Mount Everest Climber In Colorado Reflects On Deadly, Historic Season
GOLDEN, Colo. (CBS4) - A historic climbing season has come to an end on Mount Everest in the Himalayas. It was historic for the 825 climbers and Sherpa guides and also for the number of deaths.
Eleven people lost their lives including a Colorado man. Those who have been there know its danger.
Jim Davidson of Fort Collins has been on Everest twice. He was caught in an earthquake.
"There was a huge avalanche and powder blast," he explains in a video recorded at the time.
Now, Davidson speaks about the resilience he gained from Everest.
At the American Mountaineering Center in Golden there is a large replica of Everest. Davidson told CBS4's Rick Sallinger of the dangers a climber encounters.
"Camp 4 at 26,000 feet is where the death zone starts, above that your body can't survive more than a couple days even on bottled oxygen."
The crowds seen on one day on Everest can cause dangerous delays in that "death zone."
Dr. Narinder Singh's oxygen ran out several years ago.
"Totally, I think I'm dying," the climber from India said.
This week, Chris Kulish of Boulder reached the summit and lost his life on the way down. The reason still not clear. He was an experienced climber.
"I feel sad for his friends and family. We should take time to grieve and determine what we can do to prevent it," Davidson said.
He says such tragedies only seem to encourage more people to go.
"It's not really driven by logic. People seek whatever drives their passion and whatever drives them into a better version of them."