I am close friends with a very experienced French Alpine climber who has also climbed in the Himalayas and has led expeditions to remote peaks. I also met several well-known Himalayan climbers while at university. My friend actually lost most of his toes to frostbite while saving a fellow climber in the Alps and the general rule amongst true experienced climbers is that you abandon your own ego if a fellow climber is in trouble.

What is happening on Everest now disgusts me although recent stories do still show there are at least still some real climbers there.

RS