• 12 climbers killed and hundreds rescued as avalanches triggered by sudden heavy snowfall hit major routes this autumn

• Officials warn climate-driven cryosphere hazards are rising, making Himalayan expeditions increasingly unpredictable

KATHMANDU, Nepal 

High in the Himalayas, chaos defined this autumn climbing season.

More than three weeks before the climbing season was set to end, Nepali authorities issued repeated alerts urging tourists to descend from high altitudes, asking mountain residents to stay indoors and deployed additional rescue teams from security forces to snowy bases.

Even so, 12 climbers died within a week due to avalanches, snowfall and blizzards. Several others were injured and hundreds were rescued.

Beyond the tragic loss of life, the deaths were alarming. Autumn casualties were higher than those reported during the 2025 spring season – the busiest period for climbing – when nine people died. In 2024, the annual total was 19.

Autumn is considered relatively safe, as mountains are less crowded. Most climbers also avoid big mountains, instead focusing on small peaks as part of their preparations to climb big mountains later.

But this year was different. Nearly 2,000 climbers and trekkers stranded along popular trekking routes – Everest, Manaslu, Annapurna, Langtang, and Kanchenjunga – were evacuated by state forces.

Rescuers scrambled round the clock to save trekkers. A rescue helicopter crashed in Lobuche, Everest region, while attempting to airlift those stranded trekkers. The pilot himself was rescued from the crash site.

Heavy snowfall triggered by Cyclone Montha devastated the mountains, slowing the season and battering the tourism industry at a time when Nepal’s economy was already shaken by recent Gen Z protests.

Changing climate means more deaths

Climbers say climate change has already produced visible impacts in the Himalayas. Glaciers across the Hindu Kush Himalaya – known as the Third Pole – are melting at an alarming rate. Locals describe unusual changes: the formation of new glacial lakes, shrinking glaciers and increased vegetation at higher altitudes.

A study conducted by Nepal’s Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM) shows temperature rise in the Himalayas is higher than the national average.

“The average temperature rise in Nepal is 0.056C (0.1F) per year, whereas the temperature rise in the mountains is 0.086C (0.15F),” said Kamal Ram Joshi, director general at the DHM. “Because of the temperature rise, 24% of glacier area retreated between 1977 and 2010.”

Joshi said rising temperatures are triggering unexpected cryosphere hazards, making the climbing industry deadlier.

“Because of that, the fragile mountain system is becoming more vulnerable, unpredictable and mountain hazards are becoming deadlier,” he said.

Erratic snowfall in the mountains and rainfall in lower regions, followed by Cyclone Montha in the middle of this year’s autumn season, worsened the situation and signaled the growing risks for aspiring climbers – as well as Nepal’s climbing industry.

Harrowing missions

This autumn, two Italian alpinists – Farronato Stefano and Caputo Alessando – attempted to climb the 6,887-meter (22,595-foot) Panbari Himal in the Manaslu region of central Nepal.

They were trapped at an altitude of 5,200 meters while attempting to summit the smaller peak, and heavy snowfall buried them on Oct. 28.

The climbers were buried so deep that only hi-tech detectors were able to find them. It then took more than two and a half hours to retrieve the bodies from beneath the snow, mountain guide Narendra Shahi Thakuri, told Anadolu.

“It seems that upon their return from acclimatization, the climbers stayed under the tent. The sudden snowfall buried them, giving no chance to make an escape,” he said. “Going to the mountain is becoming riskier.”

Shahi Thakuri and his fellow rescuers had to wait until Nov. 4 to bring the bodies of the Italian mountaineers down to the mountain’s base, as snowfall continued to disrupt the rescue mission.

A day before the Italian climbers’ bodies were recovered from Manaslu region, seven climbers en route to the 5,630-meter Yalung Ri peak were also buried under the snow. An avalanche hit them while attempting to reach the trekking summit in Nepal’s Rolwaling region on the border with China.

The climbers, from three expedition agencies, had originally aimed to climb the more challenging Dolma Khang. Yalung Ri was part of their acclimatization climb.

But that is where they died – an avalanche swept them away when they were close to the summit. Five others were badly injured, some with broken legs and hands.

“Fresh snow piled up on dry mountains caused a deadly avalanche,” said Mingma Sherpa, a climber involved in a special search and rescue operation in the Rolwaling region, which includes Yalung Ri. “Mountaineering is becoming more challenging.”

Rescue efforts in Yalung Ri – a restricted area bordering Tibet – were further complicated by bureaucracy. Because special government permission is required, rescue helicopters could not immediately reach the area. Unable to carry out an aerial rescue due to poor weather and red tape, a 50-member ground search team of state forces was mobilized.

Two more climbers died on Mt. Ama Dablam in the Everest region this autumn.

An Australian climber, Chin-Tark Chan, died on Himlung Himal in the Dhaulagiri range during the heavy snowfall. Chan, 49, had complained of difficulties at 6,700 meters while descending to the mountain’s base. He collapsed before reaching base camp, according to his climbing agency 8K Expeditions.

“Sudden snowfall weakened already exhausted climbers,” said Lakpa Sherpa of 8K Expedition. “Guides tried to bring him down to the base camp and airlift to Kathmandu for treatment. Unfortunately, he collapsed before reaching the base camp.”

Growing worries

Mingma Sherpa worries that the autumn season’s avalanche trend will continue in big mountains already shaken by melting snow. If that happens, climbers could face even bigger avalanches, making the expedition industry increasingly deadly.

Climbers interviewed by Anadolu said that water at Mount Everest’s Camp II had become normal last spring. Until a few years ago, the area was consistently covered in hard snow.

On top of that, more melting snow has exposed black rock, making climbing even harder.

Sudip Thakuri, a climate scientist involved in assessing climate change impacts for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, told Anadolu that cryosphere hazards such as avalanches, rockfalls and heavy snowfall are increasing.

“I can say this based on the consideration of recorded hazards and their high tolls,” he said. “We don’t have records of numbers and the trends of avalanches in the high altitude, but surely in the context of changing climate, we can expect the increasing numbers of such extreme events.”

He said the stability of ice and rock surfaces appears to be decreasing, likely due to degraded permafrost caused by increased surface temperature.

“And maybe other human activities – construction and aviation – that weaken the stability of our very fragile geology,” he added. “Any small disturbance can trigger such events. A multitude of factors may be involved in such events.”

Mitigation efforts

Worried about increased mountain disasters, the Nepali government has started to keep a close tab on weather patterns.

To issue early warnings, the DHM studies weather trends, analyzes them and issues special bulletins when needed. It also recommends restricting climbers and trekkers from accessing high-altitude areas.

The country’s paramilitary force, tasked with handling disasters including those in mountainous areas, has begun training its personnel at high altitude.

Officials are sponsored to climb mountains so their skills can be used in complicated rescue operations. A dedicated mountain rescue school was established in Manang, a 3,000-meter town that is a key acclimatization stop for many high-altitude treks.

“Altogether 39 trainees climbed Chulu Far East (6,038 meters) as part of their training in October. That greatly helped us in the recent rescue operations,” said Shailendra Thapa, a spokesperson for the armed police force.