A German climber has died after falling about 1,500 metres from Nepal’s Ama Dablam mountain, a day after reaching its 6,812-metre summit.
Wolfgang Waschiczek, 57, was reported missing from Camp 3, at an altitude of about 6,200 metres, on Monday morning. He had been resting there after completing the climb on Sunday ahead of his planned descent.
Gokul Thapa, head of trekking company Real Himalaya, said the climber’s guide, Sonam Lama, left him in his tent briefly to return borrowed equipment. When Lama came back, Waschiczek had disappeared.
“After a successful summit, he spent a night at Camp 3 on Sunday, and on Monday morning, his guide found him missing,” Mr Thapa said.
Another Sherpa later spotted Waschiczek’s body near Camp 2, at about 4,600 metres, at around 8am. It was recovered by helicopter that afternoon and taken to Lukla, a town used as a gateway to the Everest region.
The body was then flown to Kathmandu for a post-mortem examination at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital. Mr Thapa said it would be handed to the climber’s family through the embassy once the examination was complete.
Waschiczek had visited Nepal for the second time, having travelled there in 2024 for a trek. “He had come to Nepal in 2024 for a trek, and his passing saddened us,” Mr Thapa said.
Ama Dablam climbing season
Ama Dablam, in Nepal’s Khumbu region, is regarded as a technically challenging mountain because of its steep faces. More than 300 climbers are attempting to reach its summit during the current climbing season.
The death is the first reported fatality on Ama Dablam this year. Last October, a 65-year-old French climber and a 66-year-old South Korean climber died during expeditions on the mountain.
Other climbers have also died on Himalayan peaks this year, including two Indian climbers on Mount Everest in May and American climber Shelley Johannesen, who was killed in an avalanche on Mount Makalu after reaching its summit.
