2 climbers die after expeditions to Mount Ama Dablam

A mountaineer from France and another from South Korea died during expeditions to Nepal’s Mount Ama Dablam, a picturesque but difficult peak to climb, a tourism director said on Monday.

French climber Hugo Lucio Colonia Lazaro, 65, fell sick while descending the 6,812-metre (22,349-foot) peak last week.

“He was flown to Kathmandu on a helicopter on Wednesday and passed away the next day,” Tourism Department Director Himal Gautam told AFP.

South Korean climber Hong Khy Park, 66, died between Camp 1 and Camp 2 while ascending Mount Ama Dablam on Saturday, according to the department, which did not specify the cause of death.

“Our department has been consulting with concerned agencies to take back their dead bodies to their respective countries,” said Gautam.

Ama Dablam, which lies in Nepal’s Khumbu region, is considered a technically challenging mountain with steep faces.

Nearly 400 climbers were on the mountain this autumn season, which usually runs from late August to November.

Home to eight of the world’s 10 highest peaks, including Mount Everest, Nepal welcomes hundreds of climbers every year.

Autumn expeditions on the Himalayas are less popular because of the shorter, colder days, snowy terrain and a narrow summit window compared to the busy spring.

Nepal’s mountains including Everest have long drawn climbers from across the world, but a growing community is exploring hidden summits promising solitude and the chance to be first to the top.

The Himalayan nation is home to eight of the world’s 10 highest peaks and welcomes hundreds of climbers every year, making mountaineering a lucrative business.

“If you are only interested in the height of the peak then there are limited mountains to climb,” French alpinist and veteran expedition leader Paulo Grobel told AFP. “But if you open your interest to 7,900 metres there is a lot of potential. If you go to 6,900 metres you have many more peaks waiting.” This autumn Nepal has issued 1,323 climbing permits. While most climbers are part of large commercial expeditions on popular peaks, small, independent teams are dispersed across remote and lesser-known mountains.

Agence France-Presse