Climbing Mount Everest is dangerous business, but even Só, tourists pay enormous sums of

money to take the risk. In 1996, there were more fatalities on Mount Everest than other
year ... and half of those people died on just any one day.

Scott Fischer and Rob Hall made a living guiding people up the mountain, but they didn't work
together. They each owned adventure companies,

Adventure Consultants and Mountain Madness, that allowed people to explore Mount Everest.
Scott and Rob were good friends, but they were also rivals. ' They each tried to get their
groups to the summit first, and they often competed for clients. That May, both Scott and Rob
decided that the 10th was the perfect day to set out for the summit. Scott's team had twenty
three people in it, and Rob's had twenty five. There was also a twelve-person crew on Everest
that day, making a movie about climbing the mountain. Consequently, there were more
people trying to climb Mount Everest in May 1996 than at any other time before. One
member of the movie crew, Ed Viesturs, was good friends with Rob and Scott and was worried
about safety with so many people climbing at the same time.

Rob's and Scott's teams set off early on May 10t. They left for the summit of Mount Everest
from camp 4. It was a beautiful day, with perfect weather. Ed was at camp 2 and was
monitoring 'the progress of the climbers using a radio and telescope. Ed looked through the
telescope at around 2:00 p.m. to check on the climbers. I have noticed that the groups were
moving very slowly. It is a rule on Mount Everest that at 2:00 p.m. you are to turn around and
return to camp4 in order to make it back before dark and avoid bad weather near the summit.
Rob and Scott each wanted their groups to reach the top, so both groups ignored that critical
rule and continued up the mountain instead of turning around. Suddenly, at 3:00 p.m. a
massive snowstorm started. By 10:00 p.m. that night, people from both Rob's and Scott's
groups were trapped on the mountain in between the summit and camp 4 because of the
storm. Some of Rob and Scott each wanted groups to reach the summit, so both their groups
ignored that critical rule and the mountain continued up instead of turning around.

the stranded climbers managed to survive the freezing cold and were rescued from the
mountain the next day. However, on May 11th a few others collapsed and died in the snow,
including Scott Fischer and Rob Hall. In total, eight people died on Mount Everest's deadliest
day.

1 rival

a person you compete with

2 set off (for a place)

to start a trip

3 monitor

to follow or check something regularly