French climber Vadim Druelle fell into a crevasse on his way down from Annapurna Camp 3, March 30th. The Himalayan speed climber was rescued by Sirbaz Khan, a Pakistani member of his team, when he was trapped at a depth of twenty meters. Injured and suffering from frostbite, Vadim Druelle was evacuated from the base camp and hospitalized in Kathmandu.
The Himalayas offered him some of his finest moments, and Annapurna some of his worst. Already last year, Vadim Druelle had to give up on Annapurna, even before his attempt, due to edema at base camp. But the French himalayist didn’t give up, and this season returned to attempt the Nepalese giant, Annapurna, whose first ascent is being celebrated this year.
Kéva Druelle, Vadim’s sister, announced and then confirmed the dramatic news. On Sunday March 30, Vadim Druelle was on the descent of Annapurna, under Camp 3 to be precise, with Sirbaz Khan, after a round of acclimatization, when he fell into a crevasse.
“After leaving Camp 3 together in the morning at around 8am, a gap of around a hundred metres formed between the two climbers. Sirbaz then heard a thud, followed by a cloud of snow, and then Vadim’s sudden absence from the route. Despite repeated calls, there was no response. Alerted, the Sherpas below climbed back up to help. But it was Sirbaz who saved Vadim, who was located in a crevasse around ‘twenty metres’ deep.
“In a remarkably courageous move, Sirbaz took the initiative and