MOUNTAINEERING NEWS ITEM

Hillary Denounces Inglis' Climbing Team

FRIDAY, 26 MAY 2006

The Sydney Morning Herald reported on May 24, Wednesday, that Sir Edmund Hillary denounced a New Zealand climbing team for not helping a British man who lay dying near Mount Everest's summit.

Hillary criticized the team of Mark Inglis, who recently became the first double amputee on Everest, for not helping Briton David Sharp when the former's team saw him suffering from a lack of oxygen on his way down from the summit. Inglis said, however, that there was nothing more they could do to save Sharp's life since he was barely alive when they saw him. Aside from that, Inglis said that the extreme cold that day prevented them from being able to do anything to help Sharp.

Hillary also said that his first climb with Tenzing Norgay to the Everest would have been abandoned if they were met with the same situation as Inglis'. "It was wrong if there was a man suffering altitude problems and was huddled under a rock, just to lift your hat, say 'good morning' and pass on by," he said.

But Sharp's mother, Linda Sharp seems to hold no grudge against Inglis and his team. She said that Inglis' team leader Russell Brice and a sherpa tried to help the Briton but everything was too late.

More of this news can be found at the Sydney Morning Herald's website at www.smh.com.au.

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