Climbing participants

Mountain Madness Commercial Expedition

For the necessary acclimatization in the mountains, the members of the Mountain Madness expedition had to fly from Los Angeles on March 23 to Kathmandu, and on March 28 to fly to Lukla (2850 m). On April 8, the whole group was already at the Base Camp. Unexpectedly for everyone, the group's guide, Neil Bidleman, developed a so-called "high-altitude cough". After Bidleman, other members of the expedition began to have health problems. Nevertheless, everyone followed the "acclimatization schedule" carefully. However, as it turned out later, Scott Fisher was in poor physical shape and was taking 125 mg of Diamox (Acetazolamide) daily.

Adventure Consultants Commercial Expedition

Chronology of events

Belated rise

Making the ascent without using oxygen, Anatoly Boukreev reached the summit first, at about 13:07. A few minutes later, John Krakauer appeared at the summit. After a while, Harris and Beadleman. Many of the remaining climbers did not manage to reach the summit before 14:00 - a critical time when it is necessary to start descending for a safe return to Camp IV and overnight.

Anatoly Bukreev began to descend to Camp IV only at 14:30. By that time, Martin Adams and Cleve Schoening had reached the summit, while Bidleman and the other members of the Mountain Madness expedition had not yet reached the summit. Soon, according to the observations of climbers, the weather began to deteriorate, at about 15:00 it began to snow and it got dark. Makalu Go reached the summit at the beginning of 16:00 and immediately noted the worsening weather conditions.

The senior Sherpa in Hall's group, Ang Dorje, and the other Sherpas stayed to await the rest of the climbers at the summit. After about 15:00, they began their descent. On the way down, Ang Dorje spotted one of his clients, Doug Hansen, in the Hillary Step area. Dorje ordered him to go down, but Hansen did not answer him. When Hall arrived at the scene, he sent the Sherpas downstairs to help other clients, while he himself stayed to help Hansen, who had run out of supplemental oxygen.

Scott Fischer only reached the summit by 15:45, being in poor physical condition, possibly due to altitude sickness, pulmonary edema and exhaustion from fatigue. It is unknown when Rob Hall and Doug Hansen reached the top.

Descent during a blizzard

According to Boukreev, he reached Camp IV by 17:00. Anatoly was heavily criticized for his decision to go down ahead of his clients. Krakauer accused Boukreev of being “confused, unable to assess the situation, and was irresponsible”. He responded to the accusations by saying that he was going to help the descending clients with the further descent, preparing additional oxygen, hot drinks. Critics also argued that, according to Boukreev himself, he descended with client Martin Adams, however, as it turned out later, Boukreev himself descended faster and left Adams far behind.

The bad weather made it difficult for the expedition members to descend. By this time, due to a snowstorm on the southwestern slope of Everest, visibility had significantly deteriorated, the marks that were installed during the ascent and indicated the way to Camp IV disappeared under the snow.

Fisher, who was assisted by the Sherpa Lopsang Jangbu, could not descend in a blizzard from the Balcony (at an elevation of 8230 m). As Guo later said, his Sherpas were left at an altitude of 8230 m together with Fischer and Lopsang, who also could no longer descend. In the end, Fischer convinced Lopsang to go down alone and leave them with Go.

Hall over the radio called for help, reporting that Hansen had lost consciousness, but was still alive. Adventure Consultants' guide Andy Harris began climbing the Hillary Step at approximately 5:30 pm, carrying a supply of water and oxygen.

Several climbers got lost in the South Col area. Mountain Madness members guide Bidleman, Schoening, Fox, Madsen, Pittman and Gammelgard, along with Adventure Consultants guide Groom, Beck Withers and Yasuko Namba, wandered through the blizzard until midnight. When from fatigue they could no longer continue their journey, they huddled together only 20 m from the abyss at the Kanshung wall (eng. Kangshung face). Pittman soon developed symptoms of altitude sickness. Fox gave her dexamethasone.

At about midnight the storm subsided and the climbers were able to see Camp IV, which was 200 meters away. Bidleman, Groom, Schöning and Gammelgard went for help. Madsen and Fox stayed with the group and called for help. Boukreev discovered the climbers and was able to get Pittman, Fox and Madsen out. He was also criticized by other climbers because he preferred his clients Pittman, Fox and Madsen, while it was argued that Namba was already in a dying state. Withers Boukreev did not notice at all. In total, Boukreev made two trips to bring the three climbers to safety. As a result, neither he nor the other participants in Camp IV had the strength left to go after Namba.

However, later that day, Withers came to his senses and made it to the camp alone, which surprised everyone in the camp, as he suffered from hypothermia and severe frostbite. They gave Withers oxygen, tried to warm him up, having arranged for the night in a tent. Despite all this, Withers had to face the elements again when a gust of wind blew away his tent at night and he had to spend the night in the cold. Once again, he was mistaken for dead, but Krakauer discovered that Withers was conscious and on May 12 he was prepared for an urgent evacuation from Camp IV. Over the next two days, Withers was lowered to Camp II, part of the way, however, he made on his own, and only later he was evacuated by a rescue helicopter. Withers underwent a long course of treatment, but due to severe frostbite, his nose, right hand, and all fingers of his left hand were amputated. In total, he underwent more than 15 surgeries, his thumb was reconstructed from the muscles of his back, and his nose was restored by plastic surgeons.

Scott Fisher and Makalu Go were discovered by Sherpas on May 11. Fischer's condition was so grave that they had no choice but to make him more comfortable and throw the main forces to save Go. Anatoly Bukreev made another attempt to save Fischer, but only discovered his frozen body at about 19:00 hours.

Everest North Slope

Indo-Tibetan Border Guard

Less known, but no less tragic are 3 more accidents that occurred on the same day with the climbers of the Indo-Tibetan Frontier Service, who were climbing the North Slope. The expedition was led by Lieutenant Colonel Mohinder Sinh (eng. Commandant mohinder singh, who is considered the first Indian climber to climb Mount Everest from the North Slope.

Initially, the indifference of the Japanese climbers stunned the Indians. According to the head of the Indian expedition, “at first the Japanese offered to help in the search for the missing Indians. But a few hours later, they continued their ascent to the summit, despite the deteriorating weather. " The Japanese team continued their ascent until 11:45 am. By the time the Japanese climbers began their descent, one of the two Indians was already dead, and the other was on the verge of life and death. They lost sight of the tracks of the third climber descending. However, the Japanese climbers denied that they had ever seen the dying climbers on the rise.

Captain Koli, representative of the Indian Mountaineering Federation (eng. Indian Mountaineering Federation ), who initially blamed the Japanese, later retracted his claim that the Japanese had announced a meeting of Indian climbers on May 10.

"The Indian-Tibetan Border Guard Service (ITPS) confirms the statement of the members of the Fukuoka expedition that they did not leave without the help of Indian climbers and did not refuse to help in the search for the missing." The Managing Director of ITPS stated that "the misunderstanding was due to communication interference between Indian climbers and their base camp."

Soon after the incident, the twisted and frozen body of Tsewang Poljor was found near a small limestone cave at an altitude of 8,500 m. Due to technical difficulties with the evacuation of the bodies of the dead, the body of an Indian climber still lies where it was first discovered. Climbers climbing the North Slope can see the outline of the body and the bright green boots worn by the climber. The term "Green Shoes" (eng. Green boots ) soon became firmly established in the lexicon of the conquerors of Everest. This is how the 8500 m mark on the North Slope of Everest is indicated.

I was fortunate enough to survive the storm of 1996 and lucky to be living on.
The Indian climber was out of luck. It could have been otherwise.
If this happened, I would like my fellow climber to work hard
remove my body from the sight of other climbers, and keep me from birds ...

