Jost Kobusch is safely back in Lobuche after surviving today’s 7.1 magnitude earthquake. The quake caught him in his tent at Camp 1 on Everest, halfway between the Khumbu Glacier and Lho La. He called ExplorersWeb as soon as he returned to town, uninjured but “a little shaken.”

The 32-year-old German mountaineer climbs the west ridge of Everest alone, without additional oxygen and in winter. This goal is already one of the most challenging in Everest’s history; A magnitude 7.1 quake with the epicenter in nearby Tingri county in Tibet, just 75 km away, was an additional test.

The site of the quake near Mount Everest. Image: Google Maps

Everest somehow exploded

The quake killed over 125 people, injured hundreds and destroyed around a thousand houses in Tibet. It happened at 6:50 a.m. Nepali time when Kobusch was in his tent in Camp 1.

I woke up confused because everything around me was exploding. Seracs fell and avalanches thundered. At the time I wasn’t sure if it was an earthquake or if a large serac had just collapsed.

I was hit by the blast waves and particles from nearby avalanches pierced the tent. Then everything calmed down and I said to myself, “Okay, whatever this was, it’s better to relax and wait for the situation to calm down, either more avalanches or aftershocks,” so I waited for a few hours and then came concluded that it was probably a good idea to return to base camp.

After the decision was made, Kobusch got off as quickly as he could. He felt many aftershocks on the way to the advanced base camp on the Khumbu Glacier and on the way to his base camp in Lobuche, next to the Italian weather laboratory known as the Everest Pyramid.

In the following video, recorded a few days ago, Kobusch explains where he is in Lobuche at 4,940 m.

Double earthquake survivor

It is noteworthy that Kobusch experienced a major earthquake on Everest for the second time. He was at base camp on April 25, 2015, when a massive quake shook the region, destroying parts of Nepal and killing 22 people at Everest Base Camp alone. Most of them were buried under a massive avalanche from nearby Pumori Peak triggered by the earthquake.

Kobusch was among those who survived and filmed the aftermath. (See video below.) The difference is that in late April the place was full of Everest climbers. Now, in the middle of winter, Kobusch was the only person on or near the mountain.

Experiencing an earthquake twice on Everest could be considered very bad luck or, as Kobusch noted, very lucky since he was uninjured both times. The climber confirmed that he did not suffer any injuries as a result of the natural disaster.

“It was very lucky that the quake caught me in the tent, which was set up on a comfortable, safe terrace,” he said. “Imagine if I had been in a difficult or serac-prone area when the earth started shaking!”

Shortly after speaking to us, Kobusch shared some comments on his Instagram Stories.

Kobusch was at Camp 1 today recording his comments about what he said “might have been an earthquake.” Photo: Jost Kobusch

Concern about aftershocks

Even down in Lobuche, the entire Khumbu Valley may not be the safest place to be in the next few days if the tremors continue. Although Kobusch hasn’t decided what he’ll do next, he admits the risk is there based on his experiences in 2015.

“After the big 2015 quake, there was constant seismic activity in the following days,” he said.

During these tremors, landslides and avalanches from nearby peaks could affect high-altitude mountain valleys such as the Khumbu. Some alpine lakes, which have grown alarmingly in recent years due to glacier melt, may even breach their barriers, although at this time of year at least parts of these lakes will be frozen over.

It has already been an eventful season for Kobusch. Last week he climbed to over 7,500m, the highest peak anyone has ever climbed on the west ridge of Everest in winter.