Heartbreak on top of the world: Australian woman dies on Mount Everest | 7NEWS Spotlight 

The problem is that Everest is no longer a destination for climbers; it is a destination for tourists.

There are places on earth where humans aren’t meant to be. Everest is definitely one of them!

I was with MY wife at high altitude in Nepal when she started exhibiting signs of acute mountain sickness. I immediately took and carried her pack and, from that moment, my whole purpose was to get her down. She kept asking me to let her stop and I kept dragging her to her feet and helping her on. We finally got to a lower altitude where she recovered. Yeah, I blame this guy.

Lesson: Never leave someone you love behind.

We have a very different attitude about "quitting" on the mountian in Norway. It carries no shame and it is smart and encouraged when you are tired or feel unsafe.. it really saves lives. I hope people elsewhere can learn from that.

The bodies on Everest teach us ONE thing. ... The Human Ego is a pathetic, deadly mental illness.

if she was too exhausted to reach the summit, she would definitely need help going down. He used that valuable time and energy to reach the top and go back down to her instead of helping her go down to a safer level. Its obvious he's regretful, distraught and very sorry and was deeply in love. The guilt is killing him and he feels responsible. I hope he finds peace. This video is a good lesson for those with Summit Fever.

What a husband, asked his wife could he finish the climb to the top, while she's suffering and eventually dies. What a husband

That moment when he asked his wife if he could continue without her is the moment he failed her and let his ambition override his love for her.

My brother worked as part of a rescue team in everest years ago and was scared for his life. He said that a lot of dumb people go up there untrained and are risking other peoples lives. smh.

I naively thought that if you climb with your spouse, ESPECIALLY in the death zone and he/she has a problem, you wouldn’t leave him/her behind to go for the peak, but immediately turn back with him/her (no matter what he/she says). Are there no such written or unwritten rules for climbers? This is mindblowing for me. Someone mentioned scuba diving, and indeed divers would never do such a thing. It’s such a no-brainer!!

Guy was like "Oh you're dying? Let me summit real quick"

As harsh as this comment will sound - he should've never left her, his wife should of always been his number one priority, not some bloody mountain!

I know I would NEVER leave a woman I loved alone on a killer mountain!! As soon as she wasn't feeling well I'd say that's it, we're heading down, I'm not taking a chance on losing you!!

I just can't romanticize this, saying, "she died following her passion," or, "at least she died in the arms of the one she loved!" This was a smart and vibrant young woman with countless opportunities; she was given the gift of a remarkable life, and she gambled it away. I'm aware that this sounds harsh. Yet remember, this wasn't a car accident. This wasn't cancer. It was a tremendous risk - and an utterly voluntary one. Not only are you pushing yourself past your physical limits, but you're making decisions with an oxygen-starved brain. Of course it's tragic that she died, but her death didn't simply "happen." Accidents happen; so do illnesses and natural disasters. She died from a kind of Russian roulette. And now her husband, seen here fairly marinating in guilt, has to continue life without her. All the while knowing her death was utterly preventable. Honestly? I can imagine few things harder.

My husband is a rescuer. He won’t even let me be in danger for a second. I’m very lucky. Sorry you lost her

“Do you mind if i go on?” Ugh... that story of a husband going on ahead to the summit and his wife dying has happened before. If you leave someone exhausted in the death zone to summit chances are when you come back they will no longer be there alive

American mountaineer Ed Viesturs' famous quote: "Getting to the summit is optional. Getting down is mandatory."

If you want to reach the top of the world, know that lying holding the hand of your loved one, you’ve already reached the top. ❤

I’m an avid hiker and love the adrenaline rush of summiting a mountain. A couple of years ago we climbed Half Dome in Yosemite, as we reached the base of the Dome where the cables start, I saw a flash of lighting the next mountain over. After hiking for 6 hours to reach where we were, I was sad to turn back but my gut feeling was to do so and not risk my life trying to summit as the weather was turning sour fast. One of my friends had already started the cables, but I convinced him to turn back. Some people next to him even got mad and told me that I “didn’t know what I was talking about”, while others also turned back after realizing the situation we were all in. Still, many people continued onto the cables, which were metal, and metal and lightning is not a good combo. As we descended the Dome it started hailing/raining as the thunderstorm rolled in, definitely a recipe for disaster. Thankfully we had already reached the trail where it was no longer granite but dirt. I can’t imagine how dangerous it would be if I was on top of the Dome trying to hike down slick wet granite, while fearing for possible lightning strikes. That day it was definitely a lesson for me to continue to listen to my intuition.

