Everest '96: Trapped in the Death Zone | Top of the World | 2
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Doug Hansen coughs into his oxygen mask as he trudges up a steep, icy slope above the South Call. It's the middle of the night, and it's pitch black. Only headlamps light the way forward. About three hours ago, Doug and the rest of the Adventure Consultants team left Camp 4 at 27,000 feet with the goal of reaching the summit before noon and no later than 2 p.m. The sky is clear, and the winds are calm.

Doug couldn't ask for better weather. Suddenly, the climber in front of him stops and steps out of line. It's Frank Fischbeck, a 53-year-old publisher from Hong Kong. You all right, Frank? Not really, Doug.

I think this is the end of the road for me. Why? What's wrong? Frank stands quietly for a moment, staring up at the stars. I just, I don't think it's a good idea. Doug watches as his teammate begins to descend. He knows this was Frank's fourth attempt at summiting Everest, so he's surprised he'd willingly turn around so quickly. Doug was forced to turn around last year, just 300 feet from the top.

so he's intent on making the most of his second chance. But Doug also knows that Frank is a smart guy and that he wouldn't be packing it in without careful consideration. As Doug keeps climbing, he starts to wonder if maybe he should be packing it in too. He has to admit he's worn out. He's barely slept or eaten in days. He's been struggling with a horrible cough. His throat is burning and he can barely breathe.

And he knows the climb ahead is only going to get tougher. Doug makes his way down the slope to where his team leader, Rob Hall, is bringing up the back of the line. Listen, Rob, I want to thank you for this opportunity, but I'm so cold and I can't shake this cough. I think I should head down. Rob looks at him and nods. That's absolutely your decision to make. I only want to say...

The weather is on our side today. You still have a shot. Are you sure you're ready to make that call? Doug hesitates. The other clients are wealthy, with disposable income. He's a postal worker, and it's hard to imagine he'll ever be able to afford another attempt. He also thinks about the students at an elementary school in his hometown of Seattle, who are tracking his progress up the mountain. They even gave him a small flag to plant at the summit.

Doug wants to inspire those kids to reach high. If an ordinary man like him can achieve his dream, so can they. Doug feels adrenaline building inside him. All right, Rob, I want to keep going. Rob pats him on the back. Doug takes a deep breath from his oxygen mask and continues. As long as he's capable of moving, he vows to keep climbing until he reaches the top of the world. ♪

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Late in the evening of May 9th, 1996, two expeditions left Camp 4 on the upper reaches of Mount Everest to make their final push to the summit. The climbers had paid upwards of $65,000 to be guided up the mountain by competing companies, adventure consultants and mountain madness.

Each was led by a veteran mountaineer and supported by a team of guides and Sherpas dedicated to helping their clients reach the top. The climbers understood that time was of the essence. They needed to summit before their 2:00 PM turnaround time to ensure they got back to camp before dark. If not, they risked getting trapped in an environment so inhospitable to human life, it was known as the death zone.

This is episode two, Top of the World. John Krakauer marvels at the panorama spread out before him. Dawn is breaking over the Himalayas, and the journalist has the perfect spot for taking in the sunrise. He's 1,400 feet below the summit, sitting on a small, flat ledge known as the balcony. As the sun climbs higher, the mountains surrounding him are painted in rich hues of purple and pink.

Krakauer turns to the man sitting next to him, Rob Hall's lead climbing Sherpa, a quiet, hardworking 29-year-old named Ang Dorje. How much longer will we have to wait? Ang Dorje just shrugs. As much as Krakauer is enjoying the view, he's frustrated.

Rob ordered that no one go any further than the balcony until the rest of the adventure consultant's team caught up. So he and Aang Dorje have been sitting here in the bone-cracking cold for 90 minutes now. They watched members of Scott Fisher's team pass by, as well as three climbers from a Taiwanese group, even though they weren't scheduled to summit today. Krakauer hates to be held back, but he understands Rob's rationale.

