How Everest mission ended in tragedy and triumph | Manchester News

Fifty years ago, Dougal Haston and Doug Scott became the first Britons to reach the summit of the world’s highest mountain.

Two days later, a second team of four men, who were on the same expedition, pushed for the top of Mount Everest, which towers 8,849m (29,032ft) above sea level.

Amongst the four-strong group battling the treacherous conditions and a deadly lack of oxygen was 34-year-old Martin Boysen, from Altrincham in Greater Manchester.

“It was a great privilege to be on Chris Bonington’s expedition to climb the south west face of Everest,” said the now 84-year-old.

“It had been attempted several times but no-one had got up it as yet, and it was, as Chris said, the hard way up Everest.”

But it was to be a mission that would be remembered for tragedy as well as triumph.

The south-west face of Everest, which is situated on the border of Nepal and Tibet, is regarded as one of the most difficult challenges in mountaineering due to its length and exposure to high-level winds.

Joining Martin on the gruelling expedition on 26 September 1975 was Peter Boardman, Pertemba Sherpa and Mick Burke.

Each of the men set off, armed with oxygen equipment to help them combat the effects of the altitude’s atmosphere.

The thinness of the atmosphere means that mountaineers suffer hypoxia, where their vital organs do not get enough oxygen and bodies begin to break down.

As their brains and lungs are starved of oxygen, their heart rate spikes, increasing their risk of a heart attack.

The shortage of oxygen to the brain causes it to swell, triggering headaches, nausea and quickly impairing a climber’s judgement and ability to make decisions.

Martin was under no illusion of the magnitude of the journey ahead and, as he began the ascent to the highest place on Earth, he quickly realised something was wrong with his equipment.

“When I set out for the summit from Camp Six, my oxygen set just wasn’t working,” he said.

“I realised after a short time I was puffing and panting and nothing was happening.

“I had to return back to the camp and watch the others go on and so that was a great disappointment for me.”

While Martin was forced to turn back, Peter and Pertemba reached the top.

But Mick, who was capturing the expedition for a documentary, never returned back to camp.

“He was one of my oldest climbing friends who I loved dearly,” he said.

“He was a bit slower than the others because he was carrying his cameras and equipment.

“Pertemba and Pete got to the top, came back down and discovered Mick was still a short way below the summit.

“He was determined to go to the top – that was the nature of the man.

“They said ‘we will wait for you’ and they waited for a long time but he never came.

“They had to make the decision to then to come back down to Camp Six without him.”

Mick, who was an accomplished climber, was regarded as one of the world’s leading high-altitude cameramen at the time.

His body has never been found.

Fifty years later, Martin, who was a stunt double for Clint Eastwood in the film The Eiger Sanction, attends a climbing wall in Stockport twice a week.

His love of climbing is still sky high.

“At 84 years old, I’m not quite as agile and fit and good as I used to be but I still enjoy what I do,” he said.

“I think it does keep us young, it keeps us healthy and fit and strong.”

But the memory of his friend has never left Martin.

“I think back with great regret really to losing one of my oldest climbing friends,” he said.

“I think of Mick quite frequently.”