'Dead' Aussie climber found alive on Everest

Australian climber Lincoln Hall is alive but suffering frostbite and cerebral edema, and is on his way down the world's tallest mountain, Mount Everest.

A dramatic rescue attempt was last night underway on the slopes of Mt Everest, after Hall, previously thought to be dead, was found alive after a night in the open.

AAP reported Hall's expedition mate, Michael Dillon as saying Hall is at the North Col camp, 7,000m above sea level.

Hall's Sydney friend, Simon Balderstone, told AAP that Hall is in the hands of an expedition doctor, but there are grave concerns about his health.

"He has frostbite, although we don't know to what extent. He has cerebral edema and is severely ill. And he has been (medically) treated" Balderstone, told AAP.

Sydney Morning Herald today reported Russian base camp commander, Alex Abramov as saying Hall was concious: "He in consciousness, however not completely understands what happens."

Mr Abramov said a group of sherpas would bring Hall down to 6400m today.

Hall conquered the world's tallest peak on Thursday, but during the descent lost energy and became weak.

He was pronounced dead by Russian expedition leader Alexander Abramov in a posting to website mounteverest.net.

He said Hall's death - believed to have been the result of cerebral edema - had been "verified".

Hall is believed to have quickly developed high altitude cerebral edema. He began to hallucinate and refused to move down the rope.

His two Sherpas gradually moved him to the second step, but when their oxygen supplies ran out they were ordered to leave Hall and save their own lives, returning to the Camp 3 at 8200m.

But yesterday another professional guide headed for the summit, Dan Mazur, found Hall still alive at the second step and gave him hot tea and oxygen and called his expedition, then continued on to the summit with his client.

Later Australian climber and Everest summiteer Duncan Chessell confirmed a climber had found Hall alive and set in train a rescue operation.

Chessell said he had been told by radio that Hall was being helped down the mountain by Russian team Sherpas and had been gaining in strength. "This is perhaps the most dramatic rescue on the mountain," Chessell said.

Abramov had sent the Sherpas to help Hall, sending them back up the mountain with fresh oxygen and a stretcher, Chessell told the Melbourne Age.

A New Zealand mountain guide on Everest, Jamie McGuinness, was understood to be involved in the rescue attempt.

"So far, Jamie McGuinness, who has already rescued one man from 8845m this season, is the only man able to move back up the hill from our team of 14 Westerners and 12 climbing Sherpa," the team reported on mounteverest.net.

McGuinness, whose mother Margaret lives in Gisborne, previously directed the rescue of a sick Cape Town climber, Selebelo Selamolela, from the summit.

He used a party of 18 Sherpas to get the commercial client back down the mountain alive.

Hall's wife, Barbara Scanlan, and their two sons, Dylan, 17, and Dorje, 15, were last night waiting for more news of the dramatic turn of events.