Suze Kelly - Survival On Everest
Adventure Magazine|April - May 2019

Being caught in an avalanche is not something anyone would like to experience, however being caught in an avalanche on the highest mountain in the world is beyond terrifying. On 25th April, 2015, Wanaka based Kiwi, and General Manager of Adventure Consultants, Suze Kelly, was in Camp 1 when a 7.8 magnitude earthquake shook the mountain killing 9000 people in Nepal and causing a huge avalanche that ran straight through base camp. The avalanche claimed the lives of at least 22 people.

Suze Kelly
Suze Kelly - Survival On Everest

Suze takes up the story...

We had climbed up to Camp 1 from Basecamp for the first time on the expedition, arriving the day before. It wasn’t my first time going up into the Western Cwm as I’d been on Lhotse in 2013 but for most of our team it was their first time. We had decided not to go for an acclimatisation hike that morning from Camp 1 towards Camp 2 as everyone was pretty tired from the efforts getting to Camp 1 the day prior, so we were in our tents under low cloud.

I’m sure I felt the fault line ‘slip’, as the ground moved sideways over a metre in our tent with a huge glacial sized creaking sound, before all the real shaking started. Camp 1 is not the place you want to be when an earthquake happens as it is exposed to falling serac avalanche hazard from very high up on the mountain walls that loom above. When the shaking stopped Guy and I remarked ’that’s gotta be a big one’ and quickly started pulling on layers of clothes and boots. He made it out of tent in time to yell ’avalanche’ to everyone else as he could see an avalanche coming but the air blast wasn’t too bad, and we could soon all emerge from our tents.

During the shaking I had been able to speak on the radio to Anthea, our Base Camp Manager, where she had asked if we were OK and I said, ‘its rocking and rolling up here’. After about 10 minutes Anthea called again, and she said ‘Basecamp has been obliterated, I expect mass casualties’. We didn’t’ hear from her again that day as her radio stopped working and it took all of her effort to perform triage at Basecamp with our 20 staff based there.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April - May 2019-Ausgabe von Adventure Magazine.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April - May 2019-Ausgabe von Adventure Magazine.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS ADVENTURE MAGAZINEAlle anzeigen
Papua New Guinea
Adventure Magazine

Papua New Guinea

Four reasons to add Papua New Guinea to your bucket list

time-read
3 Minuten  |
August 2021
The benefits of being a Multi-Trick Pony
Adventure Magazine

The benefits of being a Multi-Trick Pony

"A broad skill base and how you can draw from one platform to the next – women often pigeon hole themselves"

time-read
7 Minuten  |
August 2021
The RELUCTANT adventurer
Adventure Magazine

The RELUCTANT adventurer

An eighteen-year-old princess, who paints his (yes, his) nails and dyes his hair bleach blonde, embarking on an adventure trip with his family, sounds like a plot for a bad 80s movie.

time-read
8 Minuten  |
August 2021
The Meaning of Tramping
Adventure Magazine

The Meaning of Tramping

What does tramping mean to you?

time-read
6 Minuten  |
August 2021
Keala Kennelly owns Red Bull Magnitude
Adventure Magazine

Keala Kennelly owns Red Bull Magnitude

The North Shore season of 1957 is recognized in the surfing world as the start of an era. When Greg Noll, a young Mickey Munoz and company went out and rode Waimea for the first time, it was a glimpse of what could be in the world of big-wave surfing.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
August 2021
North West Circuit Stewart Island
Adventure Magazine

North West Circuit Stewart Island

I found myself in limbo during the winter of 2020, in between jobs in a strained covid economy. And so, I did what any outdoors person would do with a large amount of free time on their hands. It was time to pack up my belongings and hit the road. It was time to leave behind home comforts and go adventure-seeking.

time-read
9 Minuten  |
August 2021
Emilie's adventure to Angelus Hut
Adventure Magazine

Emilie's adventure to Angelus Hut

“I want to be the leader!” Miss Six announced, pushing past me in her determination to be in front. Momentarily off-balance with my heavy pack, I narrowly avoided twisting an ankle on the sharp rocks and silently swore while cracking a bright smile.

time-read
7 Minuten  |
August 2021
Nancy Jiang Breaking stereotypes
Adventure Magazine

Nancy Jiang Breaking stereotypes

I recently watched a youtube movie entitled, “Her Way” (check it out on the Adventure Website) which introduced a woman who had an overwhelming passion for running. The preface at the bottom of the clip, read as follows:

time-read
4 Minuten  |
August 2021
Adversity at Altitude
Adventure Magazine

Adversity at Altitude

The wind and snow is whipping at my face. I’ve readjusted the stiff frozen fleece buff around my neck and mouth, desperately trying to protect myself from the -20 degree bitter wind. Adrenaline is still pumping through my body but I know I’ll start to get cold soon.

time-read
10 Minuten  |
August 2021
Last Great Mountaineering Challenge
Adventure Magazine

Last Great Mountaineering Challenge

Ground-breaking mountaineer Nirmal ‘Nims’ Purja MBE has attained an incredible new world record by submitting K2 as part of a collaborative team in the depths of winter. Until now, it was a record that was believed to be impossible to accomplish and was famously known as the ‘last great mountaineering challenge’.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
February - March 2021