Experienced Climber DIES Hours After Summit Victory

A climber ascending a frozen ice wall in a snowy landscape — CLIMBER DEAD AFTER VICTORY

A 53-year-old American mountaineering business owner summited the world’s fifth-highest peak—then perished in a wet slab avalanche just hours into her descent, leaving readers wondering if experience guarantees survival at 7,000 meters.

Story Snapshot

Shelley Johannesen, co-owner of Dash Adventures, died from hypothermia after a May 10 avalanche on Makalu’s descent route caught four climbers.
Group summited Makalu (8,485m) on May 9 with partners David Ashley and Sherpas Tawa and Phurba Sonam; avalanche hit below Camp 3 amid 300-400m fixed ropes.
Johannesen and Tawa Sherpa fell 400m, suffering fractures; rescuers arrived at 3 a.m., but she passed by 4 a.m. despite aid.
David Ashley and Tawa airlifted to Kathmandu hospitals; second Makalu death this 2026 season after Czech climber David Roubinek.

Avalanche Strikes Experienced Summit Team

Shelley Johannesen and David Ashley, co-owners of U.S.-based Dash Adventures, reached Makalu’s 8,485-meter summit.

Sherpa guides Tawa Sherpa and Phurba Sonam Sherpa accompanied them. The team bivouacked at Camp 3 or 4 overnight.

On the morning of May 10, they descended the normal route between Camps II and III at 7,000-7,200 meters. A wet slab avalanche buried the group in a fixed-rope section.

Descent Turns Deadly in Wet Slab Hazard

Wet slab avalanches form when spring sun warms upper snow layers, destabilizing slabs over weaker bases—a known May risk on 8,000-meter peaks.

Johannesen and Tawa fell 400 meters, sustaining immobilizing fractures. David Ashley and Phurba Sonam suffered injuries but held their positions.

Rescuers from 14 Peaks Expeditions reached them around 3 a.m. on May 10, supplying oxygen and warm drinks. Johannesen, already hypothermic after prolonged exposure, died by 4 a.m.

American Mountaineer, 53, Dies in Partner’s Arms After Getting Caught in Avalanche on World’s 5th-Highest Peak https://t.co/WRinzIAQrO

— People (@people) May 12, 2026

Phunuru Sherpa of 14 Peaks reported the slide’s precision below Camp 3. Tawa Sherpa’s account details her partner’s rapid decline from altitude-exacerbated hypothermia.

Nepal’s District Police Office in Sankhuwasabha confirmed details via Deputy Superintendent Kumar Prasad Mainali. The remote site delayed the full response, underscoring the limits of high-altitude rescue.