The World's Highest Peak Hikers Describe 'Extreme' Conditions as Massive Operation Persists

Trekkers have recounted encountering "harsh" conditions after an unseasonable snowstorm during one of China's busiest holiday weekends trapped numerous of individuals on Mount Everest, triggering a large-scale rescue effort.

Rescue Operations Underway

Chinese authorities reported that around 350 individuals had descended safely but at least 200 were still trapped at the Everest Scenic Area, located to the eastern side of the mountain, on the Tibet side of the border.

Large groups of tourists had journeyed to the area for "Golden Week," an week-long festive break in China. However, local officials, who administer the Tibetan Autonomous Region, confirmed intense snow had affected the area on the weekend, stranding hundreds of people at tent sites at an altitude of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"This was the most extreme conditions I've ever faced in all my trekking adventures, without question," Dong Shuchang stated on social media, describing a "intense blizzard on the east face" of Everest.

"Glancing upward in the late hours and saw that the accumulation had nearly covered the top," said another trekker on Xiaohongshu. "That was the first time I truly felt the terror of being buried alive."

Personal Accounts

A hiker from China said their party had been "too scared to sleep" on that night as accumulation rapidly built up around their shelters, compelling them to remove it hourly. They chose to go down on Sunday as the conditions deteriorated.

"During the descent, we encountered our guide’s parent who had come looking for him. It was then we learned the snow was heavy in the lowlands as well; villagers, unable to reach their family on the mountain, were extremely worried."

The northern and eastern side of Everest is more accessible than locations on the neighboring side of the border and draws large crowds of visitors for less technical hiking, without summiting the peak.

Online Documentation

Photos and video shared on the internet depicted shelters buried in snow and lines of trekkers walking through deep drifts to get down the mountain.

"The snow was very deep, and the trail extremely slippery. Trekkers stumbled frequently – a few tumbled, others were bumped by yaks," noted a trekker, who clarified that everyone made it down and were transported by bus.

Current Status

By Sunday afternoon, about 350 people had arrived in Qudang, a small town about 30 miles away from the Tibet-side base camp of Everest, "in good health," official sources announced.

No fewer than 200 more remained trapped but had been reached, the updates said. Media outlets reported that hundreds of rescuers had ascended the mountain to assist those trapped and remove accumulation from obstructing the way out.

There was minimal updates or new details about the operation on the following day. Uncertainty remained if the storm had impacted individuals on the northern side of Everest, within the same region. The region is strictly regulated by the Chinese government, and media entry is restricted. The conditions also appears to have have affected phone services, with calls to local businesses failing. Several trekkers reported power was out in Qudang when they reached the town.

Weather Patterns

Autumn is a peak season for the area, with typically clear and mild conditions, but one trekker, one of 18 members of a trekking group that returned to Qudang, said that the weather this year was "not normal."

"Our leader said he had not experienced such weather in the fall. And it occurred all too suddenly."

The local tourism authority said ticket sales and entry to the Everest Scenic Area were suspended from the weekend.

Regional Impact

Neighbouring countries were also hit by extreme weather. Heavy rains triggered mudslides and sudden flooding that have blocked roads, destroyed crossings, and claimed the lives of at least 47 individuals since Friday in the neighboring country.