Reddit reviews Icefall: Adventures at the Wild Edges of Our Dangerous, Changing Planet

He wrote a book in which he talks about it! Called Icefall, go check it out! https://www.amazon.com/Icefall-Adventures-Dangerous-Changing-Planet/dp/1610396936

Hi. I actually wrote a book to answer all of these questions - https://www.amazon.com/Icefall-Adventures-Dangerous-Changing-Planet/dp/1610396936/ref=sr_1_1_twi_har_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1494940164&sr=8-1&keywords=icefall
Why was I alone? I'm with search and rescue and am a mountain guide, so it wasn't black or white like trolls would like to believe.
My Sherpa friends and I were on Mt. Everest and hit by an icefall and 16 people died. We were devastated and one of my friends died. But my Nepali friends believed in the science I was doing and fought to get me another permit so that Asman's death was not in vain. The world's mountains are melting away beneath our feet and it is critical that we understand so that we can adapt.
My Sherpa friends were devastated and would climb no more. And the Americans I led were crushed as well - tens of thousands of dollars lost when the Everest season was ended, a dream vanished. By the end, one of them was collapsing mentally and physically and we had to take care of them.
And so I had the choice - stay alone near camp 2 to do the science, or retreat for the season. We only had a few days left before the coming monsoon would make the mountain unclimbable. A calculated risk, but it seemed a safe bet. Especially in the light of all of the sacrifices that had already been made. I was the expedition leader and I didn't want our work to fail after we had lost Asman.
I gambled and lost and was lucky beyond words to survive...