I never understood why people risk their lives to get to that summit! You get there, so what!!!! It was his duty to take her back down instead of going to the summit alone.

Everest doesn't take lives, people give their life to Everest. Nobody is forced to climb it, and those that do understand the risks. This young woman gave her life to the mountain.

She was not feeling well and he left her alone. He didn't even enjoy reaching the summit without her. I could never leave someone whom I love in that dangerous environment, in that condition. If he was truly as distraught as he appeared, then he will carry the guilt of leaving her behind for the rest of his life. May Marisa rest in peace. 🙏🏾

Stopping something because you're in danger of dying is not being a quitter, it's being smart and saving your life so that you can try again.

This video lost me where he said "we became separated". You don't disconnect from your climbing partner. Ever. Least of all, your wife.

My dad tells a story about a fellow chemistry student who came to a professor saying “I don’t know what to do. No matter how much I study, get tutors, etc. I still don’t get the material.” The crusty old German professor responded simply “Then you should quit! This isn’t your field.” The student later did and was much happier and more successful in another field, saying he was grateful for the advice. Quitting can be the smartest choice at times.

He had met a beautiful woman, the love of his life, who loved him too - and he left her behind, in a bad and dire condition, because of his own selfish ambitions to reach a summit?!? I have no words.

It's sad to see her husband so heartbroken of course but it is very hard for me to have any sympathy for people whose idea of a life worth living is putting themselves at risk for a thrill and causing worry and anxiety to their family and friends.

And now they’re gonna risk 10-12 more lives to go retrieve her body. If he wants her down, he should do it by himself. Don’t risk Sherpa lives because he made a mistake he cannot live with. She’s part of the mountain now. Leave her in peace and leave others to live their lives.

We need to know when to quit. This is a lesson for all of us that is so important to apply to all areas of our life. Quitting doesn't make us weak, it makes us noble and requires strength of self. Bless her and her family left behind

He can cry me a river did not convince me. At the end of the day he abandoned his dying wife for a minute of glory.

Goodbye, sweet Marisa. My condolences to all those who loved you.

"Never a quitter".....depending on what circumstances and how much our mind and body can take, we should know when to quit.

The mountain doesn’t take people. They choose to put themselves into extreme danger and some die.

I was climbing in Peru, we were 50mt. away from reaching the summit (6,300mts) but a climber of the group from Belgium got terribly sick. With only one guide the whole group had to descend. No questions asked. Everyone understood.

My wife and I went on bike trip the other day. It was very hot. We rode just a few miles and she said "it's too hot". We both stopped and went back home.

"Never a quitter" unfortunately this is one of the major killers on everest. People don't listen to their sherpas when they get advised to turn back (or their advice in general). Its horrible to say but he probably shouldn't have left her to summit. Many couples have lost significant others on everest by doing this. If it's your partner or summiting, surely you'd pick the first

I'm not a mountain climber but like to hike medium sized mountains. When I went on my first mountain I quit mid-way due to fatigue and immediately went down. I told this to my girlfriend who is an avid climber and the first thing she said to me was that she was surprised at my good decision. She wasn't disappointed because I quit, but instead was proud that I knew when to quit. Well, I went back the following week feeling more prepared and got to the top.

He left her behind, he turned his back on his wife, in the death zone, on the highest mountain in the world, Mont Everest. He just wanted to get to the top with or without her. 😢

In sickness and in health She needed you. Cry forever.

Head over heels for this women he decided to leave behind. Others may say that they don’t blame you. But I’m not one of them. You never leave the person you love behind!

"Just natural for me to blame myself" You think?? Anytime you ever talk about how you made the summit of mount Everest and sacrificed your wife to do it. It's expected that you have guilt and feel at fault!

This guy provides such a nice contrast to all of the decent men of integrity out there.

I would never ever leave my wife alone like this. Even if it is just a forest. I feel sorry for the guy, because he will probably end up using to dull his pain away. He may actually not survive if he doesn’t get over it. So this is a tragedy of two people.

Climbing Everest is like playing with fire. This is sad because someone lost a life. But climbers also know the risks.

