Finding Michael Mathews - Everest Lost in the Death Zone - Bear Grylls Intro 

I’m fascinated about Everest, K2 and other mountains. I appreciate you for posting this documentary and others videos

I don’t care who you are, if the sherpa tells you to go down, you go down.

After binge watching a bunch of Everest videos ive learned that if a sherpa tell you to turn around TURN around

I like how OTT rebranded themselves and denied any wrongdoing when they were clearly negligent and incompetent.

I think the conclusion is that if you don't want to die so young on the Everest you shouldn't go on the Everest. If there's a zone called "the death zone" you should really really avoid it.

The best climber, hands down on the mountain, is always the cameraman.

The fact that OTT changed their name soon after this tragedy says it all.

It is such a shame Michael didn't listen to the chief sherpa, who told him to go down immediately. It was wrong of Mike Smith to push on to the summit with Michael, who was clearly exhausted and in a bad way. A good guide would have seen that Michael was struggling and ordered him to go back down, staying close to him at all times. Summit fever got the better of Michael. The problems with the oxygen bottles shows bad planning and organisation on the part of OTT expeditions.

As usual, every single person was unqualified or made bad decisions except the Sherpas. Listen to your head Sherpa

Seems to me that when the oxygen bottles were deficient every member was owed a refund. I'd have considered the whole endeavor cursed.

I know I couldn't do this, too many fears, climbing over crevices & feeling that bitter cold, no thanks, I'll watch safely from my bed on RU-vid..

People really arent taking this mountain seriously.

It's hard to believe how there was so little communication, no team building and high levels of disorganization yet everyone just went on with the expedition in spite of all these flaky red flags.

The amount of discipline and respect for his father to look straight into the camera unblinking and detail his son's demise without scorn is immense.

I got altitude sickness in the Rockies one time - “Rocky Mountain Fever”. I can’t imagine being 4 miles higher than that.

"Ice climbing was a new skill to him" - It seems like people fail to understand that skills are developed over time that determine the likely hood of survival.

That bit with kekas and the oxygen bottle was like something out of a horror movie.

I've watched a few of these documentaries now. I've learnt that it's a dog eat dog world up there. And that many people should have been turned around, but weren't because they'd spent too much money to give up, and the organizers had accepted too much money to turn them back.

For some reason, I've been binge watching mountain climbing documentaries, mostly those concerning Mount Everest. The last topic was about David Sharp and I think I'm now cured of watching more of this topic. Topping the tragedies, is the commercialization of mountain climbing. Ultimately, Mother Nature is not so inclined to have man marring and littering as he does! I'm disgusted by it all.

So sorry for Michael Matthews .He looks absolutely exhausted at his last photo on the summit.SO many fatal mistakes ,so many red flags ..Rest in peace Michael Matthews😞

Mike Smith was mistaken in taking him up. The Sherpa’s instruction to go down should have been listened to. Midday is too late to summit Everest, you need to be on your way down long before.

The plane landing at that airport would be enough for me to turn around

We were friends with his family when our boys were children, and they played together Michael was an extremely handsome child. So sad that his young life ended far too soon. RIP dear Michael.😢

Just watched the movie everest about the 1996 disaster. There was many experienced climbers on several of the teams that went during those fateful May days. Rob hall and Scott fisher were both highly experienced guides and died. The japanese woman climbed six of the seven summits like sandy pittman had. Three of them wouldnt of survived without Anatoli boukreev, the russian animal who was the only one who didnt use oxygen, reached the summit first and went back three different times to save a person each time. Its no man's land up there.

You pay $40 plus thousand dollars and you get substandard oxygen tanks and fittings?! Jeez! For essential life surviving equipment I consider that insanity plus the lack of disclosure about them to be fraudulent! Plus, no meetings?? Total lack of professionalism there. Mountain climbing should be like scuba diving, using the buddy system, always stick with your partner!

I’m out of breath just watching this video

If someone asks you to withhold information surrounding the death of their relative. You absolutely must bring that issue and everything you remember to the family and any investigations being conducted.

If you got that kind of money, and you’re really doing it for the love of the climb, I won’t say don’t do it, just don’t start with Everest. Find a good service and try Cho Oyu in Tibet, Manaslu in Nepal or Gasherbrum 2 in Pakistan. See how you do at 26,000’ without the crowds, and without the bizarre attraction to standing on top on the world at all costs, that warps minds and clouds judgement. If you have big problems at 7,000 M without oxygen, it’s not going help you nearly enough at 8,800 M. I think if this young man had gone to one lesser peaks in the region, gauged how he did at extreme altitude, tested one of these outfits; their equipment, their leadership, out for himself, sharpened his technical skills, and then made a far more informed decision on whether or not he should climb Everest, he’d probably still be alive and climbing today.

