Ian Woodall
Encyclopedia
Ian Woodall is a British
mountain climber who has climbed Mount Everest
several times.
In 1996 Woodall was the leader of the controversial first South African Mount Everest expedition, during which one member of the party died. The expedition reached Camp IV
- the last camp before the summit, and 923m below it - on May 10th, but were not directly involved in the disaster that unfolded that day. Following the tragedy the expedition returned to base camp and made a second attempt after a few days rest, achieving the summit on the 28th May. Woodall reached the peak by 10am, four other members of the expedition had done so by 11am, but Bruce Herrod lagged behind and was the last to reach the peak; from there, at 5pm, he spoke to the others by radio, but was never heard from again. The expedition was sponsored by Johannesburg newspaper The Sunday Times
, but its support of the expedition was later withdrawn.
In late May 1998 Woodall together with his climbing partner Cathy O'Dowd
were again on Everest when they encountered their friend Francys Arsentiev
during her last hours in life. They called off their own attempt to reach the summit and tried to help her for more than one hour but because of her condition, the location, and the cold weather they were finally forced to abandon her and to start descending.
In 2007 Woodall initiated and led an expedition, The Tao of Everest, with the purpose of burying the bodies of Arsentiev and also of Tsewang "Green Boots" Paljor
, who had died during the 1996 Mount Everest disaster. Bad weather delayed the attempt, and on May 23, 2007, Woodall and Phuri Sherpa were only able to recover Arsentiev's body, and after a brief ceremony, drop her body off the North Face to join others in their mountain grave.
Woodall and O'Dowd married in 2001 and are currently living in Andorra
in the Pyrenees
.
, who was a member in New Zealander Rob Hall
's commercial Everest expedition in 1996
, was extremely critical of Woodall's personality and behavior in his best-selling book Into Thin Air
. His criticisms of Woodall include:
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
mountain climber who has climbed Mount Everest
Mount Everest
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
several times.
In 1996 Woodall was the leader of the controversial first South African Mount Everest expedition, during which one member of the party died. The expedition reached Camp IV
South Col
The South Col usually refers to the southern col between Mount Everest and Lhotse, the first and fourth highest mountains in the world. When climbers attempt to climb Everest from the southeast ridge in Nepal, their final camp is situated on the South Col...
- the last camp before the summit, and 923m below it - on May 10th, but were not directly involved in the disaster that unfolded that day. Following the tragedy the expedition returned to base camp and made a second attempt after a few days rest, achieving the summit on the 28th May. Woodall reached the peak by 10am, four other members of the expedition had done so by 11am, but Bruce Herrod lagged behind and was the last to reach the peak; from there, at 5pm, he spoke to the others by radio, but was never heard from again. The expedition was sponsored by Johannesburg newspaper The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times (South Africa)
The Sunday Times is a popular South African Sunday newspaper. It has an audited circulation of 504,000 and a weekly readership of 3.2 million, making it the largest weekly newspaper in South Africa. Recently it was involved in exposing a corruption scandal involving the South African government's...
, but its support of the expedition was later withdrawn.
In late May 1998 Woodall together with his climbing partner Cathy O'Dowd
Cathy O'Dowd
Cathy O'Dowd is a South African rock climber, mountaineer, author and motivational speaker, famous for being the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest from both south and north sides ....
were again on Everest when they encountered their friend Francys Arsentiev
Francys Arsentiev
Francys Arsentiev became the first woman from the United States to reach the summit of Mount Everest without the aid of bottled oxygen, on May 22, 1998.-Biography:...
during her last hours in life. They called off their own attempt to reach the summit and tried to help her for more than one hour but because of her condition, the location, and the cold weather they were finally forced to abandon her and to start descending.
In 2007 Woodall initiated and led an expedition, The Tao of Everest, with the purpose of burying the bodies of Arsentiev and also of Tsewang "Green Boots" Paljor
Green Boots
In Everest climbing parlance, Green Boots is the name given to the corpse of Indian climber Tsewang Paljor on the Northeast ridge route of Mount Everest. There is little doubt that the body is that of Paljor, who was wearing green Koflach boots on the day he and two others apparently summited...
, who had died during the 1996 Mount Everest disaster. Bad weather delayed the attempt, and on May 23, 2007, Woodall and Phuri Sherpa were only able to recover Arsentiev's body, and after a brief ceremony, drop her body off the North Face to join others in their mountain grave.
