I apologise for not having updated my posts for a while. The last week has been devastating for the Eco Everest team. It has been very difficult for me to write this.
In the mountains we become dismissively familiar with brushing past death. In fact, the glory that comes with reaching the top is not merely the recognition for standing on the mountain’s highest point but also an acknowledgement for squarely challenging the dangers and having come back unscathed. Unfortunately, the danger is real and can choose to act upon any of us at any time.
I am deeply saddened to say that our friend and climbing comrade, Lhakpa Nuru Sherpa, was swept away and disappeared in an avalanche on the morning of the 6th of May.
All through the morning, the steep rocky slopes of the western shoulder of Everest had been avalanching. High up, the precariously hanging seracs had been failing their grip in the hot sun and kept peeling off in small thundering clouds. Suddenly, just after ten thirty, we heard a huge crash. Rushing out from the dining tent at base camp, I saw the biggest avalanche I have ever seen. Within 5 seconds, the speeding cloud of snow and ice covered the entire icefall and a few seconds later we were hit by the blasting air and snow. Pertemba was instantly on the radio, trying to locate our team. That morning, 7 members and 4 sherpas were all coming down the icefall from camp 2.
Nic and Phurba (Sherpa), had arrived in base camp hours earlier. Jesse and Phu Tashi (Sherpa) radioed down from near camp 1 to say that they were well out of harms way. Yury and Thukten (Sherpa) arrived in base camp immediately after the avalanche covered camp. We couldn’t get in touch with Lhakpa Nuru and Walter’s team of four but Thukten told us that they were only a little behind and should be arriving in camp shortly. We turned our attention to the icefall and tried to spot movement through binoculars.
We immediately saw that the Indian Team (Nehru Institute of Mountaineering) was where the brunt of the avalanche hit but they regrouped and had restarted heading down… in a curious zig zag course. We assumed that the path had been destroyed and they were searching for a way down. They were searching, but not for the way!
Suddenly, one of our Sherpas, Mingma came running through camp saying that some people had disappeared in the icefall. Without knowing who they were, all of us Sherpas scrambled to put on their climbing gear and ran up to the accident site. Like us many other Sherpas and western guides were heading up for the rescue .
On the way up, I heard the devastating news that it was Walter, Bernice and Lhakpa who had disappeared. The force of the avalanche had blown Walter and Bernice 50 feet down into a crevasse. Luckily, my close friend and teacher, Pasang, who is also the guide for the Indian team was nearby, heard Bernice’s call for help and had rescued them out of the crevasse.
Climbing up, I could see from a distance that Walter was being carried down by a group of people. Getting closer I noticed that his hands were white as a ghost’s and that he was shivering uncontrollably. However, within half an hour, with the help of so many who came to the rescue, warmth and colour returned into him. Had he been in the crevasse for another 20 minutes, it would be unlikely that he would survive.
I left him with the rescue team and climbed to the accident site where the search team was looking and digging in everywhere possible place to find Lhakpa Nuru. Bernice was also there and like Felix and Thomas who were together when the avalanche hit, she was pretty much unhurt. I convinced her to go to base camp together with Walter. Miraculously, I heard that Walter managed to walk the last few minutes back into base camp. Unfortunately, there was no good news concerning Lhakpa.
We all searched for over three hours to find Lhakpa but other than finding one boot and his backpack there was no trace of him. As the afternoon sun was beating down on the surrounding ice and the other remaining ice blocks overhead, we were called repeatedly to abandon the search before another avalanche came down and took more lives. Reluctantly, the search team started to trickle away from the icefall
For the following 3 days, the Eco Everest Sherpas and some other friends searched in every precipice to find our friend. All this time, the men risked their own lives to return their friend’s body to his family. After the fourth the day of searching, we only found his other boot, some 200m from the accident site. I had to call the search off as I couldn’t justify risking the lives of anymore good men. Though we are saddened by Lhakpa’s loss and disappointed that we could not find him back, we did all we could for him. The men are heroes and I know Lhakpa would be proud of his friends.
When I summited Everest for the first time in 2007, Lhakpa was right there with me. Some of my summit photos were taken by him and when he saw that I didn’t have a flag or banner with me on the top, he pulled out a flag of Nepal from his bag and had my picture taken with it. I was very fond Lhakpa and greatly enjoyed his banter. He always had a huge infectious smile on his face and a witty remark or some silly joke to share. If you saw a laughing huddle of men, you could be sure that Lhakpa was in the middle of it.
Lhakpa left behind a young family. His daughter is 3 years old and his son just turned one. We will make sure that their father’s loss will not deprive them of a good education and decent upbringing. It’s the least we can do.
I am proud to have known Lhakpa Nuru as a friend and fellow climber. I will sorely miss his warm company. I pray for the eternal peace of his soul.
