When a sudden snowstorm slammed the slopes of Mount Everest last Sunday, more than 550 hikers found themselves stuck at dizzying heights, sparking one of the biggest rescue drives of the year. The crisis unfolded amid Chinaâs weekâlong Golden Week holiday, a time when millions of citizens flood tourist hotspots, and officials scrambled to bring everyone down safely.
Background: Everest Tourism and Golden Week
Everestâs north face, accessed from Tibet, has become a magnet for adventureâseeking tourists ever since China opened the region to commercial climbing in the early 2000s. The trek to the famed Base Camp, perched at 5,150âŻm, draws partâtime mountaineers, senior citizens, and even school groups, all hoping for a taste of the worldâs roof.
Golden Week, officially known as the National Day holidayChina, translates to a sevenâday vacation that sees domestic travel soar by over 30âŻ% compared with ordinary weeks. That spike means crowded camps, stretched supplies, and, as October 5 proved, heightened vulnerability to sudden weather swings.
The Storm Hits: Timeline of the Crisis
According to live updates from CCTV late on October 5, the snow began piling around 14:00âŻGMT on the northâside routes. Within two hours, snow depths hit roughly one metre (three feet), crushing several canvas tents at the highâaltitude camps.
LiâŻMing, a 42âyearâold hiker from Chengdu who managed to descend before the path sealed shut, told Jimu News that the wind howled like a freight train, and visibility dropped to less than ten metres. âWe heard the snow thudding on our roofs, and then everything went quiet. The tents were flattened like pancakes,â he recalled, shivering even months later.
By sunset, rescue teams confirmed that 350 trekkers had regrouped at a designated meeting point in Tingri County, while about 200 remained stranded above 4,900âŻm, unable to move due to the drifts.
Rescue Operations on the Roof of the World
Hundreds of rescue workers, including seasoned sherpas, soldiers from the Peopleâs Liberation Army, and volunteers from the China Mountaineering Association, converged on the mountain early Sunday morning. Equipped with snowcats, chainsaws, and a fleet of horses and oxen, they began clearing the blocked passes.
A local villager captured on video a serpentine line of rescuers trudging up the winding path, their breath forming clouds in the thin air. The footage, which quickly went viral, underscored the sheer scale of the effort: more than 80âŻ% of the emergency personnel were operating above 5,000âŻm, where every step feels like a battle against gravity.
By Monday, according to a followâup report from CCTV, all 350 hikers at the Tingri meeting point were evacuated safely to the base camp. The remaining group of roughly 200, still spread across three temporary camps, received daily supplies via helicopter drops, and rescue teams worked around the clock to carve a safe descent corridor.
Parallel Emergencies in Western China
The Everest drama wasnât an isolated incident. In the northern part of Qinghai Province, a separate snowstorm claimed the life of a 31âyearâold climber from Xinjiang, who succumbed to hypothermia and altitude sickness. An additional 137 hikers were evacuated from the Qilian Mountains after their own shelters were buried under twoâmetre snowbanks.
These twin crises highlighted a broader pattern: climateâdriven extreme weather is becoming more frequent across Chinaâs highâaltitude zones, a trend that experts say threatens the safety of both local communities and the booming adventureâtourism sector.
Impact and Lessons Learned
In total, more than 550 hikers were affected by the October 5 storm, making it one of the most extensive rescue operations during a single Golden Week holiday. The incident has already prompted the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to draft stricter weatherâmonitoring protocols for highâaltitude treks.
âWe need to integrate realâtime satellite data with onâground observations,â noted Dr. YanâŻLi, a climatologist at the Beijing Institute of Meteorology. âIf we can issue alerts even thirty minutes earlier, we could prevent tents from being destroyed and reduce the number of people caught in the open.â
Meanwhile, trekking agencies are reevaluating their insurance policies and emergencyâresponse agreements. Some have already announced that future tours will require participants to undergo a mandatory altitudeâacclimatization test and carry personal GPS beacons.
Key Facts
- Snowstorm struck Everestâs north side on OctâŻ5, 2025.
- Snow depth reached ~1âŻm, crushing tents at >4,900âŻm.
- 350 hikers rescued to Tingri meeting point; ~200 remain in transit.
- Parallel emergency in Qinghai Province caused 1 death, 137 evacuations.
- Rescue force included >200 personnel, horses, oxen, and two helicopters.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many hikers are still stranded on Everest?
As of the latest update on Monday, about 200 hikers remain on the mountain, awaiting cleared routes and helicopter supply drops. Rescue teams expect to bring them down within the next 48â72âŻhours, weather permitting.
What caused the sudden snowstorm?
Meteorological data showed a fastâmoving Arctic front colliding with moist air over the Himalayas, producing rapid snow accumulation. Climate researchers say such fronts are becoming more common as global temperatures rise.
Who is coordinating the rescue?