Woodall and O'Dowd married in 2001 and are currently living in Andorra
Andorra
Andorra , officially the Principality of Andorra , also called the Principality of the Valleys of Andorra, , is a small landlocked country in southwestern Europe, located in the eastern Pyrenees mountains and bordered by Spain and France. It is the sixth smallest nation in Europe having an area of...
in the Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
.
Controversy regarding the 1996 expedition
American journalist Jon KrakauerJon Krakauer
Jon Krakauer is an American writer and mountaineer, primarily known for his writing about the outdoors and mountain-climbing...
, who was a member in New Zealander Rob Hall
Rob Hall
Rob Hall , a native of New Zealand, was a mountaineer best known for being head guide of a 1996 Mount Everest expedition in which he, a fellow guide, and two clients perished. A best-selling account of the expedition was given in Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air...
's commercial Everest expedition in 1996
1996 Everest Disaster
The 1996 Mount Everest disaster refers to the events of 10-11 May 1996, when eight people died on Mount Everest during summit attempts. In the entire season, fifteen people died trying to reach the summit, making it the deadliest single year in Mount Everest's history...
, was extremely critical of Woodall's personality and behavior in his best-selling book Into Thin Air
Into Thin Air
Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster is a 1997 bestselling non-fiction book written by Jon Krakauer. It details the author's presence at Mount Everest during the 1996 Mount Everest disaster when eight climbers were killed and several others were stranded by a 'rogue storm'...
. His criticisms of Woodall include:
- Woodall's dictatorial and manipulative character had caused three experienced South African climbers Edmund FebruaryEdmund FebruaryDr Edmund C February is a Professor in the Department of Botany at the University of Cape Town, South Africa.He is also well known internationally as a rock climber, being perhaps the most prominent black climber in South Africa. Named after the first conqueror of Everest, Edmund Hilary, and living...
, Andy de Klerk, and Andy Hackland, and the expedition doctor, Charlotte Noble, to resign from the expedition.
- Woodall lied about his climbing credentials prior to the expedition and had no prior experience on 8,000 meter peaks.
- Woodall falsified his military service by claiming that he had commanded the elite "Long Range Mountain Reconnaissance Unit" (which did not exist at all) of the British army, and served as an instructor at the Royal Military Academy SandhurstRoyal Military Academy SandhurstThe Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
, none of which was true.
- Woodall insisted that expedition member Andy de Klerk, who held dual citizenship, enter Nepal on his South African passport or he would not be allowed on the expedition. It turned out that Woodall himself did not even hold a South African passport and according to de Klerk, "He's not even a South African citizen—the guy's a Brit, and he entered Nepal on his British passport."
- Facing international scandal, Woodall banished Ken Vernon and Richard Shorey, two reporters from the expedition's sponsor, The Sunday Times, whose presence and accompaniment were required as part of the sponsorship contract. Woodall later had a "blood-chilling exchange" with Ken Owen, an editor from The Sunday Times, and had largely precipitated the Sunday Times' withdrawal of support.
- Woodall refused to coordinate the mountain traffic and cooperate with other expeditions to avoid gridlock on the summit ridge, and declared that "The South Africans would go to the top whenever they damn well please. Probably on May 10 (Rob HallRob HallRob Hall , a native of New Zealand, was a mountaineer best known for being head guide of a 1996 Mount Everest expedition in which he, a fellow guide, and two clients perished. A best-selling account of the expedition was given in Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air...
and Scott FischerScott FischerScott E. Fischer was an American climber and guide, and the first American to summit 27,940-foot Lhotse, fourth highest mountain in the world.-Career:...
's shared summit date) and anyone who didn't like it could bugger off." To which Hall responded "I don't want to be anywhere near the upper mountain when those punters are up there." As it turns out, Hall, Fischer and six others lost their lives during that expedition largely because of a series of events precipitated by a gridlock on the upper mountain. There is no evidence, however, that the South African team's presence, directly or indirectly, caused or significantly exacerbated the traffic problems on that day.
- After the May 10 disaster, Woodall refused to lend the distressed Hall team the South African expedition's powerful radio to coordinate the rescue efforts, despite being aware that people were dying on the summit.
Further reading
- Krakauer, Jon. Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster (Villard 1997). ISBN 0-679-45752-6
- O'Dowd, Cathy & Ian Woodall Everest: Free To Decide (Struik Publishers 1998) ISBN 1-86872-101-9
- Vernon, Ken. Ascent & Dissent (Jonathan Ball Publishers 1997) ISBN 1-86842-056-6