Who assumes leadership of the expedition after Rob Hall and Andy Harris are dead and Mike Groom is incapacitated?

• A. Stuart Hutchinson
• B. Mike Groom
• C. Beck Weathers
• D. Lhakpa Sherpa

Answer: (A)

The situation tests who can step up and organize a retreat when the official leaders are gone and the remaining climbers can’t carry the load. In this crisis, Stuart Hutchinson, a client on the expedition, takes the lead. He becomes the person who makes the key calls about descent, coordinates who goes down when, and keeps the group moving toward safety as the others fall away or are rendered unable to act. Mike Groom is unable to lead due to his incapacitation, Beck Weathers is a fellow climber struggling with injuries, and Lhakpa Sherpa supports the team but does not assume overall leadership of the expedition. Hutchinson’s leadership emerges from the need for someone on the ground to assume responsibility and guide the survivors to descend.