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

Dr Marisa Strydom was a high achiever, full of energy with a real zest for life. Her great loves were her husband Robert and their shared passion for climbing the world’s highest mountains. Their plan was to reach the summit of Mount Everest and share the joy of standing at the top of the world together. But deep in the Everest ‘death zone’, 8,000 metres up, disaster struck. Steve Pennells met her heartbroken husband and family, and obtained exclusive video from those final fateful hours. This story originally aired in 2016.
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[@gcprost]

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

[@pematopgyal5194]

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.

[@TheMonkiAss]

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.

[@vbrvideoproductions4643]

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!

[@darrenharvey5615]

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

[@Itried20takennames]

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.

[@tigerex777]

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.

[@deeprollingriver5820]

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

[@serpk8637]

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.

[@joeparker846]

Lesson: Never leave someone you love behind.

[@jamesmichaels4979]

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.

[@braz41nj]

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.

[@findelka1810]

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!!

[@markmarsh27]

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

[@adeyemijames1582]

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

[@Lionforaday]

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.

[@ML-hs3ld]

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

[@thamadtroll9981]

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

[@tiberio135]

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.

[@christinemichele2318]

“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