Original text(English)

"I survived the big storm of 1996 and was fortunate enough to be able to get on with the rest of my life," the British climber told TNN. "The Indian climber was not. The roles could have so easily been reversed. If that had happened I would like to think that a fellow climber would take it upon themselves to move me away from the sight of passing climbers and to protect me from the birds. "

Victims of tragedy

Name Citizenship Expedition A place of death Cause of death
Doug Hansen (Client) USA Adventure Consultants South slope
Andrew Harris (Guide) New Zealand Southeast ridge,
8800 m		 Unknown; presumably falling on the descent
Yasuko Nambo (Client) Japan South Saddle External influences (hypothermia, radiation, frostbite)
Rob Hall (Guide) New Zealand South slope
Scott Fisher (Guide) USA Mountain Madness Southeast ridge
Sergeant Tsewang Samanla Indian-Tibetan Border Guard Northeastern ridge
Lance corporal Dorje Morup
Chief Constable Tsewang Paljor

Event Analysis

Everest commercialization

The first commercial expeditions to Mount Everest began in the early 1990s. Guides-guides appear, ready to fulfill any client's dream. They take care of everything: transporting the participants to the base camp, organizing the route and intermediate camps, accompanying the client and securing him all the way up and down. At the same time, the conquest of the summit was not guaranteed. In pursuit of profit, some guides take on clients who are unable to climb the summit at all. In particular, Henry Todd of the Himalayan Guides company argued that, "... without batting an eye, these leaders are embezzling a lot of money, knowing full well that their wards have no chance." Neil Bidleman, the guide of the Mountain Madness group, admitted to Anatoly Bukreev even before the start of the ascent that “... half of the clients have no chance of reaching the summit; for most of them the ascent will end at the South Saddle (7900 m) ”.

The famous New Zealand mountaineer Edmund Hillary was extremely negative about commercial expeditions. In his opinion, the commercialization of Everest "insulted the dignity of the mountains."

  • American climber and writer Galen Rovell, in an article for the Wall Street Journal, called the operation carried out by Boukreev to rescue three climbers "unique":

The American Alpine Club on December 6, 1997 awarded Anatoly Bukreev with the David Souls Prize, awarded to climbers who rescued people in the mountains at the risk of their own lives.

Literature

  • John Krakauer Into thin air. - M: Sofia, 2004 .-- 320 p. - 5000 copies. - ISBN 5-9550-0457-2
  • Bukreev A.N., G. Weston De Walt Climbing. Tragic ambitions on Everest = The Climb: Tragic ambitions on Everest. - M: MTsNMO, 2002 .-- 376 p. - 3000 copies. - ISBN 5-94057-039-9
  • David breashears"High Exposure, Epilogue". - Simon & Schuster, 1999.
  • Nick heil"Dark Summit: The True Story of Everest" s Most Controversial Season "- Holt Paperbacks, 2007. - ISBN 978-0805089912- Nick Hale's book is dedicated to another tragically famous season on Everest, 2006

The American climber Scott Fisher, who was the first to conquer the fourth highest peak in the world, Lhotse, founded Mountain Madness back in the 1980s, which offered his clients climbing the highest mountains in the world. In the 1990s, Fischer's company began to offer tourists the conquest of the highest peak in the world - Everest.
Among the alpine guides who worked with Fischer was his friend, the Soviet climber Anatoly Bukreev.
A native of the Chelyabinsk region, Bukreev, in his youth, was carried away by the conquest of the mountains. In his student years, he changed the low mountains of the Urals to the "four-thousanders" of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
After graduating from the Chelyabinsk Pedagogical University, Bukreev, for whom mountaineering becomes a matter of life, moved closer to the mountains, settling in the state farm "Mountain Gardener" near Alma-Ata.
In 1987, 29-year-old Anatoly Bukreev makes a high-speed solo ascent to Lenin Peak and is one of the most promising young Soviet climbers.
In 1989 he was successfully selected for the Second Soviet Himalayan Expedition. On April 15, 1989, in the group of Valery Khrishchaty, Bukreev conquers his first eight-thousander - Kanchedzhanga Srednaya. A few days later, for the first time in the world, he makes the traverse of the four peaks of the eight-thousander Kanchenjunga in the group. After this expedition, Anatoly Bukreev was awarded the Order For Personal Courage.
From 1989 to 1997, Boukreev will make 21 successful ascents of the eight-thousanders of the Himalayas, having conquered 11 of the 14 existing mountains on the planet with a height of over 8000 meters. He will climb to the top of Everest three times.
After the collapse of the USSR, the native of the Urals takes the citizenship of Kazakhstan - not for political reasons, but all of the same desire to be closer to the mountains.
His professional authority is growing rapidly. In 1995, a massive ascent to the peak of Abai with a height of 4010 meters took place in Kazakhstan. Among the participants in the ascent was the President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev. Boukreev became the personal guide of the head of state - only a professional of the highest level could be entrusted with the life of the president.
Anatoly Bukreev belonged to the elite club of the conquerors of the "eight-thousanders" who made the ascent without using oxygen cylinders.
Scott Fisher, when inviting Boukreev to work at Mountain Madness, knew that this man could be relied on.
The only drawback of Boukreev was that he did not speak English well. However, this did not frighten Fischer - he believed that he would handle all the conversations perfectly himself.
Travel to the "roof of the world"
In addition to Fischer and Boukreev, the 1996 Everest Mountain Madness Expedition also included the less experienced high-altitude guide Neil Bidleman, a group of Sherpas who served as porters, and eight clients ranging in age from 33 to 68.
Simultaneously with Mountain Madness, an expedition of the Adventure Consultants company headed by New Zealand climber Rob Hall was preparing to conquer Everest. His group included two guides, Sherpas, as well as eight clients, including the American journalist John Krakauer, who is destined to play a rather unsightly role in this story.
In both groups, the clients included those who had a fairly serious mountaineering training, and those whose experience was minimal.
On April 8, the Mountain Madness expedition arrived at the base camp at the foot of Everest. Many members of the group showed various ailments, including Fischer himself and guide Nick Bidleman. Nevertheless, preparations for the ascent continued.
“I don’t like the way we are doing”
On April 13, the members of the expedition set up the first high-altitude camp at an altitude of 6100 meters. Preparations for further advancement went on as usual, but on April 19, members of the expedition found the remains of a deceased climber on the slope of the mountain. Experienced professionals are accustomed to such a spectacle, but the clients of "Mountain Madness" were very embarrassed by this.
April 26, the leaders of several expeditions at once - Scott Fisher (Mountain Madness), Rob Hall (Adventure Consultants), Todd Burleson (Alpine Climbing), Ian Woodall (The Sunday Times Expedition from Johannesburg) and Makalu Go ( Taiwan Expedition) - made a decision to unite their efforts for the ascent and jointly hang the ropes from "Camp 3" to "Camp 4".
On the way to Camp 3, Mountain Madness had its first line-up loss. Dale Cruz, 45, a buddy of Scott Fischer who had no experience in high-altitude climbing, felt unwell and was sent back. Cruz made another attempt to continue the ascent, but after another deterioration in health, he was finally sent down.
Fischer was alarmed - the preparation and well-being of his clients were worse than he expected, the movement from camp to camp took too long. The date of the proposed assault on the summit had to be postponed several times.
To his colleague Henry Todd of the Himalayan Guides Company, Fisher took his group upstairs and said: “I am afraid for my people. I don’t like the way we are doing. ”

