The Greatest Tragedy on Mount Everest

May 10, 1996 was the deadliest day ever on Mount Everest. Deaths are not uncommon in mountaineering, and Everest has claimed many lives in its history, including some of the strongest in the climbing community. But never before had eight people died in a single day: the greatest tragedy on Mount Everest. Even after the climbing season was over, debate raged on about what had happened on that day.

The expeditions that were climbing the mountain in May 1996 had set out weeks before, because of the acclimatization period required when climbing the world's tallest peak. When you're on Everest, you're literally on top of the world - but it takes more than a month to get there. Climbers spend a full week at Base Camp, and then begin climbing to established camps higher up the mountain, and returning back to Base Camp. After weeks of up-and-down trekking, climbers finally make their first summit attempt over the span of a week. If they fail, it takes another week to get back down the mountain to resupply and recuperate before a second attempt is made.

There were quite a number of expeditions on Everest in early May 1996, taking a variety of routes up the mountain. The most common route, through the Khumbu Icefall and up the South Face, was chosen by two ill-fated expeditions: Adventure Consultants, operated by New Zealander Rob Hall, and Mountain Madness, operated by American Scott Fischer. Also on the mountain were David Breashears and Ed Viesturs, filming a documentary for IMAX theaters, a three-person Indian team climbing the Northeast Ridge, and expeditions from Japan and Norway on the same route as the Indians. All of these climbers would reach the summit, but not all of them would make it back down.