Americans Anna Gutu and Gina Marie Rzucidlo were swept away by two avalanches on the slopes of Shishapangma 8027 m. on Saturday 7 October 2023, along with their guides Mingmar Sherpa and Tenjen Sherpa, Kristin Harila’s companion on her 14×8000 record in three months last July. The two climbers were competing to become the first American woman to climb the 14 x 8000, and the Shishapangma was their final objective.
They were just a few hundred metres away from making history for their country. Americans Anna Gutu and Gina Marie Rzucidlo, along with their guides, perished in avalanches on Saturday 7 October on the slopes of Shishapangma (8027 metres) in Tibet. After each having climbed 13 of the world’s 14 peaks over 8,000 metres, the two climbers found themselves neck and neck on the slopes of the smallest of the 8,000 to become the first American to climb all 14.
On Saturday 7 October, the first avalanche occurred above 7,800 metres at around 11am, killing Anna Gutu and her guide Mingmar Sherpa from the Elite Exped agency. Rescuers recovered the bodies of two climbers from the site of the avalanche, according to The Himalayan Times. With no experience of the Himalayas, Anna Gutu had set out to climb the 14 summits in the space of six months alongside her guide Mingmar Sherpa from the Elite Exped agency.
“We have received reports that Anna and her guide were hit by the avalanche yesterday, and their bodies have been found […]