Did we say Everest was empty? It is not, and the reason is alarming: a Sherpa guide has been missing since May 29. It is unclear whether anyone has attempted a rescue.
According to a story in The Everest Chronicle, Dawa Sherpa from Okhaldhunga guided a Polish client on a last-minute summit push on May 29. The team turned around near the South Col when the client showed symptoms of frostbite. They started down alongside a second Sherpa, but Dawa fell behind at some point near Camp 3, on the Lhotse face. At the time of writing, that’s all we know.
A climber on the fixed ropes below the “Yellow Band”, between Camp 3 and Camp 4 on the Lhotse face. Photo: Saulius Damulevicius
Dawa Sherpa works for outfitter Himalayan Traverse Adventure. The outfitter reported that team members summited Everest on May 28 (one day before the official closure of the season) at 5:00 pm, a very late summit hour for O2-assisted climbers.
No rescue attempt
“It has been three days since he was last in contact,” the managing director of Himalayan Traverse Adventure told The Everest Chronicle. The paper states that, as of May 31, no one had launched a rescue attempt or search operation.
Meanwhile, Sherpas dismantled the route below Camp 1 across the Khumbu Icefall. Yesterday, a helicopter airlifted three remaining climbers from the mountain.
This episode has turned the ending of the 2026 season, with its record summits (more than 1,000 for the first time in history) and revenues, from somewhat chaotic to shocking. The section between Camp 2 and Camp 4, along the Lhotse Face, featured some of the longest traffic jams this season. Now, there is no one nearby to check on the missing climber.
Climbers in a tight line between Camp 3 and Camp 4 on May 19. Photo: Sanu Sherpa
