Gau Ming-ho

Gau was born in 1949 in Ruifang District, Taipei County (now New Taipei City). His hometown is in a mountainous area, and so he became interested in hiking and mountain photography. He made his first trip to Tibet in 1991, and thereafter climbed more than 100 mountains in mainland China.[1]

Gau led an expedition of seven climbers, where one died and others needed to be rescued by helicopter.[2]

On 10 May 1996, Gau reached the summit of Everest alongside the members of the Mountain Madness and Adventure Consultants expeditions. Like many climbers that day, Gau reached the summit an hour after the planned 2 pm turn-around time and was caught in the blizzard that eventually claimed the lives of eight other climbers. Suffering from exhaustion and with his oxygen supply depleted, Gau was unable to continue down the mountain, and was left in a bivouac with Lopsang Jangbu Sherpa and Mountain Madness Expedition leader Scott Fischer, who was also in physical distress. Lopsang eventually descended on his own to find help, leaving Gau and Fischer lying a few yards apart from each other. Sherpas found the two men the next day, but Fischer was too far gone to save, so they concentrated on rescuing Gau, managing to bring him back to Camp IV. Fischer eventually died on the mountain; his body was found by his climbing partner Anatoli Boukreev, and remains on Everest to this day.[3]

Gau and Adventure Consultants climber Beck Weathers, who had also survived a night of exposure on the mountain, were escorted down to Camp II with the help of other expedition teams, and both men were evacuated in one of the highest altitude helicopter rescues on Everest. Weathers gave up his seat so Gau could be evacuated first. Weathers spent over 10 months in the hospital and lost his right arm below the elbow, and his left hand fingers and thumb plus his nose due to severe frostbite. Gau also lost all his fingers of both hands, toes and his nose to frostbite.[3][4]

Gau has continued climbing, and in 2007 returned to Everest as a team leader.[5]

• 《一座山的勇氣》. 寶瓶文化事業有限公司 [Aquarius Publishing Company]. 2009. ISBN 9789866745775.