Yasuko Namba
Encyclopedia
was famous in her native Japan for becoming the second Japanese woman (after Junko Tabei
) to reach all of the Seven Summits
including Everest, where she died. Namba worked as a businesswoman for Federal Express in Japan, but her hobby of mountaineering
took her all over the world. She first summitted Kilimanjaro on New Year's Day in 1982, and summitted Aconcagua
exactly two years later. She reached the summit of Denali on 1 July 1985, and the summit of Elbrus
on 1 August 1992. After summitting the Vinson Massif
on 29 December 1993 and the Carstensz Pyramid on 12 November 1994, Namba's final summit to reach was Mount Everest
. She signed on with Rob Hall
's guiding company, Adventure Consultants, and in April 1996 began her acclimatization on the world's highest mountain.
of Poland who summitted Everest at age 50). She was still high on the mountain rather late into the afternoon, and was descending when a blizzard struck. Namba, client Beck Weathers
, and guide Mike Groom from Adventure Consultants and clients from Scott Fischer
's Mountain Madness were stuck on the South Col
, while a whiteout prevented them from knowing where the tents lay. Groom later said that Namba insisted on putting her oxygen mask on despite the fact that she had run out of oxygen. Both Namba and Weathers were so weak that the two guides (Groom and Neal Beidleman from Mountain Madness) had to support them. Although the group tried to head to the tents, the guides soon realized it was pointless and dangerous, and waited for a break in the storm.
One of Fischer's guides, Anatoli Boukreev
, set out from Camp IV into the night to find the cluster of trapped climbers. After assisting several other people, he came back one last time for Sandy Pittman and Tim Madsen. Madsen, who assumed that Yasuko was dead and Beck was a "lost cause," left the two alone. The following day, Stuart Hutchinson, one of the clients on Adventure Consultants, organized a search party to find both Namba and Weathers. Hutchinson found both in such horrible shape – unlikely to live long enough to be carried down to Base Camp – and decided to leave the two alone to save limited resources for the other climbers.
While Weathers somehow survived and walked back to camp, Namba never moved again. She died alone, in the middle of the night, from exhaustion and exposure to the harsh conditions of the mountain. Krakauer's book, Into Thin Air, describes the anguish of Neal Beidleman, who felt guilty that he was unable to do anything more to save Namba. Boukreev's book The Climb expressed profound regret at her lonely death, saying that she was just a little 90-pound woman, and that someone should have dragged her back to camp so she could at least die among her companions. On a later expedition to Everest with the Indonesian National Team, Boukreev found Namba's body on April 28, 1997. He constructed a cairn
round her to protect her from scavenging birds, and a few days later apologized to her widower for failing to save Namba's life. Later in 1997, her husband funded an operation that brought her body down the mountain.
Junko Tabei
is a Japanese mountain-climber, who became the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest on May 16, 1975.-Early climbing history:After obtaining a degree in English literature from Showa Women's University where she was a member of the mountain climbing club, Tabei formed the "Ladies...
) to reach all of the Seven Summits
Seven Summits
The Seven Summits are the highest mountains of each of the seven continents. Summiting all of them is regarded as a mountaineering challenge, first postulated as such and achieved on April 30, 1985 by Richard Bass .-Definition:...
including Everest, where she died. Namba worked as a businesswoman for Federal Express in Japan, but her hobby of mountaineering
Mountaineering
Mountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...
took her all over the world. She first summitted Kilimanjaro on New Year's Day in 1982, and summitted Aconcagua
Aconcagua
Aconcagua is the highest mountain in the Americas at . It is located in the Andes mountain range, in the Argentine province of Mendoza and it lies west by north of its capital, the city of Mendoza. The summit is also located about 5 kilometres from San Juan Province and 15 kilometres from the...
exactly two years later. She reached the summit of Denali on 1 July 1985, and the summit of Elbrus
Mount Elbrus
Mount Elbrus is an inactive volcano located in the western Caucasus mountain range, in Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia, Russia, near the border of Georgia. Mt. Elbrus's peak is the highest in the Caucasus, in Russia...
on 1 August 1992. After summitting the Vinson Massif
Vinson Massif
Vinson Massif is the highest mountain of Antarctica, lying in the Sentinel Range of the Ellsworth Mountains, which stand above the Ronne Ice Shelf near the base of the Antarctic Peninsula. The massif is located about from the South Pole and is about long and wide. At the highest point is Mount...
on 29 December 1993 and the Carstensz Pyramid on 12 November 1994, Namba's final summit to reach was 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...
. She signed on with 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 guiding company, Adventure Consultants, and in April 1996 began her acclimatization on the world's highest mountain.
Death
On May 10, 1996, the 47-year-old Namba reached the summit of Everest, becoming the oldest woman to do so (her record was later beaten by Anna CzerwińskaAnna Czerwinska
Anna Czerwińska - Polish mountaineer, known for being the oldest woman to Summit Mount Everest at the age of 50 ....
of Poland who summitted Everest at age 50). She was still high on the mountain rather late into the afternoon, and was descending when a blizzard struck. Namba, client Beck Weathers
Beck Weathers
Seaborn Beck Weathers is an American pathologist from Texas. He is best known for his role in the 1996 Everest disaster that has been the subject of many books and films, most notably Into Thin Air and Everest.-Everest:...
, and guide Mike Groom from Adventure Consultants and clients from Scott Fischer
Scott Fischer
Scott 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 Mountain Madness were stuck on the South Col
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...
, while a whiteout prevented them from knowing where the tents lay. Groom later said that Namba insisted on putting her oxygen mask on despite the fact that she had run out of oxygen. Both Namba and Weathers were so weak that the two guides (Groom and Neal Beidleman from Mountain Madness) had to support them. Although the group tried to head to the tents, the guides soon realized it was pointless and dangerous, and waited for a break in the storm.
One of Fischer's guides, Anatoli Boukreev
Anatoli Boukreev
Anatoli Nikoliavich Boukreev, , was a Kazakhstani climber who made ascents of seven of the 8,000 metre peaks without supplemental oxygen. In total he made 18 successful ascents on peaks above 8000 m . Boukreev was lost under an avalanche on Annapurna...
, set out from Camp IV into the night to find the cluster of trapped climbers. After assisting several other people, he came back one last time for Sandy Pittman and Tim Madsen. Madsen, who assumed that Yasuko was dead and Beck was a "lost cause," left the two alone. The following day, Stuart Hutchinson, one of the clients on Adventure Consultants, organized a search party to find both Namba and Weathers. Hutchinson found both in such horrible shape – unlikely to live long enough to be carried down to Base Camp – and decided to leave the two alone to save limited resources for the other climbers.
While Weathers somehow survived and walked back to camp, Namba never moved again. She died alone, in the middle of the night, from exhaustion and exposure to the harsh conditions of the mountain. Krakauer's book, Into Thin Air, describes the anguish of Neal Beidleman, who felt guilty that he was unable to do anything more to save Namba. Boukreev's book The Climb expressed profound regret at her lonely death, saying that she was just a little 90-pound woman, and that someone should have dragged her back to camp so she could at least die among her companions. On a later expedition to Everest with the Indonesian National Team, Boukreev found Namba's body on April 28, 1997. He constructed a cairn
Cairn
Cairn is a term used mainly in the English-speaking world for a man-made pile of stones. It comes from the or . Cairns are found all over the world in uplands, on moorland, on mountaintops, near waterways and on sea cliffs, and also in barren desert and tundra areas...
round her to protect her from scavenging birds, and a few days later apologized to her widower for failing to save Namba's life. Later in 1997, her husband funded an operation that brought her body down the mountain.