Russell Brice

Russell Reginald Brice ( born July 3, 1952) is a New Zealand mountaineer and owner-manager of the expedition company Himalayan Experience. He ascended the Himal Chuli, Manaslu, Mount Everest twice and nine times the Cho Oyu. In 1988, he and Harry Taylor were the first to introduce the so-called "Three Pinnacles " defeated on the northeast ridge of Everest, which are inaccessible to the east of the normal route.

Brice leads expeditions to the Himalayas since 1974. Together with Peter Athans he is regarded as the most experienced Expedition Leader on Everest.

In the media he was known as his expeditions in the years 2006, 2007 and 2009 on Everest from Discovery Channel for the TV series Everest: Beyond the Limit were filmed.

Criticism

In May 2006, Brice was part of the controversy surrounding the death of Briton David Sharp, who during the photographs for documentation Everest - died with the death of the Discovery Channel game. Sharp had bought only a minimal support with little oxygen and a Sherpa for his summit ambitions with another company ( Asian Trekking ). He had stood the day before the summit. The descent from the summit, however, denied his forces, he was due to exhaustion are the " First Step " on the northeast ridge at an altitude of about 8500 meters. He was abandoned by his accompanying Sherpa on the instructions of the team leader, so that he could get to safety. Sharp had used up all its oxygen. In the frigid, windy night he suffered frostbite and was the next morning already unconscious.

Early in the morning went nearly 50 climbers passed him. Also Brice's team happened on the summit rise the dying Sharp. Brice herself was at this time on the North Col at 7000 meters above sea level and then watched his team in daylight with a telescope. This team and Brice were later criticized in the media and by Edmund Hillary sharp for the British left lying and did nothing for his rescue. The justification Brice, this amount could be no salvation conduct is contrary to the fact that in 2001 more difficult two climbers of the expedition group of Russell Brice of the expedition of Eric Simonson of a lot and higher position - specifically, from the Third Step - were rescued.