Race to leave Everest leaves one guide unaccounted for
As climbers descended and ladders through the Khumbu Icefall were dismantled, a Sherpa guide who fell behind his team vanished near Camp III, raising concerns over the delayed launch of search efforts.
As Mount Everest's spring climbing season drew to a close, most climbers had already descended below the Khumbu Icefall before the route's ladders were dismantled. Yet one Sherpa guide remained unaccounted for high on the mountain.
Dawa Sherpa, a guide from Okhaldhunga working with a Polish client, went missing near Camp III on the evening of May 29, the final day of Nepal's official spring climbing season. He has not been heard from since.
"It has been three days since he was last in contact," said Dawa Sherpa, managing director of Himalayan Traverse Adventure, the expedition operator.
According to the company, the Polish climber abandoned his summit attempt after suffering frostbite at the South Col and began descending with another Sherpa assistant. The climber and the assistant guide continued towards Camp II, while Dawa Sherpa, who was behind them, was last seen near Camp III.
The disappearance came as climbers rushed to leave the mountain before seasonal operations were shut down. Several climbers remained above Camp II after the season officially ended, delaying their return because of weather and logistical constraints.
Summit Climb, another expedition operator, said late on Sunday that all of its climbers who had been stranded at Camp II had safely returned to base camp. Some were evacuated by helicopter, while others descended on foot. Three of the company's climbers had spent two extra days at Camp II.
No search operation for the missing guide had been launched by Sunday, expedition organisers acknowledged. By then, the ladders and fixed infrastructure through the Khumbu Icefall—the gateway between Everest Base Camp and the upper mountain—had already been removed, complicating any rescue effort.
The incident casts a shadow over what has otherwise been a record-breaking season on the world's highest peak. Nepal issued a record 494 climbing permits for Everest this spring, generating more than $6m in royalty revenue. The mountain also recorded an unprecedented 1,008 successful summits, according to the Department of Tourism figures.
The season was not without tragedy. Five people died on Everest, including two Nepali climbers on the mountain, a guide who died en route to base camp at around 5,200 metres, and two Indian climbers who died during their descent.
