Adventure Consultants

{{Short description|Adventure travel company}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}} {{Use New Zealand English|date=April 2024}} {{Infobox company | name = Adventure Consultants, Ltd. | logo = Adventure Consultants Logo.png | logo_size = | logo_alt = | logo_caption = | logo_padding = | image = | image_size = | image_alt = | image_caption = | native_name = | native_name_lang =  | former_name = Hall and Ball Adventure Consultants | type = Limited | industry = Adventure travel | founded = {{start date|1991}} in Christchurch, New Zealand | founders = Rob Hall<br>Gary Ball | hq_location_city = Lake Hāwea | hq_location_country = New Zealand | areas_served = {{ublist |Himalayas|Antarctica|Arctic|South America|Seven Summits|New Zealand|Europe}} | key_people = Guy Cotter (CEO) | products = | brands = | services = {{ublist |Treks|Wilderness journeys|Mountaineering guiding|Climbing schools}} | owner =  | website = {{URL|adventureconsultants.com}} }}

thumb|Everest's peak from Gokyo Ri

'''Adventure Consultants''', formerly '''Hall and Ball Adventure Consultants''', is a New Zealand-based adventure company that brings trekking and climbing groups to various locations. Founded by Rob Hall and Gary Ball in 1991, it helped pioneer the commercialisation of Mount Everest, During its 1996 Mount Everest climb eight people died, including Hall, a guide, and two Adventure Consultant clients.<ref name="walter">{{Cite book |last1=Wright |first1=Walter Clifford |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QrIz_AOSusQC&dq=Adventure+Consultants&pg=PA115 |title=Don't Step on the Rope!: Reflections on Leadership, Relationships and Teamwork |last2=Wright |first2=Walter |date=2005 |publisher=Biblica |isbn=978-1-84227-359-3 |pages=115–116 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="mt">{{Cite book |last1=Musa |first1=Ghazali |last2=Higham |first2=James |last3=Carr |first3=Anna Thompson |date=5 June 2015 |title=Mountaineering Tourism |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gFnLCQAAQBAJ&dq=Adventure+Consultants&pg=PA95 |publisher=Routledge |page=95 |isbn=9781317668749 |via=Google Books}}</ref>

Prior to starting Adventure Consultants, Hall and Ball climbed the Seven Summits in a seven-month time frame. Heavily covered by the media, they became celebrities in New Zealand.<ref name="greg">{{Cite book |last=Child |first=Greg |date=31 July 2000 |title=Postcards from the Ledge: Collected Mountaineering Writings of Greg Child |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v18HOmSk5FsC&dq=Adventure+Consultants&pg=PA184 |publisher=The Mountaineers Books |page=184 |isbn=9780898867534 |via=Google Books}}</ref> They undertook 47 expeditions together; their friendship was noted in the mountaineering world.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C9-BAAAAMAAJ&q=Adventure+Consultants|title=Hall & Ball: Kiwi Mountaineers : from Mount Cook to Everest|first=Colin|last=Monteath|date=31 December 1997|publisher=Cloudcap|isbn=9780938567424 |via=Google Books}}</ref>

Following the deaths of Ball and Hall, the company was purchased by Guy Cotter, who continued to operate the business.<ref name=mt/>

==History== thumb|Dhaulagiri is also in the Himalayas and peaks at 8,167 m (26,795 ft) Gary Ball and Rob Hall founded Adventure Consultants in 1991, while based in New Zealand.<ref name=mt/> They were famous New Zealand climbers that got attention for offering commercial trips to Mount Everest's summit.<ref name=walter/> However, Gary died in 1993, and Hall in 1996, leaving the company to Guy Cotter.<ref name=mt/> By the time of Rob's death, Rob had led 39 people to the summit of Mount Everest.<ref name=greg/>

Rob Hall's friend and climbing partner Gary Ball died in his arms on {{cvt|8167|m|ft}} Dhaulagiri in October 1993.<ref name="matt">{{Cite book |last=Dickinson |first=Matt |date=31 May 2011 |title=Death Zone |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZZbKxTebmyYC&dq=Adventure+Consultants&pg=PA16 |publisher=Random House |pages=15–16 |isbn=9781446474815 |via=Google Books}}</ref> Ball had come down with a case of high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) at six and a half kilometres altitude.<ref name=matt/><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hVXJCQAAQBAJ&q=gary+ball+pulmonary+edema&pg=PT245|title = Lydia Bradey: Going up is Easy|isbn = 9781743486979|last1 = Fearnley|first1 = Laurence|date = 29 May 2015| publisher=Penguin Books Limited }}</ref> Despite this loss, Hall went on to lead a highly successful expedition to Mount Everest in 1994 with Ed Viesturs.<ref name=matt/> This was Hall's fourth summit of Everest.<ref name=matt/> In 1995 Hall's expedition had to turn back because of bad weather as they neared the summit.<ref name=matt/> In May 1996 Hall and a group of climbers made it to the summit of Mount Everest, but he and several other members of his party died on the way down.<ref name=walter/> This event had a noted impact on media, appearing in various books and films.<ref name=walter/> The disaster became very well known, with ten million people reading about it in the book ''Into Thin Air'', written by Jon Krakauer (who was actually on the expedition) and hearing it referenced in a highly acclaimed IMAX film, shot during the same disastrous climbing season, although the filmmakers summited later in the season.<ref name="Matzer/LATimes1">{{cite web|author=Matzer, Marla|url=http://articles.latimes.com/1998/mar/28/entertainment/ca-33430/2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141221131802/http://articles.latimes.com/1998/mar/28/entertainment/ca-33430/2 |url-status=dead |archive-date=21 December 2014 |title= 'Everest' Lifts Imax to Dramatic New Peaks |work=Los Angeles Times |date=28 March 1998 |access-date=20 November 2014}}</ref>

