Everest Climber Saulius Damulevičius: 'For a minute, the fear of death came over me'

Lithuanian climber Saulius Damulevičius faced a life-threatening situation during his Everest expedition, ultimately abandoning his summit bid due to severe altitude sickness and frostbite.

Damulevičius began his ascent towards the summit from the South Col (7,950 meters) on May 26th. Within hours, he realized his pace was dangerously slow, a critical issue at extreme altitudes. Reaching the "Balcony" at 8,400 meters, he understood that continuing would be a "one-way ticket." He suspected a medical issue, likely acute mountain sickness, which could become fatal if he did not descend immediately.

The decision to turn back was difficult, especially given the support he had received and his aspirations for a film about the climb. However, he recognized the mountain would remain, and he could return better prepared. During his descent, he noticed his right hand's fingers had gone numb, a consequence of trying to capture footage and a message at the highest point.

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The mountain will be here always, and I, having made the right decisions now, will be able to return here better prepared and perhaps have the opportunity to climb in better conditions.

Upon reaching Camp 4, Damulevičius rested briefly but soon experienced severe coughing fits that made breathing difficult. His condition worsened rapidly, prompting him to descend further towards Camp 4 of Lhotse. As intense coughing and shortness of breath overwhelmed him, he initiated an international SOS request via his Garmin inReach device, fearing that help might not arrive in time.

"For a minute, the fear of death came over me," Damulevičius recounted. He realized that his only chance of survival was to descend as quickly as possible, despite the debilitating symptoms. The challenging conditions of the season, including dangers in the Khumbu Icefall and a high number of climbers due to a closed route from China, added to the peril of his expedition.

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After almost 9 hours of climbing, I reached a place called "The Balcony" (8400m) – halfway to the summit. It became clear that such a pace was a one-way ticket. Also, that the problem was likely medical in nature, i.e., altitude sickness had begun, which, if I do not descend urgently, will reach a fatal stage within a few hours.