Following the publication of Lt Colonel Abdul Jabbar Bhatti’s story of his Everest climb (Pushed To The Limit, Eos, Sep 1) some members of the mountaineering community in Nepal who were a part of his rescue and his own Sherpa guide Sange contacted Eos with their own accounts, as they felt that Bhatti’s version did not provide the complete picture.

According to the Sherpas, Bhatti wasn’t fit to climb and repeatedly refused to listen to their advice to turn back. This endangered the life of his young 20-year-old guide Sange, who refused to abandon him when others would have, they claim. Due to the frostbite he suffered whilst on top, Sange stands to lose both his hands. On top of that, they claim Bhatti behaved quite rudely towards the guides that rescued him, instead of being grateful. Rescues above 7,000m are not only rare but life-threatening for the rescuers and often bodies of those that have died at that altitude are left behind because even bringing them down is considered too risky.

Dr Ellen Gallant, the doctor that treated him at Camp Four (C4) asserts that Bhatti did not arrive on ‘his own two feet’ and that he was not left alone in his tent, as he claims. Meanwhile Moritz ‘Moe’ Werner, a climber from Munich, Germany who helped Bhatti descend from under South Summit to C4 claims that Bhatti did indeed make it to C4 on his own two feet but that he needed a lot of help and assistance.

Abdul Jabbar Bhatti’s guide and rescuers talk about what happened on Everest

Obviously there are multiple perspectives in this Rashomon-style story.

Sange’s Story

The first time Sange Sherpa met Bhatti was at basecamp. “I was a part of one of the rescue teams on Everest,” he relates over Skype from Vail, Colorado (United States), where he is currently getting treatment for severe frostbite on both of his hands. By this time two senior Sherpa guides had refused to work with him — he claims they weren’t happy with his performance during the acclimatisation climb to Camp Two (C2), that takes place before climbers officially begin making their way to the top.

Bhatti, for his part, asserts that it was he who refused to take the first guide along, “because his pessimism about the climb and his rude behaviour.” The company assigned him another guide who instead recommended Sange. Sange wasn’t supposed to climb to Everest. But he was told by his boss to go with Bhatti. He couldn’t say no, adding that he felt a little sorry for Bhatti because he looked quite old.

They left basecamp at 2am and reached C2 at 6pm — a full 16 hours later. “It shouldn’t take more than six hours,” says Sange. He radioed this back to the company and they agreed that both of them should turn back, but according to Sange, Bhatti refused.

Bhatti’s progress to the Camp Three (C3) at a height of 7,162m was just as slow where he asked for oxygen — a sure sign that he was not suited for the climb. Climbers are expected to have acclimatised to the thin air at this altitude. Bhatti refutes this claim saying that he only asked for oxygen at the last camp (Camp Four/C4) and since they had to spend an extra night, more oxygen was used.

At C4, Sange says, on the advice of other senior guides, he told Bhatti they should abandon the climb and descend. Again, Bhatti refused.

On May 20, they left early for the summit to make up for Bhatti’s slow pace. In his defence, Bhatti says that after spending 24 hours at that altitude, “some deterioration is to be expected.”

One of the issues of contention is that according to Bhatti, his guide hadn’t brought along enough oxygen bottles. According to Sange, however, they carried five bottles between them — three for Bhatti and two for Sange, but that “Mr Bhatti consumed his fast,” says Sange, so he gave one of his own bottles to him. At the Balcony — a small ridge where climbers rest and change to a new bottle of oxygen — Sange says he picked up an extra bottle. He should’ve picked three, asserts Bhatti.

Sherpas returning from the summit advised Sange that they should turn back as the weather was turning bad. Again, Bhatti refused to heed the guides’ advice. “Oh Sange, no. No. I paid too much money to the Nepalese government,” Sange claims Bhatti told him. “I will summit.”

Things started to get worse at the top. “Mr Bhatti behaved a little off,” says Sange in contrast to Bhatti’s own depiction of his guide being disoriented. “He moved around a lot, it’s possible that he was suffering from hypoxia. It was very difficult to take his photo because he wasn’t standing still.” Another mountaineer who was present at the summit attests to this. Bhatti now admits that by this time, he was having problems with his oxygen.

