Australian teen shows what happens to body in Mount Everest's 'Death Zone', video crosses 22 million views
An Australian teen has gone viral after sharing a video from Mount Everest's “death zone”.
An Australian teen has gone viral for showing what the human body endures in Mount Everest’s notorious “Death Zone,” an icy, treacherous stretch so high up that oxygen is severely limited. Bianca Adler, from Melbourne, has racked up more than 22 million views on Instagram. The 17-year-old attempted to climb in May this year and made it as high as 8,450 metres (400 metres below the summit) before she was forced to turn back.
In the viral video filmed shortly after descending to base camp, Adler can be seen gasping for air, her face red and swollen from windburn. “I just got back from camp 2,” she says between breaths. “I’m at base camp. I feel horrible. My throat and lungs … I am so out of breath even though yesterday I was at 8000 metres,” she continues.
Speaking to news.com.au, Adler said she was forced to abandon her push after she began losing feeling in her fingers and toes - the first sign of potentially permanent frostbite. “I felt strong and great but it was getting really dangerous,” she said, explaining that sudden winds made the conditions far worse than forecast.
The 17-year-old spent almost four days in the death zone during multiple summit attempts with her sherpa guides. The prolonged exposure triggered high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE), a form of mountain sickness where fluid builds up in the lungs and makes breathing difficult.
“Just being so high up destroys your body,” she said, adding that it took a full month to recover after descending. “There’s so little oxygen … that’s why I look so bad in the videos,” she told the outlet.
(Also Read: 'This is breathtaking': NASA astronaut shares stunning picture of Mount Everest taken from space)
Social media reactions
The video has since shocked social media users, many of whom said they never realised how extreme the physical toll of Everest can be.
“Ultimate strength. you deserve all the respect for what you’ve done already in mountaineering,” one suer wrote.
“Any 8000 meter mountain climb you make it down from alive with all your fingers and toes is a success even if you don’t summit! Congrats on getting as far as you did and for having the sense to turn back to try again another day,” commented another.
