Frostbitten toes of Major Michael 'Bronco' Lane, 1976

'Bronco Lane is an exceptional soldier whose spirit of adventure and readiness to take risks has led him to the most extreme and dangerous places on earth - including the summit of Mt. Everest.' - General Michael Rose.

In 1976 legendary climber Major Michael 'Bronco' Lane joined the first all-military expedition to climb Mount Everest. Bronco and Sergeant John 'Brummie' Stokes reached the summit, but on the way down terrible weather forced them to spend the night in a snow hole. With his fellow climber suffering from snow blindness and breathing becoming difficult, Bronco had to remove his glove to open an oxygen bottle. When he did this he knew he would probably lose his fingers to frostbite. Both climbers also lost all of their toes.