He came here to report on the rise of commercial Everest expeditions, like the one he's on. As he waits, he reflects on his mixed feelings about the endeavor. As a longtime climber, Krakauer has always savored the sense of freedom and self-reliance that comes with scaling mountains on his own. But with commercial trips, you're forced to give up a lot of that. A responsible guide can't afford to let each client go their own way,

But this encourages passivity. Krakauer is grateful for all the help he's gotten. Schirpa's setting up camps, hauling loads, and doing the cooking. He knows he wouldn't have a chance of summoning without it. But if he's being honest, he finds all the help unsatisfying. It has sometimes felt like he's not really climbing the mountain, that others are doing it for him.

He understands why many serious alpinists now look down on Everest as a trophy-hunting excursion, where rich amateurs can essentially buy their way to conquering the world's tallest peak. Or naively think they can. He knows it's no cakewalk. This is the hardest and most dangerous thing he's ever done. Considering how much false confidence these guided Everest trips inspire, they probably aren't such a good idea.

Krakauer shivers. He's aware that he's burning up the oxygen in his tank. He needs enough to get to the top of the mountain, and then back to the south summit, where a fresh bottle will be waiting for him. As he checks his gauge, he thinks he can make it, but he needs to get moving. Krakauer feels Aang Dorji tap his shoulder. Here they come. Finally, the rest of their team begins to arrive at the balcony, with Beck Weathers and Rob Hall at the back.

Krakauer steps carefully down to meet them. "Rob, I'm gonna get frostbite if I don't keep moving." Rob looks stern. "All right, John. You have my permission to move ahead on your own, but if you run into trouble, just stay where you are and sit tight." Krakauer nods and then starts moving up towards the southeast ridge that leads to the summit. He's desperate to make up time.

Beckweather squeezes his eyelids shut, yearning for relief from the stinging pain in his eyes. It's early in the morning on May 10th, and he has made it to the balcony, nearly 2,000 feet above Camp 4. He's been struggling with his eyesight throughout the climb, and to make matters worse, he just wiped his face with an icy glove and a crystal scraped his right eye. Now, not only is his vision blurred, he no longer has any depth perception.

So far, he's kept his eye problems to himself. But he realizes that if he continues, he could easily fall and place his fellow climbers in jeopardy. Beck turns to see a cloudy shape coming toward him. How are you doing? Ready to get moving? Beck recognizes the voice. It's Rob Hall, the leader of the expedition. Listen, Rob, my eyes are bothering me. You guys go ahead and I'll catch up.

Rob shakes his head. "If your vision doesn't improve in 30 minutes, I don't want you climbing any further."

Beck hesitates. Okay, if it doesn't get better, I'll head back down to camp. No, I want you to stay right here until I get back. That way I'll know you didn't fall down some cliff. I need you to promise me. Beck can't make out Rob's face, but he can tell from his voice that he's deadly serious. I promise, Rob. I won't move from this spot until you come back. Rob pats him on the back and continues up. It's a beautiful day.

Beck sits down on a boulder and listens to the footsteps of his team fade, leaving him completely alone. Lou Kosinski grabs a handful of snow and shoves it in his mouth. He's in a long line of climbers from three different teams, inching towards the south summit. Lou waits for the snow to melt in his mouth before he swallows. He closes his eyes, enjoying the cool relief in his throat.

He's dehydrated, exhausted, and charged with excitement. "I can do this," he thinks to himself. The 53-year-old is a corporate lawyer, and mountain climbing has been his passion for years. He loves the feeling of pushing his body to its limits, and he loves how each climb becomes its own unique story, with unforgettable characters, breathtaking settings, and near-impossible challenges.

Lou wonders what his wife is doing back in Michigan. She's never been a fan of his climbing and would only give her blessing to this expedition if he made a promise. That whatever story he uncovered on Everest, he had to live to tell it. Lou agreed. He spots two of his teammates climbing down toward him. John Taskey from Australia and Stuart Hutchson from Canada. Both doctors.

Lou has been impressed with their climbing abilities and regards them as two of their team's strongest and smartest climbers. He waves at them to stop. "Stew, what's the deal? Why are you guys going down?" "We're moving too slowly. There's way too many people up here. If we don't head down now, we're gonna get caught out after dark." Lou is stunned. It isn't even noon yet.

Why don't you come down with us? Lou pauses. He's aware that these are two men who make life and death decisions in their jobs. He respects them enormously, but he doesn't even want to think about turning back. I... I don't think I'm ready yet. Lou watches for a moment as the two doctors continue their descent.