The operation is led by the China Mountaineering Association in partnership with the Peopleâs Liberation Armyâs mountain rescue unit, under oversight from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
What safety measures will be introduced for future hikes?
New guidelines will require realâtime weather monitoring, mandatory acclimatization periods, personal GPS beacons for every participant, and stricter limits on the number of hikers per camp during peak holiday periods.
How does this incident compare to past Everest rescues?
While Everest has seen tragic incidents before, the sheer volume of people affected during a single holiday makes this the largest coordinated rescue in the regionâs recent history, surpassing the 2019 avalanche that trapped 63 climbers.
Sarah Graham
Seeing the sheer scale of that rescue really reminds us how important teamwork is up there, especially when the weather turns on a dime.
Jauregui Genoveva
Everyone loves to brag about the heroics, but the real issue is that flooding the mountain with cheap tours during Golden Week is just reckless đ we need stricter limits.
Quinten Squires
the meteorological data shows that arctic fronts can drop a meter of snow in under two hours the lapse rate at 5,000 meters accelerates hypoxia and the bodyâs acclimatization buffer can be overwhelmed in minutes this is why every trek should include realâtime satellite alerts and portable oxygen kits
Tyler Manning
It is evident that the People's Liberation Army, in conjunction with the China Mountaineering Association, has executed a commendable operation of unparalleled coordination, thereby exemplifying the superiority of our nation's emergency response capabilities.
james patel
The logistical challenge was significant; at altitudes above 4,800âŻm, reduced atmospheric pressure results in a decrease of available oxygen to roughly 50âŻ% of seaâlevel levels, necessitating the deployment of supplemental oxygen and meticulous monitoring of cerebral edema risk, which the rescue teams managed adeptly.
Scarlett Mirage
The mountain stands as a silent testament to humanity's hubris, a monument not only of stone but of our collective yearning to transcend earthly limits, and yet we repeatedly ignore the immutable laws of nature, believing that technology alone can shield us from the primal forces that sculpt the Himalayas, when in fact each avalanche, each sudden snowstorm serves as a reminder that we are merely visitors on a fragile glacier, and our desire to conquer becomes an act of arrogance, a folly that has claimed countless lives over the centuries, and the recent Golden Week debacle is no different, a stark illustration of how commercial interests can eclipse safety protocols, leading to overcrowding that strains even the most seasoned guides, while the very act of mass tourism transforms sacred peaks into theme parks, eroding the spiritual reverence once afforded to these heights, moreover, the climate crisis amplifies these dangers, as warming patterns destabilize permafrost and increase the frequency of extreme weather events, compelling us to reâevaluate the ethics of highâaltitude tourism, for if we persist in commodifying the summit, we risk not only human lives but the very integrity of the mountain ecosystem, and so it is incumbent upon policymakers, tour operators, and trekkers alike to adopt a more sustainable, precautionary approach, one that honors the mountain's majesty while safeguarding those who dare to tread its slopes, lest we repeat the mistakes of the past, and in doing so, perhaps we will finally learn humility in the shadow of the roof of the world, for the mountain does not ask for our ambition, it demands our respect, and only through reverence can we hope to coexist with its timeless grandeur. The data from meteorological satellites clearly indicate a shift in storm patterns, and this shift must be integrated into trek planning. The local Sherpa communities, whose generations have honed survival skills, should be consulted in every decision. Education campaigns targeting firstâtime hikers can dramatically reduce panic during emergencies. Finally, the governmentâs draft protocols, while a step forward, must enforce mandatory GPS beacons and realâtime weather feeds, otherwise the cycle will repeat. Only then can future Golden Weeks pass without such calamities. Only by aligning ambition with humility can we truly honor the mountain.
Ian Sepp
I appreciate the depth of your reflection; implementing mandatory GPS beacons and realâtime weather monitoring aligns with best practices in highâaltitude safety.
Lois Parker
Too many people, too much risk.
Lerato Mamaila
Indeed, the influx of tourists during cultural holidays, while boosting local economies, also places unprecedented strain on fragile alpine environments, and fostering a balanced approach is essential!
Dennis Lohmann
Hey folks, remember youâre not alone up thereâŻ-âŻthe rescue teams have your back, so stay calm and look out for each other đđȘ
Jensen Santillan
While your optimism is noted, the systemic flaws in tourism regulation and the commodification of sacred peaks render any adâhoc camaraderie insufficient; a rigorous, dataâdriven overhaul is the only viable solution.
Mike Laidman
The proposed measures appear satisfactory yet lack substantive enforcement mechanisms which may undermine their efficacy.
J T
What a mess.
A Lina
From a riskâmanagement perspective, the current operational protocols exhibit critical gaps in altitudeârelated medical preparedness, notably the insufficient allocation of portable hyperbaric chambers and realâtime vitalâsign monitoring devices.
Virginia Balseiro
Let's turn those gaps into opportunities-together we can champion cuttingâedge safety tech and ensure every trekker returns home with a triumphant story to tell!