PHOENIX — An Arizona man died while climbing Mount Everest earlier this month, according to his climbing group.
The man, identified as Sandeep Are by Boots and Crampons, had successfully reached the summit the morning of May 20 before his health deteriorated on the descent.
“He was like super strong,” Tulasi Reddy said. “Super strong climber.”
Are is from India but lived in Arizona, where he once hiked the Grand Canyon rim to rim.
His climbing partner for Everest, Reddy, spoke with 12News from India. The pair spent more than a month together making the tough trek to the top of Mount Everest.
“He got very much attached to Sandeep, because he was his teammate and his best friend for this journey to the summit for around 50 days,” Reddy’s sister said.
A journey Are spent years preparing for. His group said he had an unwavering passion for the mountains and accomplished climbing several other remarkable peaks in his life.
Reddy said it was close to the Everest summit that Are became overcome by snow blindness, a condition caused by overexposure to ultraviolet rays.
“I said you need to go down, please,” Reddy said. “He said, ‘No, it’s only an hour until summit. I will do it, I will make it.'”
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Are reached the summit under harsh conditions and took photos to share with his family at home.
“He was happy,” Reddy said. “It was on and off, ‘I can’t see, I can’t see.'”
It was shortly into the descent that Are’s health deteriorated. He was carried to Camp II, where he died.
Reddy said Are will be remembered for his strength, passion and persistence with each expedition he conquered.
“It was very difficult for me,” Reddy said. “He was so kind, we miss him.”
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