A Queensland teenager attempting to become the youngest Australian to climb Mount Everest has revealed how she sat in a tent as an avalanche triggered by the deadly Nepal earthquake hurtled towards her.
Alyssa Azar, 18, was half asleep at base camp when the shaking started.
"I was kind of half drifting off to sleep when the earthquake happened," the Toowoomba climber said via satellite phone on Tuesday.
"I looked out the back of my tent because I could hear this weird noise and I could see the avalanche coming towards our camp.
"Base camp was completely white - you couldn't see anything."
Her tent was half-buried by the wall of snow.
"I was just sitting in the front section of my tent making sure that I had enough air if it did bury the whole thing."
The avalanche killed at least 18 people on the mountain.
Ms Azar said it was not until she spoke to her father via satellite that she learnt of the full devastation caused by the avalanche and earthquake.
More than 4300 people are among the death toll from the 7.8 magnitude quake.
While many climbers have retreated from Everest, Ms Azar is hopeful she can still reach the 8848-metre summit.
It is not her first attempt.
Last April, 16 Sherpa guides were killed when an avalanche struck just days out from her planned climb, cutting short the season.
"I definitely want to go back to Everest - it's not something that has deterred me from the mountain at all, but there are a lot of things to figure out," she said.
Meanwhile, Nepalese defence staff training in Brisbane have appealed for donations to help victims of the earthquake that has devastated their country.
Many of the members of the Royal Gurkha Regiment are from Nepal and have been affected by the disaster, with their houses flattened and relatives killed, Major Chandra Saheb said.
Donations can be made through the Rotary Club of South Brisbane.
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