Everest 1997 the first Kazakh expedition to Everest.
My first own business was related to the service of foreign climbers in the mountains, the company Asia Tourism, and some of the clients expressed their desire that I organize an expedition to Everest for them. 
Then I also collaborated with Ilyinsky E.T. and invited him to include in the expedition also Kazakhstani climbers, four people, at the expense of clients' money. 
Subsequently, Goskomsport of Kazakhstan and Halyk Bank supported this idea and provided financing in the amount of about 180 thousand US dollars.
In 1996, the ideology of money was already cultivated to a greater extent than sporting achievements, and therefore the composition of the national team was assembled from the remnants of what was still in the mountaineering of Kazakhstan. There was no full-fledged preparation of the national team, as it was on Kangchenjunga and Lhotse, and therefore we left with those who were still walking.  Initially, it was planned to climb using oxygen from the South side, where we were taken by a Chinese company in jeeps, then on yaks we moved to the ABC advance base camp.
Acclimatization exits took about two weeks, then they began to storm the mountain. Volodya Suviga's group, having reached the summit at night, began to descend and grabbed a cold overnight stay on the route, miraculously remaining alive descended the next day. Frolov Volodya with severe frostbite. A group of Russians from Barnaul, who joined our expedition from the very beginning, went on the route in not very favorable weather, referring to the fact that Ilyinsky was forcing them to leave according to the plan.  To which I told Ivan Plotnikov, the group leader, that you paid money for participation and have the right to choose the day of the assault. But they went anyway. On the third day of their movement, the Koreans reported that a man flew past their camp, it seems that someone fell off the ridge, it was ... who, at an altitude of about 8000 thousand meters, decided to abandon the assault and turned back, during the descent and there was a breakdown.
Earlier, I asked the guys to go to the summit no later than 13.00, otherwise they would not have enough daylight time for the descent. At 18.00 I heard the solemn voice of Alexander Shevchenko over the connection, “We, a group of Russians, have conquered the highest point in the world” 
On the descent, Plotnikov and Shevchenko died.
Refusal of further ascents in such cases was the rule, but Ilyinsky decided to continue the ascents for the rest of the expedition. I decided for myself not to go to the top and continued to lead from the ABC camp. The next group was Savina, Farafonov ... 
The closing group was my main assistants Dima Muravyov, Grekov and Canadians Andi Evan and his friend. But by the time they left, our previous groups “ate” all the oxygen they had prepared. I had to negotiate with the Sherpas, who brought the necessary amount of oxygen for the main expedition group for three hundred dollars. The guys went down the mountain on that expedition and ended. We were greeted as great winners. Awards and VISA cards from Halyk Bank with money in the account, I don’t remember the type of 5000 tenge. Thanks Kakimzhanov.
After returning to Almaty, I left Ilyinsky.
For reference, about 800 people conquered Everest in 2018; about 1000 people are planned for 2019.

   The sports team of the Everest expedition - 1997
1. Vladimir Suviga - ZMS, Almaty.
2. Yury Moiseev - ZMS, Almaty.
3. Rinat Khaibullin - ZMS, Almaty.
4. Shavkhat Gataulin - MSMK, Almaty.
5. Sergey Ovcharenko - ZMS, Almaty.
6. Sergey Lavrov - ZMS, Almaty.
7. Konstantin Farafonov - ZMS, Karaganda.
8. Oleg Malikov - MSMK, Almaty.
9. Dmitry Grekov - ZMS, Bishkek.
10. Dmitry Sobolev - ZMS, Almaty.
11. Lyudmila Savina - ZMS, Almaty.
12. Dmitry Muravyov - ZMS, Almaty.
13. Andrey Molotov - ZMS, Almaty.
14. Vladimir Frolov - ZMS, Almaty.
15. Mikhail Mikhailo - ms, Bishkek.
16. Gia Tortladze - Georgia.
17. Ivan Plotnikov - Barnaul.
18. Nikolai Shevchenko - Barnaul.
19. Alexander Toroshchin - Barnaul.
20. Vladimir Tumyalis - Barnaul.
21. Andy Ewaus - Canada.
22. Paul Walters - Canada.
23. Peter Young - Canada.
The head of the expedition is the head of the CSKA of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Major General P.M. Novikov.
Senior coach of the expedition - ZMS, senior coach of CSKA MO RK in mountaineering, Honored Coach of the USSR E.T. Ilyinsky.

Rinat Khaibullin