His desire to reach the summit far outweighed his desire to “do everything together “with his wife.

Don’t underestimate the Mother Nature, she always wins.

I feel bad for him on one hand, but he left his wife to summit a mountain. As a hiker, I would NEVER leave anyone behind. To then risk more peoples lives to recover her body, you climb that mountain knowing you could die, that’s the risk. Knowing she was struggling and leaving her, he’ll have to live with that. If it’s something you go to do together, you stay together no matter what happens

It's not quitting. It's called saving your life

Everest is now an ego project of people with lots of money and relatively little experience depending on Sherpas “carrying” them up and down the summit. This is as tragic as it is predictable and is becoming a common occurrence. Everest isn’t for amateurs, but that doesn’t stop amateurs with money finding it irresistible as a photo and ego exercise. It’s about as safe as cave diving for the untrained and unqualified.

'Each one of those hours that ticks away they get deeper and deeper into an extremely dangerous zone" - the husband (even though himself hallucinating etc) as a responsible climber should probably have known this and immediately started the journey down with her. As he himself and others said she was lucid at times with strength, and other times she was hallucinating and could not walk. No one ones if she could have made it or not to Camp 3, but I feel like his encouragement (they said all she wanted was to listen to him) and those those "lost hours" where he summited may well have been the difference between life and death... sad story though

So very sad and so sorry for your loss of a beautiful soul.

Imagine being a Sherpa and having to deal with this 🤦🏼‍♀️ they have extremely tough jobs and risk their own lives to help people realize their selfish desires

When she said, he can continue climbing and leave her there, it's something that many people would say to their loved one, not wanting to feel responsible for being the cause of them not reaching their goal or dream. You say this (and sometimes you don't even truly mean it), and hope that the person will respond with "No, I value your life and health more than this mountain". The fact that she was so selfless in the face of deteriorating health and possible death, speaks to her character and her love for him. He, on the other hand, failed completely as a husband and human being. Sorry, I started out with total sympathy for this guy, but when he got to that part of the story, I lost it. She should have been his #1 priority. Knowing the dangers of the Everest, as all climbers do, and seeing she was incapacitated and suffering, his focus should have been on safely bringing her back down immediately. Time can make the difference between life and death up there.

This guy like so many others put climbing to the top before their life and others lives.

He left his wife unbelievable ,no excuses to love ,honour and protect .

Everest didn’t take a life, those people took their own lives

Time and again, I've heard professionals say, If you are 300 feet from the summit, and it's getting late, or you are exhausted, you bail. Go back down, and try again. As tough as that is, or you die. Case in point. As a Canadian, I'm fully aware of a Canadian woman who summited Everest, and sadly, she is still there. Summiting, is only half the battle.

Love and light to you Robert and the families involved. I've watched this twice today and it's so painful.

She didn’t go up the mountain thinking she was going to die, but it was a passion for her and her husband . We never know when our time will be , but to see her photos it was something she would always carry with her, even after death . What a amazing woman to even take the chance. My God her Angel Wings Must be Beautiful . May she Rest in Heaven .

An acquaintance of mine just summitted Everest a couple of weeks ago. It was his second time trying. Last time was last year, when 8 or 9 people died the day before he was to summit. The logjam was too long for him to make it safely to the top so he and his guide decided to not risk it. It saved his life and he was able to try again and succeed this time around.

my mum climbed the Everest when I was a child, a couple of months after the 1996 disaster, and she said that when she made it to the top, all the bodies she saw along the way only made her see how that wasn't worth it

I would never want to "win" any mountain to lose my wife. What a tragic and irreversible life lesson!

The hours he spent climbing the rest of the mountain vs the hours he could have helped guide her down the mountain was life or death . He chose Death 😢

Why anyone would put their lives at risk is such a mystery to me. Isn’t surviving regular life stressful enough?

They say when you are in a life and death situations you show your true self. He left his wife to follow the selfish dream on being of top of Everest. He says he feels terrible now but in that situation he showed what he truly cared about. So you could say he got what he wanted.

Another rich tourist being sad in a docu about climbing the mountain this one is top 3. 'Hey babe iknow your sick but i got to go now to the top see ya and then omg i lost her im sad!!! Well at least i've reached the top makes me feel so good!'

My heartfelt condolences

As soon as his wife started to struggle to keep going that was a sign to turn around and go back down. She would have been alive now.

