A seasoned guide attempting to climb Mount Everest, Gelje Sherpa, saved a descending climber, Ravichandran Tharumalingam of Malaysia, last month. The rescue took place in the “death zone”, an area above 27,200 feet with severe cold and an oxygen-deficient atmosphere. The climber was in shock and unable to move, so the guide had to carry him down 1,000 feet. Mr. Sherpa and the other guides involved in the rescue took turns carrying the climber the remaining distance down the mountain to Camp 3. The six-hour rescue was a success and the climber was flown by helicopter to a hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal, before heading home.
Working conditions and pay on the mountain are poor compared to the money foreign clients spend, and future prospects are limited for mountaineers. Mr. Sherpa, who has climbed K2, the second-highest mountain in the world, became the youngest person to summit it this year in winter. He hopes his two children will not have to follow in his footsteps.
The Sherpa who saved Mr. Tharumalingam’s life had performed dozens of rescues, but this one was the most challenging and exhausting he had ever encountered. 13 people had died during the climbing season on Everest, which ran from April to late May, and another four were missing. Many criticized Mr. Tharumalingam because he celebrated his summit without mentioning the team that saved his life, and he later blocked Mr. Sherpa on Instagram. However, he has since unblocked him, and apologized on social media mentioning each guide by name.
