28 / 31
Page 28
The Story So Far
The climbers weigh up their options. They could bivouac just below the summit or take their chances entering the
Traverse and Bottleneck in darkness. Those staying on the snowfield are exposed to sub-zero temperatures and are
ill-equipped without spare food, oxygen or sleeping bags. Those who make their way into the Traverse need to pay
extra attention given the limited visibility. Unaware of the fixed emergency rope, some climbers attempt to traverse
to the Bottleneck in a free climbing manner. A slip, or a wrong move is something the mountain will not forgive. It is
not long before Hugues d’Aubarède vanishes. He becomes the fourth victim that day.
It gradually dawns on those who have returned early to Camp IV, and to those who have proceeded further down,
that something is wrong. They are trying to establish the whereabouts and condition of each missing climber. After
the jubilant exchanges at the summit, however, communication has died down. To make matters worse, some
radios do not work, others have run out of batteries and some teams have switched to a different frequency or have
resolved to talk to each other in a language incomprehensible to those wanting to help.
The fog of war