Stokes took part in an expedition to Nuptse in 1975, in which four members of the team died. The next year, during a British Army expedition to Everest in 1976, he reached the summit along with fellow SAS colleague Michael Lane. Stokes lost all his toes and part of each foot to frostbite. Nonetheless, Stokes became only the third Briton to conquer Everest. In 1984, while climbing on the north face of Everest (having proved himself by climbing Mount McKinley in Alaska), an avalanche wiped out advanced base camp, killing one of the members and injuring several others, and Stokes' neck was broken.