Ascent time cannot be changed
On May 9, Fischer and Boukreev took clients to Camp 4, located at an altitude of about 7900 meters. Members of the Adventure Consultants expedition went there, as well as several other groups - the total number of people heading to the high-altitude camp reached 50 people.
In the area of ​​"Camp 4" they were greeted by bad weather. “It was a truly hellish place, if only it is so cold in hell: an icy wind, whose speed exceeded 100 km / h, raged on the open plateau, empty oxygen tanks thrown here by members of previous expeditions were scattered everywhere,” Anatoly Bukreev later said.
This situation confused many members of the expedition, who wanted to postpone the ascent again. However, Scott Fisher and Rob Hall, after consulting, announced that the assault on the summit would begin on the morning of May 10th.
Shortly after midnight the climb to the summit was started by the Adventure Consultants, Mountain Madness and Taiwan Expedition teams.
According to the plan of the leaders of the expedition, the ascent to the summit was to take from 10 to 11 hours.
Deadly late
On this day, more than three dozen people climbed to the top of Everest at once, which made the route too busy. In addition, the ropes on the route were not fixed in time, which took away several extra hours from the participants of the ascent.
At about 6 am, the first participants in the ascent reached the so-called "Balcony" - a zone at an altitude of over 8500 meters, where, due to the extreme cold and lack of sufficient oxygen, a person can only be for a strictly limited time. At the same time, the chain of climbers was seriously stretched - the lagging ones were simply not ready for such loads.
In addition, it turned out that the ropes to the southern summit of Everest (8,748 meters) were not ready, and it took another hour to fix the problem.
The main peak of Everest was only 100 meters away, the weather was sunny and clear, but many of the climbers decided to turn back. This is what Adventure Consultants clients Frank Fishbeck, Lou Kozicki, Stuart Hutchinson and John Taske did.
At 13:07, Anatoly Bukreev was the first to reach the main peak of Everest on this day. A few minutes later, journalist John Krakauer also went up there.
According to the strict rules for climbing Mount Everest, the ascent must be stopped at 14:00, regardless of how far from the summit the participants are. A later start of the descent makes it extremely unsafe.
In reality, members of both groups continued to climb to the top, which put them in a difficult position.
Lost in the blizzard
At 14:30 Anatoly Bukreev began his descent to Camp 4. An experienced climber understood that the return from the summit would be difficult for the climbers. In this situation, he decided to get to the camp, prepare additional oxygen tanks and go out to meet the descendants. Experienced leaders remained in the groups, so the clients were not on their own.
By 15:00 the weather began to deteriorate, and snow began to fall. However, even in the coming darkness, exhausted people, in violation of all safety rules, continued to try to get to the top.
The last of those, about whom there is reliable information, to the top ascended the head of "Mountain Madness" Scott Fisher. This happened at 15:45, which is almost two hours after the deadline for the return.
The way down to the returning participants of the ascent was blocked by a blizzard. Marks pointing the way to the rescue Camp 4 were visible.
Adventure Consultants leader Rob Hall remained in the area of ​​the so-called Hillary Steps (8790 meters), where one of his clients, Doug Hansen, passed out. On the radio, Hall contacted the camp, from where Andy Harris came to his aid.
One for all
More than a dozen participants in the ascent, never reaching Camp 4, wandered in the blizzard, no longer counting on salvation. They huddled together, hoping to wait out the bad weather. As it turned out later, only 20 meters away from them there was an abyss that they did not notice, so that the climbers were on the verge of death in the literal and figurative sense.
At this time, another drama was being played out at Camp 4. Anatoly Bukreev, moving from tent to tent, persuaded climbers to come out to help people in trouble. The answer was silence - no one wanted to go to certain death.
And then the Russian climber went alone with a supply of oxygen for the dead.
Over the next few hours, he managed to find and lead to "Camp 4" three completely exhausted, barely alive people - Charlotte Fox, Sandy Pittman and Tim Madsen.
Several more people from two groups managed to independently reach the camp when the blizzard subsided a little.
Last call
At about five in the morning, Rob Hall contacted the camp. He reported that Harris, who came to their aid, reached them, but later disappeared. Doug Hansen is dead. Hall himself could not cope with the icy oxygen cylinder regulator.
A few hours later, Hall got in touch for the last time. From base camp on the satellite phone, he called his wife to say goodbye to her. Frostbite hands and feet left him no chance of salvation. Shortly after this call, he died - his body was found 12 days later.

The international expedition K2-2012 starts on June 2. In it, I am the formal leader. I am very grateful to my team for the trust placed in me, because the decision on my leadership was not made by me, but with my consent. I will try very hard to justify the trust placed in me. And yet I really dream about the top, if God willing. How and under what circumstances and in what atmosphere this idea arose and this decision was made, I describe below in my article. This is my first job of this kind, so don't be too harsh. So, our team is resting in a tent in the forward base camp at 5800 near Makalu. It is surprising, but true - we went down the mountain and are still alive. As always, at the end of the expedition, we start a traditional conversation: which mountain will be next. I would like to go to Kanchenjunga, but the conversation takes an unexpected turn for me: “Shouldn't you try to climb K2? - says my friend and climbing partner, Sherpa Chamba from Nepal, - you have enough speed and the Russians probably haven't been there yet. If you are lucky, you will become the first. " “It would be great, but we need to think about it,” I answer. At that moment, the idea of ​​ascent had already arisen in me, although I do not voice it - too great fatigue has accumulated after the stress experienced during the last days. My friend leaves to look for a connection by satellite phone, and I roll around in the tent and again and again leafing through the events of the last days in my memory.


According to the plan, we were supposed to reach the summit on May 8th. We actually went out on the 8th with the hope of reaching the top. But the mountain has made its own adjustments. All this season, the weather did not spoil us. Therefore, most of the inhabitants of the base camp simply stopped paying attention to her. On May 8, the Koreans also went to the ascent. We have developed friendly relations with the Korean team, although in one permit we were recorded with completely different people. But a permit is just paper, which has nothing to do with reality. This is how our two found themselves in the same company with the Koreans on an assault trip to the mountain. On the 8th of May we reached the second camp. The next day, a hurricane wind rose, and it was decided to sit out the bad weather, and on May 10, go to the third camp. But on the 10th the weather worsened: heavy snowfall added to the wind. According to the forecast of the Korean team, the weather did not bode well for the next day. In connection with this circumstance, on the same day we went down to the base camp. For the next two days we rested and waited for the weather. Finally, on May 13th, we begin the next assault attempt. The weather forecast is unfavorable. This means that a hurricane wind starts in the afternoon as standard. Therefore, we go in short dashes, which means an overnight stay in the first camp.

On the 15th, we again sit in the second, and the Korean team leaves in bad weather to the third camp at 7400, to Makalu-la. This is the name of a huge plateau, the size of 5 football fields, between the peaks Makalu-1 and Makalu-2. According to our plan, we are going to the summit from Camp 3 to Makalu-la, and the Koreans are going from Camp 4 to 7800. Since the forecast for May 17 is acceptable, our two will strive to reach the summit that day. Our speed is sufficient to leave the third camp two hours earlier than the Koreans leave the fourth. From the icefall at 7800 m we will continue our ascent together.



