An Australian man has fallen to his death in the Himalayas after reports a "huge rock" dislodged and damaged his equipment while he was climbing a mountain with 14 other people.
Nepali newspaper, The Himalayan, reported Michael Geoffrey Davis, 33, was part of an expedition on Ama Dablam — a 6,812-metre peak in the Mt Everest region.
Tshering Pande Bhote from Top Himalaya Guides said strong winds had dislodged mountain debris, which fell onto the group while they were descending.
"The mountaineer fell to his death after a huge rock damaged the ropes he was using to descend the mountain," he said.
"His body has already been airlifted to Kathmandu for post mortem."
Mr Bhote said no one else was injured.
The ABC understands Mr Davis' family is flying to Nepal this week.
In an October Facebook post, Mr Davis said he had been training for the Ama Dablam climb for nine months.
Friends and family remembered the Ausgrid engineer as an adventurous person with an infectious smile.
While his death devastated his loved ones, there was some solace that Mr Davis died pursuing his passion for outdoor sports.
In the last 10 years, Mr Davis was drawn to adventure sports and was often preparing or partaking in activities such as cross-country skiing or canyoning, according to his childhood friend, Brent Sinclair.
"I think he would be glad he died doing something he loved and wasn't sitting around wasting his life," he said.
Mr Davis had picked up skateboarding and was interested in cars from a young age.
"I think he wanted to get the most out of life. I'm so upset he's gone. He was such a big part of my life growing up," Mr Sinclair said.
Other friends of Mr Davis took to Facebook to share their grief.
"Michael has left us doing what he loved, conquering the nooks and crannies of the world most of us only dream about," a friend, Dean Spong, wrote on Facebook.
"Your endearing quirks and zest for life made you a truly unique character that had the ability to make life easy and fun where you were around.
"Your impact on us all is immeasurable. We'll miss you, mate."
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has been contacted for comment.
