A British climber who went missing in the Himalayas has spoken of her relief after surviving for two days in “brutal” conditions that put her life in danger.
Fay Manners, originally from Bedfordshire, and her climbing partner, Michelle Dvorak from the United States, were stranded on Chaukhamba mountain in northern India when the rope lifting their food, tent and climbing equipment snapped, leaving them without supplies.
The pair sent an emergency message at more than 20,000ft (6,096m), but search and rescue teams had initially been unable to find them.
Ms Manners is an alpinist, a mountain climber who specialises in difficult climbs, and now lives in Chamonix, France.
After a loose rock cut the rope being used to haul the pair’s bags, Ms Manners said she felt “despair”.”I watched the bag tumble down the mountain and I immediately knew the consequence of what was to come,” she said.
“We had none of our safety equipment left. No tent. No stove to melt snow for water. No warm clothes for the evening.
Our ice axes and crampons for retreat back to basecamp.”No head torch for moving at night.”The pair were able to send a text message to emergency services, prompting a search and rescue.