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Imagine being stuck on top of a mountain peak while it continues to snow heavily around you. As far as the eye can see, there is white, heavy snowfall, and the wind is chilly and unforgiving. These were the scenes that a group of stranded hikers on Mount Everest had to face a few days ago. Ideally, during October, the weather near Everest is quite stable with clear skies and ideal trekking conditions. This is why the sudden blizzard was rare and surprising during this time of the year, a completely unexpected twist during a holiday peak like China’s Golden Week. This sudden weather shift that took the experienced hikers by surprise is not just an isolated freak accident but rather hints at deeper shifts in the Himalayan climate.
According to reports, around 580 hikers and support staff, including guides and yak handlers, became trapped on top of the mountain at an altitude of more than 4900m when the blizzard hit. The hikers were making their way from the Karma Valley eastern slopes when the snow started falling and completely blocked their path, making it impossible to continue the trek. Rescue teams managed to get the hikers to safety in Qudang, with those still en route making it to a rendezvous point in between where oxygen supplies and heating equipment were available. Trekkers stated that they had “never experienced weather like this” before.
This incident reconfirms that the weather in the Himalayas is becoming harder to predict. In recent years, there have been heavier snowfalls, earlier snow events, and sudden storms that catch even the experienced hikers by surprise. These shifts mean that areas that were previously known to be calm and stable during trekking season now face unstable weather conditions, putting trekkers at risk. Research shows that global warming is increasing the risk of avalanches in the Western Himalayas, and glaciers across the region are shrinking fast. A report by National Geographic warns that the Himalayas could lose a large part of their glacier volume soon, which means greater chances of flooding and reduced natural water supply.
These sudden changes may mean a decrease in trekking tourism, which is bad news for the local Himalayan communities, such as those living in Tibet and Nepal, who depend on this tourism for their livelihoods and income. Furthermore, events like this blizzard call for emergency evacuation of tourists, which can put a strain on resources for the locals, especially in remote valleys. Additionally, when faced with emergency situations, the local rescue teams and volunteers have to immediately jump into action, often while being incompletely prepared, which poses a risk to their lives as well.
The blizzard at Everest is not an isolated event, and other such disasters have been seen across the Himalayas. In Nepal, melting glaciers have led to flooding, and Reuters has recently reported such floods along the Bhote Koshi River, damaging villages and roads. Experts from ICIMOD and Mint say that the fast melting of snow and ice in the Himalayas is causing big problems with water supply in South Asia, with farmers facing both floods and dry spells in the same year.
Due to these climate changes, communities and scientists are now working on ways to adapt to the unpredictable mountain weather. Projects like CryoSCOPE are setting up new weather stations and early warning systems to give quicker alerts about storms and other extreme weather conditions. Apart from this, local governments and NGOs are also working on building shelters, providing emergency supply routes, and training more people to handle health problems related to extremely cold weather. However, serious changes need to be made in the long run to prevent these climate disasters. Working on reducing pollution and global carbon emissions can help slow down these changes and protect mountain regions like the Himalayas.
Mount Everest was calm in October in past years, but now serves as a warning for extreme climate change due to global warming. This blizzard was an eye-opening event, and although this time the trekkers were lucky enough to be rescued, that may not always be the case. This storm serves as a warning that nature’s patterns are shifting and something needs to be done quickly to avoid such events in the future. However, unless humans act fast, both at a local and global level, such events may become more frequent. A joint effort is required in the form of responsible tourism and preparedness of the tourists and locals, as well as climate action at a global level.
Mount Everest stands tall, having survived centuries of storms, and now the question is whether we can survive a changing climate in its shadow. The effects of global warming may have seemed like a thing of the distant future, but recent events have proven that change is happening fast, and the time to act is now!