- David Ashley returned to Utah after surviving a deadly avalanche on Makalu in Nepal.
- Ashley, partner Shelley Johannesen and their guides were hit by the avalanche during their descent on May 10.
- Johannesen died in Ashley's arms on May 11; he now honors her adventurous spirit at home.
KAMAS — A Utah man is home this week and sharing his experience of an avalanche on a mountain in Nepal that ultimately claimed the life of his partner.
David Ashley had originally traveled to Nepal in April with his life and business partner, Shelley Johannesen, to acclimate for their climb on Makalu, the world's fifth-highest mountain.
On May 9, the couple and their two guides, Phurba Sonam Sherpa and Tawa Sherpa*, summited Makalu and were making their descent on May 10 when trouble began to surface in the middle of snowy, windy conditions with low visibility.
"I looked up to my left, and I saw a crack starting to form, and I yelled 'slab,' and we all hit the deck, but the deck started moving," Ashley said during an interview with KSL. "I just saw this white mass go across this big rock down below and disappear."
Johannesen and Tawa Sherpa were nowhere to be seen.
"There was a red, puffy mitten of Tawa's sitting on the rock, and that's all I saw of them," Ashley said. "I knew at that point their rope had broken, and somewhere down the mountain they were caught in the avalanche."
Ashley said he and Sonam Sherpa free-climbed a section of the glacier and couldn't see the others, so he hit an SOS button on his Garmin and notified the owners of their expedition company.
At some point, Ashley said Johannesen's voice came over the radio.
"They were alive, they were not buried," he recalled. "They could see the fixed lines, the main path, from where they were, so we knew at that point we could accelerate because we were still on the rocks and they were out on a flat part of the glacier with no rocks around, so we knew we hadn't gotten to them yet, and we knew that they were alive. So, at that point, it turned into a rescue, not a search."
Ashley said Johannesen told them neither she nor Tawa Sherpa could walk.
"She had used her ice ax and sunk it into the glacier and connected her safety and Tawa's safety to it, because about 10 feet down from where they were was a huge cliff," Ashley said. "(I'm) so grateful they didn't fall off that cliff. I don't know if we ever would have found them."
Ashley said it appeared neither Johannesen nor Tawa Sherpa had any outward injuries. Still, Tawa Sherpa complained about severe back pain, and Johannesen had "bad internal pain from her hip up to her chest."
According to Ashley, he reached the others at around 3:30 p.m. He said Johannesen was lying on her side. He said he began to spoon her while holding a tarp over them, and they stayed in that position for roughly 13 hours until sunrise the next day.
During that time, Ashley said wind gusts reached 70 mph, and a six-man rescue team ultimately had to turn back for their own safety.
Sonam Sherpa, meanwhile, later in the evening, climbed down to camp on his own to retrieve oxygen and water.
"We had only melted enough water for three to four hours of down climbing," Ashley said.
Ashley said Sonam Sherpa suggested he come with him.
"It was not even a thought in my mind," Ashley said. "I had to stay with Shelley and keep her warm and make sure she got rescued."
Ashley said he noticed clues that Johannesen wasn't doing well, but around midnight, he saw lights that led him to believe a rescue was on the way.
"She kept asking if I was there," Ashley said. "I said, 'Yes, I'm right here holding you.'"
The rescue party arrived after 2 a.m. and gave Johannesen, Ashley and Tawa Sherpa oxygen, and the group fell asleep.
Around sunrise on May 11, Ashley said something had changed. He turned emotional, describing the moment he realized Johannesen had passed away in his arms.
"You never know when someone you love is going to be gone," Ashley said tearfully. "Don't wait to tell them how much you love them and spend time with them. Be there for them."
Ashley now honors Johannesen with a shrine in their home in the Kamas Valley.
He said he met Johannesen in Virginia in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic while biking and virtual racing.
He convinced Johannesen, who was originally from Oregon, to join his adventure racing team.
By late 2023, Ashley said they were both divorced, and they started dating, entering a relationship that led them to pursue their passions of adventure racing and high-altitude climbing.
"She had an adventuresome heart," he said. "The two of us just chased those passions."
Their passions led to a move to the Kamas Valley, where they trained, intending to climb 8,000-meter peaks.
As they operated their business, DASH Adventures, together, they also took trips to climb Mera Peak and Mt. Everest.
Ashley said Johannesen was always an athlete while being a mother who held a PhD in special education.
He said she discovered her passions relatively late in life, and he believed she would encourage others today to find what they love and do it.
"Her message was that it's never too late to take a change in your life to pursue a passion," Ashley said. "Don't wait, because time is precious."
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