Beck Weathers' near-death experience on Mount Everest

When Beck Weathers was 50-years-old, he attempted the climb to Mount Everest's peak. The journey would later come to be known as the 1996 Mount Everest disaster after eight people died during the expedition. Beck Weathers miraculously survived the disaster, and his heroic story continues to inspire and astound people today.

1 / 28 Fotos

Inspiration - Weathers' experience would come to inspire books and even films. In 1997, a television film starring Richard Jenkins was released, titled 'Into Thin Air: Death on Everest.'

2 / 28 Fotos

Inspiration - Josh Brolin portrayed Weathers in the 2015 movie, 'Everest,' also based on the 1996 Mount Everest disaster.

3 / 28 Fotos

Autobiography - In 2000, Weathers also wrote his own book detailing the experience, 'Left for Dead: My Journey Home from Everest.'

4 / 28 Fotos

Mountaineering - His inspiration for climbing Mount Everest was Richard Bass, the first man to climb the Seven Summits. Weathers claimed that Bass made it look easy and possible for regular guys.

5 / 28 Fotos

The journey - The fateful journey started in May of 1996. On May 10, he, along with a handful of other climbers, would attempt the final stretch to the summit of Mount Everest.

6 / 28 Fotos

The complication - As the guide led him and a group of others up the slope, they passed through an area of extremely low oxygen, which began to affect Weathers' vision.

7 / 28 Fotos

The complication - As he had recently undergone corrective eye surgery, he developed an intense case of snowblindness.

8 / 28 Fotos

The complication - The guide made Weathers stop and sit on the side of the mountain to wait for him while he led the others up.

9 / 28 Fotos

The storm - Soon after, Weathers found himself in the middle of a giant blizzard, with a wind chill of -100ºF (-73ºC). And help would have to wait: his team leader, Rob Hall, died upon reaching the summit as he tried to help another member of the team.

10 / 28 Fotos

Help on the way - Other groups and another climber offered to help Weathers, but he chose to wait for a member of his team. Eventually Mike Groom, Hall’s fellow team leader, would come to Weathers' rescue.

11 / 28 Fotos

The descent - But it soon became impossible for Weathers and his remaining group members to continue and they were forced to stop and bunker down to wait out the storm.

12 / 28 Fotos

Rescue attempt - During a lull in the storm, Groom decided to try and find help, leaving Weathers and the other climbers behind.

13 / 28 Fotos

Rescue attempt - Unfortunately by the time help returned, Weathers and another climber were both knocked unconscious in hypothermic comas.

14 / 28 Fotos

Rescue attempt - Thinking that Weathers wasn't going to survive, the rescue team assisted the conscious climbers down the slope and left him to die.

15 / 28 Fotos

A long night - Weathers stayed out in the snow and cold through the entire night, slowly freezing to death in the negative temperatures.

16 / 28 Fotos

The next morning - The following morning, two Sherpas were sent to check on Weathers and the fellow climber who had also been left unconscious.

17 / 28 Fotos

The next morning - Finding both still alive but barely breathing and inches from death, the Sherpas also left the climbers to die.

18 / 28 Fotos

The miracle - Somehow Beck Weathers was able to muster up the strength to stand and drag himself back to the campsite. Later in his book, he would say that he could see his wife and kids calling out to him and telling him to fight to live.

19 / 28 Fotos

The miracle - Despite having gone blind in one eye from the cold and being covered in frostbite, he managed to make it back to the camp.

20 / 28 Fotos

The next night - Even though he had made it back to the campsite, no one expected him to make it through the next night.

21 / 28 Fotos

The next night - Once again, Weathers defied the odds—despite not being able to eat, drink, or move.

22 / 28 Fotos

The rescue - Medics assisted him down to the next campsite after treating him for hypothermia.

23 / 28 Fotos

The rescue - The Nepalese Army rescued him in a helicopter, successfully completing the second-highest altitude helicopter rescue ever performed.

24 / 28 Fotos

The rescue - Following the helicopter evacuation, he was taken to the hospital where they assessed the damage he had suffered from the cold.

25 / 28 Fotos

Amputations - Weathers' right forearm was amputated, as well as all five fingers on his left hand and parts of both his feet. His nose was also amputated and reconstructed using skin grafts from his ears and forehead.

26 / 28 Fotos

Moving forward -

Eight people died during the expedition that Beck Weathers miraculously survived. The disaster raised awareness about the commercialization of Everest and served to hopefully persuade people against attempting to climb it unless they are fully prepared.

27 / 28 Fotos

0 / 28 Fotos

Beck Weathers -

Getty Images