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Expedition '97: Alive on Everest
Go to Expedition '96: Everest Quest

In the spring of 1997, veteran mountaineer David Breashears led a team of elite climbers to the top of Mt. Everest. Along the way, the climbers tested themselves to measure how their minds and bodies responded to high exposure. Follow their story here, through dispatches, e-mail, and the first live Internet audio from the summit.

The 1997 Expedition

    From Sea Level to Base Camp
    Going Higher: Up to Camp II
    Thin Air
    Into the Death Zone
    Brush with Death
    Test Results

    Audio from the Summit
        Transcript of Audio from the Summit

Interviews with David Breashears

May 13, 1997
February 2, 1998

Team Members

    Pete Athans, Deputy Expedition Leader
    David Breashears, Expedition Leader & Filmmaker
    David Carter, Climber
    Howard Donner, M.D., Mountain Medicine Specialist
    Tom Hornbein, M.D., High Altitude Physiologist
    Gail Rosenbaum, Psychometrist
    Brownie Schoene, Ph.D., High Altitude Pulmonary Medicine
    Jangbu Sherpa, Expedition Sirdar
    Ed Viesturs, Everest Mountain Guide

Dispatches

    June 10, 1997: Back Home (27)
    May 25, 1997: Climbers Return to Base Camp (26)
    May 24, 1997: Descending Toward Base Camp (25)
    May 23 PM, 1997: NOVA Climbers Safely Off the Summit (24)
    May 23 AM, 1997: NOVA Climbers Reach the Summit! (23)
        Hear the archived live audio broadcast from the summit
        Read the transcript of the broadcast from the summit
    May 22, 1997: Bid for the Summit (22)
    May 21, 1997: Helicopter Crashes at Everest Base Camp (21)
    May 20, 1997: Moving On Up (20)
    May 19, 1997: Poised at Camp II (19)
    May 18, 1997: Departing for Camp II (18)
    May 17, 1997: Dead Sherpa Found on Khumbu Glacier (17)
    May 16, 1997: Jet Stream Winds Blast Camp II (16)
    May 13, 1997: Receiving News from the North Side (15)
        May 13, 1997: RealAudio Interview with David Breashears
    May 11, 1997: Five Climbers Presumed Dead on the North Side (14)
    May 10, 1997: The Waiting Game (13)
    May 9, 1997: Pulmonary Edema Evacuation from Base Camp (12)
    May 8, 1997: A Hasty Retreat to Base Camp (11)
    May 7, 1997: Sherpa Falls To His Death On The Lhotse Face (10)
    May 6, 1997: Spin, 1997: A Passenger to the Summit (9)
    May 5, 1997: Delayed at Advance Base Camp (8)
    May 4, 1997: NOVA Climbers Leave Base Camp for Their Summit Attempt (7)
    May 1, 1997: NOVA Team Prepares for Summit Attempt (6)
    April 26, 1997: Indonesian Expedition First to Summit in 1997 (5)
    April 23, 1997: Expedition Leader Dies at Everest Base Camp (4)
    April 22, 1997: Japanese Expedition Pulls Out (3)
    April 16, 1997: Traffic Reports on Everest (2)
    April 14, 1997: Rescue Season Begins (1)

Mail: Questions, Comments, and Responses from the team

    Sorted by Date:
        May 23, 1997 (13)
        May 22, 1997 (12)
        May 20, 1997 (11)
        May 17, 1997 (10)
        May 14, 1997 (9)
        May 12, 1997 (8)
        May 9, 1997 (7)
        May 7, 1997 (6)
        May 5, 1997 (5)
        May 2, 1997 (4)
        April 25, 1997 (3)
        April 22, 1997 (2)
        April 17, 1997 (1)

    Sorted by Subject:
        Climbing/Living
        Physiology/Science
        Technology/Equipment
        1996 Tragedy
        General/Other

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