Then, ahead of him, he spies their team's lead climbing Sherpa, Aang Dorje. He picks up his pace to catch up with him. How much longer until we reach the summit? Aang Dorje looks up at the mountain. From here, there's the south summit, then the Hillary Step. At least two hours, maybe three. Lou starts to do the math in his head, and he realizes how far behind they actually are.

It's been almost 13 hours since they left Camp 4. Best case scenario, he'd reach the summit after 2 o'clock. Stewart was right. If he continues, he will likely be caught out in the dark. But the math is not adding up to what he's seeing. Others are still going up. Rob must think it's okay.

As physically horrible as he feels right now, Lou knows that the regret he'd feel later would be worse if others made it to the top and he didn't. Lou exhales and locks his gaze on the south summit. "I can do this." He continues his ascent, but his heart begins racing and pounding so fast and so hard he can hear it. Lou drops to his knees and closes his eyes.

Two voices are at war in his mind, one telling him to keep going and the other telling him to face the facts. Ambition versus recklessness. Confidence versus arrogance. It's so hard to find the sober middle ground, especially this close to the top. After a few moments, his breathing slows down and a new, calmer voice enters his mind. I can do this.

"I will climb Mount Everest, but not today." Lou rises to his feet and starts to descend. He realizes this is his story. And when he gets home, he's going to tell it to his wife. Anatoly Bukhriev wraps his arms around his body, fighting to keep warm. He's standing less than 100 feet below the summit, in front of a 40-foot rock wall known as the Hillary Step.

There are over a dozen climbers with him, from Mountain Madness and Adventure Consultants, and they're all waiting. It's creeping past noon. Anatoly has been standing in this spot for over an hour, and he's upset. No expedition has been to the top yet this spring, so we thought the plan was that both teams lead Sherpas were going to leave camp ahead of everyone to fix ropes on the most exposed parts of the path.

But when he reached the South Summit, it became clear that the work had not been done. The clients have managed so far by using old ropes installed last year. But now they've arrived at the most challenging obstacle of the climb. The Hillary Step has steep drop-offs on either side, and there's no way the clients can scale it without new safety ropes. Anatoly looks back towards the South Summit.

Neither Scott Fisher nor Lopsang Jangbu are anywhere to be seen. He's frustrated that Scott didn't give him or their other guide, Neil Biedelman, a radio, so they have no way of communicating with him. He figures Lopsang is still at the back of the line with Sandy Hill Pittman, who he was helping up earlier. There's nothing Anatoly hates more than waiting around on the mountain.

Nearly all climbers use supplemental oxygen once they enter the death zone, but he has trained himself to function without it. He believes it's safer to rely on his lungs than canned air. But there are drawbacks. The lack of oxygen causes him to get colder faster and makes him more vulnerable to hypothermia. Waiting in freezing temperatures is dangerous for all the climbers, but it's especially problematic for him.

Hey, Tully. He sees his assistant guide, Neil Beadleman, approaching him. I've got rope and ice screws with me. I think we should just do it ourselves. Anatoly is relieved to hear that Neil packed extra rope. He's climbed with a 36-year-old aerospace engineer before and knows him to be very competent and thoughtful. Great. Let's go.

Just then, a climber from Rob Hall's team steps closer. Guys, it's John Krakauer. Do you need some help? Anatoly gives a thumbs up and then quickly scrambles up the rocky tower to begin anchoring the rope. If the clients are going to make it to the summit in time, they've got to get moving. John Krakauer plods up a narrow slope, hovered in snow. It's after 1 p.m. on May 10th.

He spent the last hour helping guides from Scott Fisher's team set ropes on the Hillary step. Now he's above the rock pitch and nearing the summit. To his left are the mountains of Nepal. To his right, he can see the vast Tibetan plateau. Oxygen is still flowing through his mask, but his brain is foggy and he feels drugged, like he's walking in slow motion through a dream.

He looks ahead and sees Anatoly Bukhriyev standing next to an aluminum survey pole and a string of Buddhist prayer flags waving in the wind. He takes a few more steps and there's nowhere higher to climb. Welcome to the top, John. You made it. Anatoly extends his hand and Krakauer shakes it. Since he was a child, Krakauer has dreamed of standing here.

