The Tragedy of the Earthquake on Mount Everest and More from the Author of “The Next Everest Summit”

On April 25, 2015, Nepal’s worst earthquake in 81 years killed 8,900 people. Among the dead were more than two dozen climbers at Mount Everest base camp when a massive avalanche swept through a nearby summit, sending hurricane-force winds ahead.

When the deadly storm occurred, Jim Davidson of Fort Collins was on the mountain at Camp One, 2,000 feet above base camp. His tent was blown away by winds caused by the nearby avalanches, but he was unhurt. Two days later, he and others were evacuated on the world’s tallest mountain by helicopter because the descent route through the Khumbu Ice Slope – known to be unstable even under normal conditions – had become too dangerous due to the earthquake and possible aftershocks.

Davidson’s new book, “The Next Everest: Surviving the Mountain’s Deadliest Day and Finding the Resilience to Climb again” (St Martin’s Press) documents that experience and the post-traumatic stress it endures. This tragedy, and the death of climbing partner Mike Price on Mount Rainier in 1992 after the two fell into a rift, shaped his thoughts about recovering from traumatic experiences and informed his emergence as a full-time motivational speaker.

Below is a brief transcript of an interview with him on May 23.

Q: I’ve noticed that psychologists have moved away from considering PTSD a disorder because it’s actually a normal human reaction to traumatic experiences. You also describe how they came to consider ‘post-traumatic growth’ as ​​part of the recovery process. How did that work for you after the accident at Rainier? How did it help you overcome the aftermath of the Everest tragedy?

A: I’ve learned that you can get through tough times. Although scary as hell, uncertain and miserable as it happens, the hard times will pass, so we have to take care of ourselves and each other during the hard times.

I learned that you can do whatever is necessary to get through it. You can climb this ice wall, you can go through 40 cycles of chemotherapy, you can survive the death of your parents, spouse or significant other. You can get past it, and from it you can learn things.

First, you find growth, and then you begin to express it in your life. It is very empowering. Lifts you up and reduces shock.

The shock does not go away completely. Post-traumatic growth is not a magical antidote to stress. The shock happened. These people will not return. The question is, what can you and I do about it next to make ourselves or the world a little better?

Q: You talked about these topics in your public address years ago. Then COVID happened.

A: Before, I would say to young people, “One day, something will go wrong in your life. You will have to bear the weight of this difficulty and ask yourself: How can I take care of myself and others during this difficulty? What will I do when the difficulty is over?” With her, after being a climber for so long, I learned that all storms end. During that storm, you have to take good care of each other. Don’t just sit in the tent and eat and cry about the bad weather, but ask yourself, “How can we take care of ourselves to improve our performance when the storm is finally gone?” She talked about resilience and she talked about growth after trauma.

What I see now in people is a sense of gratitude that post-traumatic growth is a hard-earned gift from the pandemic. We all want this atrocity called the pandemic to end and disappear. Post-traumatic growth takes some time. It’s not magic or easy. You have to do some self-reflection. You may have to do some treatment. But when you go through a trauma and come out the other side, you can be a better version of yourself. I think that’s what people find worthy of in my presentations.

s. After losing your friend in that rift on Mount Rainier in 1992, which you and co-writer (and former Denver Post writer Kevin Vaughan) describe in your first book, The Edge, how did you move on?

A: I eventually came out of that rift and thought, What do I do with the rest of my life? What do I do with this terrible tragedy? I can just curl up into a ball, and I can take pills or alcohol and just sit downstairs for the rest of my life. But I thought: What a waste. This is a disgrace to my dear friend Mike. I should try to do something good with this. This is what prompted me to write my first book. I thought I should share my story. If it only helps one person deal with their trauma or difficult situation, this is a karmic debt that I must repay.

Introduction by Jim Davidson

Jim Davidson of Fort Collins crosses a fissure on Mount Everest (Provided by Jim Davidson)

Q: Having survived this experience helped you maintain a good level in the immediate aftermath of the Everest earthquake, right?

A: I was still scared out of my mind. But I knew I, and we would do whatever it takes to get off that mountain and somehow, down the road, we’ll get past this thing. It is strengthening at the moment. Don’t let fear or uncertainty go away. But it is a calming thing, and you can begin to regain some strength to take care of yourself and others.

It doesn’t mean I’m Superman, and it doesn’t mean I’m super brave. I was as scared as the next guy, if not more so. But you can stay calm during a crisis. You can find a path to success, and you can be even stronger after post-traumatic growth has had time to permeate and flourish within you.

Q: I went back to Everest in 2017, and reached the top. Why did you go back looking at what happened there two years ago?

A: By taking on great challenges, it forces you to become more and do more. This polishes you to a better version of you. You don’t need to climb. It could be music, marathon, or meditation. Whatever speaks to you, you do it, and the goal should make you nervous. If the goal doesn’t make you nervous, it won’t teach you much. This is where the growth lies. That’s why I wrote this book.

Q: When I heard you speak recently, I was struck by how your message on post-traumatic growth and resilience is such an important story of our time.

A: You cannot change the bad thing that happened. You can’t bring people back. Instead of letting that destroy us, and drag us into depression, what can we do to honor them, honor the sacrifices they’ve made, and hopefully be a better person and give strength to someone else when they need it? That’s what got me intrigued by post-traumatic growth years ago.

I’ve been talking about it for a number of years, and when the pandemic happened, I think it made everyone aware of trauma, post-traumatic stress, and now hopefully a little bit of post-traumatic growth.

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