Only in this place of the Himalayas can you see such beauty. We are surrounded by huge pointed white peaks. Torn icefalls flow from them, glistening with green ice. I have never seen more amazing panoramas in my life. We still have time, and we can afford to enjoy the views. And then part of the Jacket Globe team descends to meet us. These people were engaged in fixing the ropes for all participants in the ascent. Their leader tells us that they have fixed the ropes everywhere above the fourth camp and up to the summit, and have set up landmarks from Makalu-la to 7800, and we can go light and not take rope and ice axes with us. Part of their group is sitting in the fourth and going to the top on May 17th. When we get to Camp 7400 on Makalu-la, the weather is finally getting worse again. If so, how can we go to the top tomorrow? We are absolutely alone in this camp. The wind howls at Makalu-la, inducing all sorts of unpleasant thoughts. We agreed to leave at eight in the evening, but in reality we only left at ten. Chamba grumbles that we will not catch up with the Koreans, and if something happens, there will be no one to help. We do not meet a single one of the promised "Jacketglob" landmarks and literally in half an hour we lose the path. Suddenly we see the lights of lanterns directly above us. They probably didn't come out on time either. We focus directly on them and gain altitude relatively quickly. We pass the fourth camp and begin the ascent along the icefall. The weather is calm and there are stars in the sky. The icefall is well fixed.
And here we make the biggest mistake - we leave the rope and one ice ax. One ice ax for two, just in case, Chamba still puts in his backpack. An hour later, our two falls into a difficult position. The icefall ends, we see that we have almost caught up with the Koreans. There are about eight thousand here. But the railings in this place also end. Here we also need to replace the oxygen cylinders. My friend's oxygen cylinder doesn't work - it's broken. Ahead is a hard ice-firn slope that leads to the French couloir. And this is what we have at the moment: one ice ax for two and oxygen in a very limited amount. It may be enough for this attempt, if we hurry. We decided to continue climbing. On the way up, I think that if the wind picks up, then we’ll hardly return without a rope and with one ice ax for two, but immediately another obsession is spinning in my head: “The main thing is to go in, the main thing is to go in!”


We get to the French couloir. So the dawn has dawned. We leave a spare oxygen cylinder here. Above, on the ridge, it blows strongly, there, as always, kilometer-long snow flags hang. Koreans are a hundred meters above us. My partner and I don't talk, we just continue our way up. Each of us has already asked ourselves all the questions and answered them to ourselves. Chamba climbs without oxygen. He starts to get very cold, all of his jumpsuit is already covered with ice. As we gain altitude, the wind increases. Old ropes are literally sprawling in some places. The event is becoming more and more risky. How we will go down, so far I can not imagine. The backstage ends, but it doesn't make it any easier. Nothing to do with the photographs I've looked at at home hundreds of times. There is no snow anywhere - only rocks, in places with drip ice. We approach a large rocky "balda" with an inclined ledge. Nerves are strained to the limit, despite the height, I understand that we are one step away from disaster.

The climbing is very uncomfortable, and I completely load the rotten railing rope. The braid begins to peel off from her right in front of my eyes. I start screaming like a victim. Chamba grabs my hand and begins to drag me by the bend. A hurricane wind hits me. I cannot get up on my feet. We are on the summit ridge. From us to the top in a straight line no more than a hundred meters. We see how Koreans are crawling towards the tour, in the truest sense of the word. I panic.


If we get out, it will be both God's help and pure chance rolled into one. There is no way to move because of the hurricane wind - neither up nor down. When the impulse weakens, I start yelling that I urgently need to go down while I’m safe. Chamba takes out his camera and takes some pictures. He says that the ministry will count the ascent, but there must be photographic material.
We begin the descent. It's eleven in the morning. We descend very slowly. The main thing is not to fly away. In the French lobby, it is again much quieter and I take the camera from my friend and start taking pictures. We descend slowly. I'm running out of oxygen. With incredible effort, I try to get to the cylinders. At this time, Chamba is already lower with the rope and he finds and cuts the rope, which is somehow suitable for descent. Finally getting to oxygen. The condition is semi-faint. Chamba changes my tank, we contact and start the descent with alternate belay. Salty taste in the mouth. I guess this does not bode well. I take off my mask. Everything is covered in blood. “It's edema. I'm dying, ”I say. “I know,” the partner replies. I know for a fact that I don't want to die here. I have seven ampoules of dexamethasone and two syringes in my pocket, but to give an injection, I have to find a shelter where it doesn't blow, otherwise the contents will instantly freeze. We get to the icefall. Between the seracs we find a shelter from the wind. I'm giving myself an injection of dexamethasone. Chamba asks him to do it too, because he, too, begins to feel faint, - the ascent without oxygen affects. It immediately becomes much easier. One of the Korean Sherpas is overtaking us. He says that he is going to make tea in the fourth camp and that he will do it for our lot too. We continue our descent.

In the fourth camp we drink Korean tea and continue our descent to the third. I am running out of oxygen again, and a spare cylinder is in the tent of the third camp. If only to get there and, then, maybe there will be a real chance to survive. At four o'clock in the afternoon we finally reach the tents. We decided to make the oxygen consumption of one liter and take turns breathing, and when it ends, continue the descent. We sat there until six in the morning. In the morning there was just a terrible hurricane. They crawled up to the railing in the truest sense of the word. I said that, apparently, we will get to Kathmandu in an accelerated way, without an airplane. The descent is very slow, because I can hardly stand on my feet. But Chamba hurries and does not allow me to rest - only in the descent now is my salvation. We inject with dexamethasone from time to time. When we get to the second camp, snow begins to fall. Visibility is reduced to a few meters. In the second camp we meet all the people with whom we share the permit. They are going to go to the top this exit or the next. I can’t even imagine that a few days later, in the village of Tashigaon, I would find out about Jolly’s death. Bright memory to her. The mountain kept her for herself. Chamba is raging. He says that it is not necessary to communicate, but to go to the base camp, which he is going to carry out no later than today. The snow is falling in huge flakes. I trudge slowly towards base camp. There is only one thought in my head - when will it all end. At one o'clock in the morning we are at the base camp. We did it after all. And we survived! Participants from "Jacket Globe" come. All congratulations. They thought that from the third camp and in the absence of fixed ropes, we would not dare to climb to the top. I don’t know why, but I’m crying and I can’t stop even after a can of beer. We are back in the base camp and all these people, to whom I have become attached during the months of the expedition, surround us. … Our cook appears in my tent and invites Koreans to drink beer with the Koreans. I feel great and quite adequate for such an event - a trained body recovers quickly. And the thought has already firmly settled in my head - next time I want to try to climb K2. I will definitely try. Many thanks to the sponsors who are helping me make my K2 dream come true. OJSC KOTEK boarding house "Vesna" represented by Illarion Levonovich Varavashtyan.
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Many thanks for the support to the Sochi Department of Physical Culture and Sports represented by its director Dmitry Nikolaevich Lazarev.




My new article "The unsubdued peak of Anataly Bukreev", published in the Russian geographical magazine "Picturesque Russia" (# 6, 2015). It is dedicated to the great Russian climber Anatoly Bukreev, his life, incredible records and tragic death in the mountains.

On September 24, 2015, the action-packed film Everest by Icelandic filmmaker Balthazar Kormakur was released on Russian screens. The film is based on real events that took place in the Himalayas in May 1996. Then at once three commercial mountaineering expeditions, which included both experienced climbers and tourists who did not have experience in conquering eight-thousanders, climbed the highest mountain in the world. During the descent, several climbers were caught in a violent blizzard, which killed five people. There could have been more victims if not for the legendary Russian climber from Kazakhstan Anatoly Bukreev, the guide of the group "Mountain Madness" by Scott Fisher. He single-handedly rescued three freezing climbers on the South Col of Everest at night in a blizzard with zero visibility.

The personality of Anatoly Bukreev during his lifetime was overgrown with legends, disputes and speculation. The tragedy on Everest, the scandalous book of a participant in the ascent of journalist John Krakauer "In Thin Air" and the answer of Boukreev himself to the American in the book "Ascent. Tragic ambitions on Everest "with their version of what happened have even more put firewood on the fire of furious discussions about the identity of the legendary climber.

