Minor Characters Flashcards
Who is Frank Fischbeck?
Hong Kong-based publisher who joins Rob Hall’s expedition to Mount Everest in 1996 and survives without serious injuries.
Fischbeck suffers from severe fatigue at several points during the expedition.
What decision did Lou Kasischke make during the expedition?
He chose to turn around on the afternoon of May 10, allowing him to survive without serious injuries.
Kasischke was a Michigan-based lawyer.
Describe Ian Woodall.
The British-born leader of a South African Everest expedition, known for selfishly manipulating his teammates.
He alienates most of the people on the expedition.
Who is Pete Schoening?
A legendary mountaineer who joins Scott Fischer’s Everest expedition and is the uncle of Klev Schoening.
He joins the expedition to avoid waiting for his permit.
What is John Taske’s profession?
Doctor who joins Rob Hall’s expedition and survives without serious injuries by turning around on May 10.
Taske is part of the 1996 expedition.
Who is Ang Dawa?
A Sherpa man who climbed 22,000 feet up Mount Everest in 1947.
His achievement highlights early attempts at Everest climbing.
What role does Ang Dorje play in Rob Hall’s expedition?
He is the head Sherpa climber, or sirdar, of the expedition.
His leadership is crucial for the success of the team.
Who is Gary Ball?
A close friend of Rob Hall who died in 1993 from cerebral enema caused by high altitudes.
What is the significance of Edmund Hillary?
He became the first human to climb Mount Everest, alongside Tenzing Norgay, and gained international celebrity.
Hillary is a New Zealand mountaineer.
Fill in the blank: Tenzing Norgay is a _______.
Sherpa mountaineer.
He climbed Mount Everest with Edmund Hillary.
Who is Ngawang Sya Kya?
A Sherpa guide from Scott Fischer’s team and the father of Lopsang Jangbu.
What is significant about Reinhold Messner?
He climbed Mount Everest without using compressed oxygen, inspiring a generation of purists.
Messner’s achievement is viewed as a benchmark for ‘real’ mountaineering.
What did George Leigh Mallory attempt in 1924?
He tried to climb Mount Everest but died in the attempt.
Who is Jim Litch?
A Himalayas-based doctor who helps with Ngawang’s treatment.
What was the outcome for Chen Yu-Nan?
He died after falling into a crevasse.
Fill in the blank: The first person to climb Mount Everest via the West Ridge was _______.
Tom Hornbein.
He achieved this in 1963 with Willi Unsoeld.
Who is Linda Krakauer?
Jon Krakauer’s wife, who was once an enthusiastic mountain climber but can no longer climb due to a back injury.
What happened to Kami Rita?
He fell to his death a few months before Krakauer’s expedition.
Who was Sir Andrew Waugh?
Surveyor General of India in the 1850s, credited with confirming Mount Everest as the world’s highest peak.
What is the relationship between Klev Schoening and Pete Schoening?
Klev Schoening is the nephew of Pete Schoening.
What did Dale Kruse suffer from during the expedition?
He suffered from HACE, a high-altitude disease.
Who is Fiona McPherson?
Wife of Andy Harris, a doctor working in a Himalayan medical clinic.
What did Ang Babu do?
He was a talented climber working for the South African Everest expedition.
Who is Bruce Herrod?
A deputy leader for the South African Everest expedition.
What did the mathematician Radhanath Sikhdar discover?
He discovered that Mount Everest was the world’s highest peak in 1852.
