07/06/2026
Strong will defies death on the extreme of Everest.
I am sure you defied death for 6 days alone on Everest, crawling home on ice and a prayer for your daughter and wife. I can sense how much you love them.
So what More for you and others?
Dawa Sherpa, nicknamed "Hillary" after Sir Edmund Hillary, from Okhaldhunga district, was guiding a Polish client who was lost on May 29, 2026, as all mountaineering agencies, climbers, guides, summiteers, and government bodies were celebrating May 29 in memory of the first successful summit of Everest. Dawa was last spotted resting by British climber Chris Thrall in the "Yellow Band" area at an altitude of 7,200m, above Camp 3 and below Camp IV. Authorities at Base Camp lost radio contact with him, and there was no sign of him until he was found approaching Base Camp alone after six days in the extreme conditions of Everest.
The Expedition Organising Company asked families to begin the after-death religious ritual. No one- the expedition organising company, the base camp organiser (second company), liaison officer, SPCC (responsible for taking care of the Khumbu Icefall Route fixing and maintenance), so-called Himalayan Rescue Association (which does not have any helicopter or rescue guides)- took the basic exchange of information of the missing guide and search and rescue effort. The search for Dawa was initiated only after a great effort by Pasang Dawa Sherpa, the chairman of Patale Kituk, and a friend of Dawa Sherpa (Hillary).
Everyone is happy for the survival of Dawa Sherpa; it is true. Hailed as a miracle by officials (because they don't have any other words to express) as "no one has survived alone and for 6 days at that altitude". He survived with almost no food, no water and no bottled oxygen, subsisting on scraps (like a few chocolates, probably left by another climber) and chewing ice for hydration. He struggled for his life, for his daughter and wife at home, and he had already reached very near the base camp!!!
The avalanche helped him to survive??!!!
Dawa fell into a deep crevasse; he was trapped there for 2 and a half days. An avalanche eventually filled part of the hole with snow, creating a platform that allowed him to climb out!!!
Found alive coming toward base camp & medical condition
On June 4, a cleanup crew (SPCC) found him crawling alone back toward Base Camp through the hazardous Khumbu Icefall. Despite the removal of the climbing ladders and ropes, he descended remarkably well. Then he was immediately carried on a stretcher toward Pheriche Hospital, and a helicopter picked him up from Gorak Sherpa and flew him to Kathmandu and admitted him at HAMS Hospital with frostbite on his fingers, a fractured thigh bone, and severe dehydration. However, Dawa was able to talk when he met the SPCC crew.
So what now? The way forward and controversy
Naturally, family and everyone who learned about the incident are angry about the delayed rescue response; his wife and family filed a police complaint against his employer, Himalayan Traverse and a grievance with Nepal's Department of Tourism. The family alleged that had Dawa been a foreigner, a rescue would have been organised much more promptly. It is not just a matter of blame; it is true.
But nobody talked about "Ladders and Ropes Removed"
The SPCC (Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee) dismantled the icefall infrastructure, such as ladders and ropes, in the technical section. By the time Hillary Dawa was found on June 4, this process was well underway, leaving him to navigate the incredibly dangerous terrain without the usual equipment, which is especially important for the descent. As an exception, not cleared yet, one "ladder bridge" was not removed. Without it, he likely would not have been able to descend. Why did they decide to remove the ladders, even after kniwing a guide is missing? Why did the expedition organising company, the base camp and Camp II management agency (second company) not request that the ladders be removed, as their guide is missing? They may need ladders and ropes to mobilise rescue-climbing guides on the route.
Another Business Company (HRA) was not there!
The so-called Himalayan Rescue Association (HRA), without a rescue guide or helicopter, is a so-called pillar of safety in the mountains, especially at Everest Base Camp. HRA is ultimately not responsible for the full-scale rescue of Hillary Dawa Sherpa, but a related organisation for emergency medication. HRA charges each foreign climber for a basic physical checkup at base camp (oxygen, pressure, which are now very simple; everyone carries their own device). They certify rescue missions (without accuracy); otherwise, insurance companies do not pay rescue operation expenses. Therefore, they are somehow linked to Dawa's employer, Himalayan Traverse Adventures, its co-organiser, and the governmental body, the Department of Tourism.
What Nex?
Now that we all have these details, it is important to discuss further the responsibilities of each body named above. In my view, all of them should take responsibility, regret what they failed to do, and make this accident a guideline for future climbing safety and for every climber. Importantly, start with immediate search-and-rescue operations, beginning when a climber loses radio contact, and with medication at base camp or above, from so-called HRA or maybe require a new agency. And all expedition-organising agencies should be equally tied up in the effort during the climbing season.
Dawa (Hillary Dawa) is a simple, honest and gentle person, and I hail your effort. All the best for the coming day
