In the spring of 1982, two of Britain's most celebrated mountaineers embarked on a bold attempt to conquer one of Mount Everest's last great unclimbed lines. Peter Boardman, 31, and Joe Tasker, 33, vanished into the mountain's perilous 'death zone' and were never seen alive again, their final hours shrouded in mystery and tragedy.
The Ascent into the Unknown
Boardman and Tasker were at the peak of their climbing careers, renowned for their lightweight, alpine-style expeditions in the Himalayas. In May 1982, they were part of a small British team led by the legendary Sir Chris Bonington, aiming to scale the formidable North East Ridge. This terrifying route, guarded by the notorious Three Pinnacles, had never been successfully climbed and was considered one of the mountain's most dangerous challenges.
The pair were close friends and trusted climbing partners, a bond forged on previous harrowing expeditions like their 1980 attempt on K2. They opted to climb without supplemental bottled oxygen, a decision that dramatically increased the risk at altitudes where the human body begins to deteriorate rapidly.
A Fateful Push and a Chilling Disappearance
On 17 May 1982, Boardman and Tasker left their high camp and began their push along the upper ridge. Other climbers watched them make steady progress towards the Second Pinnacle, over 8,000 metres above sea level. The mountain was already in a deadly mood; just two days earlier, American climber Marty Hoey had fallen to her death on the north face.
Through binoculars at twilight, Bonington watched helplessly as his two teammates vanished behind the Second Pinnacle. In his subsequent report to the Chinese Mountaineering Association, he wrote of the agonising wait. "They vanished at twilight behind the second of two large pinnacles," he stated, concluding that a calamity must have occurred.
Too exhausted to follow, Bonington feared they had fallen down the immense Kangshung Face. He later reflected, "It seemed unimaginable that they could have remained out of sight four nights and five days... particularly at that altitude, where the human body deteriorates extremely fast."
Legacy and a Lasting Mystery
The loss sent shockwaves through the global climbing community. Bonington praised their "great mountain judgment", noting they were both bold and prudently cautious. The expedition had been high-risk from the start, with only four main climbers, one of whom had already been evacuated.
For a decade, their fate remained unknown. Then, in 1992, climbers discovered a body near the Second Pinnacle, identified by clothing and equipment as Peter Boardman. The remains of Joe Tasker have never been found.
Both men were gifted writers who left a powerful literary legacy. Tasker's posthumously published 'Savage Arena' and Boardman's works captured the essence of mountaineering. In their honour, the Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature was established, a lasting tribute to two elite climbers who lived and ultimately died for the mountains.
