Sir Hillary didn't think much of his actions..
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Frostbitten Inglis faces knife
27 May 2006
Double-amputee Mark Inglis has been admitted to Christchurch Hospital and may lose some of his fingers, less than a fortnight after reaching the summit of Mount Everest.
Speaking from Inglis' hospital bedside, wife Anne Inglis said he may lose several fingers from the frostbite he suffered climbing the 8850m mountain.
"He may lose one and maybe another two down to the first joint."
Worst affected were his "pinky" fingers on both hands, she said.
"It takes minutes to set in but months to fix," Mark Inglis said.
Asked if it was as painful as his last bout of frostbite, Inglis said, "Buggered if I can remember".
In 1982, Inglis was trapped in an ice cave on Mount Cook for 14 days with fellow climber Phil Doole.
Both suffered serious frostbite and had their legs amputated below the knees.
Anne Inglis said Mark was in quite a bit of pain, but that had not dampened his enthusiasm.
His immediate goal was to recover, but he planned to be back on his speaking circuit in two weeks, she said.
Mark Inglis said he wanted to get out of hospital "as soon as I can".
Anne Inglis said her husband would remain in hospital for the next few days while doctors monitored progress on the frostbite.
"It is just a matter of time to see what the damage is," she said.
Earlier this week Inglis was criticised by the first man to conquer Everest, Sir Edmund Hillary, after his party did not stop to help an ailing climber, Englishman David Sharp, who later died.
"I don't approve of the fact he just rang up base camp and let them know about the guy out there ... that attitude to me is pathetic," Hillary said.
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