A British father who was climbing Mount Everest in memory of his late daughter described how the weather ‘got pretty hairy, pretty quick’ as this weekend’s killer snowstorm hit.
Rob Mason, who embarked on the dangerous expedition to raise money for a charity in memory of his daughter Kezia, said his group were ‘so lucky’ to have survived the unexpected blizzard on the last day of their trek.
Over the weekend trekkers battled brutal weather on the Tibetan side of the mountain after the storm buried campsites under thick snow forcing terrified climbers to dig themselves out – with at least one person thought to be dead.
Mr Mason from Jersey said parts of the trail he had walked were washed away in a landslide, describing his experience as ‘sobering’.
‘The rain came down and apparently there was four inches in 12-14 hours which is not normal for this time of year,’ he told BBC Radio Jersey.
‘It was quite difficult for us but we were on the last day of our trek.
‘Unfortunately those that were on the first, second, third day of their trek were heading up as we were heading down, some of the stories when we got back to Lukla – which is the start and finish point of the base camp trek – were pretty harrowing.’
The trek was organised to raise money for Kezia’s Fund, a charity that raises funds to support young people’s mental health in Jersey.
Mr Mason’s group of seven friends did make it to Everest base camp, they left a green heart on one of the prayer flags at the site in her memory
Mr Mason from Jersey said parts of the trail he had walked were washed away in a landslide, describing his experience as ‘sobering’
It was established in memory of Mr Mason’s 14-year-old daughter, who took her own life in 2022.
The father said one of the most harrowing moments for him was finding the recovered body of a person who had been caught in the blizzard higher up in the trek while his team were waiting to leave Lukla, Nepal.
The snowstorm arrived on Friday and intensified through Saturday during China’s ‘Golden Week’ holiday, when thousands travel to the Himalayas for sightseeing and trekking.
People’s tents are said to have been crushed, with some climbers suffering from hypothermia due to the freezing conditions.
A major rescue operation began earlier on Sunday on Tibet’s eastern slope of Mount Everest.
Mr Mason’s group of seven friends did make it to Everest base camp, they left a green heart on one of the prayer flags at the site in her memory.
The walk was filled with emotion but a success as the group have raised about £20,000.
