Ian Woodall - Controversy Regarding The 1996 Expedition

Controversy Regarding The 1996 Expedition

American journalist Jon Krakauer, who was a member in New Zealander Rob Hall's commercial Everest expedition in 1996, was extremely critical of Woodall's personality and behavior in his best-selling book Into Thin Air. His criticisms of Woodall include:

• His dictatorial and manipulative character that had caused three experienced South African climbers Edmund February, Andy de Klerk, and Andy Hackland, and the expedition doctor, Charlotte Noble, to resign from the expedition.

• Lying about his climbing credentials prior to the expedition, having had no previous experience on 8,000 meter peaks.

• Falsifying his military service by claiming that he had commanded the elite "Long Range Mountain Reconnaissance Unit" (which had never existed), of the British army, and had served as an instructor at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst; none of which was true. There is, however, the famed World War II Long Range Desert Group from which he may have borrowed the name.

• Insisting that expedition member Andy de Klerk, who held dual citizenship, enter Nepal on his South African passport or he would not be allowed on the expedition. It turned out that Woodall himself did not even hold a South African passport, and, according to de Klerk, "He's not even a South African citizen—the guy's a Brit, and he entered Nepal on his British passport."

• Facing international scandal, Woodall banished Ken Vernon and Richard Shorey; two reporters from the expedition's sponsor, The Sunday Times, whose presence and accompaniment were required as part of the sponsorship contract. Woodall later had a "blood-chilling exchange" with Ken Owen, an editor from The Sunday Times, which precipitated The Sunday Times' withdrawal of support.

• Refusing to coordinate the mountain traffic and cooperate with other expeditions to avoid gridlock on the summit ridge, declaring, "The South Africans would go to the top whenever they damn well please, and anyone who didn't like it could bugger off." (This was probably on May 10, which was Hall and Scott Fischer's shared summit date). Hall responded to Woodall's comment by saying, "I don't want to be anywhere near the upper mountain when those punters are up there." Hall, Fischer and six others lost their lives during the expedition, largely because of a series of events precipitated by a gridlock on the upper mountain. There is no evidence, however, that the South African team's presence, directly or indirectly, caused or significantly exacerbated the traffic problems on that day.

• After the May 10 disaster, Woodall refused to lend the distressed Hall team the South African expedition's powerful radio to coordinate the rescue efforts, despite being aware that people were dying on the summit.