The 1996 Everest Disaster: A Deadly Lesson from the Roof of the World

The 1996 Everest disaster is remembered as one of the darkest days in mountaineering history. Even after decades, the 1996 Mount Everest tragedy continues to be studied through books, films, and documentaries, not only for its human drama but also for the lessons it left behind.

The deadliest earthquake in 2015 killed more people in Everest and Langtang, yet the Mount Everest disaster of 1996 is considered to be a deadly one. But what really went wrong on the 1996 Everest?

Let’s go back to the series of events of 1996 to understand the cause of this disaster on Everest.

What is the 1996 Everest Disaster?

On May 10–11, 1996, a violent storm trapped dozens of climbers near the summit of Mount Everest, killing eight in a single day. This tragedy, often referred to as the Everest 96 disaster, raised urgent questions about commercial expeditions, decision-making at extreme altitudes, and the risks climbers face in the Death Zone.

In 2015, the epic movie “Everest” was released, which reflected the tragedy and challenges the climbers faced in 1996. Jason Clarke played Rob Hall, and Jake Gyllenhaal played Scott Fischer. There are several videos on YouTube and articles on the internet about the disaster.

Climbing Everest in 1996: 

The year 1996 was a new era of commercial climbing, not only on Everest but also in all other Himalayas of the Everest region. After the first summit of Everest on May 29, 1953, by Sir Edmund Hillary and Nepali Tenzing Norgay Sherpa, the rush to climb Everest increased, and climbing Everest had shifted from an elite Alpinist goal to a booming commercial venture.

Among the spring season climbing teams, the mainly were Adventure Consultants, led by Rob Hall from New Zealand and Mountain Madness, led by American Scott Fischer. Both teams had brought paying clients, ranging from experienced mountaineers to amateurs eager for a guided path to the summit of the world’s highest peak.

Adventure Consultants

The Adventure Consultants was one of the leading companies during the 1996 Everest expedition, which was led by Rob Hall. This company team consisted of 19 people, including eight clients. Rob Hall, Michael Groom and Andy Harris were the guides, and the following were the clients:

• Beck Weathers – American pathologist, survived despite severe frostbite.

• Doug Hansen – An American postal worker, who died near the summit.

• Frank Fischbeck – A photographer working in Hong Kong.

• John Taske – Australian anesthesiologist.

• Jon Krakauer – An American journalist and writer from “Outside” magazine.

• Lou Kasischke – American lawyer, survived.

• Stuart Hutchison – Canadian doctor, survived.

• Yasuko Namba – A Japanese climber, who had just made a world record of 7 peaks. 

Mountain Madness

Another team was Mountain Madness, led by Scott Fischer, consisting of 19 people, including 8 clients. Scott Fischer was an energetic, charismatic, fit, and daring leader. Apart from Scott Fischer, Neal Beidleman, and Anatoli Boukreev were other leaders.  The clients of the Mountain Madness were:

• Charlotte Fox – American climber, survived.

• Dale Kruse – American climber, survived.

• Klev Schoening – Nephew of Pete Schoening, survived.

• Lene Gammelgaard – Danish climber, first Scandinavian woman to summit Everest, survived.

• Martin Adams – American climber, survived.

• Pete Schoening – Legendary American mountaineer, survived.

• Sandy Hill Pittman – American socialite and journalist, survived.

• Tim Madsen – American climber, survived.

Sequential Events of the 1996 Everest Disaster

On the night of May 9, the climbers left to set out from Camp IV (7,906 m) for the summit under the clear sky. Their plan was to reach the top by early afternoon and return to camp before nightfall. A total of 33 climbers were on the way to Everest but nothing went as planned. Soon, complications arose. When they reached the top, they found the ropes were not fixed at critical sections like the Hillary Step((8,760 m ). At around 3 a.m., as they were busy fixing the ropes, a long queue formed, delaying climbers and draining oxygen. From 6am to 10 am, there was a heavy cloud, probably a warning for what is going to come in the near future.

The mountaineers must strictly follow the rule to return by 2 p.m. But due to the long queue formed at the Hillary steps, many ignored the 2:00 p.m. turnaround time, pushing dangerously late into the day. They were still driven by determination and summit fever. They were above 8000 m, commonly called the death zone where every molecule of oxygen counts. The first climber Anatoli Boukreev from the Mountain Madness team reached the summit at 13:07. Many climbers were not even close to the summit by 14:00 and chose to push beyond the safe turnaround time, a decision that sealed their fate. At 14:30, Anatoli descended to camp IV. By then, Hall, Krakauer, Harris, Beidleman, Namba, Martin Adams and Klev Schoening had reached the summit. At around 15:00, snowing occurred and darkness grew more than usual.