This is tragic, heartbreaking ... but I'm sorry buddy, leaving your wife was a big No No for me ... no way I would've left my wife, you set off together, you should've returned together. 😒 🙏

Very sad for him. Death of a loved one like that is so inconceivable you can’t even wrap your head around the possibility. If we could we would all act differently

This video makes me extremely sad. The pain in his voice is super sad and the pain in his eyes is just very hurtful

Dying to climb these mountains is crazy so many people dying every year it has turned into a giant grave yard and garbage dump so 😥sad

Why did he not stay with his wife? "We do everything together."

Love and light always in my prayers for you it's not easy to lose a loved one been there not the way she went but love and light to you and your family. Miss Susie Lebanon Oregon

"We do everything together " , " Hey honey mind if I summit and leave you here ?"

I’d never forgive him if he’d have left my daughter on the side of a mountain! NEVER!

I don’t know how I feel about this..you left your woman on the side of the tallest mountain in the world.. I would’ve never done that under any circumstance ever..

I'm really sorry that that happened. I think people have to realize that climbing Mount Everest is no game. Just because so many people have summited and survived does not mean you will also achieve that goal. When you climb any mountain you have to keep in your mind that you just might not make it back.

Story starts at 7:47. While attempting the summit from Camp 4 she and her husband were suffering from acute mountain sickness, but attempted to go on. He reached the summit, she eventually turned back, but it was too late, and she died while being carried and helped down by other climbers. Not interesting enough to watch the whole thing.

They need to stop giving out permits for basically anyone who has the money to pay and are totally unqualified to climb Everest. How much longer till there are too many corpses cluttering the route to even climb it?

It’s called “The Death Zone” for a reason!! Sadly, she paid the ultimate price. Maybe some mountains just aren’t meant to be climbed. Such a tragic loss of life. RIP Marisa. X

You can feel his pain. He really loved her. Im So sorry good sir.

I feel so sad for this man. 😢😢 When he said I just ran up and down it didn't mean anything to me . Man, it broke my heart. So sad. 😢😢

Wait HE LEFT HIS WIFE ALONE TO DETERIORATE KNOWING THE CONDITIONS?! What a crappy decision

I'd be fuming if my man left me behind when I was struggling. But he's now got to live with this for the rest of his life. Rest in peace lady.

You really find out what person you married, when things really go south! It's not like he didn't have an option. Even people who don't have options find ways to rescue or safe their loved ones.

Imagine summiting Everest but probably you will never ever will want to talk about it. Sad experience, condolences to the family and friends.

This is sad but he left her to get to the top, using his energy to get to the top, left her waiting on him in the death zone ....then loses her on the way down....

Rest in peace Marisa , Love from Nepal 🇳🇵..

Back in the 70s a married couple went up everest. They split into 2 different groups. The husb group returned to base camp(after reaching the top), saw his wife wasnt back and went back up for her. He died trying to reach her. He knew he didnt have much oxygen and weather was terrible bt he still went back for her

So sorry for your loss. X

He's learned very little, it seems. 'The effort to recover her body' puts additional lives at risk. Taking advantage of the poor sherpas, who no doubt, need the money, is selfish.

Very sad, but as a man protecting his wife/family is a higher priority than mountain climbing for personal satisfaction. She didn’t have to die on Everest and he didn’t need to lose her for this. Very sad indeed. Also can’t understand how he even left her side in the “death zone”? If the word “death zone” doesn’t deter you or motivate you to stay with her, you get what you asked for really. Responsibility is something people are losing worldwide.

Im so sorry for your loss 🙏 🌹

Life is about choices. He chose to summit over the love of his life. He chose poorly. Now he’s gotta live with it.

Yep, media, everyone has the money to climb Everest. It was their decision and they paid the consequences. When I was in the Coast Guard we spent a lot of time, (sometimes under dangerous conditions) and taxpayer money searching for folks who were “adventurous”! Sadly, many were never found.

The correct decision for him would have been to immediately accompany her down to base camp when she start feeling so badly at that high altitude. Instead, he said, "do you mind if I go on without you?" Sorry but this is the reality of the situation.

“Summit fever” is a strange thing. No other place in the world, would you leave a loved one that is weak and slowly dying. But that urge to get to the top after so many hours of hard work. Gets to people.

To have love that true. RIP Beautiful Soul