The American female athlete fell off a cliff when she was about to reach Mount Everest

More than 40 years ago, in May, Marty Hoey came very close to her dream of becoming the first American woman to conquer Everest.

“Ping”, a sudden cry rang out from behind, startling Jim Wickwire – Marty’s teammate. He turned back and saw Marty fall backwards, head down the ice slope from an altitude of about 7,900 m. She fell over the cliff and disappeared into the misty void. To date, her body has not been found.

Marty, then 31 years old, joined the American expedition with the goal of conquering Everest from the north face – the Tibetan side. Like her, everyone is a top climber.

In real life, Marty is attractive thanks to his sociable and upright personality. She has climbed Mount Rainier more than 100 times, worked as a guide on Denali and joined several expeditions. Her teammates all recognize her as having high technique and good judgment.

In the late 1970s, some climbers began experimenting with climbing and skiing on couloirs – narrow, steep slopes between two cliffs or ice, requiring great skill and considerable risk. Marty was interested and proposed to his group of friends to ski down Gibraltar Chute – the famous couloir on Mount Rainier, about 900 m high, located between the large rock Gibraltar Rock and the head of the Nisqually glacier.

The group made a detailed plan, including: climbing Camp Muir (base camp at an altitude of about 3,050 m); depart before dawn to take advantage of stable ice conditions; horizontal movement at the foot of Gibraltar Rock; Climb the couloir and then make the descent based on on-the-ground assessment. In case the couloir is unsafe, they will switch to climbing Mount Rainier and rappelling down an alternative route.

The weather that night was favorable, but the wind gradually became stronger. Rocks started falling, Marty was hit in the arm by a rock, another member was hit in the neck. During the break, one member suggested a lateral turn to Nisqually Glacier to avoid the rockfall area. Marty objected, arguing that the risk from falling rocks at that time was still significantly lower than the risk from seracs – large blocks of ice that collapsed suddenly, which could cause serious accidents.

The group accepts Marty’s idea. Immediately afterwards, a large ice avalanche hit the very area where it had just been proposed. The group escaped disaster thanks to Marty’s analytical skills.

However, this climber died on the way to climb Everest because of a fatal mistake. On May 15, 1982, Marty died after slipping out of his seat belt because it was not fully fastened.

In the 1980s, seat belts mainly used manual buckles – not self-locking like today. To install correctly, the climber must thread the belt through the buckle once from back to front and then pull it tight to adjust it to the waist. The most important step is double back – take the excess string end and thread it back through the buckle a second time, creating a double loop, then pull as hard as possible to lock tightly.

When done correctly, the lock will create a closed “C” shape, the double friction force keeps the rope firmly in place even when subjected to great force such as falling or leaning. If you forget the double back step, the buckle will just be like a regular pants belt buckle with weak friction, easily coming off when there is a sudden pull.

According to Explores Web, high altitudes can cause even the most seasoned climbers to make mental mistakes – something that was evident in Marty’s death.

“I didn’t hear her scream,” a teammate said. Mountain climber Reinhold Messner once compiled reports from survivors of fatal falls. Most said they didn’t hear any impact.

This detail brings some comfort because perhaps Marty did not suffer much pain after the fall. However, Marty’s family and the entire climbing community clearly feel this pain.

Laszlo Pal, along with Marty’s group, returned to the climbing group’s journey. After 41 years, the footage suddenly became scary because of the crackling, broken sound and Marty’s last words before he died.

“I hope to become the first American woman to conquer Everest. The mountain will decide who is worthy,” Marty said.

Lou Whittaker, the group leader, wondered bitterly if climbing was still something they wanted to pursue in the future? The American climbing team also failed in this conquest campaign. A few years later, Lou admitted that Marty’s death caused their dynamic to completely disappear.

On September 29, 1988, Stacy Allison followed Marty’s dream and became the first American woman to summit Everest but from the south face. Marty’s death is a reminder of human fragility in the face of nature.