Climber's fresh look at tragedy

There has been such a mountain of books written - and films produced - on the Everest tragedy of May 10, 1996 that one has to wonder what more there is to say.

However, English climber Graham Ratcliffe, who was on South Col the night of the disaster, has taken a fresh approach. It was driven, he says, largely by guilt that he was unable to attempt to rescue fellow climbers in peril. Perhaps a stronger motive, partly acknowledged, is anger.

That ire, while now maybe having morphed into lingering disappointment, is specifically directed at New Zealander Rob Hall and American Scott Fischer, the leaders of two high-powered well-equipped guided expeditions.

As well, Ratcliffe is upset that all the avalanche of words and hours of film in the aftermath ignored or skirted around the fact, as Ratcliffe sees it, that Hall and Fischer, despite their experience and skill, chose to ignore and/or misinterpret weather forecasts that put themselves and others at grave risk.

Primary blame has focused on the "rogue storm" and the lack of enforcement of what is known as the "turnaround time", leaving too little time for guides and clients to descend safely. Culpability also spread to a Russian friend and guide of Ratcliffe who, like so many fellow high-altitude adventurers, is now dead.

A Day to Die For mixes stories about Ratcliffe's life, mountaineering and Everest experiences with a detailed chronicle of the events of that fateful day and Ratcliffe's obsessive hunt over five years for the "facts" about the forecasts. He comes to damning conclusions and surmises that competition between Hall and Fischer and their desire for commercial success blinded their judgement and lay behind a series of incorrect choices and out-of-character decisions.

One wonders how much bitterness Ratcliffe also feels and felt because his team was persuaded by Hall and Fischer to delay their summit attempt to May 11, a date when, Ratcliffe says, the two men would have known the storm would be at its peak.

The detective-like detail in some chapters might overwhelm some readers. But Ratcliffe is a capable writer and he captures the atmosphere of Everest Base Camp, climbing expeditions and the tension and risks involved.

I remember news-editing in 1996 and the heartbreak of a badly frost-bitten and dying Rob Hall, high in the "death zone" making a final radio call to his pregnant wife in Christchurch. The basic story continues to provide the dramatic backdrop, even 15 years later.

Ratcliffe's book will not match the appeal of Hall's client Jon Krakauer, whose Into Thin Air sold several million copies. But I found A Day to Die For engrossing nevertheless.

 - Philip Somerville is ODT editorial manager and an enthusiast for the mountains.