It's extraordinary to view the Earth from this perspective, but he can't bring himself to celebrate. He knows he's only at the halfway point. He still has to make it back down. Krakauer snaps some photos, then checks his watch. It's 1:17 p.m. He's been at the summit for less than five minutes, but he's gotta go. He's low on oxygen and needs to get back to the south summit fast so he can grab a fresh bottle.

Without oxygen, he knows he would instantly become more vulnerable to frostbite, cerebral edema, impaired judgment, and death. Krakauer allows himself one last moment to take in the vista on all sides. At sunrise, the skies were crystal clear, but now the valleys to the south seemed to be filling with dark clouds.

As he begins his descent, Krakauer doesn't think much of the change in scale. The only thing on his mind is getting more oxygen. When you're hiring, time is of the essence. That's why more than 3.5 million businesses worldwide use Indeed to find exceptional talent fast. Indeed's powerful matching engine works quickly. So quickly that, according to Indeed data worldwide, every minute 23 hires are made on Indeed.

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Head over to Symbiotica.com and use code ODDS for 20% off and free shipping on your subscription order. Ed Feasters peers through a telescope aimed at the top of Everest. The renowned American climber is stationed at Camp 2, over 7,500 feet below the summit. What he's seeing concerns him. There's a long line of climbers stacked up below the Hillary step, waiting to go up.

Ed checks his watch. It's 2 p.m. Why on earth are they still heading up? Ed is here to film an IMAX documentary about climbing Everest. Three days ago, his team made it as far as Camp 3 before they were hit with powerful winds and decided to turn around. They've since been hanging back at Camp 2, hoping that the weather will calm down in the next few days.

Ed looks through the telescope again, almost in disbelief. He knows it will take the climbers at least another hour to reach the summit, which means it's unlikely they'll make it back to camp before dark. He's climbed with both Rob Hall and Scott Fisher in the past. He knows they're smart, experienced, and capable. But for some reason, both appear to be taking a colossal risk today.

A cold gust of wind blows by. The weather forecast said the strong winds they've been experiencing would reach maximum intensity tomorrow. But Ed can see dark clouds moving closer to the mountain. He heads to the mess tent to find a radio. If the storm is rolling in early, a disaster could soon be underway.

Yasuko Namba grips the jagged rock above her and struggles to pull herself up. It's after 2 p.m., and the 47-year-old Japanese woman is just a few feet below the top of the Hillary step. But her muscles have nothing left to give her. She knows that there are more than a dozen climbers lined up behind her. She can sense their impatience, but she can't think about them.

As long as she's conscious, she needs to focus on one thing: continuing the climb. She adjusts her footing on the cliff to see if her legs can push her higher, but the result is the same: she's stuck. Yasuko is aware that people find her to be quiet and unassuming and small, but they don't understand how driven she is.

She may only weigh 100 pounds, but she's far from the stereotype of a meek, demure Japanese woman. She's an accomplished businesswoman for Federal Express in Tokyo. And her husband stays home and does the cooking and cleaning while she climbs the tallest mountains in the world. She reminds herself that she's tough, that she's faced hard obstacles before and overcome them.

If she can make it over the Hillary step and to the summit, she will be the oldest woman in history to do so. Yasuko tries again to haul herself up. This time, she feels a helpful hand on her backside, pushing her up from below. She finally creeps higher. Yasuko knows she's about to do something nobody would expect of her. She's going to make it to the top of the world.

John Krakauer pats Yasuko Namba on the back as she rises to her feet at the top of the Hillary step. Way to go! You're almost there! Yasuko is gasping for air. She gives a thumbs up and staggers towards the summit. Krakauer is trying to stay positive as other climbers reach the top of the rock wall, but on the inside, he's freaking out. After descending from the summit, he encountered a traffic jam here.

Several climbers are below, slowly creeping up the rope. And he's been having to wait for nearly an hour now. His oxygen is running low, and he's desperate to get to the south summit to replenish it. All he can think is, "Hurry up! Hurry up!" Next, Krakauer sees Rob Hall emerge from the top of the step. Rob extends his hand. "Congrats on making the summit, John!" Krakauer keeps his anxiety under wraps.

