Gamow bag A Gamow bag is a large bag that someone suffering from severe altitude sickness can be placed in, while someone else outside the bag pumps to raise the pressure inside the bag. It is the most effective emergency treatment, short of evacuation (provided the pumper doesn't go to sleep, in which case...).

1996 For those living on the moon (or Paris):

In the spring of 1996 an Adventure Consultants expedition (led by Rob Hall) and a Mountain Madness expedition (led by Scott Fischer) made an attempt on the summit of Everest. Most reached the summit, but because of various foul ups, they were very late in descending, and were caught in an afternoon storm, which that day was unusually severe. Several climbers died, including the leaders of both expeditions, and several more were severely frost-bitten. Rob Hall had waited for a client [Doug Hansen] who had collapsed near the summit. He was trapped very high by the storm and died the next day. At least four books have been written by those who survived (one, by Krakauer, topped the best seller list in the US for many weeks). Also ABC television showed a documentary (quite good), and a made-for-TV movie (execrable judging from the 10 minutes I saw).