‘When we woke up, the snow was a metre deep’ says hikerpublished at 04:23 BST
Geshuang Chen, a 29-year-old outdoor enthusiast, had set off from Qudang Township on 4 October, with plans to reach Cho Oyu Base Camp – a trek that offers views of the Himalayan peaks five days later.
The initial plan was to leave the mountains on 11 October.
But all this changed when a severe blizzard hit.
When Chen checked the weather forecast, it was expected to snow on 4 October but clear up by 5 October and be sunny the next day.
So her group of more than 10 people decided to stay as they had planned.
However, overnight, the storm worsened – bringing thunder, strong winds, and relentless snow.
Their guide helped shake snow off the tents and dig around them to prevent collapse.
“When we woke up the next morning, the snow was already about a metre deep,” Chen recalled, adding that her group then decided to turn back.
The group spent nearly six hours trekking back on 5 October, as the path had been buried under deep snow.
On the way down, they met local Tibetan villagers carrying supplies uphill for rescue efforts. Villagers told her that hundreds of locals had joined the search and rescue operation.
“Many people come here to hike during the Golden Week, but this year’s snow was exceptional,” she said. Their guide also said such weather on the eastern slope of Everest was highly unusual, she added.
She is now on her way back to Lhasa city.
“All of us are experienced hikers,” Chen said. “But this blizzard was still extremely difficult to deal with. I was so lucky to get out.”