"Thanks for getting me there." Rob nods, but he looks disappointed. "I just wish we could have gotten more of our team up." As Rob continues on his way, Krakauer suddenly feels dizzy. He glances at his oxygen gauge and then looks at it again in shock. The tank is empty. He quickly realizes why. A little while ago, he had asked one of his guides, Andy Harris, to turn down his flow to conserve gas.

and he must have accidentally turned it up. Krakauer is now full on panicking, but thankfully, traffic on the steppe has finally cleared. Anatoly Bukhriev is the first to hurry down. Krakauer follows, very cautiously. Without oxygen, he fears he might black out, and if he loses consciousness before he gets to the south summit, he knows he's as good as dead.

Base camp manager Helen Wilton adjusts the frequency of her radio. It's 2.40 in the afternoon. She's in the adventure consultant's communications tent, nervously awaiting an update from expedition leader Rob Hall. The radio crackles.

Helen, this is Rob. Do you read me? I read you loud and clear, Rob. Where are you? I'm with Yasuko Namba and I'm happy to report we are at the top. History has been made. Helen is overjoyed. Congratulations, Rob. Who else is up there with you? There's a bunch of people from Scott's group. No one else from ours. Copy that. Helen sighs.

Earlier, she received word that John Krakauer made it to the top. Two successful clients is better than none. But she knows Rob was hoping to do better, especially since he didn't get anyone to the top last year. Helen, I'm sending Yasuko down with Mike Groom, and then I'm going to wait here for Doug. He's just coming up now. Copy that, Rob. Thanks for the update. As Helen lays down her handset, she checks her watch.

It's well past Rob's 2 p.m. turnaround time. She wonders what they're still doing up there, but then pushes away her concern. She's worked with Rob for many years, and there's no one on the mountain she trusts more. She goes over to the fax machine to send out the good news about their expedition's world record. ♪

Mountain Madness guide Neil Biedelman snaps a quick photo of Lina Gamilgaard on the summit. She's holding up the front page of a Danish newspaper with a headline that reads, Lina Gamilgaard, first Danish woman atop Everest. Congratulations, Lina. It's quite the feat. Thanks, Neil. This paper sponsored my climb, so they printed this just for me.

Neil laughs. After helping set the ropes on the Hillary step, he reached the summit at 1:25 and has since been watching as various climbers celebrate their arrival. It's a jubilant scene, but a key person is missing from the celebration. Neil approaches Lapsing Jengbu, his team's lead climbing Sherpa, who has a radio. Do you know where Scott is? He'll be here soon. He wasn't too far behind me,

Despite the joyful feeling in the air, Neil is growing more concerned. It's already been a chaotic day, and now it's past 3 p.m., and Scott still hasn't made it to the top. Questions are swirling in his mind. Why weren't the ropes set on the Hillary step? Why wasn't he given a radio? And most importantly, who's in charge right now? Neil thought Scott and Rob agreed that everyone would be turned around by 2 p.m.,

But if that's the case, why is Rob still sitting here at the summit, waiting for one of his clients? Neil glances over and sees his client, Sandy Hill Pittman, swaying back and forth. He moves quickly to grab her beneath her shoulders. "You okay?" Sandy nods, but it's clear the altitude is getting to her. A gust of cold wind pushes against Neil. He looks down into the valley below.

and notices that the cloud cover appears to be growing thicker. He knows he's a strong and capable climber, but he doesn't have much high altitude experience. That's why he's the junior guide. But with Scott and Anatoly nowhere to be seen, Neil realizes he has to take charge. He turns to Lopseg.

We have to get moving. I'm bringing our clients down. You don't want to wait for Scott? Nope, I'm making the call. You coming? It's okay. I'll stay till Scott gets here. Neil gathers their clients and starts leading them down the summit bridge. It's late in the day and he knows they have to move quickly if they're going to get back safe before dark.

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John Krakauer grips the rope tightly as he carefully descends the narrow ridge towards the south summit. On either side of him are steep drop-offs, and he's feeling dizzy. It's around 3 p.m. He estimates he's been without oxygen for well over an hour, but he knows there's a fresh bottle waiting for him just 50 feet away.

