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Everest 1982: The Unresolved Vanishing of Boardman and Tasker

Their attempt on the unclimbed North East Ridge without supplemental oxygen ended in a mystery partially clarified years later by the identification of Peter Boardman’s remains.

Overview

  • On May 17, 1982, expedition leader Sir Chris Bonington watched Peter Boardman and Joe Tasker disappear behind Everest’s Second Pinnacle high on the North East Ridge.
  • Bonington reported that he believed the pair likely fell toward the Kangshung Face after they did not reappear in the days that followed.
  • The British team was small and weakened when lead climber Dick Renshaw was evacuated with stroke-like symptoms, leaving Boardman and Tasker to lead the final push.
  • A body found near the Second Pinnacle about a decade later was identified by clothing and equipment as Boardman, while Tasker’s remains have never been recovered.
  • Both men were acclaimed writers, and their legacy is honored through the Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature.