I was too tired to bring exhausted Ranaghat climber down: Sherpa
2
3
Kolkata: The
Sherpa
who accompanied Ranaghat climber
Subrata Ghosh
during his
Everest summit
said he did not lose sight of him but was too tired to carry the disoriented Ghosh down and had to finally abandon him. The Sherpa too was suffering from hallucinations when he returned to the camp and took more than two days to revive.
Ghosh's Sherpa, Palchen Tamang, who suffered frostbite, came down to the Everest Base Camp on Saturday. Bodhraj Bhandari, managing director of Snowy Horizon Treks in Kathmandu, spoke at length with the Sherpa at night. "They started quite late on Wednesday (May 14), around 10 pm. Ghosh was walking slowly and took a lot of time to reach the summit. There was a strong wind after 11 am on Thursday, and that delayed their ascent further.
Ghosh was overexcited to make it to the summit and would not listen to his Sherpa. After they made it to the summit, Ghosh was suddenly feeling low on energy," said Bhandari.
"When they were approaching the Hillary Step area (a 40-foot vertical rock on the southeast ridge of Everest) while descending, Ghosh suddenly said that he couldn't see anything and he would not move. He sat there on the spot. This is a typical symptom of
altitude sickness
, especially when the climber is suffering from a low oxygen level.
The Sherpa started to convince him to move. They were in the death zone for nearly 16 hours then, and the oxygen reserve was going very low. The Sherpas can withstand such low levels of oxygen, but it is difficult for others," said Bhandari.
According to Soumen Sarkar, the climber from Bardhaman who also made it to the summit on the same day, it was windy since morning. "I reached the summit at 6.45 am on Thursday (May 15). It was so windy that we could not even stand for more than 15 minutes.
The wind speed increased as the day progressed," he said.
When Ghosh gave up and sat there, Tamang decided to help him climb down further. "It took nearly four hours for him to bring him down by 100 meters. But the Sherpa was also getting exhausted, and he sat down with Ghosh. He stayed back with him for the next four hours trying to get him down. But that did not help any further. It was dark, and the Sherpa was all alone with Ghosh somewhere near the Hillary Step.
At one point, he gave up. His oxygen level was also low, and he started climbing down without any supplementary oxygen. The sun was almost out when he reached Camp IV the next day," Bhandari said.
"It is essential for a climber to understand that one has to forego the summit attempt. I faced a similar situation on Mount Indrasan (Himachal Pradesh) and Batian Peak in Mount Kenya," said Satyarup Siddhanta, Everest Summiteer and Guinness Record Holder.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
5 days ago
- Time of India
Climbers aim for Mt Samgyal, Mt Dawa & Mt Meru's untouched path
Pune: A team of mountaineers from the city is preparing for two daring expeditions in the Himalayas in August—one to the twin peaks of Mount Samgyal (5,814 m) and Mount Dawa (5,900 m) in Ladakh's Nubra Valley, and the other to Mount Meru (6,310 m), one of India's most technically challenging peaks located in the Gangotri Glacier region. Led by Everest summiteer Krishna Dhokale, the Mount Samgyal and Mount Dawa expedition comprises a group of young climbers who will climb without Sherpa assistance beyond base camp. The team will carry out all logistical responsibilities, including ferrying loads, fixing routes, and making summit decisions independently. Supported by veteran Everest climbers Ganesh More and Ashish Mane, this expedition is designed to develop leadership, endurance, and alpine self-sufficiency among India's new generation of mountaineers. Simultaneously, a separate group of experienced climbers will attempt an unprecedented ascent of Mount Meru via the East Ridge, a route that has never been successfully climbed. Both expeditions are being organised by Giripremi mountaineering club. You Can Also Check: Pune AQI | Weather in Pune | Bank Holidays in Pune | Public Holidays in Pune The flag-off ceremony for both expeditions was held this evening at New English School, Tilak Road on Friday. The ceremonial flags were presented to the teams by Sheetal Teli-Ugale, Commissioner, Maharashtra Sports and Youth Services Department. The Mount Samgyal and Mount Dawa expedition will be led by Everest summiteer Mr Krishna Dhokale, with guidance and support from experienced climbers Ganesh More and Ashish Mane, also Everest summiteers from Giripremi. Simultaneously, Umesh Zirpe of Giripremi will lead the expedition to Mount Meru in the Gangotri Glacier region. This attempt will be made via the extremely challenging East Ridge, a route that has never been climbed before. Zirpe said, "Mount Meru, located in the Garhwal Himalayas, is considered one of the most sacred and technically difficult peaks in India, frequently mentioned in ancient Indian scriptures. The East Ridge ascent demands extreme high-altitude rock climbing, negotiating falling rocks, vertical cliffs, deep gorges, and a treacherous approach to base camp. The Indian Army has also taken special note of this challenging endeavour. "
