Jost Kobusch is safely back in Lobuche after surviving today’s 7.1 earthquake. The quake caught him in his tent at Camp 1 on Everest, midway between the Khumbu Glacier and the Lho La. He called ExplorersWeb right after arriving back in town, unharmed but “a bit shaken.”
The 32-year-old German climber is climbing the West Ridge of Everest alone, without supplementary oxygen, and in winter. That goal is already one of the most challenging in the history of Everest; a 7.1 quake with the epicenter in nearby Tingri County, Tibet, just 75km away, was an additional test.
The location of the quake near Mount Everest. Image: Google Maps
Everest was ‘sort of exploding’
The quake has killed over 125 people, injured hundreds, and destroyed around a thousand houses in Tibet. It struck at 6:50 am Nepal time while Kobusch was in his tent at Camp 1.
I woke up in confusion, because everything around me was kind of exploding. Seracs were coming down and avalanches roared. At the time, I was unsure if that was an earthquake or whether some major serac had just collapsed.
I was hit by the shockwaves, and particles from nearby avalanches pierced the tent. Then everything calmed down and I told myself, ‘Ok, whatever this was, it is better to chill and wait for things to settle down, either more avalanches or aftershocks,’ so I waited for a couple of hours and then decided it was probably a good idea to return to Base Camp.
Decision made, Kobusch descended as fast as he could. He felt many aftershocks on his way to Advanced Base Camp on the Khumbu Glacier, and as he made his way to his Base Camp in Lobuche, beside the Italian weather laboratory known as the Everest Pyramid.
In the video below, recorded some days ago, Kobusch explains where he is staying in Lobuche, at 4,940m.
Double quake survivor
Remarkably, this is the second time Kobusch experienced a big earthquake on Everest. He was in Base Camp on April 25, 2015, when a giant quake hit the region, destroying parts of Nepal and killing 22 people in Everest Base Camp alone. Most of them were buried under a massive avalanche from nearby Pumori Peak, triggered by the earthquake.
Kobusch was among those who survived and filmed the aftermath. (See video below.) The difference is that in late April, the place was crowded with Everest climbers. Now, in midwinter, Kobusch was the only person on or near the mountain.
Experiencing an earthquake on Everest twice may be considered very bad luck or, as Kobusch remarked, very lucky, as he was unharmed on both occasions. The climber confirmed that he did not sustain any injury from the natural disaster.
“It was very lucky that the quake caught me in the tent, which was pitched on a comfortable, safe terrace,” he said. “Just imagine if I had been on some difficult or serac-exposed area when the earth started shaking!”
Shortly after Kobusch spoke to us, he shared some comments on his Instagram stories.
Kobusch in Camp 1 earlier today, recording his comments about what he thought ‘could have been an earthquake.’ Photo: Jost Kobusch
Aftershocks concern
Even down in Lobuche, the entire Khumbu Valley may not be the safest place over the next several days if the tremors continue. While Kobusch has not made up his mind what he will do next, he admits that based on his 2015 experience, the risk is there.
“After the big 2015 quake, there was constant seismic activity in the following days,” he said.
During these tremors, landslides and avalanches from nearby peaks could affect high-altitude mountain valleys like the Khumbu. Some alpine lakes that have grown alarmingly in recent years due to glacial melt may even breach their barriers, though at this time of year, at least parts of these lakes will be frozen.
Even before today, it has been an eventful season for Kobusch so far. Last week, he climbed up to over 7,500m, the highest that anyone has ever been on Everest’s West Ridge in winter.
