Left for Dead at 7,900 Metres on Makalu: He Lost Five Fingers, Then Sued His Guide for Attempted Murder
Russian climber Konstantin Smirnov says his guide walked away from him near the summit of the world's fifth-highest mountain in May 2026. He survived, lost every finger on one hand to frostbite, and has now filed both a criminal complaint and a civil lawsuit against the Nepali operator, a case that should change how every trekker vets an outfitter before paying a deposit.
Konstantin Smirnov spent nearly two days alone above 7,700 metres on the world's fifth-highest mountain, without his guide, without supplementary oxygen, and without anyone at base camp knowing exactly where he was. He survived. He did not keep his fingers.
Key facts
- Russian climber Konstantin Smirnov summited Makalu (8,485m) with guide Bhajuram Gurung on 9 May 2026.
- Smirnov says he was left alone on the descent at roughly 7,900m and was not found until the following day.
- He lost all five fingers on his left hand and most of the ring finger on his right hand to frostbite.
- He has filed a criminal complaint alleging attempted murder against the guide, and a separate civil case against operator Makalu Adventure seeking roughly $75,000.
According to Smirnov's account, he and Gurung reached the summit of Makalu at around 10:45am on 9 May. Descending that evening, exhausted and out of bottled oxygen, he says his guide left him behind at approximately 7,900 metres between 6:30 and 7pm. “When I woke up I was shocked to discover that my guide had left me to die high on the mountain,” Smirnov later said. He continued descending alone, collapsing lower on the route before a second guide, dispatched by the operator after Gurung reported reaching base camp without his client, walked 13 hours through the night and worsening weather to reach him.
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| 9 May, ~10:45am | Smirnov and guide Bhajuram Gurung reach the Makalu summit |
| 9 May, evening | Smirnov says he is left alone on the descent at roughly 7,900m |
| Overnight | Smirnov, out of oxygen, collapses further down the route |
| 10 May | A second guide reaches him after a 13-hour push through bad weather |
| Following weeks | Amputation of all five fingers on his left hand, most of his right ring finger |
The operator, Makalu Adventure, disputes Smirnov's version of events. The company says Smirnov refused to move with Gurung during the descent, that Gurung immediately continued down to alert base camp, and that rescue efforts that day were hampered by poor weather and a separate avalanche on the mountain. Smirnov has since filed a criminal complaint accusing Gurung of attempted murder at the Sankhuwasabha District Police Office, and a civil case against the operator at Kathmandu's Consumer Court, reportedly seeking around $75,000 in damages on top of the $14,600 he had paid for the expedition.
Whatever a Nepali court eventually decides about intent, the outcome is not in dispute: a client on a paid, guided 8,000m expedition lost every finger on one hand. Cases like this are rare, but they are not unheard of, and they are exactly why the Nepal Mountaineering Association and the Department of Tourism keep pushing operators toward stricter guide-to-client ratios and documented emergency protocols on the highest peaks, rules that are far easier to write than to enforce once a team is above 7,000 metres and out of radio range.
What this means for trekkers
What this means for you
Almost none of the clients who book with us are attempting an 8,000m summit like Makalu; the vast majority are trekking to base camps or climbing well-guided, lower-risk peaks such as Island Peak or Mera Peak with fixed guide ratios and NMA-certified leaders. But the underlying lesson applies at every altitude: before you pay any deposit, ask exactly who your guide is, how many clients they are responsible for above high camp, what the operator's emergency and evacuation protocol actually is in writing, and whether your travel insurance covers high-altitude rescue at the elevation you will actually reach. We have written before about the questions worth asking any Nepal trekking agency before you commit, and this case is a stark reminder of why that vetting matters most exactly where it is hardest to check, far above base camp.
Source: The Tourism Times.
Cover photo: European Space Agency via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0 igo).
Source: The Tourism Times
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