Time of India
23-07-2025
- Time of India
V-B team holds rehearsal heritage walk before ashram tour launch by month end
Santiniketan: A Visva-Bharati team, led by vice-chancellor Probir Kumar Ghosh, held a trial heritage walk on the campus on Wednesday, in the run-up to the guided tours of the ashram, scheduled to be flagged off by the end of the month. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "The trial run was meant as a preview. We are trying to make this a perfect project," said VC Ghosh. Ever since the pandemic struck, visitors' entry into the ashram has been barred. The heritage walk, being managed by Rabindra Bhavana, will be a one-and-a-half-hour tour of the ashram complex, with trained guides—four male and four female university employees have been trained for the task—narrating the history and relevance of various landmarks. Visitors will have the option of choosing from Bengali-, Hindi- and English-speaking guides. While Indians will have to pay Rs 300 per person, the tariff will be Rs 1,000 per head for foreigners, Rs 150 for individual students and Rs 50 for students in groups. Initially, the tours will be held on Sundays only but the frequency will increase gradually. For now, a visit to Rabindra Bhavana will not be part of the walk but people can go there separately by paying a fee, as is the current practice. If the walks turn popular, the university would consider including other places, such as Kala Bhavana, Sangit Bhavana, Sriniketan and Rabindra Bhavana, in the walks, said Rabindra Bhavana director Amit Hazra. "If the walks expand, we will have to arrange for e-rickshaws to cover the large area and combo tickets will be offered," he said.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
12-07-2025
- Business Standard
Floods near Nepal-China border disrupt Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage
The Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal (TAAN), an umbrella organisation of mountain tourism entrepreneurs, has reported that pilgrims travelling to Kailash Mansarovar are facing difficulties due to the collapse of the Nepal-China Miteri Bridge near the Rasuwagadhi border point. In a statement, TAAN General Secretary Sonam Gyaljen Sherpa said that the bridge was washed away by floods in the Lehende River on Tuesday morning, disrupting the movement of pilgrims en route to the sacred site. Sherpa urged the Chinese government to take immediate diplomatic measures to facilitate the passage of pilgrims via alternative routes, including Tatopani, Korola, Hilsa, and other checkpoints. The statement noted that both Nepali and foreign pilgrims travelling via Rasuwagadhi to Kailash Mansarovar--located in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China--are encountering significant problems following the destruction of the Miteri Bridge, which serves as a critical connection point between the two countries. With the pilgrimage season about to begin, TAAN has also called on Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) to engage diplomatically with the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu to simplify and expedite the visa process. It urged the ministry to "create an environment where pilgrims waiting in Kathmandu can travel to Kailash as soon as possible." Nepal is expected to host at least 25,000 Indian pilgrims this year for the revered Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, resuming after a five-year hiatus. On January 27, 2025, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong and Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri held a bilateral dialogue in Beijing, during which both sides agreed to resume the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage for Indian nationals. The Indian government facilitates the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra via two official routes: the disputed Lipulekh Pass and the Nathu La Pass in Sikkim, both coordinated with Chinese authorities. The Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam manages the Lipulekh route, while the Sikkim Tourism Development Corporation oversees the Nathu La option. These are pre-arranged, government-managed routes with fixed quotas. However, the majority of Indian pilgrims choose to travel privately via Nepal, with four main routes available: Tatopani, Rasuwagadhi, Hilsa, and the Kathmandu-Lhasa flight. The Rasuwagadhi-Kerung route, operational since December 2014, became Nepal's second major trade point with China after Tatopani. In 2017, it was upgraded to an international checkpoint, allowing cross-border travel with visas and passports. Since then, it has become the most cost-effective option for pilgrims heading to Kailash Mansarovar. The annual pilgrimage season significantly boosts Nepal's tourism sector and government revenue, as religious travellers fill hotels and restaurants and provide employment for travel agents, airlines, guides, and porters. The Kailash Mansarovar Yatra season typically runs from June to September. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
