UKC

I led an Iranian expedition to Broad Peak this last summer. Three climbers ascended south-west face alpine style from camp 3 to the summit. Unfortunately they lost their way and perished during the descent. Find my account here:
http://iranianbroadpeak2013.blogspot.com/


I've suffered the greatest sorrow of my life and at the same time been accused in Iran of being an inexperienced leader who hasn't climbed an 8000er himself all the way, believe me or not, to commit homicide - the question to their mind is whether it's first or second degree murder.

This is a climber requesting other climbers to help him understand what went wrong and what we could have done to save their lives.

More reading:
Tempting the Throne Room: By John Quillen
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/365993

Bittersweet Homecoming, by Scott Powrie
http://highaltitudescott.blogspot.ca/2013/07/bittersweet-homecoming.html


Iranian Climbers were Quality Human Beings | Interview with John Quillen
http://altitudepakistan.blogspot.ca/2013/07/iranian-climbers-were-quality-h...

"Iran could not have picked better representatives for the country" | Interview with Scott Powrie
http://altitudepakistan.blogspot.ca/2013/07/iran-could-not-have-picked-bett...

In reply to Ramin:
Thanks for sharing your story with us Ramin, my heart goes out to you and all those affected by this tragedy. I'm afraid I am far too inexperienced to possibly comment on any part of your expedition, other than the 3 who reached the summit were obviously experienced mountaineers and new what they were getting themselves into, again my condolences!

In reply to Ramin:

A tragic story Ramin, it must have been terrible to lose your friends. It does seem that high altitude mountaineering has a fair degree of inherent danger that can not always be controlled. From the experience you list and from what the Americans say it seems like your friends were good competent climbers. Unfortunately it seems that this isn't always enough.

Condolences to you and to their families.

In reply to Ramin:
My deep condolences to you Ramin.
I cannot know what you are going through.

May God help you through your mourning, and may you find peace.

In reply to Ramin:

As for people blaming you for what happened. I suspect some of this is a result of grief.
Grief can make people angry. It may simply be that those who are grieving are seeking a focus for their anger. As the leader and as a survivor, you are an obvious target. And as the leader and a survivor it is natural that you question yourself, and may even feel guilty.

I say this so that you will know that some people may blame you regardless of the facts.
You may even blame yourself, regardless of the facts.
There may be nothing you can say to turn this aside.

I recommend you speak to someone with wisdom and discernment who can help you through this process. Perhaps a bereavement counsellor. If you are part of a faith community, one of your spiritual leaders may have experience in these matters and be able to help.

In reply to Ramin:

As to finding out what happened.
There is something to remember before you start on this process.
You may never find out what caused your friends to die. Consider Mallory and Irvine - their deaths must be the most heavily researched deaths in high altitude mountaineering, and yet we still do not even know if they reached the summit, let alone know what killed them.

That said, I strongly suspect that investigating the incident will be a very valuable thing to do. Trying to find out what happened may be useful in terms of any practical mountaineering lessons, and may be even more useful as a way of helping people grieve.

I suggest you involve the bereaved families in any investigation, or at least keep them very closely informed.
It might be best if you do not lead such an investigation. People are upset, and some might fear you are biased and not give a clear investigation. Also, you are upset, and so you might not be able to bring your full clarity of mind to bear.

Such an investigation need not be a formal thing, carried out through the courts. It can be done privately, getting help from people who are respected.

You have given a reading list.
I recommend another two books: "Lessons Learned" and "Lessons Learned 2", both by Deborah Ajango. They are books about responses to deaths in the mountains, and a wide variety of perspectives are given: pastoral care, legal matters, dealing with the media, etc.
http://www.amazon.com/Lessons-Learned-Accident-Prevention-Response/dp/09702...