“Tiger of the Himalayas” - such a nickname was given by colleagues to Anatoly Bukreev - only climbed Mount Everest four times. Winner of the title "Snow Leopard" (1985), Honored Master of Sports of the USSR (1989). The conqueror of eleven eight-thousanders of the planet, and made a total of 18 ascents on them. Cavalier of the Order "For Personal Courage" (1989), the Kazakh medal "For Courage" (1998, posthumously), laureate of the American Alpine Club named after David Souls, awarded to climbers who rescued people in the mountains at the risk of their own lives (1997) (American climbers, unlike his compatriot journalist, they presented him with an award precisely for saving lives while climbing Mount Everest). Many considered him a super climber. The legendary conqueror of peaks, the Italian Messner, who ascended all 14 eight-thousanders of the Earth, said more than once that Anatoly is the strongest climber in the world.

Anatoly Bukreev was born in the city of Korkino (Chelyabinsk region) in 1958. In his youth he was diagnosed with chronic asthma diganosis. Who would have thought that he would become one of the most respected climbers in history, and that he would make all the ascents without using an oxygen mask. From the age of 12, he begins to climb the low hills of the Ural ridge around his native Korkino. As a student, he travels south in summer and climbs his first three-four-thousanders in the mountains of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

In 1979 he graduated from the Chelyabinsk State Pedagogical Institute with a degree in physics teacher, and also received a ski coach diploma. In his student years he made his first ascents in the Tien Shan. Two years later, Anatoly moved to Kazakhstan, where he lived not far from Alma-Ata and worked in the regional youth sports school as a ski trainer, and then as a mountain instructor at CSKA. After the collapse of the USSR, he remained to live in Kazakhstan, having received his citizenship.

Bukreev made his first ascents to the seven-thousanders as part of the Kazakhstan mountaineering team. In 1989 he became a member of the Second Soviet Himalayan Expedition led by Eduard Myslovsky. At the same time, while preparing for the expedition, Boukreev sets records. In 1987, he makes the first high-speed ascent in Soviet mountaineering to Lenin Peak along the northern slope from the base camp (4200 m) to the summit (7134 m) (8 hours to climb and 6 hours to descend to the base camp). In the same year, he makes a high-speed ascent to the peak of Communism (from an altitude of 6700 m to 7400 m) in 1 hour 25 minutes - the first place among candidates for the Second Soviet Himalayan Expedition and a high-speed ascent to Elbrus (from an altitude of 4200 m to 5350 m in 1 hour 07 min) - first place among candidates for the Himalayan national team. During the expedition, for the first time, a traverse was made of all four peaks of the Kanchenjunga massif (Glavnaya (8586 m), Western (8505 m), Central (8482 m) and South (8494 m)).

For this achievement, he was awarded the title of Honored Master of Sports of the USSR and Master of Sports of International Class, and was also awarded the Order For Personal Courage. In mountaineering, the traverse of the peaks is the passage of at least two peaks, and the descent from the previous peak must go in the direction of the next one, but not along the ascent path.

In 1988, Bukreev traversed three peaks of Pobeda Peak (Western (6918 m) - Glavnaya (7439 m) - Vostochnaya (7060 m)) (first ascent), ascent to Voennye topographers' peak (6873 m) on the Central Tien Shan in as part of the USSR national team. In 1990 he made the first high-speed single ascent to Pobeda peak in 36 hours and the first high-speed single ascent to Khan Tengri peak (7010 m). In general, he conquered the highest peaks in the world, a record for the CIS, 21 times. In this, climber Denis Urubko caught up with him later. Urubko himself recalled his colleague in one of the interviews: “Anatoly Bukreev was incomprehensible to us, unfamiliar - we were young, we were completely bad, in our company we somehow could not accept him, because he was just a different person, of a different plan ... And of course it was a mistake. Because now, looking back, I think how much necessary and important I could comprehend with this person. "

Boukreev was not a public person, reserved, he liked to be alone. In the capital of Nepal - Kathmandu, he always rented the same room in the same hotel, often he could be seen alone in a cafe. The climber's friend, American Linda Wiley, recalled: “After all, he always avoided women, never married, did not want to burden anyone with his affection. I think he felt that the mountains would take him away. He saw the widows of his comrades and knew how hard it was for them and their children without support. And he himself did not want to be the cause of such grief. "

After the collapse of the Union, Boukreev takes Kazakhstan citizenship and continues in the 90s successful, often solo, ascents in the Himalayas and Karakorum, works as a high-altitude guide-consultant for many foreign expeditions. On June 30, 1995, at the mass alpiniad to the Abai peak (4010 m) in the Zailiyskiy Alatau, he is the personal guide of President Nazarbayev. Takes part in the Second and Third successful Kazakhstan Himalayan expeditions to Manaslu and Cho Oyu in 1995 and 1996. And alone he conquers the eight-thousanders Lhotse, Shisha Pangma, Broad Peak, Gasherbrum II and becomes one of the strongest climbers on the planet.

But the home for the great climber has always been the country in which he was born and raised. “I have been abroad many times. Sometimes I was away from home for six months. But he came back all the time. Because I missed our air, our atmosphere in which I grew up. And I consider myself a citizen of the world. They say to me: "Anatoly, you train in America, live in Kazakhstan, and you yourself come from the Urals." I answer: and so it turns out that I spend most of the year in Nepal. But I'm Soviet. I remained a Soviet man ... ”, he said.

He earned his own ascents by working as a commercial guide. Here is what he himself said about this: “To earn money, I have to work as a guide on international expeditions. This does not cause me, to put it mildly, much delight. After all, I have to work according to a plan that was not drawn up by me. I agree to be a guide because I need money - for life, for my ascents, although, of course, in such expeditions there is no time for self-expression. "

Such a commercial ascent was the conquest of the summit of Everest in the spring of 1996. The American climber Scott Fisher, who was the first to conquer the fourth highest peak in the world, Lhotse, back in the 1980s. founded the Mountain Madness company, which offered his clients climbing the highest mountains in the world. In the 1990s, Fischer's company began to offer tourists the conquest of the highest peak in the world - Everest.

Rob Hall's team before the tragedy at base camp

Anatoly Bukreev belonged to the elite club of the conquerors of the "eight-thousanders" who made the ascent without using oxygen cylinders. And it was not a whim of a famous climber. When climbing the summits, 90% of climbers use additional oxygen equipment. In conditions of altitude and thin air, it is oxygen equipment that can help a person avoid mortal danger. At altitude, a lack of oxygen can provoke the rapid development of two serious diseases - cerebral edema and pulmonary edema. This is due to the fact that a sharp lack of oxygen with increased physical exertion becomes a real shock for the body, and it simply refuses to work normally. But this also has obvious disadvantages that can lead to a tragic outcome - if oxygen equipment is damaged or the supply of oxygen is depleted, the climber very quickly weakens and loses strength. That is why Boukreev walked without oxygen, preferring to rely on his own strength, always carefully preparing for the ascent and undergoing proper acclimatization at the stages of the ascent. Scott Fisher, when inviting Boukreev to work at Mountain Madness, knew that this man could be relied on.

In May 1996, alongside Fischer's expedition, the New Zealand commercial expedition of Adventure Consultants, led by Rob Hall, was operating on the mountain. Due to a number of organizational and tactical miscalculations, part of the clients of the two expeditions, as well as their leaders, after the final assault on the summit did not have time to return to the assault camp on the South Col at an altitude of 7900 m before dark, and as a result of the storm that broke out at night, eight people died (in including Hall and Fischer themselves), and two more were injured.

Scott Fisher

For the necessary acclimatization in the mountains, the members of the Mountain Madness expedition had to fly from Los Angeles on March 23 to Kathmandu, and on March 28 to fly to Lukla (2850 m). On April 8, the whole group was already at the Base Camp. Unexpectedly for everyone, the group's guide, Neil Bidleman, developed a so-called "high-altitude cough". After Bidleman, health problems began for other members of the expedition. Nevertheless, everyone followed the "acclimatization schedule" carefully. However, as it turned out later, Scott Fisher was in poor physical shape and took 125 mg of diamox daily, which relieves edema.

