Tragedy on Mount Shishapangma
Two American climbers, Gina Marie Rzucidlo and Anna Gutu, tragically lost their lives while competing to become the first American woman to summit all 14 of the world’s highest peaks. The climbers were on their final ascent of the 26,335 ft Mount Shishapangma in Tibet when they were caught in separate avalanches over the weekend.
Final challenge ends in disaster
Gutu, along with her Nepalese guide Mingmar Sherpa, perished in one avalanche. Meanwhile, Rzucidlo and her guide Tenjen Sherpa were initially reported missing but have since been confirmed dead. Uta Ibrahimi, a climber from Kosovo, turned back after the first avalanche but saw Rzucidlo and her guide continuing their ascent.
Mount Shishapangma: The deadly peak
More than 50 climbers were attempting to summit Mount Shishapangma, the 14th highest mountain globally and the only one above 8,000 meters located entirely within Tibet. The avalanches have cast a shadow over this ambitious climbing season.
Christy Lavallee, Rzucidlo’s sister, shared the devastating news: “The Chinese authorities have declared my sister Gina and her Sherpa Tenjen Lama as deceased.” Lavallee added that requests for a helicopter search were denied by the Chinese government, with the search potentially resuming in the spring when weather conditions improve. “We’re all devastated. We fluctuate between feeling numb and just crying,” Lavallee said.
Tenjen Sherpa, Rzucidlo’s guide, had recently set a record with Norwegian climber Kristin Harila for climbing the world’s 14 tallest peaks in the fastest time. They completed the challenge in 92 days, finishing with K2 in Pakistan in July and having previously climbed Mount Shishapangma in April.
This tragic event serves as a stark reminder of the perils associated with high-altitude mountaineering, even for the most experienced climbers.
