Irish Climber Missing on Everest

Ash Routen

8000ers Climbing Mountain 16/05/2019

Seamus Lawless.

Seamus Lawless, 39, of Ireland is missing at approximately 8,300m on Everest. Lawless is believed to have slipped and fallen near the Balcony area while descending from the summit with four other members of the 2019 Irish Everest Expedition.

Seven Summit Treks, the guiding company, has a team of Sherpas currently searching for him.

Lawless is an assistant professor at the School of Computer Science and Statistics at Trinity College, Dublin.

Location of the Balcony. Photo: Alan Arnette

Updated 9am GMT: The climber remains missing after searches on May 16 and 17.

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About the Author

Ash Routen

Ash is a postdoctoral scientist, globally published outdoor writer and arctic traveller. Ash's next expedition is a 700km trek along the coast of Baffin Island in spring 2021.

Read more at www.ashrouten.com

11 Comments on "Irish Climber Missing on Everest"

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Lilly

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I hope the company Sherpa find him live and save him. How can happen this “missing” when the climber is with other people in group and with own Sherpa, helping all the time? Excuse me for my naivety but I think that this is responsibility of the organizing company. Something must be change on the descent. How peoples can be “missing”? Nobody saw? Even they are so close to each other… I dont accept this as normal. Hope he is alive and they save him quickly. Why the climbers does not have/ carry some equipment like GPS, I think there… Read more »

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Melech Weiss

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It’s not like someone is holding your hand the whole time. Even in groups climbers get spread out. You unclip, slip and your gone. Takes a couple of seconds

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Bert Macklin

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You are correct. You are very naive.

Guest

Bruce Edward Seery

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That’s a nice sentiment. I wonder also with the amount of climbers why he “disappeared” then again, it only takes a half second. The balcony is a resting place on a flat surface right before the cornice ridge, and since he was on descent that’s a no way out situation. They actually call it the “grand tour” because you have about a 3,000 ft drop to the bottom. Even if he somehow grabbed a rock or fell near his GPS that was pinged at 500 ft below the ridge. Not survivable. Even if he fell 50 ft…he would have run… Read more »

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Joe

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he is 39 not 49

Guest

Lilly

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Thank you for the replay. Yes, sure must be so.
You are right.

Still for me the best trekking company is the one who bring all climbers to BC down and the people can be back home.
And the best Sherpa are those who does not leave human still alive.
This said also Sir Edmund Hillary.

Not the company which count the summits of clients. Who is …missing… not even a word.

Sorry if I have hurt someone somehow.

Guest

MattC

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I think your hearts in the right place, however, are you considering the environment they’re in? They’re descending while in the death zone, past exhaustion, oxygen deprived, feeling altitude symptoms… They wouldn’t be able to mount much of a search then and there, and certainly not a safe one. That would have to come from camp. Obstacles could include crowds, weather, time of day/night… It’s not a fast process if attempted at all. GPS seems like a good suggestion, yet they’re free to bring their own, and it could fly off or get damaged in a fall. If he fell… Read more »

Guest

Lilly

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Thank you for this clarify MattC.

Unfortunately the climbers who summit ed but died after, cant enjoy the moment of the reaching their
dream and goal and the families are sad with such huge loss.

Actually I believe is quite good benefit for the country this kind of business but the coin have 2 sides.
I admire any kind/ way of developing the country, better life for people and children, the nature they have is beautiful.

Congratulations to all who summit ed and achieved their dream.