Page 224 - Serious Incident Prevention How to Achieve and Sustain Accident-Free Operations in Your Plant or Company

CH16pp190-196 4/10/02 12:52 PM Page 190

C
H
A
P 16
T
E
R

Responding to the

Challenge

1
Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster, by
Jon Krakauer, describes the challenges for climbers and their expedition
leaders in attempting to conquer Mount Everest. After months of training
and payments of up to $65,000, a climber typically has only one try at as-
saulting the summit. Limitations on physical strength and supplies, such
as bottled oxygen, make a restart unfeasible once the march to the summit
begins from the expedition’s highest elevation camp.
Prior to starting the climb to the summit, most Mount Everest expedi-
tion leaders establish a firm turnaround time for all members of the expe-
dition. If the summit has not been reached by the specified time (typically
2 p.m.), climbers and guides have instructions to turn around and descend
the mountain. Compliance with this guideline helps ensure a climber’s
bottled oxygen and other supplies are sufficient, and that the climber is
able to safely return to the protection of camp by nightfall.
Predictably, “summit fever” often strikes both climbers and their ex-
pedition leaders. Enforcement of the turnaround time becomes difficult,
particularly when the summit is in sight. Turning around represents major
disappointment for climbers who have sacrificed physically and finan-
cially to position themselves in sight of the mountaintop, and who may be
looking at their last chance to achieve their personal goal. For expedition

190