Mount Everest: Decisions Made By Fischer And Hall

Mount Everest |
|4/29/2010 |

Mount Everest 1996 Expedition Case Study
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There were several decisions that were made by Fischer and Hall that may have contributed to the loss of lives on Mount Everest in May 1996. We have analyzed the decisions
Leaders of an expedition such as this should never leave their clients on the mountain. A good leader knows that sometimes you have to go against your gut instinct. In this case, Fischer’s instinctive reaction was to help his friend, but the trade off was to leave behind the inexperienced climbers. The leaders are the ones who the climbers expect to follow and it could cause hostility if the climbers do not respect the person who is left behind as temporary
This role could have been assigned to Groom and Boukreev since they were the more experienced high altitude climbing guides. These decisions of who would provide recommendations and have the veto power would assist in the input portion of the RAPID decision making tool because the right people would be involved therefore ensuring a smoother implementation of the decisions. Ultimately Fischer and Hall would make the final decisions for what is best for the group. Hall and Fischer made it clear from the beginning of the expedition that they were the decision makers but they did not assign any other roles that are pertinent in assisting good decision