Thank you for your interesting and amazing documentary. Terrible mistakes were made on that expedition apparently. My sincere Condolences and Sympathy to Matthew's family and friends. His last photo at the summit of Mt. Everest "I made it to the top of the world" (brought tears). God Bless his soul. R.I.P.

If he was with any other team, he would have lived. All accounts say that when they reached Camp 4, the first time, he was one of the stronger climbers. Then his oxygen, guides & team end up self destructing, and he ends up dead. Shame.

I went on an Everest Base Camp trek .... we had meals out, days out, group meetings, trekking, details, kit talks, etc, in Kathmandu before we flew into the mountains.

The absolutely essential things for climbing is the climbing gear itself like ropes and the oxygen. The climbers bring their own warm weather gear and so forth. So it might seem that there is incredible organisation needed but in fact, it isn't very difficult to list the tents, food, climbing gear and oxygen and make sure all that is taken by the sherpas you hire. Failure to provide one of those basic things, like a tent or food or climbing gear or working oxygen is completely unforgivable. I've organised month-long events in a field in a different country with dozens of acts for tens of thousands of attendees and messing up oxygen would be like forgetting Porto toilets or a stage. I know they have to get the stuff to Everest but they should do a proper check of everything before the Sherpas take it to basecamp let alone before they take it up the mountain. This isn't an oversite or mistake this is terrible management. They should check everything on paper, then check everything before going on vehicles, then check it all before the Sherpas carry it to basecamp and then a final check that every one equipment is compatible before it goes up the mountain. I've been on many diving trips some way out travelling through the desert, of course, you check you have the correct tanks. Sorry to go on but there is no excuse for this. It is appalling management. They are highly paid specialists and it is a life or death situation. Everything must be checked and rechecked, but it wasn't even checked ONCE!

Its amazing how close Dave and Mike became over such a short period. Mike must have been a pretty magnetic guy. I trust Daves description of the events especially considering its corroborated by the other witnesses on the mountain. Noticably absent are any other perspectives.

From my understanding asking around and digging, Michael most likely was having issues with his oxygen system. Michael was very strong and incredibly fit, what I kept getting told is he started to slow down after going up to camp 4. He probably wouldn't have realized he was suffering from lack of oxygen. His guide was always farther behind him on both ways. I believe Michael was left because he was slow. Now not one person said that he contacted base camp for help. He probably told Mike he was going to go ahead break trail and left him. He probably wasn't hooked into the roaps and fell off mountain. This was a case of guide not doing his job. This is why it's so important to know who you are working with, their was many red flags from the beginning.

There seems to be two groups of climbers. Those experienced and those who have money and just hire people to basically haul you up to the top.

“Sherpas”, never leave camp without one.

This really was an interesting video. I’ve already heard about this case, especially the emotional seek of his brother for his body, but I didn’t know that the whole organization of the expedition was a mere impertinence. So thank you very much for this part of the story worth to be known.

I have a strong opinion here. A guide is just a guide. Everest is a place where you must ultimately only rely on yourself. Mike had a responsibility to himself to turn around when the sherpa advised him to. Yes it sucks the guide chose to save himself from also being a statistic of Everest, but everyone knows going in what the stakes are. And this was a mere 3 seasons after the disastrous 1996 tragedy. I've also heard alot about Henry Todd over the years manipulating & monopolizing the lucrative oxygen market for Everest. Shame that so many shenanigans are associated with the most majestic mountain on Earth.

Wtf... they’re just gonna casually mention an attempted assault and not further elaborate!? Chased with an oxygen bottle?? WTF!? Lmaooo

It is horrible how he died but when climbing at such high altitudes, you must do you due diligence and accept the risks that the mountain poses.

FAMOUS LAST WORDS: That’s what we’re paying them the big bucks for! As nice of a guy as Mike was. He should not have been on that mountain period. Nonetheless, heartbreaking for his family. Would he be alive today if he was with a reputable climbing company, yes. But he wouldn’t have summited.

Concerning the death of Michael Matthews and the sheer incompetence of the company ott Expeditions, the term corporate manslaughter comes to mind.

Unless I am GUARANTEED A YETI, THAT CLIMB LOOKS LIKE THE MOST MISERABLE TIME EVER. I don't see what people see in climbing that mountain...

Nobody should be on that mountain unless they have years of experience and approved level of fitness. Truly heart breaking for the family, I hope they find peace

In my opinion not everybody is able to climb so high. But the climbers involved in such adventure, they must know the team work is so important!!

