A tragic incident occurred on Shishapangma where two American women climbers lost their lives in an avalanche, and two Sherpas are still missing. Anna Gutu and her guide, Migmar Sherpa, sadly passed away, while Gina Marie Rzucidlo and Tenjen Lama have yet to be found.
Tenjen Lama Sherpa, who had recently guided Kristin Harila on her challenging climb of all 8,000-meter peaks, had returned to guiding for Seven Summit Treks after his previous expedition with Harila. He had successfully summited Manaslu and Dhaulagiri earlier in the fall season.
At the higher reaches of Shishapangma.
Gina Marie Rzucidlo at Cho Oyu Base camp some days ago.
The group was caught in a series of avalanches at 7,800 meters while they were making their way to the summit. Gutu and Rzucidlo were both aiming to become the first U.S. women to conquer the challenging 14×8,000’ers.
Rescue efforts, led by Mingma G, managed to recover the bodies of Gutu and Migmar Sherpa at the site. The search for Gina Marie Rzucidlo and Tenjen Lama Sherpa is still ongoing. Additionally, several climbers, including Kami Rita Sherpa, Mitra Bahadur Tamang, and Karma Gyalzen Sherpa, sustained injuries during the avalanches.
Details about the incident are still unclear. Witnesses reported that at least two avalanches struck the climbing route when the American women climbers and their guides reached above 7,800m. Most climbers from Elite Expeditions and Imagine Nepal had to turn back at 7,600m. Communication from Tibet is challenging, with climbers updating their status through inReach devices as they descend to Base Camp.
The atmosphere among climbers in Tibet was highly competitive. Gutu and Rzucidlo were both passionately striving to be the first American woman to achieve the remarkable feat of conquering the 14×8,000’ers. Gutu, who climbed with Elite Expeditions, had no prior Himalayan experience and was attempting to summit all 14 peaks within six months. Shishapangma was her final challenge. Rzucidlo, from New York City, had climbed Gasherbrums, Nanga Parbat, and Manaslu before heading to Tibet for the remaining peaks. The competition had intensified this year, making it a challenging race.
Tibet had been experiencing severe weather conditions. Mario Vielmo of Italy reported bitterly cold and fierce winds at 7,000m, indicating extremely challenging climbing conditions. Recent weather patterns, including fresh snow followed by cold and wind, are typical precursors to potential avalanche incidents, as confirmed by climbers on neighboring peaks such as Pumori and Cho Oyu. The absence of rescue helicopter services in Tibet meant that ground-based rescue efforts were the only available option in this tragic emergency.