Doug Hansen was a postal worker and amateur climber from Washington state who died high on Mount Everest during the 1996 disaster. This article discusses who he was and his final expedition.

WARNING: This article contains graphic content. Reader discretion is advised.

Early Life

Doug Hansen was born in the United States in 1949. He worked as a mailman in Kent, Washington. Known as humble, kind, and quiet, Hansen was passionate about climbing but lacked the financial resources to pursue it seriously. He often trained on nearby peaks such in the Cascade Range.

He was not a professional climber, but he dreamed of summiting Everest. Friends described him as determined and sincere. He believed that reaching the top of the world would be a once-in-a-lifetime achievement.

First Attempt on Everest

Hansen first attempted to climb Everest in 1995 with Rob Hall’s Adventure Consultants team. He turned back just a few hundred feet from the summit due to illness and poor weather. The experience devastated him. He returned home disappointed but more determined than ever to finish what he started.

Rob Hall believed in Hansen’s resolve and offered him a discounted place on the 1996 expedition. Hall reportedly saw him as someone who deserved a second chance.

The 1996 Everest Expedition

The 1996 team from Adventure Consultants was made up of 19 members, including Rob Hall, three guides, eight clients, and Sherpas. Hansen was one of the clients. His goal was clear. To reach the summit that had eluded him the year before.

Jon Krakauer, a journalist climbing with the same team, later described Hansen as likable and driven. Hansen told Krakauer that he had undergone minor throat surgery earlier in the year and was experiencing the after effects of frostbite from his previous summit attempt. Hansen said the 1996 attempt would be his last chance. He had already used much of his savings to make it happen.

The Late Summit

On May 9, 1996, the team departed from Camp IV at the South Col, around 26,000 feet (7,925 meters). The day was crowded with climbers from multiple expeditions. Delays began early, especially near bottlenecks like the Hillary Step. Hansen reportedly told another climber that he was cold and was turning around. But it’s likely that Hall encouraged him to continue as Hansen kept ascending.

The standard turnaround time on Everest is 2:00 p.m. This is the latest time climbers should reach the summit. This rule exists for two reasons. First, after 2:00 p.m., there is not enough time to return to high camp before dark. Navigation becomes dangerous, especially near features like the Hillary Step or the South Summit, where a missed step can be fatal.

Second, the weather often turns worse in the afternoon. Being on the mountain after midday increases the risk of getting caught high on the mountain in whiteout conditions, extreme cold, and high winds Many climbers have died because they stayed too long near the summit.

On May 9, 1996, the Adventure Consultants team left Camp IV on the South Col at 11:30 p.m. the night before. Progress was slow due to overcrowding and delays fixing ropes. By 2:00 p.m., Hansen had not yet reached the summit. Instead of abiding by the 2:00 p.m. turnaround time, Hall allowed Hansen to continue. He had failed the year before just below the summit, and Hall was determined not to deny him a second time.

Hall reached the summit around 2:30 p.m. and waited for Hansen, who did not arrive until after 4:00 p.m., more than two hours past the cutoff. Witnesses later said Hansen looked weak and unsteady and described him as “clearly in trouble.” He was already struggling before the final push. By the time he summited, he was exhausted and low on oxygen.

The Storm

As they descended, a severe storm brought powerful winds, heavy snowfall, and near-zero visibility, Winds reached an estimated 70 miles per hour (113 km/h) and temperatures fell to -40°F (-40°C) or lower with wind chill. Whiteout conditions made it nearly impossible to see. The route back became disorienting and dangerous.

Hansen ran out of supplemental oxygen at round 5:30 p.m. Near the South Summit, he collapsed from exhaustion and altitude sickness. Hall contacted base camp by radio and told them Hansen could no longer move. Though Base camp urged Hall to leave Hansen and descend on his own, he refused. Even as oxygen ran low and night fell, Hall did not abandon Hansen. Eventually, he too became immobilized by cold and exhaustion.

At 4:45 a.m. on May 11, 1996, Hall radioed base camp and told them that “Doug is gone.” Hall attempted to descend on his own but died later that night. He was 35 years old. His body remains on the South Summit of Mount Everest, where he died.

Hansen was never seen again; his body was never found or recovered.

May they rest in peace.

Reflection

Doug Hansen’s death became a symbol of Everest’s growing commercialization. He was a regular man, not a professional climber, trying to achieve something extraordinary. Many questioned whether he should have been on the mountain at all. Others saw him as an example of quiet courage.

Krakauer’s book Into Thin Air tells much of Hansen’s story and describes him with empathy. Hansen was portrayed by actor John Hawkes in the 2015 film Everest.