By May 1, all members of the Mountain Madness expedition completed their acclimatization ascent, and it was decided to start the ascent to the summit on May 5, and later the start date was postponed to May 6. Soon after the start of the ascent, the condition of the climber, Dale Cruz, worsened again, and Fischer decided to return and escort him down.

According to Henry Todd of the Himalayan Guides group, he met Scott Fisher while he was climbing the Khumbu Glacier. He was alarmed by the last words thrown by Fischer before continuing on the path: “I am afraid for my people. I don’t like the way we are doing. ”

On May 8, Mountain Madness climbers were unable to make their way to Camp III in time due to strong winds. Nevertheless, A. Bukreev and S. Fischer managed to overtake the participants of the expedition Rob Hall "Adventure Consultants". On the morning of May 9, the climbers went to Camp IV. On the rise, they stretched out in a chain of 50 people, as in addition to "Adventure Consultants" and "Mountain Madness" there was also another commercial expedition from the USA led by Daniel Mazur and Jonathan Pratt. Having reached the South Col (South Col), the climbers faced difficult weather conditions. As Bukreev later recalled, "it was a truly hellish place, if only it is so cold in hell: an icy wind, whose speed exceeded 100 km / h, raged on the open plateau, empty oxygen tanks thrown here by members of previous expeditions were scattered everywhere." Clients of both expeditions discussed the possibility of postponing the ascent to the summit, which was scheduled for the next morning. Hall and Fischer decided the climb would take place.

Shortly after midnight on May 10, the Adventure Consultants expedition began their ascent up the southern slope from Camp IV, which was at the summit of the South Col (approximately 7900 m). They were joined by 6 clients, 3 guides and Sherpas (local guides) from Scott Fischer's Mountain Madness group, as well as a Taiwanese expedition sponsored by the government of Taiwan. Leaving Camp IV at midnight, the climbers, if everything goes according to plan, could expect to be at the summit in 10-11 hours.
Soon, unplanned stops and delays began due to the fact that the Sherpas and guides did not have time to fix the ropes by the time the climbers reached the site. It cost them 1 hour. It is not possible to find out the reasons for what happened, since both leaders of the expedition died. However, there is evidence that several groups of climbers (approximately 34 people) were on the mountain that day, which undoubtedly could have affected the congestion of the route and cause delays.

Having reached the Hillary Step, the vertical ledge on the southeastern ridge of Everest, climbers again faced the problem of loose equipment, which makes them lose another hour, waiting for the problem to be fixed. Considering that 34 climbers simultaneously climbed to the top, Hall and Fischer asked the members of the expedition to keep at a distance of 150 m from each other. John Krakauer and Ang Dorje at 5:30 in the morning ascended to an altitude of 8500 m and went to the Balcony. By 6:00 in the morning, Boukreev ascended the Balcony.

The balcony is part of the so-called "death zone" - a place where, due to the cold and lack of oxygen, a person cannot stay for a long time, and any delay can become fatal. However, there is another delay. All climbers have to wait for the Sherpas to tighten the ropes again. Such railings must be laid up to the South Summit (8748 m)

Making the ascent without using oxygen, Anatoly Boukreev reached the summit first, at about 13:07. A few minutes later, John Krakauer appeared at the summit. After a while, Harris and Beadleman. Many of the remaining climbers did not manage to reach the summit before 14:00, a critical time, after which it is already necessary to start descending for a safe return to Camp IV and overnight.

Anatoly Bukreev began to descend to Camp IV only at 14:30. By that time, Martin Adams and Cleve Schoening had reached the summit, while Bidleman and the other members of the Mountain Madness expedition had not yet reached the summit. Soon, according to the observations of climbers, the weather began to deteriorate, at about 15:00 it began to snow and it got dark. Makalu Go reached the summit at the beginning of 16:00 and immediately noted the worsening weather conditions.

Scott Fischer only reached the summit by 3:45 p.m., being in poor physical condition, possibly due to altitude sickness, pulmonary edema and exhaustion from fatigue. It is unknown when Rob Hall and Doug Hansen reached the top. Adventure Consultants leader Rob Hall remained in the area of ​​the so-called Hillary Steps (8790 m), where one of his clients, Doug Hansen, passed out. On the radio, Hall contacted the camp, from where Andy Harris came to his aid.

More than a dozen participants in the ascent, never reaching Camp IV, wandered in the blizzard, no longer counting on salvation. They huddled together, hoping to wait out the bad weather. As it turned out later, only 20 meters from them there was an abyss that they had not noticed, so that the climbers were on the verge of death in the literal and figurative sense.

During this time, another drama was being played out in Camp IV. Anatoly Bukreev, moving from tent to tent, persuaded climbers to come out to help people in trouble. The answer was silence - no one wanted to go to certain death. And then the Russian climber does the seemingly impossible - he goes alone with a supply of oxygen for the perishing. Over the next few hours, Boukreev managed to find and lead to Camp IV three completely exhausted, barely alive people - Charlotte Fox, Sandy Pittman and Tim Madsen.

Several more people from two groups managed to independently reach the camp when the snowstorm subsided a little. At about five in the morning, Rob Hall contacted the camp. He reported that Harris, who came to their aid, reached them, but later disappeared. Doug Hansen is dead. Hall himself could not cope with the icy oxygen cylinder regulator. Hall's body was found 12 hours later.

Sherpas, who went out on May 11 in search of other missing climbers, found Scott Fisher and Makalu Go, the leader of the Taiwan expedition. Fischer was in serious condition, it was not possible to evacuate him, so the Sherpas took out only the Taiwanese, leaving the leader of Mountain Madness in place. The last attempt to save his friend was made by Anatoly Bukreev, who managed to reach Fischer at about 19:00 on May 11, but by that moment the climber was already dead.

In the book Into Thin Air (1996) published soon by the surviving participant of the New Zealand expedition, the correspondent of the Outside magazine, John Krakauer, Boukreev was, on the one hand, indirectly accused of being a guide expedition "Mountain Madness", he began the descent from the mountain before everyone else, without waiting for his clients, and on the other, Krakauer confirmed that later, having learned about the plight of the lost and freezing clients, Anatoly, despite a snowstorm, left the camp in search of and personally rescued three expedition clients. Boukreev demanded an apology from Krakauer, but the American refused to do so.
In 1997 the book by Anatoly Bukreev and Weston DeWalt “Climbing. Tragic ambitions on Everest ", in which Boukreev outlined his vision of the causes of the tragedy, in particular, mentioning among others the unpreparedness of both expeditions and the recklessness of their dead leaders, who for a lot of money took poorly trained and already elderly people who were not suitable for mountaineering into the mountains. On this, Krakauer and Boukreev were in agreement with each other.

Many professional climbers also disagreed with the accusations against Bukreev. American climber Galen Rovell in his article spoke about Boukreev's actions: “What he has done has no analogues in the history of world mountaineering. The man, whom many call the "tiger of the Himalayas", immediately after climbing without oxygen to the highest point of the planet without any help for several hours in a row rescued freezing climbers ... To say that he was lucky means to underestimate what he had done. It was a real feat. "

On December 6, 1997, the American Alpine Club awarded Boukreev with the David Souls Prize, given to climbers who rescued people in the mountains at the risk of their own lives, and the US Senate invited him to accept American citizenship.

