The greatest danger in climbing Mount Everest is not
reaching the summit but making it back to the base camp. One
out of every five climbers who make it to the summit dies during
their descent. The key is establishing a contingency plan in
case the climbers encounter hard going or the weather
changes. Guides establish a predetermined turnaround time
(i.e., 2:00 P.M.) to ensure a safe return no matter how close the
climbers are to the summit. Accepting the time takes tremendous
discipline. One who was caught up by time was solo
climber Goran Krupp. He turned back 1,000 feet from the top
after bicycling 8,000 miles from Stockholm to Katmandu!