American Climber Dies in Makalu Descent Avalanche

American mountaineer Shelley Johannesen died from injuries after an avalanche struck during the descent from Makalu in Nepal, where she and her team had summited on May 9. The avalanche, reportedly triggered by a failed fixed rope below camp three at about 7,200 metres, swept four climbers; Phurba Sonam Sherpa survived, while Johannesen succumbed to her injuries. Her partner David Ashley and another climber were airlifted to Kathmandu for treatment, and Johannesen’s body was recovered by six Sherpa climbers with a helicopter assist. Her death marks Makalu’s second fatality of the season, following Czech climber David Roubinek’s death from altitude sickness.