Video: Mt. Everest Avalanches Hit Home for Tupelo Adventurer

[syndicaster id=’5742393′]

TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) -An American is rescued by Special Forces from Mount Everest in Nepal. In all,. 140 people have been rescued from the mountain since an earthquake hit near Katmandu 5 days ago.

As WCBI’s Allie Martin reports, for one local man, the tense moments faced by climbers on Mount Everest, bring back memories of an attempt to summit the highest mountain peak in North America .

Not long after an earthquake rattled Nepal, helicopter rescues of trapped climbers on Mount Everest were underway, the quake triggered an avalanche that killed 18 climbers.
While he’s never attempted Mt Everest, Jak Smith knows a few things about the sport. He has summited 4 of the 7 highest peaks in the world and back in 1992, he found himself stranded on Alaska’s Mt. McKinley when a killer storm developed.

“I just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time and we were there for three weeks, of course this is pre-cell phone, pre-satellite and all of that.”

Smith has ties to Mt Everest through friends who have made the summit, and a few who did not. Back in 1998, he was climbing Mt Aconcagua in South America with three British men who were training for Everest.

“There was a man, his son and friend. The man did not go , the Dad didn’t go, but his son went, Mike Matthews, and he got killed on Everest, three months later, he sumitted, but on the way back down got lost in a storm and they never found him.”

The 67 year old attorney has his sights set on another goal.

“Don’t tell my wife this, but I’m trying to , do the Matterhorn next year, in Switzerland. It’s a very difficult, technical climb. I’ve got a big picture on my wall in there to remind me to train for it.”

Smith and his wife enjoy mountain climbing and although he knows it can be dangerous, Smith says if climbers are trained well, listen to their guides and don’t take unnecessary risks, it can be an enjoyable sport at any age.

In Tupelo I’m Allie Martin WCBI News
Smith has been keeping tabs on the progress of the Everest rescues through the internet.