Man saved from certain death on Everest criticized for thanking sponsors instead of savior sherpa

Publish date: 2024-09-02

MOUNT EVEREST, Nepal (TND) — A seasoned climber who found himself at death's door on Mount Everest was incredibly fortunate to be rescued, but after he thanked his sponsors instead of the sherpa who saved him, he has been the recipient of some repeated online criticism.

Malaysian mountaineer Ravichandran Tharumalingam was trapped in Mount Everest's infamous oxygen-limited and freezing "death zone" on May 18 when he was discovered by Gelje Sherpa, who was himself taking a client to the top of the world's highest mountain according to CNN and Insider.

Gelje Sherpa shared a video on his social media explaining that his followers would have to wait on a "summit photo" due to the discovery.

Tharumalingam was, as Gelje put it, "about to die" and had "nothing" when he was found.

No one was helping him, no friends, no oxygen, no Sherpas with him, no guides – so this is quite dangerous for him," Gelje told CNN's Anderson Cooper in an early June interview.

Gelje Sherpa says that he and his client made a decision to abandon their climb and instead attempt to save Tharumalingam. Gelje strapped the Malaysian climber to his back and then carried him down 1,900 feet according to Reuters, which reportedly took close to six hours before another sherpa was able to join in and help the rescue.

From there, the rescuers took turns carrying the Malaysian mountaineer until they were able to get him airlifted out of the area. Once the Malaysian climber's condition improved, he was flown back to his home country, CNN reports.

It is almost impossible to rescue climbers at that altitude," Department of Tourism official Bigyan Koirala said according to Reuters. "It is a very rare operation."

CNN reports that this was not Gelje Sherpa's first rescue from Everest, having previously carried out more than 55 rescues, but Gelje did reportedly call this one the "hardest in my life."

Ravichandran Tharumalingam is reportedly a seasoned climber who has summited Everest at least three times, having lost eight fingers to frostbite in 2022. After recovering from his most recent attempt, Tharumalingam went on Malaysian television to speak about how he was rescued, Insider reports.

However, in his own social media post about his television appearance, Tharumalingam thanked his partner organizations and his rescue insurance, not Gelje.

I am alive today, because I had the best and dedicated Partners - The 14th Peaks Expedition Co and Global Rescue Ins," Tharumalingam said, noticeably leaving out the identity of the sherpa who had discovered him and carried him down Everest for hours.

Tharumalingam also made severalothersocial mediaposts about the rescue yet still did not mention Gelje Sherpa by name. Some on social media took notice and began heavily criticizing the Malaysian climber over the omissions.

You're alive thanks to a sherpa," said one reply.Hope you'll be donating all profits to the Sherpa who saved you," said another.

Following the pushback, Ravichandran eventually acknowledged his savior in a list of other sherpas who were part of the rescue effort. He also made another post thanking the same list of sherpas, to which Gelje himself replied.

Thank you," Gelje wrote in reply. "Hope you are recovering well."

Gelje has also been receiving an outpouring of gratitude and praise from social media users, especially those from Malaysia, over the rescue.

Twelve people have died and five more are missing on Everest already this year, according to CNN. Nepali officials reportedly say that this spring climbing season has been one of the deadliest on record.

"Sherpa" by the way, has multiple meanings. The capitalized "Sherpa" refers to an ethnic group whose members famously live at higher altitudes in Nepal according to Project Himalaya. The uncapitalized "sherpa" simply refers to a trek or expedition worker who guides clients to the top of mountains to ensure they remain safe. The lowercase term is, of course, derived from the uppercase.

Gelje Sherpa apparently fits both definitions. Sherpas reportedly usually go by their first names, so The National Desk referred to Gelje Sherpa as simply "Gelje" in some cases.

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