Two climbers who went missing for several days while climbing a Himalayan mountain have revealed that hugging each other to preserve body heat was the key to saving them from their ordeal.
Put Manners, 37, and American climber Michelle Dvorak, 31, had been missing since thursday when they had difficulties while walking IndiaChaukhamba mountain.
The pair sent a panicked message to base camp to say they were in trouble after losing their climbing equipment, tent and food in a gorge.
Although they were stranded at a height of 6,015 m (19,700 ft) while trying to reach the top of the mountain in Uttarakhand, they have since been rescued in a daring helicopter mission and are now safe.
Speaking to the Times from the Indian Mountaineering Foundation offices in Delhi, Manners, an experienced climber, said: “Only our body heat saved us.” Hugs saved us.’
She and Dvorak had lost their suitcases on the climb after a rockfall, causing them to panic.
Manners was stranded for several days at 6,015 meters on her climb to the top of the mountain in Uttarakhand.
American Michelle Dvorak, 31 (pictured), also disappeared along with Ms Manners.
‘With your team, you can still consider some options. Without your team, you feel helpless. You can’t do anything to save yourself. There was no way we could attempt a relegation.” Manners said.
Manners, who was the first woman to complete the ascent of the Phantom Direct route on the south face of the Grandes Jorasses, the longest ice route in the Mont Blanc massif, was left with only light clothing after the rockfall.
While she and Dvorak were able to warm themselves in the morning sun, when night fell they were frozen.
“I was shaking all the time. Oh, I felt so, so cold,’ he said.
The cold and the increasing possibility that they would not be rescued plagued them for days, but they were determined to be saved.
Fellow climbers at the mountain base camp knew they were alive.
Colonel Madan Gurung, director of the Indian Mountaineering Foundation, said: “On Thursday night all the lights went out in the base camp and everyone looked at the mountains and we saw a light flickering in the darkness.
“We knew they were okay, we just had to get to them quickly.”
The couple was rescued through a joint operation by the Indian Air Force, State Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Management Authority.
Climbers have been found safe after getting stranded on their summit climb in Uttarakhand.
Ms Manners (pictured) has been found safe and well.
At one point, they saw and heard a rescue helicopter flying overhead, but were discouraged because the pilot couldn’t see where they were sitting.
“It was very difficult…seeing the helicopter gave us hope, but then as they drove away the sound went away,” Manners said.
They were eventually evacuated through search efforts by the Indian Air Force, State Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Management Authority.
Kapil Malhotra, their tour operator, said they were so exhausted they looked drunk when he saw them get out of the helicopter.
Speaking in a video after her rescue, Ms Manners said: “We were carrying my bag up, and she had her bag on top, and the rockfall came and cut the rope with the other bag, and the whole thing just fell out. mountain”. ‘
Manners said all he wants to do is eat “spicy Indian food” and rest before going home.
Incredibly, he hasn’t ruled out trying to climb Chaukhamba again, “but not for a while yet.”
Michelle Theresa Dvorak and Fay Manners, both experienced climbers, sent a message via pager to their liaison officer, telling him that their bag of food and vital equipment had fallen into a ravine.
British mountaineer Manners seen on the mountain in a sleeping bag
The Brit, from Bedford, moved to the Alps to pursue her passion for climbing and became a professional mountaineer, sponsored by brands such as The North Face and Petzl.
He has become the first person to complete a series of complex routes across several alpine mountains.
“My ambition is to inspire women to pursue their interest in mountaineering,” their website reads.
Manners is a data consultant “by night,” according to her Instagram, which has more than 15,000 followers.
His partner, Michelle, is also an experienced climber and assistant professor at the University of Washington.