Krakauer takes another step and reaches ahead to click his harness onto the next rope. But there is no more rope. His heart sinks. He doesn't know how he will possibly navigate the rest of the exposed ridge without any kind of safety tether. Not in his condition. He stands still, paralyzed with fear. Suddenly, he feels a hand on his shoulder. John, are you okay?

Krakauer turns to his left and sees one of his guides, Mike Groom, standing on the ridge behind him with Yasuko Namba. Mike, I'm in bad shape. I'm out of oxygen.

Don't worry, buddy. I've got you. Mike removes his mask and gives his oxygen bottle to him. As Krakauer breathes in the canned air, he feels the shattered fragments of his brain settle back into place. You're going to be fine, John. Now let's get you a bottle of your own.

The three of them make their way along the ridge until they arrive at the south summit, a flat, rocky pinnacle surrounded by snowdrifts. Krakauer sees their team's other guide, Andy Harris, sorting through a pile of orange canisters. "Yo, Andy, I need a fresh bottle. Can you help me?" Andy looks panic-stricken. "There's no oxygen here. These bottles are all empty." Krakauer is speechless.

A mistake like this is totally unheard of. Mike starts inspecting the bottles and quickly realizes that Andy is wrong. No worries, John. There are at least six full bottles here. Andy refuses to believe it. Mike, I'm telling you, they're empty. Krakauer grabs the new bottle from the pile, attaches it to his regulator, and turns on the flow. It's working all right. He holds up the gauge and shows it to Andy.

but Andy keeps shaking his head in disbelief. Krakauer doesn't know why Andy is acting so irrationally, but he doesn't have the brain capacity to think about it. He thanks Mike for helping him out and starts heading down the south summit on his own. Almost immediately, Krakauer descends into a dense layer of clouds and light snow begins to fall. He may be able to breathe again, but he can barely see where he's going.

Lapsang Jangbu Sherpa shakes Scott Fisher's hand as his boss finally arrives at the summit. All right, Scott, we all made it. Yep, I was dragging today, man. Scott's knees buckle, but he steadies himself. It's 3.40 p.m. Lapsang has been waiting for Scott up here for over an hour.

The rest of the Mountain Madness team already went down a while ago. Lopsang glances down the ridge towards the Hillary Step. A hundred yards away, Rob Hall is helping his last client towards the summit.

Lopsang hears Scott on the radio, informing their team doctor at base camp that, with his arrival, the last of their group has made it to the top. "Congratulations, Scott. How are you feeling?" "I don't know. I'm just... I'm so tired. My stomach hurts." "Scott, listen to me. It's late. You need to get down the mountain. Now. Do you read me?" "Uh-huh. Copy that."

Lopsang watches as Scott clicks off the radio and stands in a daze, staring out at the view. He looks completely wasted. Lopsang has never seen Scott like this before, or ever even heard him complain about not feeling well. He knew he was lagging behind today, but he looked okay. Lopsang had no idea he was this sick. "Please Scott, we need to go down fast."

Scott nods, but he doesn't move. Lopsang had a difficult climb today too. He's exhausted, but he realizes that he needs to step up and take care of his boss. "I'm going to help you, Scott. We're going to get down this mountain together." Scott turns and looks Lopsang in the eye. "Thank you." Lopsang puts Scott's arm around his shoulder.

As they start their descent, he vows not to let go of his friend and mentor until they're back at camp and they're safe. Lena Gamilgard concentrates on her footwork as she descends into thick clouds and falling snow. She's just below the south summit, along with mountain madness guide Neil Beadleman and four other clients. It's close to 4 p.m., and Lena is trying to move as fast as she can to get back to camp.

They're way behind schedule. And now the snow and worsening visibility is slowing them down even more. She grits her teeth and tries to stay focused on each step. Suddenly, not far below, she can hear somebody shout, Charlotte, get out the decks! Through the haze of white, Lena sees three of her fellow climbers gathered around Sandy Hill Pittman, who's lying face down in the snow.

