There was no saving David Sharp. At that altitude, and his length of time being there, he was not able to climb down the mountain even with assistance. And that's the only way you can get down from that point. Be conscious, and be able to move your own legs. You can't be carried down from that altitude.
If you wish to invoke human morality, decency, or kindness......you could sit there with him so he doesn't die alone. And that surely endangers you.
After reading Into Thin Air, I agree. There's not a big divide between life and death up there. That's why there's so many dead bodies up there. Not through callousness but that trying to remove them would risk other lives.
