Jim Williams still wants to conquer Mount Everest, despite being close by when several climbers died in storms there last May.
By Tim Persyn
Professional mountain guide Jim Williams grew up in Saratoga, getting his start as a rock climber at age 10 in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
He'd come a long way by the time he found himself on Mt. Everest last May at the age of 41, one or two days below several groups of climbers that suffered fatalities in the mountain's treacherous climate.
"It's a beautiful, magical place," he said of Everest. However, he added, "When the weather's bad, it's bad enough to kill people."
Williams was on Everest as one of three professional guides for a group of paying clients trying to reach the summit. When his group learned via radio contact that other climbers in groups ahead were missing in tough weather, the other two guides in his group, Peter Athans and Todd Burleson of Alpine Ascents International ventured off to try and help. Williams settled in at a camp below to help those coming down.
When the guides returned, they said the conditions ahead had become extremely windy and difficult. A Time magazine article reported that a storm had caused visibility to drop to zero and the wind chill to plunge to -140 degrees Fahrenheit.
Williams said the climbers in trouble spent the night without sleeping bags or oxygen at a high altitude.
Although Athans and Burleson were able to evacuate most of the climbers in a group led by Rob Hall, a famous climber, Williams said that five people died on his side of the mountain in one day.
Two of those who died were Hall and Scott Fischer, two renowned climbers. Athans said he and Burleson wanted to reach these two, but couldn't because of the bad weather.
After the incident, Williams' group headed down the mountain, then tried another ascent, but decided to abandon the attempt due to exhaustion.
Speaking over the phone from his home in Wyoming after the incident, Williams said that one of the biggest challenges in climbing Everest is the extended length of any ascent attempt. Climbing Mt. Everest takes about 45 days, he said.
"You're there, you can't get out, you're not going home today," he said.
The long duration of an Everest ascent is compounded by the rigorous climb that the mountain requires of anyone who wants to get to the top.
Certainly, climbing Everest is not for the faint of heart. But Williams doesn't suffer from a faint heart. In fact, this former Saratoga High School student once trekked to the South Pole. Williams also takes pride in having ascended a previously unclimbed peak in China, Ru-Dshe Konka.
Despite the recent tragedy on Everest, he says he feels no reluctance about going back, although he thinks lessons can be learned from the incident. "What we need to do is learn--we need to come up with a protocol that will keep, as best we can, those situations from arising again," he said.
Although the thought of having Everest as a work environment might terrify some, no mere desk job could possibly suit Williams' adventurous spirit. "I especially like going to unexplored regions," said Williams of his role as a guide. "I'm proud of the fact I've been able to explore new and exciting places while taking other people there."
Williams has always possessed a free spirit, according to his sister, Mary. "He was always wanting to take a challenge, but was always smart about it," she said. "You never knew what kind of adventure he was going to go through."
Soon, Williams will be heading off to Pakistan, China, Nepal and South America, each destination a long way from the rocks in Castle Rock Park, near Saratoga, which he explored as a youth to build his skills.
It has been a long journey for Williams, who now owns his own mountaineering company, called Professional Mountain Guides.
He commented on his relationship to the mountains: "It's a comfortable place for me."
This article appeared in the Saratoga News, July 31, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved