Andy Harris (mountain guide)

At the time of his death, Harris was survived by his parents Ron and Marry Harris, his older brother David Harris, and his physician girlfriend Fiona McPherson. He was living with McPherson and in the process of building a house with her in the hills outside Queenstown.{{Cite web|title = SparkNotes: Into Thin Air: Chapter 4|url = http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/thinair/section4.rhtml|website = www.sparknotes.com|access-date = 2015-12-26}}

At a younger age, Harris was a student at Francis Douglas Memorial College in New Plymouth.{{Cite news|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/3701311/Boys-school-hears-heros-tale-of-bravery|title=Boys' school hears hero's tale of bravery|last=Johnston|first=Kirsty|date=2010-05-15|newspaper=Stuff.co.nz|language=en|access-date=2016-06-25}} During the winter months, Harris was employed as a helicopter skiing guide. During the summers, he worked for scientists conducting archaeological research in Antarctica as a New Zealand Antarctic Research Programme (NZARP) field leader from 1987 until 1992,{{Cite web|url=http://geographic.org/geographic_names/antname.php?uni=17649&fid=antgeo_127|title=Harris Peak, Antarctica - Geographical Names, map, geographic coordinates|website=geographic.org|access-date=2016-07-21}} and escorted climbers into New Zealand's Southern Alps.{{Cite news|url=https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpt1/v/t1.0-9/13244807_10206298941018433_9024299054704426036_n.jpg?oh=9ad8e8f33908d5a0bd77b98cb81d4dd5&oe=580759C7&__gda__=1475170766_3bf37b2d0229bb0701f8e8956605f1d1|title=NP man to lead assault on Mt Everest}}{{Cite web|url=http://geonames.usgs.gov/apex/f?p=gnispq:5:0::NO::P5_ANTAR_ID:17649|title=Antarctica Detail|website=geonames.usgs.gov|access-date=2016-07-21}}

In 1985 Harris climbed Chobutse (6690m), a difficult peak which stands {{convert|44|km|mi}} west of Everest. In the fall of 1994, he helped McPherson in a medical clinic in Pheriche. The clinic's main purpose was to treat altitude-related illnesses.

{{main|1996 Mount Everest disaster}}

The Adventure Consultants' Everest expedition of 1996 consisted of three guides (Rob Hall, Mike Groom, and Andy Harris) and eight clients (Frank Fischbeck, Doug Hansen, Stuart Hutchison, Lou Kasischke, Jon Krakauer, Yasuko Namba, John Taske, and Beck Weathers).

Before even reaching Base Camp, Harris suffered from multiple gastrointestinal attacks at the lodge in Lobuje, while the party was preparing to go to Base Camp. Despite being advised to remain at Lobuje one more night, Harris proceeded to Base Camp with the rest of the party on 8 April 1996.

On 8 May during a climb, Harris was struck in the chest by a boulder the size of a small television. Although shocked, Harris continued to climb, but later realized that if the boulder had hit his head, he would not have survived.{{Cite web|title = SparkNotes: Into Thin Air: Chapter 11|url = http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/thinair/section11.rhtml|website = www.sparknotes.com|access-date = 2015-12-26}}

On May 9 at 11:30 p.m. local time the group - followed shortly thereafter by several other expeditions - headed for the summit.{{Cite web |url=https://www.himalayandatabase.com/online.html |title=Himalayan Database Online |last=Hawley|first=Elizabeth |date=November 2023|website=The Himalayan Database |publisher=The Himalayan Database |access-date=January 1, 2025}} A climber from another expedition called them "old" and "slow." In the early hours of May 10 one client and a Sherpa aborted their climb,Boukreev, A., DeWalt, G. W. (2015). The Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest. United States: St. Martin's Publishing Group. and by noon five out of eight team members had ended their summit bids.Kasischke, L. W. (2014). After the Wind: 1996 Everest Tragedy : One Survivor's Story. United States: Good Hart Publishing.

At approximately 1:12 p.m., Harris, Anatoli Boukreev, and Krakauer reached the top of Everest. They then started to descend. Krakauer asked Harris if Harris could turn off Krakauer's oxygen, to save it. Harris complied but accidentally turned the oxygen all the way up.{{Cite web|title = SparkNotes: Into Thin Air: Chapter 14|url = http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/thinair/section14.rhtml|website =sparknotes.com|access-date = 2015-12-26}}

Later on, Harris checked on some oxygen canisters near the Southeast Ridge, and stated they were all empty, which they were not. It is believed Harris was suffering from hypoxia, which would explain some of the irrational actions he took. It has, however, never been proven.

Upon returning to Camp IV, Krakauer, possibly suffering from the effects of hypoxia, believed he had encountered Harris on the ridge above camp. Krakauer reported having seen him fall over the ridge to camp, stand, and stumble back towards camp. Krakauer, meanwhile, took the longer route around back to the tents but reported to others at camp that Harris had safely returned. Months later, while interviewing Mountain Madness client Martin Adams, Krakauer realized that the climber he encountered was in fact Adams and not Harris. In the morning, on May 11, after a search of camp, the climbers at Camp IV realized that Harris was missing.{{Cite web|title = SparkNotes: Into Thin Air: Chapter 16|url = http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/thinair/section16.rhtml|website =sparknotes.com|access-date = 2022-05-05}}

Krakauer, who survived the disaster, wrote a magazine article and then a book on the subject after the events. Regarding his failure to recognize that Andy Harris was weakened and acting irrationally from altitude and lack of oxygen, Krakauer wrote that his own "actions – or failure to act – played a direct role in the death of Andy Harris."{{Cite web|title = Sacrificed to the fatal lure of Everest|url = https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/sacrificed-to-the-fatal-lure-of-everest-1262196.html|website = The Independent| date=17 May 1997 |access-date = 2015-12-25|language = en-GB}}

Harris's ice axe and jacket were found near Rob Hall's body several days later. Before he died, Hall also mentioned that Harris had been with him, but was now missing.{{Cite news|title = Everest's history marked in blood|url = http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/asia/8729630/Everests-history-marked-in-blood|newspaper = Stuff.co.nz|date = 2013-05-29|access-date = 2015-12-25|language = en|first = Michael|last = Daly}} It is likely that Harris went to aid Rob Hall and Doug Hansen when they were trapped higher up on the mountain as the storm came in.{{Cite web|title = Everest - Mount Everest by climbers, news|url = http://www.mounteverest.net/story/stories/ToRobMay262004.shtml|website = www.mounteverest.net|access-date = 2015-12-25|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160126202832/http://www.mounteverest.net/story/stories/ToRobMay262004.shtml|archive-date = 26 January 2016|url-status = dead|df = dmy-all}} It is unknown what happened to him, as his body was never found.{{Cite web|title = NOVA Online {{!}} Everest {{!}} High Exposure, Epilogue|url = https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/everest/exposure/epilogue.html|website = www.pbs.org|access-date = 2015-12-25}}

A few minutes from Gorakshep towards the Everest Base Camp, a memorial was built for the members of the Adventure Consultants' team that died during the expedition: Andy Harris, Rob Hall, Doug Hansen and Yasuko Namba.{{Cite web|url = http://www.mountainsoftravelphotos.com/Everest/Gorak%20Shep/slides/11%20Memorial%20Chortens%20Next%20To%20Gorak%20Shep%20For%20Rob%20Hall,%20Doug%20Hansen,%20Andy%20Harris,%20Yasuko%20Namba,%20Bruce%20Herrod.html|title = Everest {{!}} Memorial Chortens|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160708101807/http://www.mountainsoftravelphotos.com/Everest/Gorak%20Shep/slides/11%20Memorial%20Chortens%20Next%20To%20Gorak%20Shep%20For%20Rob%20Hall,%20Doug%20Hansen,%20Andy%20Harris,%20Yasuko%20Namba,%20Bruce%20Herrod.html|archive-date = 8 July 2016|url-status = dead}}

In 1998, New Zealand Geographic Board named a peak at Victoria Land, Antarctica, after Harris. Harris Peak is located between Mount Hall and Ball Peak, names associated with Harris's.

For his bravery, Harris received the New Zealand Bravery Star in 1999,{{Cite web|url=http://medals.nzdf.mil.nz/category/d/d4recipients.html#harris|title=Recipients of the New Zealand Bravery Star|website=medals.nzdf.mil.nz|access-date=2016-06-25}} and his old school held a special tribute in his honor.

In the 2015 film Everest, Harris was portrayed by actor Martin Henderson.

• List of Mount Everest guides

{{Reflist|30em}}

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Category:1964 births

Category:1996 deaths

Category:New Zealand mountain climbers

Category:Mountain guides

Category:Mountaineering deaths on Mount Everest

Category:Recipients of the New Zealand Bravery Star

Category:People educated at Francis Douglas Memorial College