A sherpa is missing and presumed dead after escorting three men to the top of Mount Everest where they left $50,000 worth of cryptocurrency as part of a publicity stunt, Outside is reporting. Three Ukrainian climbers—Taras Pozdnii, Dmitry Semerenko and Roman Gorodetskiy—can be seen on the mountain’s summit in a promotional video, kicking off a treasure hunt sponsored by the Ireland-based social media startup ASKfm.io.
Outside reports that after these men wrapped filming and began their descent down the mountain, Lam Babu Sherpa, 45, disappeared. The Ukranian climbers reportedly left Lam Babu and Mingma Sherpa, their second guide, as they moved toward the South Col at 25,938 feet. Along the way, they assisted another struggling climber, but didn’t wait for Lam Babu or Mingma, both of whom Semerenko said lagged behind the three climbers.
“We could tell by the look [of] them that they were inexperienced, and had to clarify if they [had] ever been to Everest before,” Semerenko wrote to Outside’s Alan Arnette. “They barely understood English and basically were porter Sherpas.”
“The death zone starts at 8,300-meters,” Semerenko reportedly said. “It’s every man for himself zone.”
But Outside reports that Lam Babu was not an amateur. He summited the north side of Everest last year and assisted a 2015 team on a south-side ascent. He also had his IFMGA certification, which Arnette writes is the highest international guiding accreditation given by the Nepal National Mountain Guide Association.
Take a look at the clip below.
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