After six days isolated above base camp, Dawa “Hillary” Sherpa, 52, was found alive after rescuing himself. He had fallen into a crevasse near Camp 1 at around 19,500 feet, was trapped for two days, crawled out and then descended the Khumbu Icefall despite the ladders having been removed. He was found by members of the SPCC staff, Bhim Bhattarai and Durga Rai, in an extremely weak condition near Crampon Point, but conscious. He has frostbite on his fingers, is verbal, and is now in a hospital in Kathmandu in good condition.
8K Expeditions, which provided the permit but was not his guide, that was Himalayan Traverse, who has been strangely silent throughout this event, dispatched a helicopter search on June 2, but they did not see him. Dawa is reported to have seen the helicopter fly over him and wave, but was unseen.
The Tourism Times is reporting that the family of Dawa Sherpa has demanded stern action against those guilty of leaving Dawa alone in the death zone of Mt Everest for a week. Damu Sherpa’s wife visited HAMS Hospital to see him and announced her intention to pursue legal action against those responsible for negligence. “I seek justice,” she stated.
She strongly criticized the government for its delayed response in rescuing her husband. “Dawa went missing on May 29, and we immediately contacted authorities for help, but we received no response,” she lamented. “Meanwhile, the government boasts of a record revenue of over 1 billion rupees from Everest expeditions this season—so why did they ignore our calls?” she questioned.
She also questioned what the reaction would have been if a foreign climber, not Dawa, had been left alone on Everest.
Furthermore, Damu questioned the role of the team’s liaison officer. “Why didn’t the liaison officer act promptly to find Dawa, despite the government officer accepting thousands of dollars from the handling company?” she asked. “This is not just about Dawa; it’s a show of disrespect to all Sherpa climbers who risk their lives to ensure their foreign clients’ success on Mount Everest,” she added.
Background
On May 29, Dawa Sherpa, aka Hillary Sherpa, was last seen near Camp III after his client, a Polish climber, developed frostbite and then descended with another Sherpa. Dawa was to follow but never arrived, and his disappearance was reported only later. Because the Icefall Doctors had removed the ladders before his death was reported, helicopters were the only option to search for him, but the MD of the Nepali guide company, Himalayan Traverse, did not have one dispatched for unknown reasons, according to multiple media reports. As of today, June 2, there are no resources on the mountain to conduct a search. Dawa Sherpa’s whereabouts remain unknown.
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Previous Everest 2026 Season Coverage Posts
- Everest 2026: Missing Sherpa Found Alive
- Everest 2026: Season Summary – Records, Crowds, Trash & Winds
- Everest 2026: May 31st Weekend Update – Record Season Over & 1 More Death?
- Everest 2026: Last Summits?
- Everest 2026: Another Wave of Summits
- Everest 2026: May 24th Weekend Update – Nearing the End
- Everest 2026: A Few More Summits, Speed Runner is Climbing
- Everest 2026: Garrett Madison Podcast from Camp 2
- Everest 2026: The Western Team’s Turn, My Summit Anniversary
- Everest 2026: May 20th Summit Recap: 270 Summits!
- Everest 2026: Ski Descent and More Summits
- Everest 2026: Weather Alert and More Summits
- Everest 2026: May 17th Weekend Update – Climbers to the Summit
- Everest 2026: Ropes to Summit, Time to Wait
- Everest 2026: May 10 Weekend Update – Ropes to South Col, Everest Death
- Everest 2026: May 3rd Weekend Update – Climbing!
- Everest 2026: Route In – With Risks
- Everest 2026: April 27th Weekend Update – Icefall Route In?
- Everest 2026: April 19th Weekend Update – 8000er Summits
- Everest 2026: April 12th Weekend Update – The Khumbu is Alive!
- Everest 2026: Are Everest Climbers Being Poisoned?
- Everest 2026: Climber Rescue Alert
- Everest 2026: Climbers to Watch this Season
- Everest 2026: North Side Closed, New Rules in Effect: Everest 2026 Season Update
- Everest 2026: Icefall Doctors Launched
- Everest 2026: Rumor Fire Season
- Welcome to Everest 2026 Coverage – An overview of what to expect during the Spring 2026 climbing season
Background
- Everest by the Numbers: 2026 Edition – A deep dive into Everest statistics as compiled by the Himalayan Database
- Comparing the Routes of Everest: 2026 Edition – A detailed look at Everest’s routes, commercial, standard, and non-standard
- How Much Does it Cost to Climb Everest: 2026 Edition – My annual analysis of Everest climbing costs, from solo and unsupported to fully guided
Book Pre-Publishing Notification:
If you would like to be notified when my memoir, “Hard or Impossible? Summiting K2 for Ida is available – I’m still looking for an agent. Complete the form at the bottom of this introduction page:
4 thoughts on “Everest 2026: Missing Sherpa Found Alive”
Perhaps there is a lesson to be learned here
“ given up for dead” what a happy story. Still
Wondering why no hel rescue was dispatched?
I did hear bad weather for a day or two but then???
It sounds like one was, though unsuccessfully, by one of the two guide companies involved. Perhaps the two companies were talking behind the scenes, and the one employing him is just bad at public relations. I hope that’s all it is.
I’m very relieved that he made it out despite the helicopter’s failure to find him. Like many, I was very worried about him.
Your book would probably be a wonderful addition to the library I\’ve been building here at the lodge! Would love to be notified when it\’s available – then when I happen to be back at my place in Colorado I can pick it up!
Stanley Bercovitz
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