interviews with Dawa Sherpa and Jumik’s friends with Internet access, Judy Aull and Jerry del Missier.

205
might dig up
And they did. See Cristina Marrone, “Confortola scalerà da solo «È un campione ma antipatico»,”
Corriere della Sera
, February 7, 2010.

205
“like a lioness”
See Marco Confortola,
Giorni di Ghiaccio
(Milan: Baldini Castoldi Dalai Editore, 2009), p. 128.

206
afternoon of August 2
All times refer to the local time on K2. Utrecht, Holland, was four hours behind K2. Denver, Colorado, was eleven hours behind K2.

207
Maarten
Padoan interviewed Maarten van Eck in Utrecht, Holland, in October 2009.

208
the orange dot
Zuckerman interviewed Chris by telephone. Chris was credited in the media as the first person to spot Wilco, but he does not dispute Nadir’s earlier sighting.

208
near Camp 3
Strictly speaking, Wilco was not rescued. He had located Camp 3 on the Cesen route and was approaching it on his own. Cas climbed toward Wilco, meeting him about 100 meters from camp, while Pemba remained in Camp 3, standing in front of his tent.

209
“a stranger to them”
Ngawang Bhote interview in Kathmandu (2010) with Snighda Dhungel, Padoan’s translator.

210
$60,000
This is based on Eric Meyer’s recollection of his discussion with English-speaking members of the Flying Jump as they arranged their evacuation from Base Camp. The average cost for an airlift is $6,000 per person, and approximately ten members flew out, so this estimate is reasonable. Askari Aviation told the authors that the Flying Jump’s airlift cost a total of $13,000, but mountaineers said these figures were inaccurate.

211
Siachen
The name of this wasteland means “place of many roses” in Balti.

212
Ecureuil B3 Mystery
Didier Delsalle landed an Ecureuil/AStar AS 350 B3 on the summit of Everest on May 14, 2005, for two minutes.

212
Rinjing Sherpa
In addition to carrying Marco to the chopper, Rinjing, along with his brother-in-law, George Dijmarescu, and Mingma Sherpa, intercepted Marco above Camp 2 and helped him descend to Base Camp.

15: THE NEXT LIFE

For the description of the tea party, Zuckerman visited the room where the meeting took place and spoke to members of the Ministry of Tourism about it. The quotes are from interviews with Nazir and Wilco. The meeting between Lahmu and Mr. Kim is from interviews with Lahmu and a visit to the hotel where the discussion took place. The description of Nick Rice’s return is from interviews with him and his sister, Rebecca Rice, and video footage. For the scenes with Nazir Sabir, we joined him on his drive to Shimshal and attended the meeting with the families of Karim and Jehan. The quotes come from followup interviews with those who spoke; it would have been insensitive to have our interpreter translating during a memorial service. The quotes of Jehan’s children were reported by their grandmother, Nazib. Chhiring’s return home is based on interviews with him, Dawa, and Ngawang. Pasang’s return is based on interviews with Pasang, Pemba Jeba, Tsering, Dawa Sangmu, Lahmu, and Gamu. The descriptions of the doubleheader climbs are from interviews with Chhiring and Pasang.

218
Jehan Baig’s policy
Alpha Insurance eventually compensated Jehan’s family.

218
“the right kind of climbers”
This quote is from interviews after the tea party when Wilco, Nazir, and others recalled what they were saying and thinking at the time. Unfortunately, the party was not taped by the ministry, and Geo TV and Dawn TV had lost their tapes of the meeting.

222
unsupported, unassisted
Cecilie, with American Ryan Waters, crossed Antarctica using strictly their own muscle power. For previous crossings of Antarctica, skiers had used wind for propulsion.

223
“Pemba Girgi”
Marco Confortola,
Giorni di Ghiaccio
(Milan: Baldini Castoldi Dalai Editore, 2009), p. 102.

223
Jumik Bhote’s mother
This visit was in April 2010. Padoan and Joëlle Brupbacher were present with translator Snighda Dhungel.

223
National Geographic Adventure
See “The Savior and the Storm on K2,”
National Geographic Adventure
(December 2008/January 2009).

224
“focused on the rescues”
Pemba Gyalje interview with Padoan, Nick Ryan, and Pat Falvey at Pemba’s home in Kathmandu, January 2009.

224
rescues involved Western lives
Freddie Wilkinson was a notable exception to the media focus on Westerners. By November 2008, Wilkinson had broken the story, investigating and writing the first article about Chhiring’s rescue of Pasang. See “Heroes in Fine Print,”
The Huffington Post
, November 12, 2008. Wilkinson followed the article with a longer piece: “Perfect Chaos,”
Rock and Ice
, December 2008. He also wrote the first book about the tragedy from the Sherpa perspective:
One Mountain Thousand Summits
(New York: New American Library, 2010).

226
little else but listen
That is only true of this particular meeting. Nazir continued to do a great deal for the families. He coordinated a fundraising effort for the support of the families, contributing his own money, and ensured that they were treated fairly by insurance companies.

