Talk:Beck Weathers

Untitled
Year of birth and location of Birth: 1946 - Griffin, Georgia.

References: http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:D56F5BlKjvoJ:www.speakerseries.com/spk2001/weathers.htm+Beck+Weathers+Griffin,+Georgia,+in+1946&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=us&client=firefox-a

"Dr. Weathers, a gifted surgeon, lost his right hand to frostbite, and part of his left hand as well. But though he lost his hands, he has never lost his hope. He has shown incredible courage throughout his ordeal, and his positive attitude has inspired many.

Born in Griffin, Georgia, in 1946, Dr. Weathers received his B.S. in mathematics and chemistry from Midwestern University in 1968. He received his Doctor of Medicine degree from Southwestern Medical School in 1972, and completed a pathology internship. His other professional experiences include a 1976-77 teaching appointment at Harvard Medical School. He has been a partner in a pathology firm, and has served at Medical City Dallas Hospital and National Health Laboratories as co-medical director since 1977." I don't understand "his is a butch"? Another location: http://www.llu.edu/news/today/jan2700/sm.htm " Born in Griffin, Georgia, in 1946, Dr. Weathers received his bachelor of science degree in mathematics and chemistry from Midwestern State University, Wichita Falls, Texas, in 1968."

I don't think Weathers spent another night alone IN A TENT -- he spent the second night alone outside, with all the other climbers thinking he was dead or dying, then made it back to the tents by himself, and was from then on given all help possible. Is that right? Manormadman (talk) 14:53, 4 April 2008 (UTC)Manormadman

He was alone in the tent (it wasn't even closed) according to his own account, and the accounts of eyewitnesses in the PBS Frontline documentary - Storm Over Everest - that aired recently. So he was left for dead multiple times. Dtolman (talk) 14:18, 14 May 2008 (UTC)

Extent of Weathers' injuries
From the previous entry on this page, and from seeing the PBS Frontline documentary - Storm Over Everest - that aired recently, I have corrected the information "he lost both hands". Toward the end of his "Storm over Everest" interview he gestures, and the extent of the injuries to his hands, nearly 12 years later, can be clearly seen. It would be more correct to say his right hand was amputated at the wrist and his left hand, all the fingers and the thumb, up to the first knuckle.
 * Would you claim credit for this mess?:"All four fingers and the thumb on his left hand were removed; his nose was amputated and reconstructed with tissue from his ear and forehead and parts of both feet to his injuries." I sometimes think no one reads WP.166.214.159.32 (talk) 04:31, 16 November 2008 (UTC)

Over dramatized?
Are we really sure "His cries for help could not be heard above the blizzard"? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 87.194.112.135 (talk) 16:10, 20 March 2010 (UTC)
 * I bet he's faking that arm injury too.

That is what both Weathers and Jon Krakauer attest. In Krakauer's "Into Thin Air" on p. 255 of the hardcover edition, he writes "He'd been screaming for help for two or three hours but the storm had smothered his cries." On the next page Weathers is quoted, "I yelled for help but nobody came. It was one hell of a long night." In reference to the comment further up, he definitely spent this second night on the Col inside of a tent, that is consistently reported in both Krakauer and numerous other records of the event. CaliforniaAndie (talk) 01:23, 23 June 2010 (UTC)

Anatoli Boukreev
What is his perspective on Boukreev. Krakauer excoriated him but it sounds like Boukreev saved Beck's life.


 * Boukreev did NOT save Weathers' life. Fox & Hill Pittman were in rough shape & could barely move. Boukreev & Madsen got the 2 women back to camp. That was the 1st time Weathers was *left for dead*. He & Namba were both unconscious. The other women were not, but still needed help walking. It was impossible for Madsen & Boukreev to take all 4, so they elected to take the 2 who had the better chance of survival. After the blizzard subsided, Hutchison & 2 Sherpas went back to Weathers & Namba. They literally chipped a thick sheet of ice off Namba's face & she was incredibly still alive, but still unresponsive, as was Weathers. They concluded the pair were too near death & they were *left for dead* a 2nd time. Because on Everest, you have to be able to walk down from that height. There are fixed ropes to maneouver & vertical climbs to be made. Weathers had to do that to get down to an altitude where a helicopter pilot was willing to risk landing (his rescue was at that time the highest successful helicopter landing on Everest). They managed to rig a rope system to get him down a vertical climb, but he walked on his frozen feet, with others clipping & unclipping him to ropes (his hands were useless), until he was medi-vac'd out. Boukreev went down with the rest, but he had nothing to do with saving Weathers' life. Weathers somehow regained consciousness & walked to camp on his own.


 * Krakauer didn't *excoriate* Boukreev. As far as I recall from Into Thin Air, Krakauer lauded Boukreev for going out to bring in Weathers, Namba, Fox, Madsen, & Hill Pittman after Groom & Beidleman reached Camp IV needing help. The 2 guides, as well as everyone else on Fischer's & Hall's teams as well as the Taiwanese team, were all too exhausted to go back. The South African team was useless; they wouldn't even share their satellite phone when requested to do so from Base Camp (where they were trying to coordinate a helicopter rescue from a lower altitude, if those who required being airlifted to the hospital in Kathmandu could get far enough down the mtn), even when it became clear so many people hadn't made it back to Camp IV & it was an emergency situation.


 * What Krakauer criticized Boukreev for was summiting without oxygen. Boukreev was acting as a guide for Fischer. Krakauer thought that a guide shouldn't have taken the risk of becoming hypoxic & incapacitated himself, where he would be of no use to any clients who got in trouble. Krakauer also thought that Boukreev should've waited below the summit to assist clients; instead, he went back to camp alone....which was why he was the only one well-rested enough to go out on a rescue attempt. It worked out in the end, but Krakauer thought Boukreev's behavior was irresponsible for a guide. Had Boukreev hung around near the summit, perhaps Fischer, Hall, & Harris could've been saved. Maybe not Hansen, who couldn't get down the Hillary Step on his own power, but perhaps the other 3. ScarletRibbons (talk) 16:41, 28 July 2017 (UTC)

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Disappeared?
Weathers had stood up and disappeared into the night

I don't recall reading that he wandered off, & there's no citation for it. I thought Boukreev & Madsen decided Fox & Hill Pittman had a far better chance at survival than Weathers & Namba, &, as the book title says, left for dead, guiding the other 2 women back to Camp IV. ScarletRibbons (talk) 16:54, 28 July 2017 (UTC)