In 1980, Tasker met Maria Coffey, the girlfriend who wrote about her grief following his death in Fragile Edge. In 1981, he was part of the British team which made the first ascent of Kongur (7,649 m) in China, accompanied by Chris Bonington, Peter Boardman and Alan Rouse. He disappeared with Boardman on 17 May 1982 on the North-East Ridge of Everest. The body of Boardman was found in 1992, resting in a sitting position just past the second pinnacle in the extremely difficult area of the Three Pinnacles on the middle North-East Ridge of Everest, but the body of Tasker is still missing, although some of his climbing equipment was found between the second and third pinnacles.