The first death of the spring Himalayan season occurred earlier this week, when Phujung Bhote Sherpa fell into a crevasse while fixing rope near Camp 2 on Cho Oyu (8,188m), the sixth highest mountain in the world.
The Nepali was part of a five-man Sherpa team supporting 10 foreign climbers, led by German adventurer Martin Szwed.
Veteran readers of ExWeb may recognize Szwed’s name. In 2015, Szwed faked a South Pole solo speed record for the Hercules Inlet route. He later admitted that he had submitted false photo proof, and his record claims have been roundly dismissed as it was later shown he had not skied any of the route at all.
Murari Sharma, Managing Director at Everest Parivar Treks, the company providing Szwed and co. with logistics, said Phujung Bhote fell to his death on April 29 when fixing ropes to Camp 2 (7,100m).
Attempts are being made to retrieve Phujung Bhote’s body and return it to his family in the Makalu region of Nepal.
Previous Links
Antarctica current: After the Great Hoax, What’s Next for Szwed?
Ghost skier? No trace of Martin Szwed’s claimed South Pole speed record
Norwegian record-holder calls out German on polar speed claim
Alone on the Ice – Outside Magazine
About the Author
Ash Routen
Ash is an outdoor and adventure writer from the UK. His words have featured in global outlets such as The Guardian, Outside Magazine and Red Bull. He works as a public health scientist by day and writes about the outdoors in his spare time. Ash's areas of expertise are polar expeditions, mountaineering, and adventure travel. For vacation Ash enjoys going on independent sledding expeditions.
Read more at www.ashrouten.com
R. I. P.
Why are you equating a false South Pole claim to the death of a Sherpa?
R.I.P.
I just read this now, almost a year later… I was with Phujung Bhote’s (no Sherpa, hoina) cousin, Jamling Bhote (EverQuest Expeditions), his niece Nisha (Jamling’s daughter), and other Bhote climbers from Sankhuwasabha on Everest, at camp 2, when we heard the news. The whole Bhote team was shoked, crushed. They are a very tight community I very much look up to. Jamling flew out of C2 then Kathmandu to help the family with the sad task of taking care of paperwork and bringing back the body (I’m not sure the body could be retrieved at all, since the Chinese… Read more »