Climbing
A tragic wet slab avalanche on Mount Makalu — the world’s fifth-highest mountain — has left an American climber dead and her guiding team facing a long, uncertain road to recovery. The incident occurred on May 10, 2026, as 53-year-old American mountaineer Shelley Johannesen was descending from the 8,485-meter summit with her partner David Ashley and their guiding team, Tawa Sherpa and Phurba Sonam Sherpa. Johannesen and Ashley operated the U.S.-based expedition company Dash Adventures. The team had successfully stood on the summit the morning prior, May 9, before beginning their descent along the mountain’s traditional route.
- Related: American Woman Mountaineer Killed in Avalanche During Descent of Mount Makalu in Himalaya Mountains
According to firsthand accounts shared by Phurba Sonam Sherpa on ExplorersWeb, the avalanche struck at approximately 7,000 meters, just below Camp 3, along a section of the route fixed with several hundred meters of rope. The slide swept Johannesen and her primary guide, Tawa Sherpa, more than 1,000 feet down the mountain’s steep face. Both sustained severe fractures in the fall that left them completely immobilized.
Phurba Sonam Sherpa, who witnessed the slide alongside Ashley, quickly anchored the injured climbers with an ice axe to secure them against the mountain. With severe weather moving in and rescue teams initially unable to ascend from the lower camps due to the deteriorating conditions, Sonam made the difficult decision to descend alone through the storm to Camp 2 to secure urgent medical supplies and oxygen. Ashley chose to remain behind on the exposed slope to care for Johannesen.
A rescue team finally reached the stranded climbers at 3:00 a.m. the following morning, providing warm fluids and fresh oxygen. However, Johannesen had already succumbed to severe trauma and hypothermia, passing away in the early morning hours.
While David Ashley was able to walk down to safety with the assistance of a backup rescue team, Tawa Sherpa survived a grueling night on the open mountain without shelter. He managed to crawl and climb down to an elevation low enough for an evacuation helicopter to operate. Both Ashley and Tawa were airlifted from the mountain and admitted to a hospital in Kathmandu.
Tawa suffered a broken back and severe frostbite on his fingers. In a recent medical update, doctors confirmed that Tawa underwent successful spinal surgery in four separate places, though an additional area of his back remains too swollen for operation and will require further evaluation. While his frostbite is showing promising signs of healing and he has been discharged to recover at home with his family, his future as a high-altitude mountain guide remains entirely unknown.
In the wake of the tragedy, the international climbing community has mobilized to support the affected guides. A GoFundMe campaign organized by David Ashley has raised over $15,000 to assist Tawa and Sonam. The funds are being directed toward covering Tawa’s extensive uncovered medical bills, rehabilitation therapy, and financial support for his family during his prolonged absence from work. Additionally, the campaign will help replace the vital mountaineering equipment that both guides lost in the avalanche or sacrificed to keep Johannesen and Ashley warm while awaiting rescue.
The tragedy marks the second fatality on the Makalu massif during the spring 2026 climbing season, following the death of 38-year-old Czech alpinist David Roubinek, who succumbed to high-altitude pulmonary edema on nearby Makalu II earlier in the month.
