Two American women vying to become the first in the country to climb the 14 highest mountains were killed while climbing the last remaining peak on their list.
Gina Rzucidlo and Anna Gutu and their Nepalese guide both lost their lives in separate avalanches while climbing Mount Shishapangma in Tibet on Saturday.
Gutu, 32, and his driver Mingmar Sherpa were confirmed dead earlier on Saturday, while Rzucidlo, 45, was reported missing.
The Massachusetts native and his driver were later confirmed dead by his family in a Facebook post.
The Chinese government has rejected the family’s request to search for his body by helicopter and Christy Rzucidlo said “the search for their body can be resumed in the spring when the weather conditions are good.”
The mountain has been closed for the season due to “unsafe snow conditions,” Christy said.
The two women were killed in separate places on the mountain by two different avalanches.
Gina Rzucidlo and Anna Gutu (pictured) and their Nepalese guide both lost their lives in separate avalanches while climbing Mount Shishapangma in Tibet on Saturday. Instagram / @anyatraveler Gutu, 32, (pictured) and his driver Mingmar Sherpa were confirmed dead first on Saturday, while Rzucidlo, 45, was reported missing. Instagram/@anyatraveler
Mount Shishapangma is the mountain everyone must complete to become the first American woman to climb all 14. Edurne Pasaban is the first woman to climb all 14 peaks, and Kristin Harila, from Norway, recently completed the challenge in 92 days – beating the Record 189 days.
A fellow mountaineer, Uta Ibrahimi, from Kosovo, said he turned back after the first avalanche out of fear for his safety, but Rzucidlo kept going.
“I saw the first avalanche! I was very scared to understand that the avalanche took three people, including Ana and Mingna, who died!” said the Kosovo mountaineer in a Facebook post. “I am so shocked. I stopped for an hour trying to figure out what I should do.. of course I didn’t want to climb! I saw the other old team of my friends, who guided Gina, they are still on their way to the top!”
Ibrahimi said he also saw a second “huge” avalanche that “came from the summit” that took out Rzucidlo. Ibrahimi, who had reached 7,600 meters before turning back, said the avalanches happened within three hours of each other.
Rzucidlo (pictured) and his driver were later confirmed dead by his family in a Facebook post. Instagram / @ginamarierzucidlo The Chinese government has denied the family’s request to search for his body by helicopter and Christy Rzucidlo said “the search for their body can be resumed in the spring when the weather conditions are good.” Instagram/@ginamarierzucidlo
Karma Gelen Sherlpa, another Nepali guide, was seriously injured and had to be escorted down the mountain and taken to a nearby hospital.
A total of 52 climbers – all from the US, Great Britain, Japan, Italy and other countries – attempted to climb Shishapangma, the 14th highest peak in the world. It is the only mountain standing above 8,000 meters, or 26,000 feet, located entirely in Tibet.
Chinese authorities recently allowed foreign climbing expeditions to resume this year after three years of COVID-19 restrictions.
A total of 52 climbers – all from the US, Great Britain, Japan, Italy and other countries – attempted to climb Shishapangma, the 14th highest peak in the world. It is the only mountain standing above 8,000 meters, or 26,000 feet, located entirely in Tibet. AP
Rzucidlo’s family said his death was “heartbreaking” because he was “so close” to his goals.
Christy told The Telegraph her family remembers her sister as “always smiling, always happy, a joker,”
Gutu’s social media pages were flooded with tributes to the mountaineer, with many calling her an “inspiration” and a “strong woman.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