After these tragic events, Boukreev summed up in one of his interviews: “And in the West, after last year's tragedy, I don’t like a lot, because people make big, crazy money on this, presenting events the way America wants, and not like that, as it really was. Now Hollywood is making a film, I don't know what they will make of me - with some red star, with a flag in their hands - and how they will present this to American society - it is clear that it will be completely different. "

Annapurnu - the last peak of Boukreev

Anatoly Bukreev was often considered a "loner" by nature, an individualist for a specific, restrained, but honest manner of communication and for the number of single ascents in the mountains that he made (he was the only one in the CIS who visited the Pobeda and Khan Tengri peaks alone; he ascended solo on Lhotse, Shisha Pangma, Broad Peak, Gasherbrum II and other Himalayan eight-thousanders). However, Anatoly Bukreev helped everyone reach the top, even inexperienced amateurs or those who had nothing to do with the mountains. Under his leadership, the first Indonesians, Danes and Brazilians ascended Everest.

Moro and Boukreev. The last joint photo before climbing Annapurna

In the winter of 1997 Anatoly Bukreev planned a winter ascent in the alpine style to the top of Annapurna (8091) in the Himalayas. This was his 12th "eight-thousander", the most dangerous among all - it is here that they most often perish during the ascent. There was much more snow in the Himalayas then than usual. The members of the expedition even postponed the ascent. He walked in conjunction with his friend, the famous Italian climber Simone Moro. Moro conquered seven eight-thousanders (Everest - four times, Lhotse - twice, Shishabangma - both peaks, Cho-Oyu, Broad Peak, in winter - Makalu and Gasherbrum II), in total he made 12 ascents of eight-thousanders. The climbers were accompanied by a Kazakhstani cameraman Dmitry Sobolev, who filmed the course of the ascent.

On December 25, 1997, after the next exit for processing the route, all three members of the expedition returned to the base camp for rest. During the descent above them, a snow cornice collapsed, which caused a sudden avalanche. This avalanche swept away all three. Moro, who was the last on the slope, was dragged by an avalanche about 800 m, he was injured, but survived and was able to independently reach the base camp and call for help. In search of the missing, a rescue expedition flew from Almaty, consisting of four experienced climbers, but they could not find the bodies of Boukreev and Sobolev.

Linda Wylie and Antaly Bukoreev

Having learned by phone from Moreau about the tragedy, Boukreev's friend, Linda Wiley, boarded a plane and flew to Nepal. She hired a helicopter and began to fly around the route: “Everything was covered in snow, I had never seen so much snow. It was indescribable. " The bodies were never found. A year later, Wiley organized another search expedition, but it did not bring results either. In 2007, on the 10th anniversary of Bukreev's death, the climbing community installed a tripod with a bell and two cast-iron memorial plates: one inscribed, the other with a prayer, at the Pioner Peak near Alma-Ata, above the Almatau camp site, on the day of the 10th anniversary of Bukreev's death. The peak now bears the name of Boukreev. At the foot of Annapurna, the last unconquered peak of Anatoly Bukreev, Wylie erected a monument to her beloved - a traditional Buddhist stone pyramid. On the tablet is inscribed a phrase once dropped by Anatoly: "Mountains are not stadiums where I satisfy my ambitions, they are temples where I profess my religion."

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Himalayan addiction

"Do you know what farewell phrase I like the most? Not" Goodbye! "Or dry like Sahara" Goodbye! " , but it will probably get a little warmer from them at the altitude where the planes fly. "

The height of the Himalayan peak Makalu is 8475 meters. A phrase from one of the semi-fantastic American films about mountaineering immediately comes to mind: "They don't die in the mountains. They just don't live there." Makalu is the fifth highest eight-thousander of the Earth. Six Kazakhstanis make their ascent more difficult: they will go up the mountain not along the classical route, but along the Western ridge. This path to the top was paved in 1971 by French climbers led by Robert Parago. A three-kilometer rocky ridge, open to all winds, goes into the sky. The spectacle, to put it mildly, is not for the faint of heart. Seven Kazakhstanis will see it with their own eyes: team coach, Everest climber Ervand Ilyinsky and members of the expedition - Maksut Zhumaev, Vasily Pivtsov, Damir Molgachev, Sergey Brodsky, Alexander Rudakov and Artem Rychkov.

- Mountaineering is self-destruction, you go at critical speeds, - shares his thoughts on the climber of seven eight-thousanders Maksut Zhumaev... - I think none of us knew what awaited him when he took his first steps in mountaineering. Now you just can't quit. Although ... Although I do not exclude the possibility of leaving. Only it must be done on time.

Maksut Zhumaev began mountaineering at a mature, as he says, age - at the age of 20, after the army. His "walking" experience is seven years. Seven years - seven conquered eight-thousanders. "Zhuma", as it is called in the team, bought a backpack for one hundred dollars and went on trekking to Issyk-Kul, the leader of which was the famous Kazakhstan climber, conqueror of six eight-thousanders Yuri Moiseev. During the campaign, Maksut was a porter of goods for foreign clients. Kazakh "porters" received ten dollars a day.
- There I got the nickname "transparent". He was terribly thin, and the backpack carried thirty kilograms. Such a large backpack and thin legs, - laughs Maksut. - But in the second campaign I was given a different nickname - a monster.

This year, five experienced climbers left the team at once. Denis Urubko, together with the Italian Simone Moro, set off on an expedition to another eight-thousander - Annapurna. Sergei Lavrov and Alexei Raspopov, athletes of the Khan-Tengri international mountaineering camp, have decided to pause for now. Vasily Litvinov "gave up" with great mountaineering due to health problems and is trying to start a new life at the optimal altitudes for the body. Dmitry Chumakov also wants to find himself in ordinary life.

- Yes, five people left, - says the head coach of the national team Yervand Ilyinsky. - But the composition that I have today is no worse than the one that was. And God forbid those who left to walk the same way as before.

One of the leading roles in the renewed team will belong to the conqueror of three peaks above the eight thousand meters mark Damir Molgachev... In January he turned 29. Now he is the oldest in the national team. In his youth, Damir had a brilliant career as a water polo player. He knows firsthand the leaders of today's Kazakhstan national water polo team - the champions of the Asian Games Ivan Zaitsev, Evgeny Zhilyaev, Alexander Shvedov. But the love for the mountains still turned out to be stronger.
“I went to Kanchenjunga in 2002 not in my best style,” Damir recalls. - Somewhere at an altitude of 7800 I saw blood in my saliva. Either pneumonia started, or the cold dry air hurt my throat. On the day of the assault, the summit was far behind Lavrov and Raspopov. I met them already when they were going down. The guys said that it is still at least two and a half hours to the top. Frightened that I would not be in time before dark, I made a crazy march - I ran in 50 minutes. Then he himself did not believe it. I quickly "dropped" the altitude, descending to the base camp, and the pain in my throat was gone.

The biggest fears on the team are related to the weather. Lucky - unlucky? Will the sky let the sky climb the mountain or bring tons of rainfall on climbers? If this spring the weather in the Himalayas is not so hot, the guys will go to Makalu on a simpler route. The main principle is not to risk your lives where it is not needed. And in general it is better not to risk it ...

The intuition of mountain climbers is mysterious. In August 2001, the national team conquered Hidden Peak in Pakistan. Usually, if strength remains, mountain climbers try to descend to the base camp as soon as possible, where it is warmer and there is more oxygen in the air. This time, no one wanted to go down to the first camp. And, as it turned out, not in vain. At night, the empty tents fell into a ten-meter crack. They would not have died, but they would have been injured, climbers say.

Artem Rychkov- the youngest in the national team. He is 24 years old, Makalu will become the first eight-thousander in his career for Artyom. It took several years for Rychkov to be included in the national team. So far, the newcomer has won victories and prizes in the races to the peaks of Amangeldy and Nursultan in the mountains of the Zailiyskiy Alatau, Khan Tengri in the Tien Shan.
“A trip to the Himalayas can be compared to getting to the Olympic Games,” says Artem. - Only there you can test yourself. There is absolutely no fear. The team consists of professionals who can teach me a lot. Well, I want to be useful to the national team.