As she and Neil approach, she sees her teammate, an American woman named Charlotte Fox, retrieve a syringe from a toothbrush case in her jacket. Lena has been supplied with one of these emergency syringes too. It's filled with a steroid that quickly reduces swelling in the brain due to altitude sickness. - All right, Sandy, here it comes. - Charlotte plunges the needle through Sandy's long underwear and into her butt.

Sandy barely flinches. Neil gets closer and leans down next to her. What's going on, Sandy? Are you okay? Sandy garbles a few words. Neil examines her oxygen gauge. She doesn't have much oxygen left. She's going through it fast. Neil then turns to Lena. I hate to ask you to do this, but I need you to trade bottles with her. Lena feels her stomach turn.

Trading her half-full bottle for a near-empty one will only amplify the danger of her situation. But she recognizes that she's in far better shape than Sandy, so she takes her bottle out of her pack and hands it over to Neil. Thanks, Lena. We're going to get through this. Neil attaches the bottle to Sandy's regulator and turns it all the way up. Between the shot of dex and the oxygen, she begins to liven up.

As the group resumes their descent, Lena stares down into the whiteout conditions below. It will be dark in a couple of hours, and they still have a long way to go. She's proud of her record-setting achievement on the summit today, but she knows she'll need to summon a lot more strength if she's going to make it down the mountain alive.

Rob Hall places Doug Hansen's arm over his shoulder and helps him up the ridge towards the summit of Everest. Almost there, Doug. Just keep going. Over an hour ago, Rob heard that Doug had arrived at the top of the Hillary Step, so he decided to wait for him at the summit. Normally, climbers cover the distance from the step to the summit in 30 minutes or less.

But it was taking Doug much longer. So Rob came down to help him up the final stretch. He steadies himself against a strong gust of wind. It's after 4 p.m. and dark storm clouds are moving in. He knows they shouldn't still be up here. But last year, he made Doug turn around at the South Summit. He couldn't bring himself to turn Doug around again.

Finally, Doug reaches out to touch the aluminum pole that marks the top of the tallest mountain on Earth. He falls to his knees and plants the small flag that the school children gave him into the snow-covered ground. Rob pats him on the back. Congratulations. You did it. Doug nods and stares blankly into space. Are you okay? Doug sinks further into the ground.

Rob leans down next to him. "Stay with me, Doug. Talk to me." He can hear Doug mumbling something. He's awake, but barely. Rob checks Doug's oxygen level. It's totally empty. "Crap! Crap! Crap!" He retrieves his radio and calls out to his base camp manager.

Helen, this is Rob. I'm with Doug, and he's collapsed. I need someone to bring us oxygen as soon as possible. Copy that. Just tell me where you are. Rob closes his eyes and exhales. We're at the summit. Rob? Did you say the summit? That's correct. He fights to stay calm.

He has faith that Helen will find a way to untangle this mess. Rob, can you get down to our oxygen stash at the south summit? There are two fresh bottles waiting for you there. Okay, I think I can.

Suddenly, another voice cuts in on the line. It's one of his guides. Hello? It's Andy Harris. I'm at the South Summit. All of our bottles are empty. There's no oxygen here. Rob feels a bolt of panic. The wind is picking up speed. The sky is growing darker. And if he can't find a way to get Doug down the Hillary step, they're going to be stranded up here in the death zone.

This is the second episode of our four-part series, Everest 96, Trapped in the Death Zone.

A quick note about our scenes. In most cases, we can't know exactly what was said, but everything is based on historical research. If you'd like to learn more about this event, we recommend the books Into Thin Air by John Krakauer, The Climb, Tragic Ambitions on Everest by Anatoly Bukhriev, and G. Weston DeWalt, and Left for Dead, My Journey Home from Everest by Beck Weathers. I'm your host, Cassie DePeckel.

Matt almost wrote this episode. Our editor is Alyssa Adams. Sound design by Joe Richardson. Audio engineer is Sergio Enriquez. Coordinating producer is Desi Blaylock. Produced by Alita Rosansky. Managing producer is Matt Gant. Senior managing producer is Ryan Lohr. Senior producer is Rachel Matlow.

Executive producers are Jenny Lauer Beckman, Stephanie Jens, Marshall Louis, and Aaron O'Flaherty for Wondery. Wondery.

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