A Rare High-Altitude Life-Saving Operation in Dhaulagiri: Satori Adventures Safely Evacuates a Young Sherpa Guide Back to His Family
Mountaineering in the Himalayas, compared to other mountain ranges, is widely regarded as one of the most challenging and hazardous pursuits in the world. The Himalayas present extreme altitudes, highly unpredictable weather systems, complex terrain, and hidden dangers such as blue ice concealed beneath fresh snow. Risk is an inherent part of high-altitude Himalayan mountaineering.
Even with meticulous planning, experienced guides, advanced technology, and use of sophisticated modern weather forecasting, the risks cannot be entirely eliminated.
Despite Satori Adventures’ strict safety measures and successful operation of safe expeditions, this year on 24 April, our young Sherpa guide, Mingma Tenji, suffered a nearly 300-meter fall at around 8,000 meters while descending from the summit of Dhaulagiri (8,167m) unfortunately. While attempting to retrieve a client’s dropped glove, he slightly misjudged the terrain, where blue ice was covered by fresh snow. He successfully summited the peak at 08:43 am with Domenec Trastoy Diaz (Domi).
At around 10:00 a.m., the Kathmandu operations office of Satori Adventures received information about his fall. We immediately established communication with Sherpa guides on the mountain from our fellow expedition companies to coordinate a prompt response to the situation.
Our client, Domenec Trastoy Diaz (Domi) – an elite mountaineer from Andorra – and climber Prakriti Varshney (first Vegan Everest summiteer from India), and her Sherpa Guide were present on the mountain to assist Mingma at first hand. He was relocated about 200 meters horizontally to a safer slope at an altitude of approximately 7,700 meters (25,262 ft).
In a gesture reflecting strong mountain spirit and teamwork, Prakriti abandoned her summit attempt to assist in the evacuation of Mingma. They then descended to the nearest camp to rest after ensuring that Mingma Tenji would remain stable through the night in a semi-conscious state.
We launched an urgent rescue operation from Kathmandu simultaneously, but due to bad weather, the helicopter was forced to land and remain in Pokhara for the night.
We resumed the rescue operation early the next morning, on 25 April, deploying our expert Sherpa guide Nima Sherpa, known as “Speed Nima,”. Despite the challenging weather conditions, the pilot performed with great precision, and Nima Sherpa with Mingma’s brother landed at Dhaulagiri Base Camp (4,750 m / 15,584 ft) at around 11:00 a.m.
Meanwhile, Lhakpa Tenjen Sherpa from Elite Expedition, Furtenji Sherpa from Seven Summit Treks climbed up from Camp III to reach Mingma Tenji, carrying oxygen and other essential supplies, and slowly began bringing him down.
Nima immediately began ascending toward Mingma Tenji and, at around 2:30 p.m. at an altitude of 7,500 meters, successfully reached him. His arrival brought renewed hope and strength to Mingma Tenji. Together, the Sherpa team carefully assisted in his descent to Base Camp, where they arrived at approximately 1:00 a.m. on 26 April, ensuring his safety and comfort throughout the evacuation.
What makes this mission even more remarkable is that just a few days earlier, on 18 April, Nima had successfully climbed Annapurna I (8,091 m), one of the most technical and challenging 8,000-meter peaks in the Himalayas. Despite significant physical and mental exhaustion, Nima took on this life-saving rescue mission. And, mountaineer Prakriti and her Sherpa guide abandoned their summit push and instead supported the rescue effort for Mingma Tenji.
The next morning at 7:00 a.m., despite continued challenging weather conditions, Mingma Tenji was successfully airlifted from Dhaulagiri Base Camp to Pokhara and then to Kathmandu. He received treatment at HAMS Hospital, where doctors confirmed that he had avoided any serious complications and was only affected by minor frostbite on his left toe.
After two weeks of hospital care, Mingma Tenji has now returned to his home in remote Sankhuwasabha to reunite with his mother, wife, and daughter.
This is a powerful reminder and lesson for all of us that the risks Sherpa guides and climbers take in the Himalayas are inevitable, and their determination to help others while risking their own lives is truly extraordinary. Furthermore, in such extreme conditions, mountaineers demonstrate the true spirit of the mountains by prioritizing support for others over personal summit ambitions.
This successful evacuation of Mingma Tenji to safety reflects not only our experience in risk assessment and rescue preparation, but also the courage, teamwork, heroism, and unbreakable spirit of the mountaineering community, as well as their remarkable display of humanity.
Conclusion
We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to our client and mountaineer Domenec Trastoy Diaz (Domi), Prakriti Varshney, and fellow Sherpa guides Phurtenji Sherpa, Pemba Tashi Sherpa, and Lakpa Tenjen Sherpa, representing Seven Summit Treks and Elite Expeditions, respectively. We also honor Nima Sherpa for his extraordinary achievement of summiting Mount Everest, Lhotse, and Nuptse – the “Triple Crown” –later in the season after this rescue operation.
Lastly, this challenging rescue experience has taught us valuable lessons for organizing future expeditions with greater diligence, careful planning, and enhanced preparedness for risks and rescue situations, ensuring the highest level of efficiency in every aspect.
