The mountain gave no quarter. For six nights, a seasoned Everest guide clung to life near the summit, trapped in the death zone where the air is thin and the margin for error is thinner. Rescuers pulled him down Sunday, ending what officials are calling one of the most harrowing high-altitude rescues in recent memory.
The guide, identified as Pemba Sherpa, 34, was leading a commercial expedition when he was struck by severe altitude sickness and frostbite. A sudden storm pinned his team, forcing them to hunker down at 8,400 metres. Communication was lost for three days. The rescue operation, a joint effort between the Nepalese army and private operators, involved four Sherpas and two helicopters. They battled winds of 60 mph and temperatures of minus 30 degrees Celsius.
Sources inside the rescue team described the operation as “touch and go”. One pilot reportedly said: “We had a window of 15 minutes. Miss it, and we lose him.” They didn't miss. Pembra was stabilised with oxygen and hot fluids before being airlifted to a clinic in Kathmandu. His condition is now described as stable, though he faces weeks of recovery.
This incident reignites the debate over safety standards on Everest. The mountain has seen record numbers of permits this year, and critics argue that profit is trumping caution. “Six days above 8,000 metres is a death sentence for most,” a veteran mountaineer told me. “He survived because he was tough, and because his team refused to leave him. That is not the norm.”
The message from the summit is clear. The mountain is still the boss. And the cost of getting too close to the edge can be measured in days, not seconds.
