Nepali Sherpa saves Malaysian climber in rare Everest ‘death zone’ rescue
- Gelje Sherpa persuaded his Chinese client to give up his summit attempt so he could carry the distressed climber out of the area
- He and another guide hauled the Malaysian man from below the summit – where temperatures can dip below minus 30 Celsius – back to Camp 3
Gelje Sherpa, 30, was guiding a Chinese client to the 8,849-metre (29,032-foot) Everest summit on May 18 when he saw the Malaysian climber clinging to a rope and shivering from extreme cold in the area called the “death zone”, where temperatures can dip to minus 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit) or lower.
Gelje hauled the climber 600 metres (1,900 feet) down from the Balcony area to the South Col, over a period of about six hours, where Ngima Tashi Sherpa, another guide, joined the rescue.
“We wrapped the climber in a sleeping mat, dragged him on the snow or carried him in turns on our backs to Camp 3,” Gelje said.
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A helicopter using a long line then lifted him from the 7,162-metre (23,500-foot) high Camp III down to base camp.
“It is almost impossible to rescue climbers at that altitude,” Department of Tourism official Bigyan Koirala said. “It is a very rare operation.”
Gelje said he convinced his Chinese client to give up his summit attempt and descend the mountain, saying it was important for him to rescue the climber.
“Saving one life is more important than praying at the monastery,” said Gelje, a devout Buddhist.
Tashi Lakhpa Sherpa of the Seven Summit Treks company, which provided logistics to the Malaysian climber, declined to name him, citing his client’s privacy. The climber was put on a flight to Malaysia last week.
Nepal issued a record 478 permits for Everest during this year’s March to May climbing season.
