Everest Cook Survives Week Alone in Crevasse, Crawls to Safety
A 57-year-old Nepali cook trapped in an ice crevasse for three days on Mount Everest used an avalanche as his escape route, then crawled down the mountain with a broken leg for four more days. While his family mourned and monks performed last rites, Dawa Sherpa was fighting his way home.
When an avalanche roared into the crevasse where Dawa Sherpa was trapped, most people would have panicked. Instead, the 57-year-old mountaineer saw it as his ticket to freedom.
Sherpa had survived three days deep inside an eight-meter ice crack on Mount Everest, eating biscuits and chocolate while sucking on chunks of ice for water. The avalanche filled the crevasse with enough snow to create a pathway out.
But his ordeal was far from over. With frostbitten fingers and a fractured leg, Sherpa crawled down the world's highest mountain for four more days before reaching safety near Base Camp.
Back in Kathmandu, his family had already begun mourning. Monks performed Buddhist last rites while his wife and daughter grieved, convinced he was gone forever.
Sherpa had been working as a cook at Camp Two when the expedition organizer asked him to fill in as a guide, despite never having summited Everest before. On May 28, he climbed as high as the Balcony at 8,400 meters before beginning his descent with other climbers.
Everything went wrong when his oxygen ran out around 7,900 meters. Unable to move properly, he fell behind the group and spent the night at Camp Three in howling winds, heating water and cooking porridge to stay alive.
The next morning, he slipped and tumbled into the crevasse. For three days, he sat in the darkness, rationing his emergency snacks and wondering if anyone would find him.
Why This Inspires
Sherpa's rescue shows the incredible resilience of the human spirit when all hope seems lost. His decision to use the avalanche as an opportunity rather than a threat speaks to quick thinking under impossible pressure.
His survival also highlights the unsung risks taken by Nepali mountain workers who make Everest climbs possible for others. Many work in support roles before being asked to step into more dangerous positions.
Now recovering with his family in Kathmandu, Sherpa is grateful for every moment. "I am very happy to be back," he said. "I thought I would die there."
His week alone on Everest ended not with rescue helicopters or emergency teams, but with his own determination to see his family again.
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Based on reporting by Japan Times
This story was written by BrightWire based on verified news reports.
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