'He passed away doing what he loved': Tributes to Colorado lawyer, 62, who became the 11th person to die on Everest in just 10 days - as it's revealed he was climbing in a 'small group and no crowds' days after 'traffic jam' of mountaineers at summit
- Christopher John Kulish, 62, died on Monday as he descended from the summit
- He died suddenly at South Col while descending from the 29,029-foot summit
- Kulish is thought to have died from a heart attack in his tent after descending
- He was climbing in good conditions with no crowds, despite reports of overcrowding at the summit in previous days
- His family paid tribute to the 'inveterate climber' who died doing what he loved
The 'heartbroken' family of an American lawyer who died on his descent from Everest have paid tribute to the 'inveterate climber' who 'passed away doing what he loved.'
Colorado resident Christopher John Kulish, 62, became the 11th person to die descending the world's highest peak in the space of 10 days on Monday, after scaling the 29,029-foot peak from the normal Southeast Ridge route.
He died suddenly at South Col from what is believed to be a heart attack following his summit among a 'small group and no crowds', according to a statement by a mountaineering organization.
His family said in a touching statement: 'We are heartbroken by the news. Chris, who turned 62 in April, went up with a very small group in nearly ideal weather after the crowds of last week had cleared Everest.
Colorado resident Christopher John Kulish, 62, became the 11th person to die descending the world's highest peak in the space of 10 days on Monday, after scaling the 29,029-foot peak from the normal Southeast Ridge route. This is the final picture of Kulish, ascending Everest
'He saw his last sunrise from the highest peak on Earth. At that instant, he became a member of the '7Summit Club' having scaled the highest peak on each continent.'
The family continued in their statement to CBS: 'An attorney in his 'day job' - he was an inveterate climber of peaks in Colorado, the West and the world over.
'He passed away doing what he loved, after returning to the next camp below the peak. He leaves his mother, Betty ('Timmie') Kulish, a younger sister, Claudia, and a younger brother, Mark.'
Kulish is the second American to die in the last 10 days after reaching the peak.
He was part of a group of climbers and he celebrated his 62nd birthday on the mountain.
Massive line: In this picture taken on Sunday May 22, hundreds of mountain climbers line up to stand at the summit of Mount Everest. Many teams waited for hours to reach the summit, risking frostbites and altitude sickness
Mountaineering organization Climbing The Seven Summits released a statement on Tuesday afternoon, giving a greater insight into his cause of death.
It said: 'Chris passed away in his tent suddenly on the afternoon of 27th May 2019 at the South Col after successfully reaching the summit of Mt. Everest, thus completing his long-held goal of the ‘Seven Summits’ – the highest peak on each continent.
'Chris climbed strongly throughout summit day in a small team with no crowds and in good weather. He was in good spirits throughout the climb and following his arrival back at the South Col.
'Initial assessment suggest the cause of death was cardiac arrest however this is unconfirmed. Emergency first aid and rescue procedure were administered at the scene but failed to revive him.
'Chris was a quintessential lifelong climber who had been mountaineering since he was a teenager. We are proud to have had him as part of our team and are deeply saddened and shocked by his passing.'
The route up the mountain includes several large obstacles and a huge moving glacier near to base camp as shown in the map above
This year has been the deadliest for climbers on Mount Everest since 2012, when 10 climbers died. All 11 deaths in 2019 occurred during peak climbing season.
Many deaths on the mountain have been attributed to exhaustion and tiredness, exacerbated by crowded routes to and from the summit which has led to dangerous delays - although this is not believed to have been the case for Kulish, who climbed in clear conditions.
The family continued in their statement to CBS : 'An attorney in his 'day job' - he was an inveterate climber of peaks in Colorado, the West and the world over.
While Kulish was a seasoned climber, expert Sherpa guides have told how there are now more inexperienced climbers than ever scaling the peak.
It means that everyone waiting to scale the final stretch of the mountain is spending more time than they should with limited oxygen supplies at the very top.
