Two B.C. climbers are grieving after learning one of the Sherpas they met when climbing Mt. Everest died in today’s avalanche.
Ten Dorgie was one of 12 Nepalese guides killed in the avalanche, which happened when over 25 Sherpas were fixing ropes for other climbers.
“It’s shocking,” says Sam Wyatt, a Vancouver real estate agent. “We’ve lost a friend, their families have lost a major bread winner.”
MORE: Avalanche sweeps Mount Everest; 12 dead, 4 missing
Wyatt and Steve Curtis, a Burnaby entrepreneur, were aided by Dorgie when they climbed Everest in 2012.
“Those guys basically got me down,” said Curtis.
The avalanche hit an area nicknamed the “popcorn field” for its bulging chucks of ice and is just below Camp 2, Ang Tshering of the Nepal Mountaineering Association said. Camp 2 sits at an elevation of 6,400 metres (21,000 feet) on the 8,850-meter (29,035-foot) mountain.
The worst recorded disaster on Everest had been a snowstorm on May 11, 1996, that caused the deaths of eight climbers. Six Nepalese guides were killed in an avalanche in 1970.
With the avalanche striking just ahead of the main climbing season, it’s unknown when Everest will be climbed again.
“This was the vanguard party fixing lines, setting the mountain up for expeditions this year,” said Curtis.
“This is something I suspect will be felt for years to come.”
– With files from Brian Coxford and The Associated Press
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