I didn't have much in common with any of my teammates except Doug. Everest came in 1995, as part of an expedition led by an accomplished New Zealand climber Rob Hall, who formed a company called "Adventure Consultants" to guide clients to the summit of notable peaks around the world. [31] In addition, he wrote that the competition between Hall and Fischer's guiding companies may have led to Hall's decision not to turn back on 10 May after the summiting deadline of 14:00. Following the disaster, the use and non-use of supplementary oxygen was the focus of much discussion and analysis, with a guide and a sardar both criticized by Krakauer for not using supplementary oxygen while performing guide duties. 'Everest' Tells Andy Harris' Tragic Story - Bustle Doug Hansen A postal worker from Washington state who had been climbing for 12 years, Hansen turned back just short of Everest's summit in 1995. [citation needed], The expeditions quickly encountered delays. View the profiles of people named Doug Hansen. privacy policy. Because Doug may be the first and only postal worker to achieve this, he deserves a spot in the imaginary Legendary Letter Carriers Hall of Fame. He was an athlete in very good shape. He did not return. My dad was a good man. Known as the "mailman" due to his profession, Hansen was part of Rob Hall's Adventure Consultants team, which aimed to summit Everest during the 1996 climbing season. The South face of Everest, the side climbed by Doug Hansen as a member of Rob Hall's Adventure Consultants team. Mel Carriere (author) from Snowbound and down in Northern Colorado on November 02, 2015: FatBoyThin, the bad part about Everest is that the weather turns at the drop of a hat. I hope I can find some more famous letter carriers to keep the series going. But if you're very fortunate in your life, then you meet some of these people. Respect your challenge, brave man! Most climbing Sherpas' duties require them to ascend at least as high as Camp III or IV, but not all of them summit. @Jonathan Doel - murder? A rescue team mobilized, hopeful of getting Weathers down the mountain alive. Poughkeepsie, New York. Thanks for reading! The only difference is, this hub ended quite sadly. I had an uncle named Doug Hansen, who worked as a technician and linesman for our phone company (then called the PMG "Post Master General's Department"..now Telstra) The phone and mail companies were run by the same government department. Doug told Jon Krakauer that Hall had called him "a dozen times" from New Zealand to urge him to get on board for a repeat attempt. I enjoyed your insights into Doug Hansen's life and the ill fated climb. PBS Frontline: 'Storm Over Everest' washingtonpost.com, Climber Recounts Tragedy in 'Storm Over Everest', Ken Kamler: Medical miracle on Everest TEDMED, PBS Storm over Everest: Roundtable: The Ethics of Climbing, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1996_Mount_Everest_disaster&oldid=1151690907, Unknown; presumed as falling during descent near summit, Frank Fischbeck (53) had attempted Everest three times and reached the South Summit in 1994, Doug Hansen (46) had previously attempted Everest with Hall's team in 1995; disappeared near the South Summit while descending with Hall, Stuart Hutchison (34) youngest client on Hall's team; previous 8,000m experiences included, Lou Kasischke (53) had climbed six of the, John Taske (56) oldest climber on the Adventure Consultants team; no 8,000m experience, Dale Kruse (45) long-term personal friend of Fischer's and the first to sign up for the 1996 expedition, Tim Madsen (33) had climbed extensively in the Colorado and Canadian Rockies, but had no 8,000m experience, Klev Schoening (38) Pete's nephew and a former US national downhill ski racer; no 8,000m experience, Ngawang Topche (died a few months later from. While climbers died on both the North Face and South Col approaches, the events on the latter were more widely reported. I remembered how sad I was when had learned about the accident. Four members of the Adventure Consultants expedition died, including Hall, while Fischer was the sole casualty of the Mountain Madness expedition. The expedition leaders did not realize that the blizzard that would hit in full force on May 11 would be preceded by increasing snow throughout the afternoon and evening hours of May 10. He was an amazing and charismatic man; light-hearted, humble, yet driven. Local Utah Obituaries - Legacy.com And he ultimately, in a truly heroic effort on his part, will give his life to try to save Doug's. Krakauer discovered he was still conscious when