Ian Woodall

Ian Woodall was the former military officer who led the climbers from South Africa.

The South Africans were even less qualified to climb the highest peaks in the world,
but no one seemed to care. This expedition was well funded - sponsored by a major
newspaper - and the source of great national pride for that country of rolling hills and small mountains. They were led by a smooth-talking former military officer named Ian Woodall. Woodall was looking to make a name for himself as a leader, and it didn’t matter to him that he was leading a group largely unqualified for the climb. Later we would learn that Woodall had lied about his climbing record. He'd never climbed anywhere near 25,000 feet, as he claimed. In fact, he hadn't climbed much of anything.
Woodall had also lied about expedition finances and even lied about who was named on
the official climbing permit.