It’s not considered a ‘full’ summit unless you’ve managed to make your way down — which is where most accidents happen. Just below South Summit, Bhatti stopped moving. “We were the last climbers,” says Sange. “Once Mr Bhatti sat down, he didn’t move.” Sange tried to grab water from his rucksack and at that point realised that one of his hands had taken to frostbite. By now, Sange hadn’t taken oxygen for some time and began to feel disoriented and altitude sickness took over. He lost consciousness.

The next thing he remembers is waking up in a tent at C4.

First Responders: Lama’s version

A group working for Sherpa Kangri (a Nepalese outfitter company) found the climbers first. Ang Tshering Lama, an experienced climber and guide was shadowing them as medical and technical support. They radioed basecamp, were assured help was on their way, administered oxygen to the two climbers and ascended for their own summit. On their descent, they found Bhatti and Sange in the same spot.

“Sange was unresponsive,” says Lama. “No one thought he would make it.” Sange had a faint pulse. They decided to take him down with them.

The Descent: Moe’s Version

German climber Moritz ‘Moe’ Werner recounts how he came upon Bhatti on his own ascent. “I patted him on the back saying ‘Hey buddy, everything okay?’.” Bhatti was responsive. Werner radioed basecamp and told his Sirdar (head of the team of Sherpas) that they had found two climbers in bad shape, one of whom looked like an Indian/Pakistani man. He, along with his guide, however, pushed on for the summit.

“I had a bad feeling in my stomach,” he says. “I was wondering whether the right decision would’ve been to stop our ascent and start a rescue there and then.”

Hours later while descending, after his own summit, Werner ran into the team of Sherpas preparing to take Sange down. Werner helped one of the guides from the group, Nima Galzen, with Bhatti. According to him, at this point Bhatti could walk fairly well. They made their way to the Balcony and waited for help. Sange’s situation was more precarious, so Sherpa Kangri’s team wanted to take him down first. They were under the impression that help was on its way up so they left. Werner and Bhatti were left alone.

Werner checked his oxygen and determined he had enough to help take Bhatti down himself. He secured Bhatti in front of him in a classic ‘arm rappel’ and off they went. They walked for several hours. With each step, Bhatti was getting more and more tired. “Whenever he wanted to stop,” says Werner, “I screamed ‘Think about your kids!’”

Closer to the camp they managed to catch up to the team of Sherpas taking Sange down. Seeing them, Nima Galzen stepped in to help Werner take Bhatti further down the mountain. They were joined later by a guide from Werner’s own company, IMG. Around 45 minutes from camp, Bhatti collapsed completely. Some rest, tea and dexamethasone tablets later, Bhatti was able to get back on his feet and, with assistance, continued to walk. “We need a doctor!” shouted Werner as they entered the camp.

The Treatment: Dr Gallant Recounts

Dr Ellen Gallant, who was scheduled for her own summit push that night, was sitting outside when she saw Bhatti being escorted into camp by a group of climbers. She ran over to them with emergency medication.

“Bhatti’s responses were slow,” she said. Dr Gallant treated him for potential celebral edema and pulmonary edema and used warm Nalgene bottles to warm up his core. “I took off his gloves to look at his hands which were cool but his fingers were moving,” she adds. “At this point we put him in a warm sleeping bag and a tent.”

Bhatti was not left alone as he previously claimed, she insists, they checked on him multiple times. Later, Bhatti was long-lined out of C3 by helicopter.

Sange was in a far worse state. “When I got to him I was convinced Sange would die.” Giving him the same medicines and treatment as to Bhatti, what she saw when she took off his gloves to check his hands shocked her. “They were cold as ice and sort of frozen into ‘claws’,” she relates. “We took warm water and put Sange’s hands into the bowl to try to warm them up.” He was bundled into a sleeping bag and placed inside a tent. Sange would survive, but not all of his hands.

Sange is currently getting treated at a clinic in Vail, Colorado. As of now he doesn’t know how his hands are going to recover, but he’s hoping to continue climbing. Although Bhatti managed to reach the summit, on several occasions he refused to heed the advice given by Sange to turn back. Any other Sherpa would’ve left him. “If I could go back I still wouldn’t leave him,” says Sange. “But I find hard to fathom the negative things Mr Bhatti has said about Sherpas.” He’s hoping that other climbers will listen to advice of the Sherpas.

“Money will always be there,” stresses Sange. “But life is more important.”

The writer is a member of staff
She tweets @madeehasyed

Published in Dawn, EOS, September 17th, 2017