A 26-year-old Australian solo trekker who fell from a cliff near Lobuche in the Everest region has been evacuated by helicopter to Kathmandu. He is recovering in intensive care. By law, all foreign trekkers are supposed to have a guide in the Khumbu.
Joshua Patrick Cherubino sustained severe head injuries after falling at Kongma La Pass. He was first taken to Lobuche, then flown out on October 27, according to The Tourism Times.
Kongma La, at about 5,535m, is the highest of the trio of high passes on the classic Everest Three Passes circuit. It links the Chhukung side of the Imja Valley with Lobuche over rocky, non-glaciated moraine. The crossing is long and remote; the descent toward Lobuche is often loose underfoot and comes after hours already spent at altitude.
The case has again drawn attention to Nepal’s rules in the Khumbu. Since 2023, the Nepal Tourism Board has required that all foreign trekkers be accompanied by a licensed guide within national parks, including Sagarmatha.
In practice, the local Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality has continued to issue its own permits and has not strictly enforced the national guide requirement. Thus, independent trekking remains common on the main Everest routes. Officials quoted by The Tourism Times described unguided travel in the region as a violation of the mandatory rule and a source of preventable rescues.
Cherubino was traveling alone when he was found. No further details on the circumstances of the fall or his condition have been released beyond the hospital’s assessment that he is recovering.