In 1996, Hall also employed two Sherpa people, Ang Dorje Sherpa and Ngawang Norbu Sherpa who managed to survive.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=geaSkulk8KwC&dq=Adventure+Consultants&pg=PA319|title=The Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest|first1=Anatoli|last1=Boukreev|first2=G. Weston|last2=DeWalt|date=16 July 1999|publisher=Macmillan|isbn=9780312206376 |via=Google Books}}</ref> (see also List of people who died climbing Mount Everest)

Despite the disaster in the spring 1996 and the death of Rob Hall, the company already had clients for a Cho Oyu expedition.<ref name="ed">{{Cite book |last1=Viesturs |first1=Ed |last2=Roberts |first2=David |date=27 November 2007 |title=No Shortcuts to the Top: Climbing the World's 14 Highest Peaks |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SR6t3NLknUYC&dq=Adventure+Consultants&pg=PA179 |publisher=Crown |page=179 |isbn=9780767924719 |via=Google Books}}</ref> Rather than cancel, Guy Cotter took over and successfully led the Cho Oyu expedition in the autumn of 1996.<ref name=ed/>

The company guided a climb on the Matterhorn.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Jeffries|first1=Jane|title=Facing up to the deadly Matterhorn|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11479657 |access-date=19 July 2015 |work=The New Zealand Herald |date=12 July 2015}}</ref> Another peak they have offered guided climbs on is Carstensz Pyramid.<ref name=carol>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RX2cBQAAQBAJ&dq=Adventure+Consultants&pg=PT9|title=Brightest of Silver Linings: Climbing Carstensz Pyramid In Papua At Age 65|first=Carol|last=Masheter|date=27 November 2014|publisher=eBookIt.com|isbn=9781456623388 |via=Google Books}}</ref> The pyramid has noted difficulties that have to be navigated when getting to the mountain.<ref name=carol/> One route is through jungle, although some have tried to go through a nearby mine only to be taken prisoner, caged in a metal box, and escaping only after paying a bribe.<ref name=carol/>

By 2013 the company had led 19 expeditions to Mount Everest.<ref name="mark">{{Cite web |last=Jenkins |first=Mark |date=4 June 2019 |title=Here's How Climbers Are Ruining Mount Everest |url=https://www.rd.com/article/everest-the-mess-at-the-top-of-the-world/ |website=Reader's Digest}}</ref>

The company was contacted for information about hurt climbers during the 2015 Mount Everest avalanche, and they reported that people had been evacuated, including one Sherpa who was sent to Kathmandu Medical College.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/climbing/aftermath-everest/|title=The Aftermath on Everest|first=Grayson|last=Schaffer|date=26 April 2015|website=Outside Online}}</ref> In the aftermath of the avalanche, Adventure Consultants worked to collect and donate to the victims of the disaster.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://adventuremagazine.co.nz/everest-base-camp-avalanche-2015-victim-support/ |title=Everest Base Camp Avalanche 2015 Victim Support |access-date=18 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150723065447/http://adventuremagazine.co.nz/everest-base-camp-avalanche-2015-victim-support/ |archive-date=23 July 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In the 2015 Avalanche, six Nepali employees died and another nine were injured.<ref name="advc-everest">{{cite web|url=http://www.humanedgetech.com/expedition/ac111/|title=Adventure Consultants Everest 2015 – Dispatches – By CONTACT5.0|author=Human Edge Tech, Explorersweb Inc.|publisher=|access-date=6 May 2015}}</ref> In response the company coordinated aid to both its employees and other aid organisations in Nepal (because of widespread damage from the 2015 Nepal earthquake).<ref name="advc-everest"/> Some of the victims:<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.explorersweb.com/everest_k2/news.php?url=everest-names-of-avalanche-victims_1430306452 |title=Explorersweb Everest: List of Avalanche Victims |access-date=22 July 2015 |archive-date=15 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215022401/https://www.explorersweb.com/everest_k2/news.php?url=everest-names-of-avalanche-victims_1430306452 |url-status=dead }}</ref> *Dawa Tsering Sherpa *Pema Yishi Sherpa *Chhimi Dawa Sherpa *Pemba Sherpa *Maila Rai Also: *Jangbu Sherpa{{mdash}} died of injuries night of 1 to 2 May 2015 at a Hospital in Kathmandu.<ref name=sad>[http://www.humanedgetech.com/expedition/ac111/ Sad News ]</ref> The AC team attended his funeral days later noting, "..he will be greatly missed."<ref name=sad/><ref>[http://www.humanedgetech.com/expedition/ac111/ AC111]</ref>

One of the charities set up by the company was the Adventure Consultants Sherpa Future Fund, which helps provide education and other benefits to the children of those killed.<ref name="advc-everest"/> {{Wide image|Sunset_on_Everest.JPG|800px|{{center|Sunset rays light up the peak of Everest's North face}}}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

Category:Adventure travel Category:Climbing and mountaineering organizations Category:Ecotourism Category:Mountain guides Category:Mountaineering in New Zealand Category:Mountaineering deaths in Nepal