A mountaineer who has scaled more than 30 peaks has revealed how a split-second mistake on Everest cost him his finger.
Madhusudan Patidar, 29, took off his glove for just four minutes in freezing -35C conditions – with devastating consequences.
The climber, from Indore, India, shared his chilling ordeal online on 6 April, where it has racked up 3,000 likes, as reported by Need To Know.
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The horror unfolded above 8,000 metres in Everest’s notorious “death zone” – where even the smallest error can prove fatal.
He said: “Somewhere above 8,000 metres I briefly removed my outer glove to adjust my camera equipment.
Madhusudan Patidar. (Jam Press/Madhusudan Patidar)
“It was a small decision. Four minutes with a bare hand at around -35°C with wind chill.”
But the damage had already been done.
He said: “By the time I reached base camp I already knew something was wrong.
“My left little finger had developed deep frostbite – Stage 3. The tissue was gone. There was no saving it.”
With no specialist care available nearby, Madhusudan was forced to continue his descent as the injury worsened.
Madhusudan Patidar frost bite finger before falling off. (Jam Press/Madhusudan Patidar)
He said: “There wasn’t a hospital on the Tibet side that could deal with the frostbite, so the delay meant that the frostbite spread even further.”
Back home, the nightmare continued.
Unable to afford immediate treatment, he waited months before finally undergoing surgery.
He said: “I waited three months. I even climbed two more 6000m plus mountains with my finger black due to frostbite.”
Doctors were eventually forced to amputate the finger.
But Madhusudan says the psychological toll was even harder than the physical loss.
He said: “The hardest adjustment was psychological.
Madhusudan Patidar dismembered finger. (Jam Press/Madhusudan Patidar)
“I had paid for one small moment of carelessness with a permanent consequence.”
Despite the ordeal, he refused to give up climbing.
He added: “What it changed is my approach. I am more disciplined now about the small decisions – the ones that don’t feel dangerous in the moment but compound into consequences.
“Losing a finger teaches you that the mountain doesn’t distinguish between big mistakes and small ones.”
Madhusudan – who first summited Everest in 2017 – has since gone on to complete dozens more expeditions, using his experience to warn others about the deadly risks of extreme climbing.
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Madhusudan Patidar. (Jam Press/Madhusudan Patidar)
Mount Everest. (Jam Press/Madhusudan Patidar)
