Nepali Everest survivor says he chewed ice to stay alive

KATHMANDU: A Nepali mountaineer who survived for nearly a week on Mount Everest after going missing said he stayed alive by chewing ice, as he recovered in hospital following a rescue that drew widespread attention in the climbing community.

Dawa Sherpa, 57, disappeared on May 30 in severe weather on the upper slopes of the world’s highest mountain during one of the last summit pushes of the spring climbing season. With only a limited number of climbers still on the mountain and his oxygen supply depleted, his relatives had lost hope and started ritual mourning prayers, believing he had died.

Speaking to BBC Nepali from his hospital bed on Friday, Dawa Sherpa described his ordeal after being stranded near Everest’s so-called death zone, where oxygen levels are dangerously low. He said he was not lost, but had fallen behind as his oxygen ran out and then became unable to walk.

Dawa Sherpa said he had almost nothing to eat or drink for days in the freezing conditions. He said he went without food for the first two days, then began chewing ice despite the pain it caused his teeth. He also survived on chocolates and small snacks he found in his pockets after soaking them in water before eating them.

Also known as Hillary, after renowned climber Edmund Hillary, Dawa Sherpa had earlier told others after his rescue that he had fallen into a crevasse at one stage but managed to climb out. Recalling that moment, he said he was able to stand on the snow, look upward and feel that he could escape. He then searched for ropes, found one, held onto it and made his way down.

I didn't think I would be alive. I thought I would perish this way. I didn't get lost. As the oxygen ran out, I fell behind. After the oxygen finished, I couldn't walk.

He said he then kept moving toward base camp through day and night until he encountered people almost a week later. On the morning of June 4, he was found crawling toward base camp by the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee, a Nepali team involved in fixing Everest’s climbing routes and removing waste left on the mountain. Dawa Sherpa said the SPCC team was heading up to collect rubbish when they came across him and carried him down.

I didn't eat anything for the first two days. Then I began chewing ice. It hurt my teeth. I chewed the ice hard.

After the rescue, he was airlifted to Kathmandu for treatment. Doctors said he was being treated for frostbite, severe dehydration and a fractured thigh bone. His daughter, Mendo Lhamu Sherpa, told AFP that he was recovering well and that she had spoken with him.

His survival prompted celebration among climbers, but also criticism from family members, who said rescue teams had failed to find him sooner. Nepal Mountaineering Association president Fur Gelje Sherpa described the case as extraordinary while also saying it raised serious questions about climber safety. He said leaving a person behind was irresponsible and inhumane, and called for an investigation committee to identify those responsible.

Everest guide Rinji Sherpa, who is from the same village as Dawa Sherpa, said the climber was highly experienced and well aware of the dangers of high-altitude expeditions. He added that Dawa Sherpa had survived several earlier close calls and was very fortunate to have lived through this one as well.

According to preliminary figures from Nepal’s government, more than 1,000 climbers reached the summit this season, making it the busiest Everest season on record. At least five climbers — two Indians and three Nepalis — died during this year’s climbing season.