the survivors in Camp IV prepared to evacuate. Both deserve respect. Nobody is to be blamed. NOVA Online | Everest | High Exposure, Epilogue - PBS Viesturs stated in the IMAX film that upon finding Hall's body, he sat down and cried beside his friend. A movie review is beyond the scope of this article, but having read Jon Krakauer's book after the film, I believe Everest is an accurate depiction of what went on at and beneath the summit of Mt. Ultimately this is an entertainment, not professional article. I have a few mailman short stories with a character loosely based upon myself, and this same character is the main character in a novel I am trying to write. Mel Carriere (author) from Snowbound and down in Northern Colorado on December 15, 2016: Thank you Seth for your great comment and for sharing your experiences. A guide for Adventure Consultants and helicopter skiing guide in the winter, Harris was making his first Everest summit attempt with the 1996 expedition. Summitting Everest is something only a mictoscopicslly small percentage of the world's population will ever do. The climbing Sherpas and guides had not set the fixed ropes by the time the team reached the Balcony (8,350m or 27,400ft), and this cost the climbers almost an hour. Is there really any logic involved at all when deciding to climb this deadly mountain? Deb Hirt from Stillwater, OK on November 14, 2015: This was an excellent read, but from what I can surmise, Doug was more of a "people pleaser" than logical in some cases. They didn't reach the peak until around 4 PM, two hours after the deadline. Despite receiving oxygen and attempts to rewarm him, Weathers was practically abandoned again the next morning, 12 May, after a storm had collapsed his tent overnight and the other survivors once again thought he had died. [citation needed], On 9 June 1996, three days after Sherpa Ngawang Topche died in hospital from high-altitude pulmonary edema,[11] a private memorial service was held for Scott Fischer attended by the climbers and sherpas from Mountain Madness at Kiana Lodge, near Seattle Washington. Everybody had a hand in the tragedy, but it was mostly the fickle whims of nature. He was divorced, as is made plain in the movie, he had two children and a girlfriend he was seriously involved with at the time of his death, but other than this, details about his life are sketchy. He would have an absolutely plastic face, and he could tell jokes. No one to blame but Popeye's Chickenlong line up! He mentioned to his fellow team members that he had not eaten or slept for a few days, after which he finally told guide Rob Hall that he had decided to head back down. But because of high climber traffic at the base of the Hillary step, where a delay occurred because fixed ropes had to be installed after Sherpas assisting the expedition failed to put them up, by 2 PM, very few climbers had reached the top. However, he did accomplish what he set out to do. The Adventure Consultants casualty list included guide Rob Hall, guide Andy Harris, Japanese female climber Yasuko Namba, and Doug Hansen. The previous day (9 May), Taiwanese team member Chen Yu-Nan had died following a fall on the Lhotse Face. Click For Full Schedule. The South face of Everest, the side climbed by Doug Hansen as a member of Rob Hall's Adventure Consultants team. Mel Carriere (author) from Snowbound and down in Northern Colorado on May 16, 2016: Thank you Audrey. Great read, Mel. Safe is boring. (Hey, it's my day off!) He loved to run steps and so did I. Douglas Hansen is 58 years old today because Douglas's birthday is on 11/04/1963. Doug Hansen - Thought Canvas During this last communication, they chose a name for their unborn child, he reassured her that he was reasonably comfortable, and told her, "Sleep well, my sweetheart. Hall had also brokered a deal with Outside magazine for advertising space in exchange for a story about the growing popularity of commercial expeditions to Everest. Is it possible that mighty Mt. And he was caught up in it. He had a true passion for life. The team began the assault on the summit on 6 May, bypassing Camp I (5,944m or 19,501ft) and stopping at Camp II (6,500m or 21,300ft) for two nights. He found both alive, but barely responsive and severely frostbitten, and in no condition to move. Outside the eight paying clients, there were also three guides, two of whom perished in a blinding blizzard that struck the summit on May 10th. blog: everest summit attempt. As Jon Krakauer's book Into Thin Air and the movie Everest both indicate, "Mailman" Doug Hansen also achieved favorable reviews