Just 300 Meters from the Summit of Everest, an Israeli Climber Gave Up His Dream to Save a Stranger

Опубликовано: INTERESTING

Just 300 Meters from the Summit of Everest, an Israeli Climber Gave Up His Dream to Save a Stranger

At just 24 years old, Israeli climber Nadav Ben-Yehuda was only 300 meters from reaching the summit of Mount Everest, the tallest peak on Earth.

Yet, he chose to abandon his dream of conquering the mountain to save a wounded Muslim climber—a Turkish mountaineer—in critical condition.

Nadav recounted the experience: “I passed by two fresh bodies along the ropes I was climbing. They were still clipped in, unable to move, slipping into unconsciousness and eventually dying right where they had collapsed.

Others climbing the mountain simply stepped over them and kept going. When I saw him, I recognized him immediately—it was Aydin Irmak from Turkey. We had met at base camp.

He was unconscious, without gloves, no oxygen mask, and his helmet was off. He looked like he was waiting for the end. Other climbers walked past without even a glance.

But I knew if I didn’t stop, he would definitely die. I felt I had to at least try to save him. I began the descent with Aydin, which lasted nine grueling hours.

Carrying him was exhausting—he was heavy and mostly unconscious. Occasionally, he’d regain consciousness and scream in pain, making the descent even harder.

We moved slowly downward until my oxygen mask broke. Not long after, we encountered a Malaysian climber who was also struggling to survive.

It became clear we couldn’t continue much further.

I shouted to the climbers ascending the mountain, begging them to spare some oxygen for the two injured men. Some responded, and the extra oxygen helped Aydin come back around.

At that moment, I had a choice: become the youngest Israeli to summit Everest—a huge achievement for my career—or save a fellow climber’s life. I chose to save him, and I managed to do it.

I’m grateful to everyone who trained and prepared me—it gave me the strength to descend the mountain with Aydin and get him the help he desperately needed.”

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