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Chris Warner’s
Story 6/5/2001
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Chris
Warner's Epic days on Everest in 2001
EverestNews.com
interviewed Chris Warner for about an hour and one half
today on the phone. Here is what he had to say
that is publishable on this topic. Other quotes will
go to other stories. Chris' remarks are in quotes.
Note, this is a telephone conversation and not meant to be an
article. Everestnews.com has left this raw and has not
clean up it up for an
"article".
Let
start on the 23rd with the facts: "All the
climbers Summit on the 23rd on our team except Owen
West. Marco
Siffredi (France) was the first to Summit I
believe very early."
What
time did you leave high camp? "We left high camp
around 1:30 mostly as a group. Evelyne left high camp
at a quarter till 1:00."
What
time did you summit? "around 10:08". What
time did Andy and Jaime
Vinals (Guatemala) Summit ? "Around 2:30,
but I am not sure [of the time] and Asmuss." [Norreslet
(Danish) guide for the team]
"Around 11:30,
they are above the third step. It took them around 3 hours to
summit from that point. It should have taken them
around 1 1/2 hours." web@everestnews2004.com
Was
Russ screaming on the radio to them. Others told us he
was screaming. "I would not call it screaming.
But he was telling them to turn around. He told them a
few times."
What
happened then? "After they reached the Summit
they descended to the snow pyramid above the third
step. You know that snow field."
How
did you know what was going on ? "The radios
calls."
Who
failed, and ... "Jaime was complaining about a
lost of vision and he thought it was his
contact lenses. Then both Andy and him are struggling
to descend. This is around 4:00 pm. But Asmuss is well.
They finally did descend to the 3rd step. They finally do get down the 3rd
step." web@everestnews2004.com
"They
just can't move [forward] anymore. They are
trashed."
"Asmuss
goes for 4 oxygen bottles at the top of the second
step. He gets the oxygen and brings it up to the 3rd
step. This is really something. To do this after
reaching the Summit by a non-Sherpa is unbelievable."
"Asmuss
finds a good place for them to bivy. But Andy and Jaime
won't come down to where Asmuss wants them to go."
"Asmuss,
Andy and Jaime, all disagree on how many oxygen
bottles made it, and on this oxygen issue. Some say 3.
Jaime claims he did not use it. I was not there. At
some point during the night they claim that they moved, but I am not
sure what happened. But this might explain the
confusion about where the oxygen bottled were in the
morning and if Andy and Jaime used the oxygen during
the night. "
"The
critical part is when Asmus left them, he left them
with at least 3 oxygen bottles. Oxygen is a vital resource
for surviving the bivy."
So
were the oxygen bottles with them when the climbers
arrived in the morning to help them down? "I
don't know."
"You
know you really can't trust any facts. Climbers are
like fishermen sometimes."
You
mean you can't trust facts of climbers at 8000 meters
? "No."
"You
know what I mean. [We do not what you mean.] People
just don't know how hard it is to
simply walk from one tent to another at Camp 4 [his
camp 6 or high camp] without oxygen for several
hours."
"The
expedition does not know Andy is still up there. Around 6pm
the expedition lost communication because the
batteries ran out and the climbers [Andy and Jaime] could
not change the batteries. Russ was on the North Col
watching everything with the telescope, once it went
dark at 7pm. We lost communication and could not see
them."
"We
think Andy is coming down. At 8:30pm I wake up Dave
Hahn and we [the Himalayan Experience Everest Expedition]
are sending two Sherpas up. We have Sherpas in reserve. I ask them [Dave Hahn] to bring oxygen and dexamethasome.
We are just thinking Jaime is still up there. This will buy
us [Himalayan Experience Everest Expedition] some time
until the 2 Sherpa get up to Jaime."
"
I go to sleep. I had been without oxygen on the way
down and was exhausted." web@everestnews2004.com
"At
about 11:30pm Asmuss comes down alone. He wakes me up. I
am back on the radio. Russ in on the radio. The BC
people are on the radio."
Who
is the BC people? "The Sherpas at BC. They
contact Russ. We are through the night talking to one
another, Russ and Simonson. Simonson had different radios
so we could not hear what they were saying. This made
things hard. Simonson, keep coming on the radio."
"It
is impossible for these guys to descend if they don't
walk. They have to be walking. Finally the American
get to the Russians. "
"The
sun comes out. You know what happens when the sun
comes out." Climbers who were dead suddenly can
walk again. "Yes".
"The
Americans get to Jaime and Andy at around 6:30 to
7:30am. They, Andy and Jaime can't stand up. They can
talk and answer questions that make sense. They get up
after given dexamethasome and oxygen. It takes 45 to 1:15 minutes for
them to get going. A long time."
"Dave
and Jaime go and Tap, Jason and Andy". I don't
know the order. Andy has the most damage. They get to
the top of the second step. If they can't walk they
are dead. You know, if you can't walk, you are dead.
These guys can't carry them down. They have to walk
down or they are dead. They are traveling slow. Jaime
rappelled, by himself down the second step. Phurba
Sherpa arrives at the second
step and takes over with Jaime. Andy Politz arrives at
some point. Lobsang Sherpa arrives around the first
step. He has oxygen, supplies, everything he can
carry. The load. In addition we have oxygen stacked on the
ridge in case. 2 more of our Sherpas come up. These last
2 Sherpas get there at the exit cracks. They arrive
back at Camp 6 (our high camp 4) at 4:30pm. They have
not talked to me about who else was up there."
Do
you know if anyone got to Andy and Jaime before
the Americans?
"The
American Sherpas were there too. They or one of them might have gotten
to Andy and Jaime before Dave, Jason, and Tap. Other
climbers might have gotten there first and helped, I don't
know! There
were
2 American Sherpas. They [other climbers] took their oxygen and told
them to get down at some point."
You mean the
Sherpa when down without oxygen? "Yes."web@everestnews2004.com
"To
emphasize if Jaime can move our 2 Sherpa can get him down.
It is hard to say what if. To play the what if
game.... But by Andy being there too, we needed a team
effort. Jaime, I believe, could have been bought down
by the 2 Sherpa. But, too many what ifs."
"The
Spanish were great guys. I don't know where they were
on Summit day [the 24th]. They did not know there was
trouble. Only the Americans knew about this because I
woke them. I
don't know anyone who refused to help or who did not
help. No one told me anyone refused to help. Others
played roles too. I am not sure who actually got to
them [Andy and Jaime] first. And if Andy and Jaime
don't walk they are dead. I mean you could walk right
by these guys when Andy and Jaime are walking and not
know anything is wrong. I mean this is 8000 meters
plus."
This
information, who did you talk to? Where is it from ?
"The whole team and group. Dave, Andy, Tap,
Jason, Andy, Jaime, the radio, and the others,
everybody. We have been spending a lot of time
together after that day. Everyone is getting along
well."
"The
Sherpas never get any credit. You know how it is.
These men work their tails off, without them they
probably would not have---" He stops. web@everestnews2004.com
"The
Sherpas Russ has are ace guys. What they did was
beyond what a climber like us can do. It was a team
effort by several people."
Chris
Warner as told to EverestNews.com on June 5, 2001.
Background:
Himalayan
Experience Everest Expedition 2001
The
2001 Himalayan Experience Everest Expedition: The
Team
Climbers
perspectives and
reporting at 8000 meters
The
Jaime Vinals report
The
Chris Warner report (two parts).
Eric
Simonson's report
The
Mountaineering
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