among his teammates in the 1996 Adventure Consultants expedition. It's clear that he and Jon Krakauer formed a bit of a duo; I think that they thought that they had more in common with each other than they had maybe with the rest of us. [7] There were many other Sherpas working at lower elevations who performed duties vital to the Adventure Consultants and Mountain Madness expeditions. Guy Cotter: Andy Harris was a fun-loving, strong guy. Hansen, who owns Hansen Mountaineering and has already attempted to reach the 29,028-foot summit once, said he's getting calls from all across . I never heard him have anything unpleasant to say about anybody. Blaming Doug is ridiculous when you take into account, not only his lack of experience climbing let alone with 8000ers.but also his current state at the time, hypoxic. Now get this he returned a half of his members and saved their lives even though they didnt want to give up. At any rate, if you are a postal worker who knew or worked with Doug, please supplement this article by providing additional information in the comments below. Thanks for sharing this legendary mail carrier's story. Colin Garrow from Inverbervie, Scotland on November 02, 2015: Interesting piece - I've come across the book before but haven't read it yet. The ill-fated 1996 Adventure Consultants expedition. "[3][pageneeded] Boukreev gives 18:00 as "the onset of a blizzard". Mel Carriere (author) from Snowbound and down in Northern Colorado on February 19, 2016: Thank you Southeast. Then again, a balmy May afternoon on Everest can still cost you a toe or two to frostbite. Since oxygen at the summit of Mt. She was very much contained within herself, but once you got her going, she was just absolutely focused on continuing to move, and to achieve what she came to achieve -- probably more maybe than anybody else on our team, in terms of just sheer focus and drive, and dedication on a goal, as opposed to just being there. On May 10, 1996, multiple different expeditions were attempting to. And the numbers have shifted since your response and no longer bolster your rationalization. @SethWolpin - Thank you for your support. Douglas Keith Hansen, 58 - Lees Summit, MO - MyLife.com As expected, Hollywood takes some liberties, but it is a good entry-level lesson for those wishing to learn more about this ill-fated ascent. He really went back and just kept cranking, trying to save him. If he was telling everyone, including Rob Moore, that he could not proceed and Rob Moore really "hauled" Doug Hansen to the summit then I think that it is solely Rob Moore's fault that Doug Hansen and Rob Moore died. Mel Carriere (author) from Snowbound and down in Northern Colorado on September 23, 2018: Thank you Sonya. He just was in his element in terms of, this was more his life as he'd see it, as the best parts of his being out there. Close to 4:00 p.m., client Doug Hansen finally reached the summit with the assistance of Rob Hall, who remained behind to see his bid through. A wiry, hard partying man with a prematurely weathered face that brought to mind an old football, he'd been a postal worker for more than twenty-seven yearsBecause I'd earned my living as a carpenter for eight years before becoming a writer-and because the tax bracket we shared set us conspicuously apart from the other clients-I already felt comfortable around Doug in a way I didn't with the others. People gravitated toward him this lovely combination of life-loving and hard-working. It was shortly after 4pm. site map. Angie-- you may never read this and even if you do you probably wont care but i wanted to let you know that your dad did a brave thing and he is admirable. Mel Carriere (author) from Snowbound and down in Northern Colorado on November 04, 2015: There are so many people who have perished on Everest, Larry, that I lose track. There are 300+ professionals named "Doug Hansen", who use LinkedIn to exchange information, ideas, and opportunities. It is hard to place the blame on anyone in particular. At 17:30, Adventure Consultants guide Andy Harris, carrying supplementary oxygen and water, began climbing alone from the South Summit (8,749m or 28,704ft) toward Hansen and Hall at the top of Hillary Step. Hansen, 46, felt that 1996 was his last chance. Thanks for reading! Thanks for reading! In my experience, it is safer for me, once acclimatized, to climb without oxygen in order to avoid the sudden loss of acclimatization that occurs when supplementary oxygen supplies are depleted. [27][pageneeded], 1996 is statistically curious as the fatality rates on Everest in the 1996 