Officials have issued 367 permits to foreigners and another 14 to Nepalese mountaineers to climb Everest this year, according to a government liaison officer at base camp.
News of Kulish's death on Monday came hours after a Canadian film maker described stepping over a dead body to get to the peak during a hike on May 23.
Elia Saikaly, from Ottawa, said he tried to warn other climbers to head off the world's tallest peak, people who later ended up dead.
The filmmaker said: 'Here we all were, chasing a dream and beneath our very feet there was a lifeless soul.
'Is this what Everest has become?
He died suddenly at South Col in his tent following his descent from what is believed to be a heart attack, according to a statement by a mountaineering organization
'As I documented the team climbing the iconic step, my mind raced and empathized with every person who struggled to stay alive while undoubtedly questioning their own humanity, ethics and integrity.
'This poor human being perched 7,000ft above the Western CWM for everyone to observe was a reminder of each of our own mortality. Was this the 'Dream of Everest''we all imagined?
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'My heart bled for the family and loved ones and at the same time I was conscious of the necessity to continue to move. At nearly 9,000m above sea level, there is no choice but to carry on.
'Who is responsible here? The individuals? The companies? The Government? Is it time to enforce new rules? Will things ever change? What's the solution here?
'With great sadness, as the cues pushed onwards and upwards, so did we, as did over 200 people that day.
Sakaily posted this picture he took while he was on the treacherous mountain on Thursday - a dead body can be seen still tethered dangling from the mountain. Sakaily wrote: 'This poor human being perched 7,000ft above the Western CWM for everyone to observe was a reminder of each of our own mortality'
'I deeply apologize for the sensitivity of this post, but I feel we have a responsibility to inform aspiring future climbers of the seriousness of this undertaking while creating a dialogue around how to make safer, more responsible and more ethical choices with how we approach climbing to the top of the world.
'To those that lost their lives this season may their souls Rest In Peace.'
The other American to tragically die on the mountain was Donald Lynn Cash, 55, who collapsed after reaching the summit. Two accompanying Sherpa guides helped him to regain consciousness but he later died on the descent.
His son, Tanner Cash, opened up to NBC News about his father, saying that the last message he sent to him was: 'I feel so blessed to be on the mountain that I read about for the last 40 years.'
Questions have now turned to who is to blame for the dangerous set of circumstances.
Some say the Nepalese government is selling too many of the $11,000 permits required to climb the mountain because it needs the money.
One climber who scaled the summit this week described the scene as 'scary'.
Ed Dohring, a doctor from Arizona who dreamed his whole life of climbing it, told The New York Times that when he finally got to the summit this week, he had to stand 'chest-to-chest' with around 20 other people.
'It was scary. It was like a zoo,' he said.
Irishmen Seamus Lawless 39 (left) and Kevin Hynes, 56, (right) also died descending the peak
Utah-resident Donald Lynn Cash, 55, (left) collapsed after reaching the summit of Everest. British climber Robn Haynes Fisher (right), also died last week
Guides who were operating on the Nepalese side of the mountain are now switching to the Tibetan side because they fear more will die.
Tibetan officials are reportedly stricter about the number of climbing permits they give out.
'This is not going to improve. There's a lot of corruption in the Nepali government,' Lukas Furtenbach, one such guide, said.
'They take whatever they can get.'
Nepal's government has denied that it is to blame and says instead that there have not been enough good-weather days this year .
'If you really want to limit the number of climbers, let's just end all expeditions on our holy mountain,' Danduraj Ghimire, the director general of Nepal's department of tourism said.
Others have told how ruthless and 'obsessed' climbers become with getting to the top that they ignore people who may be struggling.
'I asked people for water and no one gave me any. People are really obsessed with the summit. They are ready to kill themselves for the summit,' 18-year-old Rizza Alee from Kashmir said.
Another woman said that as she climbed to the top, she saw people around her collapsing but no one stopped to offer them oxygen for fear that they would die themselves.
'It was terrible,' she said.
