U.S. media reported that a Chinese woman and five Sherpa guides reached the summit of Mount Everest, becoming the first team to summit from the Nepalese side since a deadly avalanche in April.
According to a May 24 report on the website of The Wall Street Journal, Dhruba Paudel, an official with Nepal's Tourism Department, said that 40-year-old Wang Jing and her Nepali guides reached the summit at around 8,850 meters on the 23rd.
The report said that the avalanche, which occurred on April 18, swept through the route near Everest Base Camp and killed 15 people, including Sherpa guides and cooks. After the disaster, other guides refused to continue climbing for various reasons — including paying respects to their deceased colleagues. Some guides said they were too traumatized to climb. Others were angry about the government’s slow response in helping the families of the deceased Sherpas.
It was reported that almost all teams had decided to cancel their summit attempts at the time.
The report stated that Wang Jing and her team flew over the daunting Khumbu Glacier between Base Camp and Camp One by helicopter. Other teams had already withdrawn, and no new route had been set up. However, Wang Jing and her guides returned to the world’s highest peak.
The report also said that the Nepalese government usually does not allow helicopters to fly over the base camp due to environmental concerns, except for rescue operations. However, the government did not comment on Wang Jing’s decision to use a helicopter.
Gao Liang, a Nepalese tourism professional who helped arrange the climb, told reporters: “When Ms. Wang Jing successfully summited Everest yesterday, she called me on a satellite phone and was very excited. She has set a record for this year’s Everest climbs.”
This year’s Everest South Col climbing season began in March. Just as many climbers were preparing to summit from the midway point, a deadly avalanche struck on April 18, killing 16 Sherpa guides — the deadliest disaster in Everest climbing history. The Sherpa guides went on strike collectively over compensation issues, and many climbers abandoned their attempts.
Wang Jing, who insisted on continuing her climb, ultimately succeeded. The Nepal Tourism Board confirmed this and pointed out that the weather conditions on the day of her summit were favorable.
Wang Jing’s assistant, Miss Cai, said this was Wang’s third time summiting Mount Everest; she had previously reached the top in 2010 and 2012. As a co-founder of outdoor gear company Toread, Wang Jing has successfully climbed seven peaks above 8,000 meters in elevation to date.