Selected Bibliography

BOOKS

Biddulph, John.
Tribes of the Hindoo Koosh
. Calcutta: Superintendent of Government Printing, 1880.

Bonatti, Walter.
The Mountains of My Life.
New York: Modern Library, 2001.

Bowley, Graham.
No Way Down: Life and Death on K2.
New York: HarperCollins, 2010.

Clark, John.
Hunza: Lost Kingdom of the Himalayas
. New York: Funk & Wagnalls, 1956.

Confortola, Marco.
Giorni di Ghiaccio.
Milan: Baldini Castoldi Dalai Editore, 2009.

Curran, Jim.
K2: The Story of the Savage Mountain
. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1995.

Douglas, Ed.
Tenzing: Hero of Everest
. Washington, DC: National Geographic, 2003.

French, Patrick.
Younghusband: The Last Great Imperial Adventurer
. Hammersmith: HarperCollins UK, 2004.

Gregson, Jonathan.
Massacre at the Palace: The Doomed Royal Dynasty of Nepal.
New York: Talk Miramax, 2002.

Hopkirk, Peter.
The Great Game: On Secret Service in High Asia.
London: John Murray, 1990.

Houston, Charles S., and Robert H. Bates.
K2, The Savage Mountain
. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1954.

Hunt, John.
The Ascent of Everest.
London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1953.

Isserman, Maurice, and Stewart Weaver.
Fallen Giants: A History of Himalayan Mountaineering from the Age of Empire to the Age of Extremes.
New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2010.

Jordan, Jennifer.
The Last Man on the Mountain: The Death of an American Adventurer on K2.
New York: W. W. Norton, 2010.

Kauffman, Andrew J., and William L. Putnam.
K2: The 1939 Tragedy
. Seattle: The Mountaineers Books, 1992.

Knight, E. F.
Where Three Empires Meet
. London: Longmans, Green, 1918.

Lacedelli, Lino, and Giovanni Cenacchi.
K2: Il prezzo della conquista.
Milan: Mondadori, 2004.

Leitner, Gottlieb.
The Hunza and Nagyr Handbook
. Calcutta: Superintendent of Government Printing, 1889.

Norgay, Jamling Tenzing (with Broughton Coburn).
Touching My Father’s Soul: A Sherpa’s Journey to the Top of Everest.
San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 2001.

Norgay, Tenzing (with James Ramsey Ullman).
Tiger of the Snows: The Autobiography of Tenzing of Everest.
New York: Putnam, 1955.

Ortner, Sherry B.
Sherpas Through Their Rituals
. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1978.

——
—.
Life and Death on Mount Everest: Sherpas and Himalayan Mountaineering.
Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1999.

Peissel, Michel.
The Ants’ Gold.
New York: HarperCollins, 1984.

Schomberg, R. C. F.
Between the Oxus and the Indus
. Lahore: al-Biruni, 1935.

Skog, Cecilie.
Og De Tre Polene.
Stavanger, Norway: Wigestrand, 2006.

Tenderini, Mirella, and Michael Shandrick.
The Duke of the Abruzzi: An Explorer’s Life
. Seattle: The Mountaineers Books, 1997.

Tenzing, Tashi.
Tenzing Norgay and the Sherpas of Everest.
New York: Ragged Mountain Press, 2001.

van Rooijen, Wilco.
Overleven op de K2.
National Geographic, 2009. (Published in English as
Surviving K2
. Diemen, Netherlands: G+J Publishing, 2010.)

Viesturs, Ed, and David Roberts.
K2: Life and Death on the World’s Most Dangerous Mountain
. New York: Broadway Books, 2009.

Webster, Ed.
Snow in the Kingdom: My Storm Years on Everest
. Eldorado Springs, CO: Mountain Imagery, 2000.

Wilkinson, Freddie.
One Mountain Thousand Summits: The Untold Story of Tragedy and True Heroism on K2.
New York: New American Library, 2010.

Younghusband, Francis.
The Heart of a Continent
. London: John Murray, 1896.

——
—.
Wonders of the Himalaya
. London: John Murray, 1924.

PERIODICALS

DeBenedetti, Christian. “The Savior and the Storm on K2,”
National Geographic Adventure
(December 2008/January 2009).

Kodas, Michael. “A Few False Moves,”
Outside
(September 2008).

Power, Matthew. “K2: The Killing Peak,”
Men
’s Journal
(November 2008).

Sabir, Nazir. “K2: A Letter from Nazir Sabir,”
The Alpinist
(August 2008).

Wilkinson, Freddie. “Perfect Chaos,”
Rock and Ice
(December 2008).

FILMS

Disaster on K2
(The Discovery Channel, March 2009).

Hillary and Tenzing: Climbing to the Roof of the World
(PBS, 1996).

K2: A Cry from the Top of the World
(Mastiff AB, Stockholm, Sweden, 2010).

Murder Most Royal
(BBC Panorama, 2002).