Digging snow with pots: the story of a tourist that broke through the blizzard on Everest

Photo Illustrative Everest: AFP, 14 Peaks Expedition/Gettyimages

The campaign with friends has turned into a terrible test for 30-year-old feng Holiday, because because of October blizzard, it and hundreds of other travelers were stuck in dangerous conditions.

The tourist had to dig snow with pots to get out of the blizzard on the highest mountain of the world – Jomolungma or Everest, CNN reports.

On October 1, from the village of Yupa, in the prefecture of Schygagze (Tibet), Feng and her group went on a hike with a picturesque valley on the east side of Everest. But three days later, a sudden snow storm rolled on them.

Feng was among the hundreds of tourists who were forced to evacuate after extremely heavy snowfall tents and covered the trails.

People were trapped at an altitude of about 5 thousand meters. According to Chinese State Television, CCTV, as of Monday morning, about 350 tourists have already evacuated to the small town of Tsododan, more than 200 people remained in touch and were waiting for help.

According to Tibetan authorities, rescue groups helped blocked travelers.

Feng is an experienced tourist, so it was not frightened at first when the snow began to fall: the group was well prepared. But when the storm intensified, and the thunder and lightning began to knock between the mountains, it became truly anxious.

“At midnight, the snow was falling thicker, the sleeping bag was no longer gathering, and moisture was going on inside, everything became wet.

I went outside to clear the snow and saw that my comrades were covered with. We all had to dig together, although they didn’t have the tools – they just took our pots and drew snow! “ – says the woman.

Forecasters estimate that more than 95 centimeters of snow fell on the top of Everest on October 4 – almost three times more than the average week rate for this time of year.

October is usually an active season for hiking in the Everest area, when after the rainy season the sky is clear. This year, this period also coincided with the “Golden Sunday” – national holidays in China.

“The weather this year is abnormal. The guide said he had never seen anything like this in October. Another tourist Chen Genhuan, evacuated to Candan, told.

There was little updates about the evacuation course – the China’s power strictly controls Tibet information, which is an autonomous region under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party.

CNN reports that the Dingri County Fire Service, the Blue Sky Rescue rescue team and the local administration.

In the social networks of China, in particular on the Xiaohongshu platform, there were videos where tourists clear the snow -covered tents.

After the terrible morning on October 5, Feng and her friends decided to go down the mountain on their own, leaving a tent and part of the equipment to facilitate backpacks.

At about 6:30 pm, local time, they reached the foot of Everest, where they were met by locals and government officials.

“We need to respect nature” – Feng commented on her experience.

Recall that heavy snowfall on Everest has become a continuation of the week of extreme weather in the Himalayas.

The floods and landslides caused by heavy rains in Nepal and Dargejing in the northeast of India have taken away the lives of more than 70 people, according to Reuters.

It also became known about the death of the South Korean tourist, which rose to the top of the mayor (6476 m) in Nepal.