ABSTRACT
The British climber David Sharp suffered a slow, painful death on Everest in May. As he lay dying, 40 climbers passed him by. Did their lust for the summit override their humanity? Peter Gillman investigates
A few days before Christmas last year, David Sharp sent an e-mail to a climbing friend in Kathmandu, saying: “I’m (stupidly) contemplating a final (final) attempt on Everest.” The friend, the New Zealander Jamie McGuinness, had been on Everest with Sharp when he failed in an attempt in 2003. Sharp had failed again in 2004, vowing not to return. Yet McGuinness was not surprised that Sharp was intent on a third try: “David knew he could do it, but he still had to prove it.” Another climbing friend, Richard Dougan, says that where Everest was concerned, “David had stars in his eyes.”
