Himalaya Fall 2009: Drama on Shisha Pangma

More news from the Himalaya today, this time coming via Summit Climb, who has a team on Shisha Pangma and a client who is struggling on the mountain.

According to the latest dispatch from lead guide Dan Mazur, the team was descending from the summit yesterday after reaching the Central Summit. The reached Camp 3, with everyone exhausted, when team member Bart Dirven collapsed and had to immediately be put on a heightened dose of oxygen. That helped to alleviate the problem to a degree, but Bart seemed to be suffering from the effects of altitude, and the entire team decided to continue down to C2 to try to alleviate the issues.

What followed was a grueling trek further down the mountain. Most of the climbers made it to Camp 2 by 6 PM, but Bart didn’t arrive until 1 AM, and was said to have collapsed a number of times on his way down the mountain, where he was escorted by several Sherpas and guides. Upon reaching C2, the team gave him plenty of food and fluids, and he seems to have begun to recover now, although he is still exhausted.

As of this dispatch, he now working his way yet further down Shisha, being short roped by Dan and the sherpas. Hopefully he’ll reach BC today where Bart can get some rest and move out of danger. Send some positive thoughts his way and hope for the best.

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Kraig Becker

Kraig is an outdoor and adventure travel writer based in Nashville, TN. Over the course of his career, he has contributed to numerous online and print outlets, including Popular Mechanics, Gear Junkie, Outside Online, National Geographic, Digital Trends, Business Insider, TripSavvy, about.com, and of course The Adventure Blog.