Jason Kennison, an Australian man, died on Mount Everest, his family confirmed. He was a part of an expedition run by Asian Trekking and was returning to his summit on Friday.
Kennison’s family said on social media: “He was the most courageous, adventurous human we knew and he will be forever missed. He achieved his goal of reaching the peak … he stood on top of this world but sadly didn’t come home.”
Kennison was 40 years old and worked as a mining engineer. Asian trekking’s managing director Dawa Steven Sherpa told the Himalayan Times that he had started showing abnormal behavior from the south summit.
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The trekking company told news agency AFP that Kennison was quickly brought down to The Balcony, which is an area below the mountain’s summit. However, oxygen cylinders were running out. Two Sherpa guides descended to a lower camp to bring back more bottles to rescue him.
Strong winds on the mountain prevented them to reach Kennison on time. He collapsed and died.
“It was high wind and bad weather that prevented them (from) going back to bring him down. He died at the Balcony area,” Steven Sherpa added. The area, where he died, is called the ‘death zone’. It is at 8000 meters.
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Kennison was from southern Australia. Before his Himalaya summit, the 40-year-old told 7News: “I’ve always challenged myself internally overcoming these things. Everest has become this symbol to me of overcoming those challenges and getting that fulfilment.”
He had flown to New Zealand for mountaineering courses, practiced abseiling and rock climbing, and set up training in his back yard for ladder crossing, jumaring and roping.
Jason Bernard Kennison was in a car accident in 2006. He suffered spinal cord injuries and was in depression. He was raising money for Spinal Cord Injuries Australia.