When people want to climb Everest, money should be paid to operate an annual clean up of the area.

I think before one decides to climb up the Mt. Everest, he or she must be physically fit. Experience in trekking, climbing, or hiking must be specifically considered. An amateur joining an adventure is risk. One has to asses their respective capability. Common sense is a simple answer for anyone.

When things get tough, people show you who they really are.

There’s almost no mention of the sherpas accompanying the clients. I thought it was usually one sherpa with each client. This seems very strange to me that this didn’t happen.

I would have thought the location his body was recovered would have shed additional light on the guides story. Update: body never recovered.

This sounds like the same problems and conditions that occurred in 1996, where 8 climbers died during a freak storm high on the mountain.

Nick Kekus sure has lot to answer to...

Enjoyed the classic footage, well told documentary of climbing Everest in the 90's and sad to see what can easily go wrong. Thanks for sharing

It is quite possible that Michael had pushed himself to the limit and suddenly fell ill with acute pulmonary or cerebral oedema and was no longer able to even keep on his feet or move. Add the gale force winds and it would have been impossible for the guide to carry him down the mountain on his own. He should have descended with his client when everyone else did. Michael looked absolutely exhausted in his top photo, totally drained of any reserves. Maybe the guide’s judgment was clouded by summit fever and he did not want to give up on his own summit bid?

I enjoy watching mountain climbing videos. The life and death risks that one takes for these is amazing. Not a climber myself though. Thanks for the videos.

I just don't understand why some people think it's worth risking their lives. The end result is so insignificant compared to the effort and risk it demands.

A part of me feels Michael made a fatal mistake by not going down with the rest of the team,that time they rested and regrouped,seemed to be necessary and a crucial part of the end result..He seemed to never fully recover from that mistake,yet he pushed on and again,his decision was a fatal one..I feel like his guide abandoning him was so unprofessional but clearly he wasn't qualified to guide because just assessing Michael's condition,he should've insisted they turn back..I don't understand the allure of risking your life on a mountain in horrendous conditions but apparently it's worth dying for..😔

Thank you for these docs! I'm planning to summit my first set of 14ers next July and August!

Thanks for the post. It seems the storms change the weather incredibly fast.

Ordering new /different bottles without the matching regulators is SOOO UN-PROFESSIONAL!!! 😱 The stupidity of the PEOPLE BEHIND OTT NOW CALLED ALPINE MOUNTAINEERING is criminal indeed!!! 🤬🤬🤬

This kind of docudrama fascinates me. Look forward to the more to come!

sorry i feel like we brushed past the fact that the guide attempted murder ;-;

One thing I have learned from watching all these documentaries about Everest. It is every man for himself and Don't depend on a guide to stay with you when you are not up to par.

to climb Everest you should have to climb Mt McKinley ..and or Cho Oyu first

Knowing there were problems with the oxygen tanks before ascending and not immediately notifying the clients of the issue, in fact keeping this information from them, and not allowing them to decide whether or to proceed regardless, is absolute negligence, period. They purposely kept that information from the clients, because it would most likely result in having to suspend the climb for everyone. That should be more than enough to legally and financially hold them accountable.

12:37 climbing Everest in the first place is the definition of an unnecessary risk.

If you can't even handle going back to base camp after a failed attempt, probably shouldn't be climing the everest.

This is what profiteering does... when businesses place more interest in profits and personal gains than interest in their clients and other people's lives and futures in general, you get bad outcomes.

I’m not arguing that the expedition company was a mess, but I wouldn’t necessarily blame Mike Smith for leaving Michael. Rob Hall didn’t leave his client even when everyone was telling him to and they both died. I know he’s seen as heroic for that, but he had an entire life to live and so did Mike Smith. I’m not saying he did the right thing, but based on the information we were given, I wouldn’t necessarily say he did the wrong thing either.

Why didn't anyone know about the oxygen bottles before they were high on the mountain. That seems like something they would check

*What so many people fail to realize about Michael Matthews, is that his older brother James (featured in this documentary at the beginning), is married to Catherine, The Princess Of Wales' sister Pippa Middleton. Michael would have had an amazing life if he had lived. My heart goes out to those who knew Michael and those who were on that fated expedition, who truly cared for Michael and his well being. My heart is heavy for their loss. RIP Michael*

The best and most experienced mountaineers seem to be the Sherpa

From each and every one of these documentaries I get one life lesson: always listen to the sherpa.

