He’s at war with himself.
What the deuce have I been doing here in this wilderness past few days trying to summit the eight-thousander? I can’t hang tough and brave the elements anymore, he thought.
Bone-tired, his oxygen bottle close to empty, he fortuitously discovered a mountain hollow well-protected from snow and storm. He went deep inside, and blacked out.
When he regained consciousness, he could hear the muted roar of the blizzard outside. In front, near a burning diya, someone was chanting “Om Mani Padme Hum”… The more he heard it, the more he felt equipped to face anything.