Historic failed attempts to conquer Everest
Since the world highest summit of Mount Everest was first conquered by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in 1953, a number of enthusiasts have tried to follow their footsteps and make their name in history. Following is the list of some of the some failed attempts to reach the peak of Mount Everest that made to the history pages.
The Oldest Man on Everest Expedition – Shailendra Kumar Upadhyay
In a bid to claim the title of the Oldest Man to climb the Everest, a former Nepalese foreign minister decided to take the journey up the Mount Everest. Shailendra Kumar Upadhyay was 82 years old; he was hit by fever and other sicknesses soon after he arrived at the Camp I. He thought it only appropriate to descend back to the base camp for medical attention, he collapsed on his way back and died soon after. His dead body was later airlifted to the Capital of Nepal Kathmandu. Upadhyay was determined to break the record of a 76-year-old Nepalese man. The record was later broken by a Japanese Climber Yuichiro Muira in 2013; he was 80.
The shifting Glacier – Blair Griffiths
Not many people are familiar with the threats posed by the moving glaciers hiding in the plain sight (unless of course, you are a professional Everest climber or an enthusiast). Blair Griffiths was an unlucky person; a cameraman of Canadian Broadcasting Company Griffiths was documenting the expedition of Canadian climbers in 1982. Griffiths along with some other crewmembers was helping the climbers to climb up by holding one of the many ladders used by the mountaineers. Unknown to the men there was a glacier beneath their feet which started shifting and a six-story giant block of ice landed on Griffiths practically burying him under tons of ice. Griffiths body was recovered by his partners after hours of painstaking digging and was later cremated near the base camp.
First Everest Success in 1924, or was it? – George Mallory
Perhaps the most famous of all the pre-1953 Everest expedition, the 1924 British Expedition of the Mount Everest has always been a subject of debate regarding its success, failure and of course for the tragic deaths it brought. George Mallory was regarded as a legend in mountain climbing and people at the time thought if anyone could pull the trick of the Everest off, it would be George Mallory; however, Mallory died during the expedition along with his trusted partner Andrew Irvine. Mallory’s body was never found after the news of their tragic deaths reaches Great Britain, however, after almost 75 years in 1999 Mallory’s body was recovered and it has been established that Mallory died as a result of a fall; Irvine’s body has not been found yet. It has since been debated that the two men might have reached the summit and fell victim of the fall on their descent. This remains a theory or a mystery, however, one prefers to look at it.
The Eccentric Fighter – Maurice Wilson
Regarded as the most insane Everest expedition so far the story of Maurice Wilson’s eccentric enthusiasm to climb the Everest is inspiring yet shocking at the same time. Some historians, however, regard Wilson’s expedition as a display of sheer madness by the mentally unstable Englishman whose insanity knew no limits. Almost a decade after the Mallory’s failed attempt at Everest, Maurice decided to trek the treacherous path to the Summit, alone; without adequate training of mountaineering or any other preparation whatsoever. Maurice Wilson was a true believer in God with the determination that anything is possible with the strength of faith in God. Surviving the Frist World War Wilson was of the view that a man can survive and achieve anything and everything and that nothing is beyond human’s resilience. His plan for the Everest was to fly a plan close to the summit and then crash it, and cover the remaining distance on foot.
The only problem was that Wilson did not know how to fly a plane or even climb the mountain; he was faithful alright, but he was clearly missing the analytical part of his brain. After failing to arrange a plane for his expedition he decided to climb the mountain on his own, obviously, he failed terribly. Wilson refused to give up and took the help of two Sherpa to help him achieve his goal, once again he had to return a failure after reaching to his best 22,700 feet. Wilson attempted once more and reportedly died in his tent without realizing his passion.