Mount Everest Hikers Report 'Extreme' Conditions as Large-Scale Operation Continues

Hikers have recounted facing "extreme" situations after an unseasonable blizzard during one of China's busiest holiday weekends stranded hundreds of people on Mount Everest, sparking a large-scale rescue operation.

Evacuation Efforts Underway

Officials in China reported that approximately 350 individuals had made their way down but at least 200 were still trapped at the Everest Scenic Area, situated to the east of the mountain, on the Tibetan side of the border.

Crowds of tourists had journeyed to the region for "Golden Week," an week-long holiday period in China. However, local officials, who administer the Tibetan Autonomous Region, confirmed intense snow had hit the area on the weekend, trapping hundreds of individuals at tent sites at an elevation of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"It was the harshest conditions I've experienced in all my trekking adventures, undoubtedly," Dong Shuchang said on social media, describing a "intense blizzard on the east face" of Everest.

"Glancing upward in the late hours and saw that the snow had almost buried the top," said a hiker on a social platform. "It was the first time I truly felt the fear of being buried alive."

Personal Accounts

One Chinese trekker said their group had been "too scared to sleep" on Saturday as snow quickly piled up around their shelters, forcing them to remove it hourly. They decided to descend on Sunday as the conditions worsened.

"During the descent, we met our guide's father who had searched for him. It was then we learned the snow was intense in the lowlands too; locals, unable to contact their children on the mountain, were deeply concerned."

The northern and eastern side of Everest is more accessible than locations on the neighboring side of the border and draws large crowds of tourists for less technical trekking, not requiring ascent of the peak.

Visual Evidence

Images and footage posted online depicted shelters covered by snow and lines of trekkers walking through waist-high snowbanks to get down the mountain.

"The snow was very deep, and the trail very slick. Hikers often slipped – some fell, others were bumped by pack animals," said one, who added that everyone made it down and were picked up by bus.

Latest Developments

By Sunday afternoon, approximately 350 people had arrived in Qudang, a village roughly 50 kilometers away from the Tibet-side base camp of Everest, "in good health," state media announced.

At least 200 more remained trapped but had been contacted, the reports said. Media outlets reported that hundreds of emergency workers had gone up the mountain to assist those trapped and clear snow from obstructing the exit route.

There was minimal updates or new details about the operation on the following day. It was also not clear if the weather had affected anyone on the northern side of Everest, also in Tibet. The region is strictly regulated by the Chinese government, and media entry is limited. The conditions also seemed to have affected local communications, with calls to local businesses not connecting. A number of hikers said power was out in Qudang when they reached the town.

Seasonal Context

Autumn is a busy period for the region, with usually calm and pleasant weather, but Chen Geshuang, one of 18 participants of a hiking party that made it back to Qudang, said that the climate this year was "unusual."

"The guide told us he had never encountered conditions like this in October. And it happened very abruptly."

The regional travel department said ticket sales and entry to the Everest Scenic Area were suspended from Saturday.

Broader Effects

Adjacent nations were affected as well by extreme weather. Torrential downpours caused landslides and flash floods that have blocked roads, washed away bridges, and claimed the lives of at least 47 individuals since Friday in Nepal.