German climber dies on Ama Dablam after reaching the summit

The autumn Himalayan season has another tragedy. German climber Wolfgang Waschiczek, 57, has died on Ama Dablam (6,814 m) in Nepal’s Khumbu region, hours after reaching the summit.

What happened

According to his outfitter, Real Himalaya, and reports by ExplorersWeb and Reuters:

• Waschiczek reached the top on Sunday 25 October with his guide, Sonam Sherpa.
• On the way down, the pair decided to spend the night at Camp 3, borrowing a sleeping bag and other gear from other climbers.
• When the guide went to return the sleeping bag to another tent and came back, the climber was gone. His crampons were still there, which suggests a fall.
• A search helicopter found his body on Monday afternoon at about 4,500 metres. The fall was between 1,500 and 1,700 metres, depending on the source.

His body will be flown to Kathmandu for a post-mortem.

Autumn’s busiest mountain

Ama Dablam, with its sharp profile above the valley that leads to Everest, is the most popular peak of the autumn season. More than 300 permits have been issued, and local media estimate more than 200 people have already summited this year. Nearly all foreign climbers go up with one or two Sherpas.

It is the first death on the mountain this season, coming just days after the bodies of two Japanese climbers were found on Gangapurna West.

In high-altitude climbing, the summit is only halfway: most accidents happen on the descent, when the body is exhausted.

Altavia sends its condolences to his family, friends and fellow climbers.