Everest climbers wait at base camp

Climber Nick Cienski has not given up on his world record bid to scale six 8,000m peaks this calendar year, despite narrowly escaping a huge avalanche on Mount Everest set off by an earthquake that killed thousands of people.

The avalanche unleashed by the 7.9 magnitude quake on Saturday blew tents, people, and gear hundreds of metres, only just missing his team, the Canadian said by satellite telephone from base camp.

A day after helping to recover the bodies of 12 of at least 17 avalanche victims, Cienski agonised over whether to continue his quest in the poor Himalayan nation struck by a greater tragedy. More than 4,000 people have died.

“We are still sorting through a lot of emotions; 24 hours ago we were wrapping people’s body parts in bags,” said Cienski, an executive with a US outdoor firm.

“So on the one hand the reality of that ... and on the second hand, we are climbers and this is sort of what we do. And so, does it make sense to continue?”

Injured avalanche survivors were flown down the mountain on Sunday, but many of the more than 300 foreign climbers attempting to scale Everest were staying put for the time being.

Romanian climber Alex Gavan said that he had left Everest base camp to assist with the earthquake relief effort.

“The time is not for climbing now, but for helping Nepali people,” said Gavan.