Community Rallies with GoFundMe for Sherpa Guides Following Fatal Avalanche on Mount Makalu, Himalayas

A wet slab avalanche struck Mount Makalu on May 10, 2026, during descent from the 8,485-meter summit. Shelley Johannesen, 53, and her partner David Ashley were descending with guides Tawa Sherpa and Phurba Sonam Sherpa. The avalanche occurred around 7,000 meters near a section of the traditional route fixed with several hundred meters of rope. Johannesen and Tawa Sherpa were swept more than 1,000 feet down a steep face and suffered severe fractures that left them immobilized. Phurba Sonam anchored both with an ice axe and then descended alone through worsening storm conditions to reach Camp 2 for medical supplies and oxygen. Ashley stayed behind to care for Johannesen. A rescue team reached the climbers at 3:00 a.m. and provided warm fluids and fresh oxygen, but Johannesen had already died.

"The incident occurred on May 10, 2026, as 53-year-old American mountaineer Shelley Johannesen was descending from the 8,485-meter summit with her partner David Ashley and their guiding team, Tawa Sherpa and Phurba Sonam Sherpa. The team had successfully stood on the summit the morning prior, May 9, before beginning their descent along the mountain's traditional route. According to firsthand accounts shared by Phurba Sonam Sherpa on ExplorersWeb, the avalanche struck at approximately 7,000 meters, just below Camp 3, along a section of the route fixed with several hundred meters of rope."

"The slide swept Johannesen and her primary guide, Tawa Sherpa, more than 1,000 feet down the mountain's steep face. Both sustained severe fractures in the fall that left them completely immobilized. Phurba Sonam Sherpa, who witnessed the slide alongside Ashley, quickly anchored the injured climbers with an ice axe to secure them against the mountain. With severe weather moving in and rescue teams initially unable to ascend from the lower camps due to the deteriorating conditions, Sonam made the difficult decision to descend alone through the storm to Camp 2 to secure urgent medical supplies and oxygen."

"Ashley chose to remain behind on the exposed slope to care for Johannesen. A rescue team finally reached the stranded climbers at 3:00 a.m. the following morning, providing warm fluids and fresh oxygen. However, Johannesen had already succumbed"

Read at snowbrains.com