Sherpas
Globally respected for their astonishing strength, mountain agility and unfailing goodwill, the high altitude Sherpas of Nepal have been integral to the success of almost every Everest climbing expedition since 1922.
When Western climbers first set their sights on Mt Everest they looked to the Sherpas to supply yaks and act as guides and porters to hauling expeditionary equipment to Everest Base Camp. However, they soon discovered that the Sherpas had remarkable alpine abilities and talent for high-altitude climbing.
As a mountain people, the Sherpas did not venture into the high peaks until Western expeditions began arriving in Nepal. The mountain had long been held as a spiritual shrine to Chomolungma, the Goddess Mother of the Land. While Mt Everest now hosts hundreds of climbers ever year, Chomolungma continues to be held by Sherpas as a holy place.
Even today all climbing expeditions begin with a Puja ceremony. Here Sherpas and expedition members pay homage and leave gifts for the Gods of the mountain. Failure to do so would be seen as a sure test of providence.
The Early Years
Himalayan veteran Alexander Kellas is recognised as the first person to identify the natural high altitude abilities among the Sherpa people. The then leading authority on altitude sickness, Kellas soon recognized that Sherpas were largely immune to the effects of altitude. What he did not understand was why.
Early British climbers were amazed at the strength of the Sherpa people, both men and women, young and old. British veteran mountaineer Arthur Wakefield noted in his journal that he was astonished by the Sherpas’ ability to carry loads far in excess of what his own team members could carry. "At 18,000 feet, how the Sherpas carried their loads completely puzzles me. Some were 80 pounds.” It was not very long before Sherpas graduated from porters to mountaineers, often forging ahead of recognised and respected Western mountaineers.
Those Sherpas that distinguished themselves on the mountain during early years were awarded the Tiger Medal. Many young Sherpas aspired to the honour and the higher pay rate it afforded. Mount Everest climbing legend George Mallory is reported to have told a joint meeting of the Royal Geographical Society and the Alpine Club that the greatest lesson learned from the 1922 expedition was that the Sherpas' power far exceeded expectations. They carried loads to 25,500 feet, and some of them could repeat this incredible feat three days in a row. It is the Sherpas’ high altitude abilities that have made possible the high-camp method of climbing Everest that prevails today.
Unfortunately, the Sherpas have not been immune from the inherent dangers of climbing and have paid a hefty price assisting others to reach the summit of Everest. They were in fact the first to suffer deadly consequences when a North Col avalanche killed seven porters on the ill-fated 1922 expedition. Even after the disaster, however, the Sherpa people remained enthusiastic about assisting Western expeditions that even then were becoming an important source of work and money.
In the Everest successes in the modern age of Everest climbing, Sherpas are among the most accomplished mountaineers. The names of their own great mountaineers hold a high place in Everest lore. It was Sherpa Tenzing Norgay who first reached the summit with Sir Edmund Hillary in 1953. It was also Tenzing Norgay planting the flag on the summit in the famous photograph of triumph.
Successive climbing seasons have seen phenomenal growth in the number of climbers tackling Mt Everest. Sherpa climbers have achieved many of the mountain's greatest climbing accomplishments.
Chief among the Sherpa climbers is Ang Rita Sherpa – the ‘snow leopard’ – who amassed an amazing ten Everest summits, all without oxygen. Equally regarded, Babu Chiri Sherpa spent 20 hours on the summit of Everest in 1999, an unheard of feat. Babu Chiri also raced up the mountain in a record ascent of 16 hours and 56 minutes. In 1995, he ascended Everest twice within two weeks. He subsequently dedicated his Everest achievements to raising international awareness and funds for the education of Sherpa children.
Such feats, along with the Sherpas’ continued roles in carrying loads, fixing ropes, setting camps, and generally tending to climbing teams have earned the Sherpa people a place of unequalled respect. They have also helped create a climbing and trekking industry that has brought the world to Nepal's once isolated Solo Khumbu region. In the Sherpas' home, Everest has become not only a spiritual center but a financial one as well.
Of course, success or failure on Everest comes with a price, and the Sherpas have always paid dearly for their association with the mountain. Since the first seven Sherpa fatalities in 1922, many others have lost their lives on Everest. Of the first 100 recorded Everest fatalities, for example, 41 were Sherpas. In April 2001 Babu Chiri Sherpa fell to his death into a crevasse near Camp Two, a tragic end to an Everest legend.
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