hall's sirdar, ang dorje sherpa, and other climbing sherpas waited at the summit for the clients. near 15:00, they began their descent. on the way down, ang dorje encountered client doug hansen above the hillary step and ordered him to descend. hansen did not respond verbally, but shook his head and pointed upward, toward the summit. when hall arrived at the scene, the sherpas offered to take hansen to the summit, but hall sent the sherpas down to assist the other clients, and instructed them to stash oxygen canisters on the route. hall said he would remain to help hansen, who had run out of supplementary oxygen.