MovieChat Forums > Everest (2015) Discussion > Yasuko Namba

Yasuko Namba

posted 9 years ago by Speranza9
28 replies | jump to latest

Whilst I find the whole Everest story both fascinating and haunting, there is one aspect of the story which makes me particularly emotional.

It's the story of Yasuko Namba, largely because her story remains largely untold.

We know that she made the Summit and, thereby, completed the Seven Summits. We know she was, at the time, the oldest woman to achieve this feat.

We also know that she ran into trouble during her descent and ended up in The Huddle on the South Col, some 200 metres from the relative safety of the camp.

Ulimately, thanks to the courage of Anatoli Boukreev (and Beck Weathers' refusal to die), all of the climbers in The Huddle survived, except Yasuko.

Instead, she died in the cold, all alone, on the South Col.

After the tragedy, Yasuko's husband quite rightly asked the pertinent question, why wasn't his wife rescued with everybody else?

The answer apepars to be that the other climbers simply gave up on her. She was, in fact, alive during Boukreev's rescue, but she was - even more than Beck Weathers - simply left for dead.

Why didn't anybody try to save her? She was a tiny Japanese woman and would have been easy to carry. Why wasn't she given a chance to live?

[–] So_In_Love 9 years ago

I believe since there were so many people that needed to be rescued, they could only take the people that were conscious and could walk (with some assistance) down the rest of the distance to camp. Beck Weathers was in a coma, and they say that Yasuko was barely breathing and also in a coma. I believe that they indeed could have carried her down, but I think she was too far gone to really be able to save her life. I honestly think that they would have attempted a rescue of her if she was there alone. They probably figured since her and Beck were both dead, at least they wouldn't have died alone. The fact that Beck Weathers is alive today is nothing short of a miracle.

I do feel bad for Yasuko. Her story and achievement is rarely told.

ü
Lance Henriksen is KING!
RIP MASK!

[–] Terrapin2212 9 years ago

Yes they didnt' explain how Beck was able to make it down. Did his eyesight miraculously improve and what was wrong with it to begin with? It's not like he's blind today?

[–] jhill804 9 years ago

Yes they didnt' explain how Beck was able to make it down. Did his eyesight miraculously improve and what was wrong with it to begin with? It's not like he's blind today?

No, he's not blind today. He was suffering from what's commonly known as "snow blindness" (inflammation and photophobia caused by exposure of the eyes to ultraviolet rays reflected from snow or ice) compounded by a radial keratotomy surgery that he had recently. Essentially his corneas were sunburned.

The challenge with this climb is that you'd ideally like to keep your goggles on the whole time, but ice/condensation on the goggles can also seriously impair vision. Taking your goggles off can clear the condensation, but then your eyes are fully exposed to the sun's most intense rays. So, particularly in certain weather, vision is constantly a factor when climbing Everest or comparable mountains. Technology has improved a bit since 1996 and I hope that guides also now offer a goggles/glasses strategy to help climbers to avoid this type of situation.

Further, Weathers' improving eyesight wasn't necessarily "miraculous." A night is often enough time for the effects of snow blindness to subside. The fact that he survived was pretty amazing, though.

As far as Yasuko Namba, Anatoli Boukreev did express sadness over how it all went down. The fact that she was so light and that someone could have dragged her down. Anatoli found Yasuko's body about a year afterward and her widowed husband funded an expedition to have her body brought home. So, there is some solace to be found in that.

Unfortunately, hundreds of bodies remain on Everest. Frozen in time, much in the same way as those in Pompeii and Herculaneum.

[–] snowleopard 9 years ago

It was triage at that point. Plus there was only one climber in the "rescue" group strong enough to physically assist anyone in the storm, Anatoli Boukreev, and he pushed himself to a super human level, essentially carrying/dragging a barely conscious Sandy Pittman to Camp IV. He later noted he felt Weathers and Namba were unconscious, immobile, and close to death.

It is indeed nothing short of a miracle that Weathers is alive, and nothing short of a tragedy that Nemba isn't, and is as you say, essentially forgotten to many people.

[–] andre_patton 9 years ago

Personally, I feel Yasuko's story was the saddest. It felt like to me she was completely abandoned and left to die alone. It appears obvious to me that Anatoli's main concern was saving the lives of Mountain Madness members, while leaving Adventure Climbers there to fend for themselves. I cant blame a guy for not risking his life to save someone elses. But if you are going to risk your life to save 4 people or whatever, it would make more sense to me to grab the lightest person (Yasuko) first since that would be the easiest. Instead he virtually carried Charlotte Fox, and Sandy Pittman.

