Mount Everest Trekkers Report 'Extreme' Conditions as Large-Scale Operation Persists

Hikers have described facing "extreme" situations after an unexpected blizzard during one of China's most crowded holiday weekends stranded numerous of people on Mount Everest, triggering a massive rescue effort.

Evacuation Efforts In Progress

Officials in China reported that approximately 350 people had made their way down but at least 200 remained stranded at the Everest Scenic Area, located to the east of the mountain, on the Tibetan side of the border.

Crowds of visitors had traveled to the area for "Golden Week," an week-long festive break in China. However, Chinese authorities, who control the Tibetan Autonomous Region, said intense snow had hit the area on the weekend, trapping hundreds of people at campsites at an altitude of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).

"It was the most extreme conditions I've experienced in all my trekking experiences, undoubtedly," Dong Shuchang stated on Weibo, detailing a "intense blizzard on the eastern slope" of Everest.

"Glancing upward in the middle of the night and saw that the snow had almost buried the top," shared another trekker on a social platform. "It was the first time I truly felt the terror of being engulfed by snow."

Personal Accounts

One Chinese trekker said their group had been "too scared to sleep" on that night as snow rapidly built up around their shelters, forcing them to remove it hourly. They chose to descend on the next day as the weather worsened.

"During the descent, we encountered our guide’s parent who had come looking for him. That's when we discovered the snow was heavy in the lowlands too; locals, unable to contact their children on the mountain, were deeply concerned."

The northern and eastern side of Everest is easier to reach than sites on the neighboring side of the border and attracts high numbers of tourists for easier hiking, without summiting the peak.

Visual Evidence

Photos and video shared on the internet showed shelters covered by snow and rows of hikers walking through waist-high snowbanks to descend the mountain.

"The snow was very deep, and the trail very slick. Trekkers often slipped – some fell, some were jostled by yaks," said one, who added that everyone made it down and were transported by bus.

Current Status

By Sunday afternoon, approximately 350 people had reached Qudang, a small town about 30 miles away from the Tibet-side starting point of Everest, "in good health," state media reported.

At least 200 additional remained trapped but had been reached, the updates indicated. Local news reported that scores of emergency workers had ascended the mountain to assist those trapped and clear snow from obstructing the way out.

Officials provided minimal updates or updated information about the operation on Monday. It was also not clear if the weather had affected anyone on the northern side of Everest, also in Tibet. The region is tightly controlled by the Chinese government, and journalistic access is limited. The conditions also seemed to have disrupted phone services, with calls to local businesses not connecting. A number of hikers said electricity was cut in Qudang when they reached the town.

Weather Patterns

October is a peak season for the area, with typically calm and pleasant conditions, but Chen Geshuang, one of 18 participants of a trekking group that made it back to Qudang, commented that the climate this year was "not normal."

"The guide said he had never encountered conditions like this in the fall. And it occurred very abruptly."

The regional travel department said ticket sales and access to the Everest Scenic Area were halted from the weekend.

Regional Impact

Neighbouring countries were affected as well by extreme weather. Heavy rains triggered landslides and flash floods that have closed routes, destroyed crossings, and claimed the lives of at least 47 people since Friday in Nepal.