Gau Ming-Ho (Chinese:
Gau Ming-ho | |
---|---|
Born | 1949 (age 74–75) |
Nationality | Republic of China |
Occupation | Mountaineer |
Early life
editGau was born in 1949 in Ruifang District, Taipei County (now New Taipei City). His hometown is in a mountainous area, and so he became interested in hiking and mountain photography. He made his first trip to Tibet in 1991, and thereafter climbed more than 100 mountains in mainland China.[1]
1995 Mount McKinley
editGau led an expedition of seven climbers, where one died and others needed to be rescued by helicopter.[2]
1996 Mount Everest disaster
editOn 10 May 1996, Gau reached the summit of Everest alongside the members of the Mountain Madness and Adventure Consultants expeditions. Like many climbers that day, Gau reached the summit an hour after the planned 2 pm turn-around time and was caught in the blizzard that eventually claimed the lives of eight other climbers. Suffering from exhaustion and with his oxygen supply depleted, Gau was unable to continue down the mountain, and was left in a bivouac with Lopsang Jangbu Sherpa and Mountain Madness Expedition leader Scott Fischer, who was also in physical distress. Lopsang eventually descended on his own to find help, leaving Gau and Fischer lying a few yards apart from each other. Sherpas found the two men the next day, but Fischer was too far gone to save, so they concentrated on rescuing Gau, managing to bring him back to Camp IV. Fischer eventually died on the mountain; his body was found by his climbing partner Anatoli Boukreev, and remains on Everest to this day.[3]
Gau and Adventure Consultants climber Beck Weathers, who had also survived a night of exposure on the mountain, were escorted down to Camp II with the help of other expedition teams, and both men were evacuated in one of the highest altitude helicopter rescues on Everest. Weathers gave up his seat so Gau could be evacuated first. Gau lost all his fingers of both hands, toes and his nose to frostbite.[3][4]
Later Activity
editGau has continued climbing, and in 2007 returned to Everest as a team leader.[5]
Works
edit- 《
一座 山 的 勇氣 》.寶 瓶 文化 事業 有限 公司 [Aquarius Publishing Company]. 2009. ISBN 9789866745775.
References
edit- ^ "【
國家 地理 探險 家 】高 銘 和 x攀 登 心中 的 大山 ". National Geographic. 4 November 2015. Retrieved 5 August 2017. - ^ "Taiwanese Climber Dies on Mt. McKinley; 4 Others Rescued". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. 17 June 1995. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 25 December 2017.
- ^ a b "Makalu Gau: The Untold Story of the 1996 Everest Tragedy". Mountain Zone. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
- ^ "U.S. climber, thought dead, rescued from Mount Everest". CNN. 13 May 1996. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
- ^ "Polar News ExplorersWeb - Everest 2007: Makalu Ming-Ho Gau looking back in anger". www.explorersweb.com. Retrieved 1 January 2018.