Its just hard to believe absolutely NO ONE had it in them to trek 200 meters to try to save a woman who weighs 1/2 as much as all the other people.

[–] tlr2902 9 years ago

Its just hard to believe absolutely NO ONE had it in them to trek 200 meters to try to save a woman who weighs 1/2 as much as all the other people.

First, I get that I'm soft, but I can't make it 50 feet to the store in a Canadian blizzard when I'm dressed to the nuts.

I can't imagine being on the side of a mountain, in severely worse conditions and very little oxygen to go 200 meters.

It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog

[–] Otter (24464) 7 years ago

Have you ever tried to carry an adult human being over any distance? Have you ever tried to pick up an unconscious human being? Have you ever tried to pick up an unconscious human being and then carry them over miles of slippery ice and rocks with slopes or cliffs thousands of feet high waiting to kill you if you put a foot wrong, while you're gasping for breath because there's no oxygen in the air - and a hundred-mile-an-hour wind is trying to push you off the mountain to your death?

Under those circumstances, it's basically impossible to rescue someone who can't walk. Even if the person only weighs 100 pounds, anyone who tried to carry her to the camp would be risking their own life, and would be unlikely to save hers if they could get her to the camp. There was no hospital at the high camp, no way of rewarming anyone who was nearly frozen solid.

In circumstances like that, FYI rescuers put their efforts into saving the ones who might live,and the ones who can be rescued without getting anyone killed in the attempt.

[–] chas437 8 years ago

I disagree with your line of reasoning. Its ridiculous to look back at these events from 20 years ago and make moral judgements. Beidleman and Anatoli were heroes, they saved a lot of lives.

It was just tough luck for Yasuko. She was a Adventure Consulting client, not a Mountain Madness client, therefore Anatoli and Beidleman were compelled to save the Mountain Madness clients first.

[–] Jandersonu2 8 years ago

It is very easy to believe no one had the energy to do this. They had just climbed the mountain, Anatoli did it without extra o2, and were coming down when the blizzard hit. Camp 4 is in the death zone. These people were already exhausted, some were suffering fevers, frostbite, mountain cough, and were now in a blizzard, with little o2. They didn't know that the huddle of people was near to camp, they couldn't hear or see anything more than 5 feet in front of them. Anatoli bravely went out into the storm and searched for the group for a while. When he found them, it became a triage situation. He saved those he thought had the best chance of survival. Beck and Namba both appeared dead, although they weren't. So Anatoli and the others were exhausted, sick, in freezing temperatures, in a storm, and now trying to carry/drag a body with little air to breathe. I'm surprised anyone was saved. The rule on Everest seems to be that if you can't walk out of the death zone on your own feet, then you are left for dead. A pound at base camp is like 10 on the mountain top, due to the lack of o2. Several people, mostly Sherpas, have died trying to help people in the death zone who couldn't carry themselves. It is the sad really of climbing the 8,000ers.

[–] Statutory_Ape69 8 years ago

That's ok. Karma is a bitch. And that bitch came for Anatoli Boukreev three weeks later when he got himself dead on the south face of Annapurna in an avalanche. 👿

[–] infracaninophile 8 years ago

And that bitch came for Anatoli Boukreev three weeks later when he got himself dead on the south face of Annapurna in an avalanche

LOL, get your facts straight. "Karma" was in no hurry. Boukreev's death on Annapurna came on Christmas Day 1997, more than a year and a half after the Everest tragedy.

http://www.mountainzone.com/climbing/boukreev/

[–] annlevtex 8 years ago

Wow, I didn't know that.

I don't fault him for Yasuko's death. He had to make a judgment call, and he didn't have the physical resources to save everyone. Up in that thin air, I can imagine your mental faculties aren't at their best anyway. He did the best he could.

She knew, as they all did, that they were taking a risk. There were no guarantees. And it's true that he WAS obligated to focus on his own clients first, who were paying him and relying on him for guidance and help. Any effort spent on a woman who was likely not going to make it anyway would take away from his efforts to save those who were in better shape. It's a sad calculation to have to make, but there it is.

Doug's story was the saddest to me. He didn't even make it to the top.

[–] palisade-1 8 years ago

Doug's story was the saddest to me. He didn't even make it to the top

Doug did make it to the top, he struggled to do so, and collapsed on the way down. Those who didn't make it to the top (by choice) were saved by their good sense in recognizing their limitations and the ominous storm approach.

[–] annlevtex 8 years ago

OK. Still eerie and sad though.

[–] rmontro 9 years ago

I agree Yasuko's story is the saddest. She had just made her seventh summit, and if she had just had someone looking out for her, she might have come out all right.