Ascender to Kanchenjunga Sergey Brodsky recalls the return from the first expedition in his life. Most of all I wanted real grilled meat and champagne in my life. None of the guys could just look at freeze-dried foods and Chinese noodles.
- I really wanted champagne. And we drank it. In the morning, as soon as we arrived in Almaty. It is in the film that aristocrats and degenerates drink champagne in the morning, - Sergey laughs. - Climbers returning from the Himalayas can also have a drink.

In total, there are 14 peaks on the planet, the height of which exceeds the mark of eight thousand meters. The national team of Kazakhstan is moving towards the completion of the program "Fourteen eight-thousanders of the Earth", which began in the early 1990s. Makalu should become the eleventh in a row. Already this Friday, six climbers and their coach will board the plane and in a few hours will see the Himalayas. Someone for the first time, and someone for the next fourth, fifth or tenth time. Just don’t tell them "Goodbye!" Guys, take care of yourself.

Olga Koscheeva, Almaty

The Magnificent Seven Goes Again to the Himalayas


On April 9, a team of CSKA climbers, led by head coach Yervand Ilyinsky, will fly to the Himalayas. Six mountain climbers intend to climb the fifth highest peak in the world - the eight-thousander Makalu (8475 m). The team includes Maksut Zhumaev, Vasily Pivtsov, Damir Molgachev, Sergey Brodsky, Alexander Rudakov and Artem Rychkov.
The team chose the difficult route to Makalu along the Western ridge. For the first time, a 3 km long rocky ridge was climbed by a French team led by Robert Parago in 1971.

To work on the route, you need not only high-altitude, but also good rock training, - says the head coach of the Kazakhstan national mountaineering team, Honored Coach of the USSR Ervand Ilyinsky... v We held several training camps, focusing on climbing in the technical class. I think the team is ready to climb Makalu.

This year the national team goes to the Himalayas with a renewed line-up. Who are the newcomers to the team?

- Alexander Rudakov and Artem Rychkov... Rychkov is the youngest athlete of the national team, he is 24 years old. I drew attention to him last year. Artem has won races to the Amangeldy and Nursultan peaks several times. He took fourth place in the Khan Tengri race during the Second International Festival in 2003. Behind Alexander Rudakov's shoulders is climbing the northern face of Khan-Tengri peak in 2000, and this is a serious test.

Who will be leading the way for most of the work on the route?

All athletes, without exception, will hang the railing. For this I prepared them. Of course, there is more high-altitude experience. Vasily Pivtsov(6 eight-thousanders, two attempts to climb K2), Maksuta Zhumaeva(seven eight-thousanders), Damira Molgacheva(three eight-thousanders).

The success of climbing the Himalayan peaks largely depends on the weather

I talk about this before every expedition. Last year, due to snowfall and great avalanche danger, we refused to climb the K2 summit in Karakorum. The success of the Makalu expedition will also depend on weather conditions. Let's hope we're lucky! ..

They say that in the summer you intend to repeat the attempt to conquer K2.

I cannot say anything concrete about this. Let's find the means v will be climbing.

The CSKA alpinist team will return from the expedition in early June. If successful, Makalu will become the eleventh mountain in the list of eight-thousanders conquered by the Kazakhs.
It should be noted that if not for the sponsors, the expedition would hardly have taken place. The team would like to thank

  • Kazakhstan mountain club
  • Inter RAOUES
  • central Stadium
  • CSKA
  • Kesertke
  • Kazakhstan kagazy
  • Becker
  • SOHO
  • Rick
  • Clinic of Dr. Mikhailov
  • Adani
  • Face.

OUR REFERENCE.
Mountaineering team of Kazakhstan.

Head of the Army Sports Club (CSKA) Major General Pavel Maksimovich Novikov.

Head coach - Ervand Ilyinsky. Honored trainer of the USSR and the Republic of Kazakhstan, Honored Master of Sports, senior trainer of CSKA of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Kazakhstan in mountaineering, awarded the orders "Badge of Honor", "Friendship of Peoples", "Otan". Member of the First Soviet expedition to Everest (1982), climber to Everest (1990), Aconcagua (South America, 1998), McKinley (North America, 2001), Vinson (Antarctica, 2002. ), Kilimanjaro (Africa, 1998).

Vasily Pivtsov, 28 years old, biology student, super-professional in mountaineering. Works confidently on any terrain. 6 ascents of eight-thousanders: Hidden (2001), Gasherbrum-2 (2001), Kanchenjunga (2002), Shisha-Pangma (2002), Nanga Parbat (2003), Broad Peak (2003 G.). Mountaineering experience 10 years. The first coach is Anatoly Zubenko.

Damir Molgachev, 29 years old, coach of the young CSKA team. 3 ascents to eight-thousanders: Hidden (2001), Gasherbrum-2 (2001), Kanchenjunga (2002). He worked a significant part of the Kinshofer route to Nanga Parbat, but was forced to descend without a summit due to the onset of pneumonia. Mountaineering experience 10 years. The first coach is Vadim Khaibullin.

Maksut Zhumaev, 27 years old, lawyer. 7 ascents of eight-thousanders: Shisha-Pangma (2000), Hidden (2001), Gasherbrum-2 (2001), Kanchenjunga (2002), Shisha-Pangma (2002), Nanga Parbat (2003 g.), Broad Peak (2003). Mountaineering experience 7 years. The first coach is Lyudmila Savina.

Sergey Brodsky, 26 years. 1 ascent of the eight-thousander Kanchenjunga (2002). Mountaineering experience 7 years. The first coach is Lyudmila Savina. Possesses phenomenal physical characteristics. Winner of the speed race to Belukha in 2002 (6 hours 06 minutes). In August 2003, at the 2nd Khan-Tengri International Festival, during a high-speed race on Khan, he was the first to climb to the upper mark of the track (7800), completely trampling the path along which the rest of the participants ran after him. I had every chance of becoming a winner, but ... the finish was cut off at the base camp, and Sergei was in no hurry to go down, believing that the finish was cut off at the top, as usual during CSKA races.

Alexander Rudakov, 29 years. Debutant of the expedition. Mountaineering experience 9 years. The first coach is Vadim Khaibullin. (Photo by Vasily Litvinov, 2002)

Artem Rychkov, 24 years. Debutant of the expedition. Mountaineering experience - 5 years. The first coach is Yuri Gorbunov.

Photos - Russianclimb, Almaty, March 2004.

Ascents of the national team of Kazakhstan within the framework of the "Fourteen Highest Peaks of the Planet" program.
Dhaulagiri, 1991 (Head - E. Ilyinsky).
Manaslu, 1995 (Head - K. Valiev).
Cho-Oyu, 1996 (Head - K. Valiev).
Everest, 1997 (Coach-manager - E. Ilyinsky).
Hidden, 2001 (Head - E. Ilyinsky).
Gasherbrum-2, 2001 (Head - E. Ilyinsky).
Kanchenjunga, 2002 (Head - E. Ilyinsky).
Shisha-Pangma, 2002 (Head - E. Ilyinsky).
Nangaparbat, 2003 (Head - B. Zhunusov, trainer - E. Ilyinsky).
Broad-peak, 2003 (Head - B. Zhunusov, trainer - E. Ilyinsky).

K2, Annapurna, Makalu, Lhotse remained unconquered.


Memoirs of the participants of Kazakhstani expeditions about previous ascents of eight-thousanders:

Denis Urubko "Everest Diary"March 2002, after the first attempt to traverse Lhotse-Everest (was published on the Mountain.cit.kz website, now closed)

Denis Urubko Fragments of the diary of the second expedition of Lhotse-Everest May 2001, after the expedition

Vasily Litvinov "Gasherbrum diary"autumn 2001

Denis Urubko "Nanga Parbat" November 2003