Alright, folks, let’s dive into a story that’s going to leave you in awe. Picture this: you’re on Mount Everest, the highest point on Earth, and you see a fellow climber in dire straits. What do you do? If you’re Gelje Sherpa, you don’t think twice. You become a real-life superhero.
On May 18, Gelje was guiding a client up Everest when he noticed a climber in the “death zone”. This isn’t called the “death zone” for nothing. It’s a place where temperatures can plummet to a frosty -22 Fahrenheit and oxygen is as rare as hen’s teeth.
The climber, a guy from Malaysia, was in a pretty bad spot. He was all alone, no friends, no oxygen, no guides. As Gelje told CNN’s Anderson Cooper, “No one was helping him… so this is quite dangerous for him.” Other climbers were too focused on their own summit dreams to stop and lend a hand.
But not our hero Gelje. He convinced his client to put their summit dreams on hold and help him rescue the Malaysian climber. As he put it, “Saving one life is more important than praying at the monastery.” Now, that’s what I call having your priorities straight!
The rescue was no piece of cake. They wrapped the climber in a sleeping mat, dragging and carrying him over 1,900 feet down the mountain. This epic rescue operation took about six hours before another guide, Ngima Tashi, joined in. Eventually, a helicopter swooped in to whisk the climber off to base camp.
Now, here’s where things get a bit dicey. After the rescue, the climber went on national TV in Malaysia to talk about his experience. But when he posted about it on Instagram, he thanked his sponsors and partners but left out Gelje’s name. As you can imagine, this didn’t sit well with folks online. They flooded his posts with negative comments, calling him out for not acknowledging the Sherpa who saved his life.
After a wave of backlash, the climber finally acknowledged Gelje in a post, but the damage was done. Gelje, on the other hand, has received a ton of support from folks online, especially from Malaysians who thanked him for his heroic act.
Now, let’s talk numbers. Over 310 people have died attempting to reach the summit of Mount Everest. The death rate from climbing Mount Everest in the last 30 years sits at about 1%. The percentage of deaths to successful attempts is around 4%. These figures are a stark reminder of the risks involved in climbing Everest. Earlier in the year, former Made in Chelsea star, Spencer Matthews, embarked on his own Everest mission. Spencer was searching for his older brother’s body, Michael Matthews, who tragically died on Everest in 1999. The quest to find Michael was filmed and set to be released as a documentary on Disney+ in March, however Disney made a late decision to delay the show and at the time of writing, still haven’t confirmed a new release date.
So, here’s to Gelje Sherpa, the real-life hero of Everest. His story is a stark reminder of the dangers of climbing Everest and the extraordinary courage of those who risk their lives to save others. And remember, when you’re saved from the brink of death, it’s always a good idea to thank your rescuer. Just saying
Post a Comment