Unfortunately, hundreds of bodies remain on Everest. Frozen in time, much in the same way as those in Pompeii and Herculaneum

Obviously, it is difficult or impossible to bring some of those down. But I'm pretty sure that in some of those cases, it is the family's wish that the bodies remain on Everest, since that is essentially their tomb. Sort of like how some people don't like the Titanic to be disturbed, because it is a gravesite.

[–] chas437 8 years ago

I agree Yasuko's story is the saddest. She had just made her seventh summit, and if she had just had someone looking out for her, she might have come out all right.

She did have people looking after her. But, there were too many climbers stranded on the South Col, and there were only two people with enough strength to save them. Unfortunately, Anatoli and Neal Beidelman simply ran out of gas, and had to save themselves.

Beck and Yasuko were the last two.

It was just bad luck.

Anyone who attempts to summit Everest understands the risks, I'm sure Yasuko understood this.

[–] fdnyems3187 8 years ago

Neal Beidleman felt extreme guilt for not getting her down. Anatoli Bourkreev built a cairn when he went back in April 1997 and apologized to her widow for not getting her off the mountain so even if she did die, she wouldn't have died alone. The husband funded an expedition to get her body off the mountain and brought back to Japan later that year.

[–] daniel_coghlan-32535 8 years ago

I read Anatolis book and now I *beep* hate him. There is a picture of the south col and to the right of the picture you can see Yasuko struggling while he's not doing s**t. 😣

Boukreev a d**khead confirmed

[–] So_In_Love 8 years ago

I haven't read Anatoli's book, but I think it is unfair to speak of him in such contempt. There are people alive today that 100% would not be if it weren't for his efforts. While I absolutely disagree with his decision to not use oxygen, especially as a guide, I think him going forward and resting at camp helped give him the energy to go back out and save people.

I believe he wrestled with the guilt of losing Scott Fischer and even Yasuko up until he died on Annapurna.

I'm going to have to read his book though. I hope it doesn't change my opinion of him, I flat out believe he is nothing short of heroic.

ü
Lance Henriksen is KING!
RIP MASK!

[–] daniel_coghlan-32535 8 years ago

He's a strait up lie. In Krakauers book there's no mention of Anatoli saying to someone 'Help this man' as Beck walks into camp.

[–] Branais (73) 8 years ago

@So_In_Love, if you do read Boukreev's book, I would recommend bearing in mind that it was actually mostly written by a hack journo called G. Weston deWalt, who was determined to shape it into a tit-for-tat attack on Jon Krakauer for his perceived slights of Boukreev, rather than it being an honest account of Boukreev's perspective on events of that day. When I read it I was immensely disappointed, partly because it's hard to tell where Boukreev the man really exists within deWalt's indignant snarkery, and partly because it doesn't seem to be a fitting statement for Boukreev himself, who was lost only a few months after it was written.

There are other accounts worth reading, such as Beck Weathers' book, but they understandably represent things from a limited viewpoint. Then again, so does the Boukreev/deWalt book; deWalt never even spoke to most of the people whose points of view he claims to represent. Krakauer was the only one who did extensive interviews, including being the only one to speak to the Sherpa involved, some of whom have themselves since died in other climbing accidents.

[–] chas437 8 years ago

Anatoly and Neal Beidleman saved all those people huddled at the South Col, but they eventually ran out of gas, and had to save themselves.

To say that they consciously left Yasuko behind is ridiculous.

[–] Bruce7 8 years ago

John Taske: She was a little lady; I've never met a girl more determined. About 100 pounds in weight, no more, but as far as determination goes, she was twice that weight in determination. However, nature being what it is, hypothermia, body mass -- she had a small body mass; she would have gotten desperately cold much more quickly than an average person twice her weight. And there was very little chance of her surviving in those sorts of conditions.

Beck Weathers: Yasuko was diminutive, and some of her choice of gear reflected that. She had a variety of titanium things, because she could not carry quite the same weight physically. She just didn't have the body power.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/everest/etc/remembering.html

Can you fly this plane?
Surely u cant be serious
I am serious,and dont call me Shirley

[–] chas437 8 years ago

Its sad what happened to Yasuko, but I don't believe she was "left for dead" by anyone.

She merely had bad luck, Anatoli and Bieldleman could only save so many stranded climbers in the huddle at the South Col. They simply ran out of gas.

[–] daniel_coghlan-32535 8 years ago

As from I know from reading parts of anatoli's book and compare it to Krakauers book. I think krakauer is the most respectful.
1. Anatoli doesn't put a picture of Rob Hall in it while Jon does put a picture of scott fisher in his.
2. He lies x2
When in doubt **** off