Mountaineers die in Everest bid

Press, 7 June 1982, Page 6

Mountaineers die in Everest bid

NZPA-Reuter Peking Two British mountaineers had died in an unsuccessful assault on the unclimbed east-north-east face of Mount Everest, said the team leader. Chris Bonington, at the week-end. Joe Tasker, aged 34. and Peter Boardman, aged 31. had apparently fallen down the snow-covered 10,000 ft (3300 m Kangshung face during their final bid to scale the summit of the world’s highest mountain. Bonington said that he had dropped out of the assault team because he was exhausted from a previous sortie to 26.000 ft (8600 m The six men taking part in the expedition had set themselves a formidable task —

to conquer, the 29,028 ft (8848 m peak by its east-north-east ridge without oxygen and without high-altitude porters. Bonington's announcement brought the death toll on Everest last month to three. Marty Hoe. the only woman member of the American Rainier expedition to the mountain, fell to her- death on May 15.

Bonington said that while resting at their advanced base camp on May 17 he and Adrian Gordon, another team member, were able to watch the progress of Boardman and Tasker towards the summit through a powerful telescope.

He said the two could be seen climbing late into the evening when they reached

the foot of a rock pinnacle and disappeared around the corner. It was 9 p.m. and beginning to get dark. That was the last time they were seen. Bonington said that the next day he and Gordon set out in the general direction of the missing men, and reached the slopes of the North Col. where the view was particularly good. They saw no’ sign of the pair. By May 20 Bonington said he had decided that there was only one explanation — both had fallen down the Kangshung face. The missing men had been carrying only three days food and could not possibly have survived 10 days without oxygen equipment at such an altitude.