season were statistically lower than normal. The 1996 Mount Everest disaster occurred on 1011 May 1996 when eight climbers caught in a blizzard died on Mount Everest while attempting to descend from the summit. He had the experience of the mountain the year before; he'd gotten within 300 feet of the summit. Laborer at Concrete Repair Specialist. The 10th of May was another co-incidence as that was the birthdate of my Doug Hansen's son Tom (my cousin). I appreciate you dropping by. The novel is now stuck; I have a beginning and end but no middle. Beck Weathers: Yasuko was diminutive, and some of her choice of gear reflected that. He absolutely is responsible for Robs death though. I never saw the film, didnt read the book but i have read quite a few articles. He was always somebody who, I thought, was thinking about the other person. People who had never had the privilege of knowing him. Rob was stranded on the South Summit; Doug Hansen was dead; Andy Harris was . the survivors' stories. The climb is over for me." But very thoughtful and just a really warm, warm guy. Work. I find it disgraceful and disrespectful. I would encourage you to remove it. You're right, I'll just stay home and watch it on TV. Thank you Venkatachari M. It is a depressing ending, but Everest climbers seem to embrace this potential fate. Seems like most of the fatalities on Everest occur on the descent. [12], "Makalu" Gau Ming-Ho led a five-member team to Everest on 10 May 1996.[13]. Lou Kasischke: Doug was a very likeable, easygoing person. Bill De Giulio from Massachusetts on November 04, 2015: Great read Mel. They do make us grow; they do make us transcend ourselves and the ordinariness of existence. [28], Later in the day, however, Weathers regained consciousness and walked alone under his own power to the camp, surprising everyone there, though he was still suffering severe hypothermia and frostbite. Beck Weathers: Doug was one of those guys that you kind of instantly like. In his book "Into Thin Air," written about his personal experience as a part of the ill-fated 1996 Adventure Consultants Everest Expedition, author Jon Krakauer describes his own impressions of Doug Hansen, who became his closest friend among the members of the group. No one really knows what happened to Doug and that's part of the mystery, he didn't just become a 'statistic' but became part of the legend that is EVEREST! I feel John Hawkes portrayed my father well considering no contact was made with our family. Kent Washington, the Seattle metro area city where Doug Hansen was employed as a postal worker. Lou Kasischke: Doug was a very likeable,. both as a Postal Clerk, & as his Supervisor on Mondays of each week. Those Who Died | Storm Over Everest | FRONTLINE | PBS I am Doug's daughter. Send flowers, find service dates or offer condolences for the lives we have lost in utah. Doug Hansen is absolutely responsible for the death of Rob. It's easy to be a Monday morning quarterback, but up on that mountain they were making life and death decisions. Man, I'm gettin' too old for this stuff." He could make the worst situation seem funny -- just sarcastic humor like you can't imagine. After a brief celebratory stay at the top, he headed back down with Rob. Mel Carriere (author) from Snowbound and down in Northern Colorado on February 12, 2019: Nobody and no one is to blame about the tragedy of that fateful day.let us just pray that their souls have finally found the peace wherever they are now. Very nice tribute to Doug Hansen. Reynold Jay from Saginaw, Michigan on November 01, 2015: I think he was a sub mail carrier one day during a blizzard. Doug climbed the highest mountains in the world. Rob had waited for Doug near the summit. Chinaski actually worked for the post office a while I think, Svetlana. Some people will achieve their goals and/or die trying. I still am sad. Unfortunately, during the 1995 climb, Doug had been turned back just 330 feet short of the summit when Hall judged the conditions too dangerous to continue. To this I would add: As a precautionary measure, in the event that some extraordinary demand was placed upon me on summit day, I was carrying one (1) bottle of supplementary oxygen, a mask, and a regulator. Now the question is whether or not it's true that Rob Moore actually pressed Doug Hansen to continue climbing the mountain and went so far as to "haul" Doug Hansen to the top. Yes, there were many other factors that attributed to their situation, but Doug killed Rob by being the weakest climber and forcing Robs hand.
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