Life

More details, and blame, in the death of Canadian Everest victim

Shriya Shah-Klorfine was warned by a senior Sherpa that she could die, but went anyway—allegedly without enough oxygen

On May 19, 2012, Shriya Shah-Klorfine was one of six people who died on Mount Everest. The 33-year-old Torontonian had always wanted to make the more than 8,000-m climb, and with no climbing experience, she paid nearly $40,000—or considerably more, according to Maclean’s sources—to Utmost Adventure Trekking to guide her.

An investigation done by CBC’s The Fifth Estate, claims that the Nepalese expedition company that took Shah-Klorfine up the mountain let her go with less-experienced Sherpas—after the senior Sherpa refused to take her. The report says that the company, which was a startup that had never guided anyone to the summit, should have known she would run out of oxygen.

Veteran Everest guide Russell Brice told CBC that Shah-Klorfine was given enough oxygen to reach the peak of the mountain, but not enough to get back down. She had been climbing for 27 hours straight when she died, and her body was carried down around 10 days later.

Still,  Jonathon Gatehouse reported in the Maclean’s profile on Shah-Klorfine that  she was lagging behind in her training and was warned that she could die. Bruce Klorfine, Shah-Klorfine’s husband, said in an interview with CBC that his wife never told him this and he’s surprised they still let her go.

Gatehouse’s piece details Shah-Klorfine’ single-mindedness about reaching the top of the mountain even though she was the slowest climber, was urged by the trekking company to turn around as she grew weaker, and eventually needed to be pushed and pulled by the Sherpas back down the mountain.

 

Looking for more?

Get the Best of Maclean's sent straight to your inbox. Sign up for news, commentary and analysis.
  • By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.