Worst Everest disaster ever as huge avalanche kills 12

This isn't good.

KATMANDU, Nepal — An avalanche swept down a climbing route on Mount Everest early Friday, killing at least 12 Nepalese guides and leaving four missing in the deadliest disaster on the world’s highest peak.

The Sherpa guides had gone early in the morning to fix ropes for other climbers when the avalanche hit them at about 6:30 a.m., Nepal Tourism Ministry official Krishna Lamsal said from the base camp where he is monitoring rescue efforts.
An injured survivor told his relatives that the path up the mountain was unstable just before the avalanche. As soon as the avalanche hit, rescuers and climbers rushed to help.

Rescue workers pulled out 12 bodies from under mounds of snow and ice and were searching for the four missing guides...

Worst Everest disaster ever as huge avalanche kills 12 | New York Post

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Terrible accident. I know climbers bring a lot of money to the Sherpas in the area, and the job has a lot of honor with it - but it sure is a dangerous job. Poor Sherpas; and their poor families and friends.

I was a mountaineer in my youth. I was always terrified of avalanches. Any climber should be. What a disaster. Sorry to hear about it.

calamity said:

This isn't good.

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I agree. What is doubly tragic is that the dead were all Sherpa porters. Unlike the wealthy western clients who chose to put themselves at risk for the duration of a single climb, the Sherpas must continuosly put themselves at risk as porting for climbers is the only paying job in the area. In addition, the Sherpas handle alot of the dangerous work that many of the climbers lack the skill to do themselves.

paddymcdougall said:

Terrible accident. I know climbers bring a lot of money to the Sherpas in the area, and the job has a lot of honor with it - but it sure is a dangerous job. Poor Sherpas; and their poor families and friends.

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Clearly one of the most dangerous jobs on the planet.

Wow. I just watched The Summit last night, a documentary about the 2008 tragedy on K2. It was so insanely intense. I can't even imagine what it would be like to be climbing a mountain and get swept into an avalanche and off a cliff thousands of meters tall. Just unreal and terrible.

Khayembii Communique said:

Wow. I just watched The Summit last night, a documentary about the 2008 tragedy on K2. It was so insanely intense. I can't even imagine what it would be like to be climbing a mountain and get swept into an avalanche and off a cliff thousands of meters tall. Just unreal and terrible.

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That is a good documentary. I've watched it often.

For those who may be interested, it's on youtube

There's a inherent danger to climbing Everest or K2, so its hard to get too upset when something like this happens

Fenton said:

There's a inherent danger to climbing Everest or K2, so its hard to get too upset when something like this happens

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I forget the exact numbers but like 1 in 6 who reach the summit of either do not make it down alive. THe sad part of this story today is the dead are all worker bees, not spoiled adventurers.

calamity said:

I forget the exact numbers but like 1 in 6 who reach the summit of either do not
make it down alive. THe sad part of this story today is the dead are all worker bees, not spoiled adventurers.

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Yea I hated to hear that.

But until the Napalese Govt steps in and protects that mountain , the Continued Commercialization of Everest is going to continue.

Some have proposed restricting Oxygen use unless in a absolute emergency, which would cut out bottlenecks, which contributed to the 96 disaster.

Fenton said:

Yea I hated to hear that.

But until the Napalese Govt steps in and protects that mountain , the Continued Commercialization of Everest is going to continue.

Some have proposed restricting Oxygen use unless in a absolute emergency, which would cut out bottlenecks, which contributed to the 96 disaster.

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Yep. And, the bottle necks have gotten even worse.

2 hour bottleneck during last year's climb

Fenton said:

Yea I hated to hear that.

But until the Napalese Govt steps in and protects that mountain , the Continued Commercialization of Everest is going to continue.

Some have proposed restricting Oxygen use unless in a absolute emergency, which would cut out bottlenecks, which contributed to the 96 disaster.

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Mountaineering expeditions are an important part of the Nepalese economy. It is the government that promotes the mountaineering and it is mountaineering that has lifted the Sherpas from serious poverty. The sherpas who have summited Everest are national heroes. Himalayan mountaineering is dangerous and Everest is more dangerous than the other mountains because of its height and size. 200 people have died on Everest over the years. The Khumbu glacier is pelted by avalanches from time to time. Everybody knows this. If you want to summit the mountain or make your living portering for climbing expeditions, you accept the risk and the risk is known clearly to everyone.

There is no question that this was a tragedy but there isn't anything anyone can or should do about it. There have been tragedies on the mountain most years since the first ascent in the 1950's.