I'm sorry but I would have trusted the sherpa over the guide anyday

Organisers should have been arrested

Wow so many unanswered questions I'm sorry for your loss God be with You, this is Sue

I have a feeling Michael Mathews oxygen wasn’t working well from the start.

Wow! This is such a complex story. Who’s to blame? Is it the climber? Is OTT’s greed to blame, or is it John Tinker’s decision to move on with the oxygen bottles? I understand that Tinker may have had enough experience with the various manufacturers of oxygen bottles to think he can engineer a solution to their oxygen cylinder problem. However IMO there can’t be any doubts when it comes to whether the oxygen cylinders will work at such high altitude- the whole expedition hinges on having enough oxygen supply to reach the summit. As soon as Tinker realized the problem with the different cylinders and valves the expedition should be called off or at least postponed until the team could get new oxygen bottles.

I have always been fascinated with Everest and the people who risk their lives to climb it. It's hard to imagine what goes through the climbers head as they pass deceased climbers in the death zone. It takes a brave strong individual mentally and physically to climb this mountain.

Sad story. My condolences to Michael's family and friends. RIP.

The younger you are the higher risks you take whatever you are doing , driving , diving , sky diving , scuba diving , mountaineering etc , as you get older your life becomes very precious and you stop taking risks , that’s my take

So heart breaking for the families of Michael, to hear their son is left alone on the top of Everest alone.

Since I’m cold under 72 degrees.....nah!

Perhaps the agency and the guides should get paid upon the return of the client. The payment should go into an escrow type of account to protect all parties.

The story of the OTT Expedition leader trying to assault a client with an oxygen bottle at Camp 4 is just crazy. What if he had hit him? Then it is likely murder. How this company was continued to be allowed to operate such expeditions is puzzling. They failed to provide proper equipment, leadership and a guide left a client to die. It is not a wonder they changed their name. The guide who steered clear of this documentary is the ones truly at fault. He should have made Michael turn around. Should have been aware he was in trouble. And should have been with him as they descended in bad weather. That's his job!.

I just realised this Michael is Pippa Middleton’s brother in law

When planning trips abroad, probably best to avoid anywhere with a "Death Zone" 🇬🇧

So he was a good trader doesn't mean he was good at climbing everest just because you can afford something doesn't mean you should get everything

IMO a real, professional and decent person employed as a guide, would not get so far in front of the 1 and only person that they had to guide? How can you do that? And then not go back for them... (I realise that the conditions were beyond my experience and comprehension. But not the guide Mike's?) Yes I'm glad he saved his own life, I would have wanted to do the same. But I think that he let down Michael and it cost him his life...

The rules for the clients on expedition should be strictly done when the clients had been expecting the responsibility to their lives. Two members refused go down to the base camp and have a five day rest before the summit push. Near the summit Michael disobeyed twice that TURN AROUND because the weather changed so rapidly ! In my opinion this young man was TOO self confident with any discipline. And had any clients some troubles like lungs edem or the brain edem ? Nobody mentioned . I do not understand how much was the clients damaged because of the different O2 systems. Thanks. / On the other hand it must be very hard for his parents. I am the mother too.

They made him come back from camp 4 to base camp, just to go back again the next day, thats what killed him actually, not the mountain. He was to weak. Not the oxygen. Not the mountain. F them

Great documentary thank you

So they were essentially made to climb Everest twice weren’t they? That’s terribly hard on the human body

I’m so sorry for Mike’s devastating loss. I wonder though why árabe & Mike remained up in Camp 2 while the rest of the team went down to base camp when Mr. Tinker had to return due to a possible stroke. Wasn’t that their decision and wasn’t that a huge problem for them and for the team? It seems like there is inevitably a “perfect storm” of circumstances when there are deaths on the Mountain.

I always fascinated about Mt Everest, I love watching documentary … 🙌☝️🙏

I have back problems so I will never be able to part of actually experience, so these videos are allowing me to be living thru RU-vid. Thank you

That expedition was doomed from the start. Bad communication, false advertising about the oxygen, with holding information from the family. All huge red flags that that was a horribly managed company and I hope the family sued, at the least.

A very disturbing tragedy. It’s a very suspicious story,something seems very dark My condolences to the lovely parents. God bless Michael Rest In Peace

The summit was way more important than his trivial so-called friendship with Michael Matthews. Friends stay together at times like these. This expedition clearly lacked communication and teamwork and it literally amounted to "each man for himself" while on the mountain. 47:59

I think the responsible move after the oxygen bottle issue came to light would've been to issue something like a 25+% refund and reorganize off the mountain. Just being there, even ideally equipped, is still an incredibly dangerous thing, that is forgotten or ignored at one's own peril.