Mountain death video shocks Argentina

Mountain death video shocks Argentina

news.ninemsn.com.au

Argentina has been gripped by a video posted on the internet showing the failed rescue of an Italian-Argentine mountain guide who died last month near the peak of the highest mountain in the Andes.

The images of Federico Campanini, a 31-year-old guide, seen feebly struggling in the snow as his rescuers tried to cajole and pull him to his feet, have sparked a public debate over the doomed operation

(visit the link for the full news article)

Im sorry if this is in the wrong forum, but I think this should be here so this story is known to the ATS community. I seriously can not believ how poorly, these so called rescuers treated this guy, its a disgraceful act of cruelty.

Obviously this guy was almost incapacitated and the rescuers showed no regard for his condition or well being. I think they have some explaining to do.

I will attach a video in a few moments of the event



news.ninemsn.com.au
(visit the link for the full news article)

Heres the video as promised, hopefully it works



www.youtube.com...

It looks bad but they were trying to keep him alert. If you have head trauma or are freezing and go to sleep up there you'll die. At that elevation and temperature they may not even have been physically able to carry him down. They risked their own lives to try to save him, I can't blame them for being angry.

They didn't have proper equipment.
They could have towed him on a stretcher with oxygen in a heated bag behind them.
Dragging him like that is just ridiculous.
Fools.

They sounded real mad at him for not getting up and walking.At one point you can hear them swearing at the poor guy.

reply to post by OzWeatherman


i see they are not our friends..........Planning rite wood have saved him........

Its not normally possible to remove some who is above the death zone using a stretcher, they have to be able to maneuver themselves. I know that sounds insane, but it is a fact. There are more then 200 bodies on the top of Mount Everest that cannot be removed for the exact same reason. The Discovery Channel Show Everest took heat for leaving a dying climber behind while shooting their show. Even when they shift a body off the main ascents, it can take up to 20 sherpas to move it.

When you climb you are ultimately responsible for your own equipment, and getting yourself back home safely, that is the risk you assume to when you take on a high-risk sport.

reply to post by icybluebeing


secretagent woooman is correct, they are trying to keep him alert and dive him onward. He is obviously suffering from hypothermia and probably hypoxia. Hypoxia is very disorienting, it’s almost like being drunk.

Originally posted by secretagent woooman
It looks bad but they were trying to keep him alert. If you have head trauma or are freezing and go to sleep up there you'll die. At that elevation and temperature they may not even have been physically able to carry him down. They risked their own lives to try to save him, I can't blame them for being angry.

I think the worst thing about the video, was the fact that they abandoned him. It isnt shown on the youtube video but it is explained in the article, that they went on without him.

I guess we need more information to get the full story

Ba things can happen to mountain climbers. Those rescuers leaving him behind may sound bad, but it isnt unheard of.

en.wikipedia.org...

Yates could not see Simpson, but felt all his weight on the rope, very slowly pulling Yates down the mountain. He held on for about an hour. Convinced that Simpson was unable to secure himself and that his bucket seat was collapsing, he forced himself to cut the rope linking them, consequently dropping Simpson into a crevasse.

Not only did the guy have to leave his friend on the mountain, but he had to cut the rope and let him fall so that he did not get pulled over the cliff too.

The video tape I saw did not seem too bad. I mean the situation was tragic, but the rescuers did not seem to be abusive. It seemed to me that they were trying very hard to get him to help them help him. There is only so much you can do with dead weight on a mountain.

I was almost drowned by a tiny little 12 year old girl I went into the ocean after. If you dont think I cussed her out as she was attempting to climb on top of my head you have another think coming. I cursed her and yelled at her, before getting the idea to dive underwater to make her let go. (She did) and then swimming up behind her and putting her in a headlock to swim her out. When you are risking your own life to save someone elses, you dont always have time to cajole them and have a long discussion about how to proceed. When the stakes and adrenaline are high, sometimes people yell. And if I hadnt been able to subdue the girl and enough to prevent her drowning me, I would have had to leave her too.

Saving a life is a great thing, but there is no point in two people dying where only one has to, should the rescue fail.

Here is more about the incident I mentioned above:

The Inglis party and most other climbers passed Sharp without offering any substantial assistance. Everest guide Jamie McGuinness reported that on reaching David Sharp on the descent some nine hours later, "...Dawa from Arun Treks also gave oxygen to David and tried to help him move, repeatedly, for perhaps an hour. But he could not get David to stand alone or even stand resting on his shoulders, and crying, Dawa had to leave him too. Even with two Sherpas it was not going to be possible to get David down the tricky sections below...".
Inglis said Sharp was ill-prepared, lacking proper gloves and oxygen, and was already doomed by the time of their descent. "I ... radioed and [expedition manager] Russ said, 'Mate, you can't do anything. He's been there x number of hours without oxygen. He's effectively dead'. Trouble is, at 8500 m it's extremely difficult to keep yourself alive, let alone keep anyone else alive"

He was also not the only person from that group who died that season:

The following week three other climbers from Asian Trekking also died during summit attempts, Vitor Negrete, Igor Plyushkin, and Thomas Weber. Their deaths garnered less media attention as they were unconnected to Everest: Beyond the Limit.

even his mother understood that he could not be rescued from that altitude:

Linda Sharp, David's mother, however, believes that David was responsible for his own survival, and she does not blame other climbers. She has said to The Sunday Times, "David had been noticed in a shelter. People had seen him but thought he was dead. One of Russell’s Sherpas checked on him and there was still life there. He tried to give him oxygen but it was too late. Your responsibility is to save yourself — not to try to save anybody else."

I believe that Mark Inglis Explained it the best here:

” Trouble is, at 8500 m it's extremely difficult to keep yourself alive, let alone keep anyone else alive.”

Originally posted by Illusionsaregrander
I was almost drowned by a tiny little 12 year old girl I went into the ocean after. If you dont think I cussed her out as she was attempting to climb on top of my head you have another think coming. I cursed her and yelled at her, before getting the idea to dive underwater to make her let go. (She did) and then swimming up behind her and putting her in a headlock to swim her out. When you are risking your own life to save someone elses, you dont always have time to cajole them and have a long discussion about how to proceed. When the stakes and adrenaline are high, sometimes people yell. And if I hadnt been able to subdue the girl and enough to prevent her drowning me, I would have had to leave her too.

That is awesome that you were able to rescue her, and risked your own safety to do so.

The funny thing is, that if you had followed the standard procedure of hitting someone in the nose to subdue them while effecting that rescue, we would probably have a thread on ATS titled “Man Beats Girl as she is Drowning”. People just don’t think about how these situations play out, or the risks that are involved for the rescuer, and the News is the worst of all by exploiting these situations for ratings generated over the controversy.

just to add to the relpies that have already covered the facts of the situation

it takes 8 , yes EIGHT rescuers to recover one stratcher case from a mountain - and thats when it is even possible

reply to post by BorgHoffen
[mor

High altitude rescues are very difficult. Like trying to keep a drowning man afloat in freezing water. You're freezing, you're weak, you're disoriented, you're uncoordinated and now you're trying to save your friend. Mountain climbing at that altitude is a serious gamble. The best guides cannot even save themselves sometimes, much less their clients. Try not to judge too harshly

This is a good reminder of one's mortality. It's possible to live on the edge, but it's possible to die there too. It's all down to what one values in life. It's something to consider when you get out of bed every morning.