At least 120 bodies are on Mount Everest
Failed bid ... Ian returns to Francys to lay flag over her body
“PLEASE don’t leave me,” the dying woman cried.
They were the last words British climber Ian Woodhall heard as he abandoned his rescue mission and
left her to perish on Mount Everest. And the memory of leaving 40-year-old mum Francys Arsentiev
on the mountain has haunted him. Now,nine years on, Ian has finally laid her ghost to rest after making
the gruelling journey back to give her a dignified burial. The tragic tale began when professional
mountaineer Ian, 50, and climbing partner Cathy O’Dowd spotted a body on a ridge as they neared the
famous summit. Almost 200 people have died attempting to reach the summit of Everest, one of the
world’s most hostile environments. The seasoned climbers presumed the body was one of the 120
bodies left on the slopes.
Then Ian saw the shape move.
Ian, originally from Putney, South West London, recalls: “My heart skipped a beat as I realized this
person in a purple-and-black suit was alive and alone at 28,000 feet" just 800ft from the summit. “Cathy
and I looked at each other and, without saying a word, made the decision to abandon our attempt and
do all we could to save them. The expedition that had taken us years to save and collect sponsorship
for was over. “The ridge was just six inches wide and either side there was shattered slate that could
give way any moment.
Tragedy ... Mum Francys covered in flag
“We knew how dangerous it was to attempt to move the few feet to get to the climber but there was no
time to think about our own safety. “It took us a while to reach her even though she was close"
moving at such high altitude is like trying to run under water. “Her clothes were scattered all around and
she was lying there in nothing but her thermals. It’s a side-effect of hypothermia that you experience
hot flushes which make you want to shed your clothing. As Cathy held her in an attempt to transfer some
of her own body heat, I pulled back her hair."
"I’ll never forget the shock I felt when I realised I knew the woman whose life rested in my hands.”
Ian and South African-born Cathy, who is now his wife, had met Francys, from Colorado, and her
Russian-born husband Sergui at their Tibetan base camp. Francys and Sergui had been about to
attempt to reach Everest’s summit from its treacherous North Face without using breathing equipment.
No woman had ever completed the challenge and one in six climbers die in the attempt. Ian says that
when he found Francys he tried to dress her but her muscles had collapsed "it was like dressing a rag
doll." He says: “She was mumbling "I’m an American" and "Please don’t leave me". “It took two hours to
dress her. My concentration was broken by a raspy shrill sound that cut through the eerie silence on the
mountain. “I realised Cathy was freezing to death, that chilling sound was her airways freezing over. I
knew at that point we had to get out of there quick." “I attempted to pick Francys up and carry her but it
was no use. My futile attempts to rescue her were putting Cathy at risk. “I felt crushed. As a man, you
believe that when push comes to shove you will find inner strength that will take you above and beyond
the call of duty. “But I wasn’t big or strong enough to save this woman’s life. There was nothing I could do.
Filled with grief, we made our trek back to base camp. “There we set about the heartbreaking task of
going through the couple’s tent, pitched next to ours, to try and give us some clue as to who to contact.
We passed on all we knew to mountain officials who contacted the couple’s family.” Francys’ husband
Sergui is also presumed dead, although his body was never found. It is believed he fell off the North Face.
Francys left a young son, Paul Distefano, now 19. Ian continues: “I’d never had any contact with either
family" I didn’t know what to say to them.
Brave ... Ian now, left, and at his Everest base camp, above
“But not a day passed that I didn’t think of Francys. A year later, in 1999, Cathy and I decided to complete
our summit attempt. “We did but on the way down we were shocked to see Francys body exactly where
we left her" perfectly preserved in the temperatures of 40 degrees below zero. “It seemed such an
undignified end. I wanted to make it right. “Cathy and I decided to go back to give Francys a proper burial.
We had to raise £40,000 to go back" it took eight years and all of our savings but we wanted to do it. “We
could only afford for one of us to make the trip with a Sherpa, a local guide, to escort me and help with the
burial. I took an American flag to wrap Francys in and a note from her son.” After being delayed by storms,
Ian at last reached Francys on March 20 this year. Ian says: “It was incredibly moving. We slid her body
over a ridge on the North Face, away from the prying eyes of other climbers. “Now she is at peace. I was
able to do something for her at last. “I am meeting her son for the first time soon. He is a student in Los
Angeles. At last I will be able to tell him what happened on that mountain, knowing I really did do all I could
for his mother.”
Read more:
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/237731/I-left-a-woman-to-die-on-Everest.html#ixzz0YpgJaVn3
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