원정 개요

12 May 3:30 am (Chinese time) left C2 together and alone (no other team sent people to top that day). Poppe on top 12:00 noon and Roesner 12:30 pm. Poppe stayed 1 hour enjoying view of Everest (waited half hour for Roesner). Roesner stayed longer but Poppe had bad headache (not well acclimatized) and went down slowly and in C2 9:30 pm. Roesner not in tent as Poppe had expected since Roesner well acclimatized and should have descended faster. Poppe never saw Roesner again but OTT team member saw his headlamp falling +:00 am on 13th and went to body.

28 May 98 - Prax saw a body falling (not lamp) falling just past C3 direct route - saw spendrift and then realized body falling 2 meters from him, hit rocks and continuing on down 100m below his C3 to about 7400m. Pearson went to body while going up by moonlight and saw silhoutte of person; found him in one piece very dead. Others in that area on 19th and 20th could not find him, knew Roesner was missing and assumed was Roesner: DAV took pix which identified him. Both Germans were very tired when they reached C2 but still continued up - were showing signs of altitude effect: not moving well.

28 May 98 - Robert Rackl, leader of Amical German expedition: Poppe and Roesner were inexperienced climbers, had no organization, were picked up as clients by German company of bad reputation run by Hans Eitel - were not at all acclimatized when went high on Cho Oyu, had rushed to high altitude too soon - maybe were taking pep pills.