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The flat boot track, and the "snail trail" (left) where
Mike fell. |
Dear EverestNews.com, Assistant
Lhotse Team Leader Mark Merwin's statement of his review of the accident site:
Statement dated 3 May, 2005, 1700 hrs.
Lhotse and
Everest are climbed via the same route below camp 4, so the Lhotse and Everest
expedition members often climb together lower on the mountain, and share
basecamp, plus camps 1, 2 , and 3.
I left Base
Camp and arrived at the scene of the accident around 6:30pm. By this time Mike
had already died, and the rescuers were packing up gear and preparing to
return to Base Camp for the night. Before sunset I took the opportunity to
look over the scene of the accident with some of the team remaining. We hiked
a short distance up the boot pack past the scene of the accident. We turned
around and walked towards the scene of the accident making observations about
the scene. As I walked along the fixed lines on top of the serac I observed
the terrain was relatively flat and the walking easy because a very well
developed boot pack had formed over the past several weeks. However, despite
the apparently easy walking I observed that there was a great deal of exposure
to both the left and the right of the trail. It is definitely a place that a
person would want to clip into the fixed line with their safety. However, I
believe that it is a place that many climbers do not clip the fixed line
because the walking is very easy. Additionally, the rope is rather tight in
that section and it is a hassle for a tall guy to bend over and clip the rope.
Mike was about 2 meters tall and weighed about 120 kilos. Personally, there
are often sections of fixed
line that I
do not clip into because the terrain appears easy and safe, and it is quicker
to just go onto the next anchor. I believe Mike was not clipped to the fixed
line with his safety when he fell. If he had clipped the rope I think the rope
would have arrested his fall, or we would have seen a broken rope at the scene
of the accident. We did not find the rope broken. Nor was his safety line nor
carabiner damaged in any way, as if it might have broken in a fall.
Approximately 9 meters from the small 50 degree snow slope which proceeds the
last vertical ladder Mike descended, I observed a set of prayer flags anchored
in the snow. Approximately one to one half a meter before the prayer flag
anchor I observed a slide path on the right side of the boot pack. The slide
path was about two meters wide and led me to believe that Mike slid on his
side, suggesting a forward fall.
I think it
is possible that he simply tripped and fell while unclipped to the rope. The
hot weather that day caused my crampons to ball-up several times with snow
while I was descending. I believe it is possible Mike's crampons balled-up and
caused him to loose his footing. The slide path was perhaps 5 meters long. It
ended at the edge of the serac. From the edge of the serac it appeared to me
to be another 5 to 7 meters to the bottom of the crevasse where Mike passed
away. I think the accident could have happened to any climber on the mountain
that day, except for the most paranoid and overly cautious climber. Mike was a
strong and great climber, and was not doing anything different from the
majority of other climbers. I think he just stumbled a little, and it's
terribly unfortunate that it cost him his life. It's so unfortunate that it
happened to such a great guy. I'm truly sorry for his family's loss.
Dispatches
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