Finn-Olaf Jones, was attempting to climb Mount Everest on a Permit acquired by a commercial guiding outfit, Himalayan Guides, who advert that they are a founding member of IGO 8000 in the pages of High Mountain Sport (The name as since changed to Climb magazine). The same outfit, was also supplying, for free, other services. Finn was in fact a clients and he was actually visited in Washington DC, USA, by Henry Barclay Todd, Himalayan Guides – lead guide / owner. Finn was ‘sold’ on the Everest attempt .
The personal account of the way in which Finn Olaf, the client, was treated / assaulted whilst on Everest, after paying 10′s of 1000′s of dollars can be read in the November, 2001 issue of Forbes at
www.Forbes.com the web-site of the magazine.
‘Once I was at Everest Base Camp and saw how this outfit was behaving around the Sherpas and picked up some of the awful stories about from other climbers on the mountain, I realised I needed to keep as much distance from them as possible. Which I did.’
Whilst preparing for the climb, Finn, an American journalist, was sending dispatches back to Discovery.com where they were listed on the web-site. Reading those dispatches, even though Finn was already being treated badly, he had printed – nothing derogatory about the – outfit (Himalayan Guides): ‘You will notice that my dispatches were/are pretty generous towards – Henry.’
Finn, was suddenly attacked physically by the outfits leader - Todd for no apparent reason. He was injured to such a degree, that he was airlifted from Everest Base Camp by helicopter: ‘I do not believe that I was attacked for my coverage of the – outfit, but rather that Henry had stupidly set himself up as the chump for a group I was having problems with – the so-called “Everest Clean-Up expedition.” In order to try to appear legit, this group had claimed Discovery.com as one of their sponsors (not knowing Discovery was sending someone up the mountain – Finn Olaf). “When I contacted Discovery about this they commenced an investigation into the group and all hell broke loose.The leader of the group – one of Henry’s pals is, Bob Hoffman.!”
As for Finn, his attempt at climbing Everest was ruined after, paying out an awful lot of money. Along with numerous other mountain clients.
Co-incidentally, Mike & Peggy Woodmansee, were also client’s of the same outfit, at the same time as Finn. Mike believes that his chance of climbing Everest, were ruined by ‘faulty oxygen equipment’ supplied by Todd. In a long eight page e-mail to Finn after their joint ‘treatment’, Mike explains the reasons for his failure and his treatment at the hands of the – outfit: ‘I have come to hate – Henry’, he wrote.
Details of that e-mail can be obtained on-
climb@sos.net and a similar long e-mail can be obtained from
finnjones@hotmail.com An article in Outside magazine about this assault on a client turned out to be several pages of – free advertising for the – Toddfather; Sir Henry…who’s most recent court-case was concluded recently (June 2006) with David Mathews having his case against the three people he believed were responsible for his son’s (Micheal Mathews in 1999) disappearance on Mount Everest, thrown out of court – in dubious circumstances. The Observer / Guardian wrote that the decision: ‘…free’s Everest.’ For what??
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1826983,00 Numerous commentators have disagreed in public with the Guardians comments. .
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‘Free’s Everest’, for what? The expedition organiser and supposed guide, to ‘guide’ his clients from the – wrong side of Mount Everest; the other side of the mountain.? Whilst his clients were climbing on one side of the mountain they were apparently, being guided by radio from the other side..?? One client died in the process. Step forward – the Todfather.
On Friday the 26 October, 2001, James Bedway announced to the world via the Internet that his group, who had booked; paid hard-earned holiday money towards an expedition with: Alpine Mountaineering Ltd t/a OTT Expeditions (IGO 8000), International Mountain Sports and Alpine Mountaineering, that OTT etc, had ceased to operate. Hard earned money had been taken; accepted from Mr Beway and his friends and with no exception, they were left to find more money with which to re-book with a South African outfit. For further information, Mr Bedway’s email is available. So much for IGO 8000′s – Code of Practice towards its members clients.
Many more examples of that kind of treatment received by clients; the guy’s and gal’s who pay good money to be guided, respected, will be posted in these pages.
INTERESTINGLY, THERE IS JUST ONE MENTION IN THE BRITISH MOUNTAINEERING COUNCIL’S BOOK: ‘THE FIRST FIFTY YEARS (1995) ABOUT – THE PEOPLE WHO ‘PAY FOR THE DAMN THING’ UNDER THE SECTION, ‘GUIDES’ PAGE 223: ‘ …IT IS A RARE CLIENT WHO NOW, ON A DAY OF WIND AND RAIN, WOULD ACCEPT A PROPOSAL TO DO A LONG EASY CLASSIC IN BOOTS AND SACK WHEN BETTER THINGS HAD BEEN PLANNED. THE STANDARD ALTERNATIVE SEEMS TO BE: ‘WHERE’S THE NEAREST CLIMBING WALL.’ THAT DEROGATORY COMMENT, IS THE ONLY REFERENCE TO MOUNTAIN CLIENTS IN – 320 PAGES…
On May the 10th, 1996, mountain client Beck Weathers self rescued from near the summit of Everest through a major storm that killed many climbers (including clients) that day. On arrival at the South Col camp he was put into a tent. According to Page 55 of the book by Beck Weathers in 2002, ‘Left for Dead’, he states: “You are not going to believe what (who) just walked into camp,” (radioed the camp back to base camp). The (cruel) response back was: “That is fascinating. But it changes nothing. He is going to die. Do not bring him down.” After getting himself back to the South Col camp, Beck Weathers (client) was to be left there to die…he was rescued by other – mountain clients.
It has been noticed that young children are being enticed into climbing against their wishes. Certainly in the summer’s of 2004/2005 and 2006 an ever increasing number of children have appeared in long chains of humanity behind their adult leader. The screams of young children crying in fear, have become a daily site certainly, on the main crag close to the centre of Chamonix in the French Alps. Only recently, the BMC commented on child welfare. In the French Alps, and elsewhere, that child welfare (when it comes to introducing children to climb) as touched an all time low…
A Mountain Guide writes: ‘As a guide I am often asked, Gerald, given that you’re responsible for loosing clients, how come you’ve still got your job?’ The simple answer is that when a qualified mountain guide and notice that I say ‘qualified’ is in trouble, his problems are resolved by other guides using a ploy known as “Closing Ranks” or ‘Whitewashus Professionalis Normalis, to give it the full technical name. What happens with this course of action is that the guide with the ‘problem’ after a short period of time experiences no come backs such as loss of job or income and soon begins to get well off again. The dead clients on the other hand, will have lost – everything.
The client had gone down; been let down first. The Cosmiques Ridge was quite snowed up and looking very pleasant as we sat there waiting for the UIAGM guide and his female clients in front of us to move on. Waiting there, I had lowered a fixed line down the side of the wall that she had just descended to assist us when or turn came. It was the guides turn to descend and because of the covering of snow I motioned to him to use the fixed line. He gestured me away as he stepped forward – tripping over his crampons in the process and falling clear, head first down the twenty foot wall. He landed in a flurry of snow and disappeared down right into a gully. I thought he must have broken his neck. After a short silence, he came struggling back up the gully and disappeared around a corner below to join his client. Fortunately, very fortunately, his client had taken a few turns around a rock spike. It was that action that save both of them from a very long possibly fatal fall…
And yes, climbing instructors / guides should be CIB (Criminal Investigation Bureaus) checked taking as they do, young people to isolated places.