By late afternoon, conditions deteriorated. The team were following their team leader, unless they were hit by physical exhaustion and the adverse weather. A sudden blizzard swept the mountain, plunging temperatures, blasting snow, and wiping out visibility. Scott Fischer was weakened and stressed before the climb. Sherpa Lapsang Jangbu tried his best to save and bring him down, but Fischer was too exhausted and collapsed near the Balcony and died where he lay. Yasuko Namba, who had just completed the Seven Summits, collapsed near camp during the storm and died only meters from safety. 

Rob Hall radioed for help and refused to abandon client Doug Hansen, who was struggling near the South Summit. Both became trapped without oxygen. He was very much exhausted too and made his heartbreaking final radio call to his pregnant wife before freezing to death. Hansen also could not survive. As per Krakauer’s note, the wind was at the speed of 70 mph [110 km/h].

The 1996 Mount Everest disaster unfolded quickly: climbers lost the route, oxygen supplies ran out, and communication collapsed. Rescue was nearly impossible in the hurricane-force winds.

By midday, the storm clears, revealing eight dead and the history of the mountain climbing world forever changed. By May 11, the deaths of eight climbers were confirmed. American climber Beck Weathers was left for dead twice. Against all odds, he revived and staggered back into camp, later surviving with severe frostbite and amputations. He later published the book Left for Dead: My Journey Home from Everest. The Everest tragedy 1996 hit international headlines, and even more highlighted by the book written “Into Thin Air” by survivor Jon Krakauer. 

Injured Beck Weathers, after returning to his homeland surviving the 1996 Everest Disaster.Four members of the Adventure Consultants expedition died, including Hall, while Fischer was the sole casualty of the Mountain Madness expedition. Three officers of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police also died including “Tsewang Paljor”,who is also known as the Green boots.

Jon Krakauer: The Journalist from Adventure Consultants

Jon Krakauer joined Rob Hall’s team as a journalist from the Outside magazine to write about the growing commercialization of Everest climbing. He left camp IV on May 10 along with other members of Adventure Consultants team. He reached the top at around 1:15 p.m. and reached the camp without lingering around. Soon the storm hit the mountain.

In his book he has mentioned that he was too exhausted and hypoxic that he lost his sense to realize what others were going through. He also explained that he was very close to the turnaround rules and returned earlier. He admits that his survival is not an act of heroism but a result of discipline, timing and luck.

Whom to Blame for the 1996 Everest Disaster?

It would be unfair to blame just a pinpoint as the culprit. Was it the sudden storm that is very unpredictable in mountains or the human errors that could be controlled. Natural calamities are meant to happen suddenly and without warning. The only thing that is under human control is our preparation to fight against disasters.

Is it the ineffective leadership of the teams that were running the expedition in 1996. The leaders were in rivalry with each other. They avoided coordination or communication and put forward their personal egos even in such critical altitude and weather.

Nobody was expecting such a hazardous situation at the mountain. This created a panicking situation that nobody was prepared for. Another aspect that raised the question is why was there a delay in fixing ropes in the Bottlenecks at Balcony and Hillary Steps? Several climbers were delayed in the bottleneck due to the broken rope and had to face the storm. At the same time, the oxygen that they were carrying was not sufficient. Many climbers suffered and lost their lives due to lack of oxygen.

Lessons Learned from the 1996 Everest Disaster

The 1996 Everest disaster sparked debates on commercialization over climbing Everest. The 1996 Everest disaster reshaped how modern expeditioners approach Everest.

After the incident, the turnaround times are now enforced strictly. The team must strictly follow the real-time weather forecasts and the critical decisions made on its basis. The incident also taught how unpredictable the weather in mountains can be and weather forecasting is critical for expeditions. The expedition team must emphasize team work rather than an individual approach to reach the top. 

Some other rules such as having prior experience of climbing peaks above 6000 m are implemented strictly. Commercial guiding puts everyone at risk. Climbers without prior mountaineering experience put guides in the dilemma of helping the struggling clients versus their own survival during disastrous situations.