How the Sherpa Lost on Everest and Survived for Six Days

Nepali guide Dawa Sherpa has shared the extraordinary story of how he survived after crawling down Mount Everest alive six days after going missing.

In an interview with the BBC, he said he managed to stay alive in extreme conditions by eating a few chocolates from his pocket and chewing snow from Everest.

The 57 year old Sherpa clarified that he had not exactly gone missing while descending the mountain; rather, he had been forced to stop behind an ice wall after running out of oxygen.

By then, everyone had assumed Dawa Sherpa had died on Everest. His family in Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital had even begun funeral preparations.

However, in a surprising turn, a mountain cleanup team spotted him sliding down the ice toward the base camp.

After being rescued, he was airlifted to a hospital in Kathmandu, where he is receiving treatment for dehydration, frostbite, and a broken bone. Speaking to BBC Nepali last Friday, Dawa said, “I didn’t think I would survive. I thought this might be how I die.”

Before his rescue near the Khumbu Icefall last Thursday, climber Chris Thrall had been the last person to see Dawa Sherpa. The former British Army member said he had seen Dawa sitting on his backpack just above Camp 3 at an altitude of around 7,500 meters.

After running out of oxygen, Dawa could no longer walk.

“For the first two days, I ate nothing. Then I started chewing snow. It caused severe pain in my teeth, but I kept chewing the hard ice,” Dawa said.

Later, he found a few chocolates in his pocket and ate them, along with some melted snow for water.

While trying to descend slowly, he eventually fell into a deep glacier crevasse, where he remained trapped for two and a half days with no way out.

Then, an avalanche unexpectedly filled part of the crevasse with snow, offering him a chance to escape.

“I stood on the piled-up snow and looked upward. I felt I could finally get out of there,” Dawa said.

After somehow climbing out of the crevasse, he found nearby ropes that helped him descend further from the world’s highest mountain.

Dawa Sherpa’s survival has brought joy to the Sherpa community, fellow climbers, and his family.

Notably, five people have died on Everest during this climbing season. Since the 1920s, more than 300 people have lost their lives on the mountain.

Pemba Sherpa, executive director of the rescue operation company 8K Expeditions, described the incident as a true self-rescue.

Dawa Sherpa’s wife, Damu Sherpa, said she had lost hope and begun funeral arrangements after the expedition company informed her that further rescue efforts were no longer possible.

“When I saw him in front of my eyes for the first time, I was stunned. I still cannot imagine how he survived at such a height without food or supplies. The Nepal government should ensure no one has to face such a fate in the future,” she said.

Source: BBC