The 1996 Everest disaster and our eternal contempt for the wealthy |
The 1996 Everest disaster and our eternal contempt for the wealthy
In mid-May 1996, eight climbing guides, Sherpas, and their paying clients lost their lives on Mount Everest. A brutal storm contributed to the tragedy, as did the guides’ decision to continue to the summit too late in the day.
But in his book “Into Thin Air,” mountain climber and writer Jon Krakauer, who was climbing with one of the guided Everest expeditions on assignment for “Outside,” also appeared to cast partial blame on a wealthy woman climber and adventure writer named Sandy Hill.
The 30th anniversary of the ill-fated climb is an apt occasion to reflect on the cultural and political popularity of hating the super-rich.
“Into Thin Air” implied that, because of Hill’s celebrity status, Sherpas expended precious energy helping her get to Everest’s summit that left them less able to assist other climbers. Hill denied this, but she emerged as the villain of Krakauer’s account. He put a bullseye on her back by calling her a “millionaire socialite-cum-climber.” Krakauer has since insisted that he does not blame Hill for the disaster.
Hill chose the Everest anniversary to speak publicly about how, after she nearly lost her own life on Everest, she was pilloried as a wealthy woman whose vanity in climbing Everest deserved punishment. “My life was ravaged. I lost my........