My struggle for zone’ by Everest
ADVENTURER Ben Fogle has told how his successful attempt to conquer Everest was almost foiled by the failure of not one but two oxygen tanks.
The final section of the climb to the summit of the world’s highest peak is known as the “death zone” because there is a limit to how long a person can survive that high without help.
When Fogle’s oxygen delivery system broke down as he approached the summit on Wednesday, it was only the generosity of his sherpas that enabled him to carry on.
“At 8,100 metres my regulator exploded,” Fogle, 44, reported on the social media site Instagram. “Luckily for me Ming Dorjee Sherpa was able to give me his mask, regulator and cylinder and he returned to the South Col without O2.
“Then our cameraman’s regulator burst at 8,500 metres and this time Ang Thindu [in tears] volunteered his bottle and regulator.
“As if that wasn’t bad enough, at 8,800 metres, at a life-threatening height, my second regulator exploded on my back. To say it was terrifying is an understatement. My heart sank. If I was scuba diving, I would have been dead.”
This time it was his British team leader, world-renowned mountaineer Kenton Cool, also 44, who came to his aid.
“He gave me his only cylinder and mask,” Fogle said. But he added: “Kenton was able to descend to the South Col for an emergency mask.
“In total we lost four regulators and we met many other teams forced to abandon their attempts due to the problem. It seems to be a major issue on Everest his year and I hope we get to the bottom of the problem before someone loses their life.”
Fogle said he felt “honoured” to arrive at the summit with Cool and the award-winning cameraman Mark Fisher, who is filming a documentary for CNN, but said: “The real heroes of Everest are not the climbers but the Sherpas.”
As he took in the beauty of the Himalayas from the summit, Fogle posed for what he described as his “most important photo”: a picture of the soft toys his children Ludo, eight, and Iona, six, gave him before he left.
He posted the image taken against a backdrop of the spectacular snowcapped landscape with the caption: “My children’s Panda and carrot that hitchhiked to the roof of the world with me.”
He added: “When I set out on this expedition, it was always with clarity and honesty that success was never guaranteed. Indeed I always put