Sophia Bush Suffers Everest Climbing Disaster Scare

The recent high altitude avalanche that resulted in numerous fatalities on Mount Everest almost claimed the life of actress Sophia Bush’s boyfriend, Dan Fredinburg, who works as a programmer for Google. Bush knew that Fredinburg had been taking some time away from his professional duties in order to hike through the remote regions of the Himalayas over the past several weeks. But only recently did the actress learn how close her boyfriend came to losing his life in the disaster that has since claimed the lives of 13 Sherpa guides on the world’s highest mountaintop.

Luckily for Fredinburg, he had already passed through the region that was struck by massive amounts of tumbling snowfall and ice just north of the Khumbu Ice Fall base camp last Friday. He had already moved out of the 20,000 feet level where a group of about 50 professional mountain guides known as sherpas had been setting guide ropes for other climbers and making camp preparations. Government officials now say that this month’s avalanche has proven to be the most deadly incident atop the Mountain that Sir Edmund Hillary first conquered in 1953, the first climber to reach Everest’s summit, guided by Sherpa Tenzing Norgay. Bush notes that the deaths on the mountain are especially devastating because both climbers and their Sherpa guides form a very close bond while on Mount Everest.

Bush, who has previously starred in “One Tree Hill”, was both relieved and overjoyed when she received word that Fredinburg and his fellow climbers were reported to be safe and sound, having already passed the ice falls region several hours prior to the mountain letting loose. She also expressed grief and sympathy for the mounting death toll, which now stands at 13 Sherpa guides having lost their lives in the disaster.

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