The Current Situation
In using the Alpine Wasp helicopter to rescue climbers and trekkers in the Mt Everest region, the Everest Rescue Trust is hoping to raise funds to significantly improve the lives of the Nepalese living at extreme altitudes.
You probably didn't know this but most Sherpas spend much of their lives at extreme altitude without so much as a decent pair of boots on their feet. Many of them just have normal shoes, or even open-toed sandals.
As a consequence of this, many of them have lost one or more toes to frostbite, a condition that can occur at temperatures of just -12°C (10°F) . This is not an extremely low temperature and as frostbite is more extreme with prolonged exposure and high winds, it's easy to see why poorly equipped people at extreme altitudes are so vulnerable.
The porters and Sherpas who spend weeks or even months a year above the snowline are often the worst affected and for a Sherpa or a porter, the loss of more than a few toes or fingers usually means the loss of their livelihood as well.
When you consider that most people attempting to climb Mt Everest pay upwards of US$65,000 each just to have the opportunity to climb to the top of the world, it seems incredible that provision is not made to properly equip the Sherpas that do much of the dangerous work - particularly the time-consuming jobs of carrying gear, ladders, food, oxygen and all manner of other items up to base camp for every expedition.
Your involvement will help the Trust to make sure that the Nepalese who undertake this type of work and are not catered for by their employers have both proper footwear and the opportunity to retain the standard number of fingers and toes. Decent footwear and clothing will come from the Sagarmatha Sherpa Shed, a shop for Nepalese, run by Nepalese and founded by the Trust. If you or your company can help us with stocking the Sherpa Shed, please visit the Offer Goods and Services page to learn more.
We also intend to set up a dedicated frostbite clinic, the Sagarmatha Medical Centre, that will provide education and treatment for both frostbite and those needing prosthetics due to frostbite-related limb loss. The Trust is aiming to staff the clinic with a rotation of world-class prosthetics and orthorpedic specialists, as well as orthopaedic nurses and qualified support staff who are prepared to give up some of their time for free. If you would like to donate just ten days to helping the Nepalese frostbite victims, please visit the Volunteer page to learn more.
You probably didn't know this but most Sherpas spend much of their lives at extreme altitude without so much as a decent pair of boots on their feet. Many of them just have normal shoes, or even open-toed sandals.
As a consequence of this, many of them have lost one or more toes to frostbite, a condition that can occur at temperatures of just -12°C (10°F) . This is not an extremely low temperature and as frostbite is more extreme with prolonged exposure and high winds, it's easy to see why poorly equipped people at extreme altitudes are so vulnerable.
The porters and Sherpas who spend weeks or even months a year above the snowline are often the worst affected and for a Sherpa or a porter, the loss of more than a few toes or fingers usually means the loss of their livelihood as well.
Normal toes become frostbitten toes and then can become no toes.
When you consider that most people attempting to climb Mt Everest pay upwards of US$65,000 each just to have the opportunity to climb to the top of the world, it seems incredible that provision is not made to properly equip the Sherpas that do much of the dangerous work - particularly the time-consuming jobs of carrying gear, ladders, food, oxygen and all manner of other items up to base camp for every expedition.
Your involvement will help the Trust to make sure that the Nepalese who undertake this type of work and are not catered for by their employers have both proper footwear and the opportunity to retain the standard number of fingers and toes. Decent footwear and clothing will come from the Sagarmatha Sherpa Shed, a shop for Nepalese, run by Nepalese and founded by the Trust. If you or your company can help us with stocking the Sherpa Shed, please visit the Offer Goods and Services page to learn more.
We also intend to set up a dedicated frostbite clinic, the Sagarmatha Medical Centre, that will provide education and treatment for both frostbite and those needing prosthetics due to frostbite-related limb loss. The Trust is aiming to staff the clinic with a rotation of world-class prosthetics and orthorpedic specialists, as well as orthopaedic nurses and qualified support staff who are prepared to give up some of their time for free. If you would like to donate just ten days to helping the Nepalese frostbite victims, please visit the Volunteer page to learn more.
Latest News
Kids Adventure Learning Programme Launched
NZ Schools join global interactive campaign to learn about Nepal and Everest while following the Rescue on Everest Challenge at www.rescueoneverest.org
Everest Rescue Trust Launches Kids Adventure Programme
NZ Schools join global interactive campaign to learn about Nepal and Everest while following the Rescue on Everest Challenge at www.rescueoneverest.org
Get Involved
Getting involved will help us save lives on Everest and enable us to carry out additional humanitarian projects for the high altitude people of Nepal.
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