Till 4 April, there were only 7 expeditions with 86 mountaineers who have got permits to climb Mt Everest this spring climbing season, much lower than the 47 expeditions and nearly 478 foreign alpinists in spring 2023. It is not clear why the Department of Tourism starts processing applications for Everest climbs only in March when expeditions prepare for years before they plan to climb the world’s highest mountain. It also seems insensitive to include total royalties collected in its tables which suggests that it is only interested in cash and not mountaineering. &nbsp; The Department has been updating its list of expeditions almost every other day this week, and the latest one shows that besides the seven expeditions on Everest, there are three on Ama Dablam, and another three on Annapurna I. Smaller peaks like Himlung (7,126m), Jugal III (6,184m), Putha Hiunchuli (7,246m), and Khangri Shar (6,811m) have one permit each.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/hurtling-through-the-himalaya">Hurtling through the Himalaya</a>, Vishad Onta “It is too early to speculate if there is a drop in numbers,” says Dawa Steven Sherpa of Asian Trekking. “Many expeditions sign up at the last moment, anyway.” Surprisingly, Manaslu (8,163m) which is usually the most popular mountain after Everest does not have a single expedition in the Department’s list. In 2023, there were 23 expeditions with 266 foreign climbers on Manaslu. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/comment/dispelling-myths-about-climbing">Dispelling myths about climbing</a>, Edward Morgan  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240404120412_bb56c0680db45c35795b8d76a47c0e05798207c0d1c5095fa48fd9bd4fa3fb04.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20240404120412_bb56c0680db45c35795b8d76a47c0e05798207c0d1c5095fa48fd9bd4fa3fb04" data-rendition-name="original" width="775" height="754" loading="lazy" alt="Where have all the mountaineers gone? Nt #1206"> <figcaption>Source: DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM, HIMALAYAN DATABASE</figcaption> </figure>  The drastic drop this year also translates to a big decrease in the total number of climbers, and the amount of royalty the government collects from climbing fees. This spring's 19 expeditions total only 171 climbers, compared to last year's 61 expeditions bringing 512 foreign climbers. Despite this, the average number of members per expedition this year (9.00) to last year (8.14) is comparable. While the difference in number of expeditions and peaks is stark, mountaineering experts think there is no need for premature fretting.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/mt-everest-pvt-ltd?amp=1">Mt Everest (Pvt) Ltd</a>, Vishad Onta Everest summiteer Alan Arnette, who has covered Himalayan climbing for 20 years, agrees that the numbers could pick up: “There is a trend for teams to arrive later and later for Everest. Some start with Annapurna, others just get their permits later. It will pick up.” Nepali mountaineering companies have become more efficient. Ten years ago, an Everest expedition used to be eight weeks long. Now, it takes three weeks and many expeditions climb Annapurna, Dhaulagiri or Cho Oyu early before moving on to Everest, trying to &nbsp;climb two eight-thousanders in one season. March-May is when most mountaineers try to climb Everest because of gentler winds and higher temperatures on the slopes. Sometimes weather windows are open in May for only a few days, leading to traffic jams near the summit. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/without-sherpas-there-is-no-mountaineering">“Without Sherpas, there is no mountaineering”</a>, Bhadra Sharma

Vishad Onta

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Where have all the mountaineers gone?

It has been a century since Mallory and Irvine may or may not have reached the summit of Mt Everest. Mountaineering in Nepal has changed a lot since that first British expedition in 1924. Everest gets bad press for traffic jams at the summit, garbage and frozen corpses below the peak. But such is the draw of the world’s highest mountain that climbers from all over the world just keep coming. The main reason for frequent gridlocks on Sagarmatha is due to a tectonic shift in the business of mountaineering from foreign to domestic operators. Before 2013, Nepali guides were largely just ground handling agents for international expeditions. That was also the year ‘<a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/Mountain,359" target="_blank">The Everest Brawl’</a> took place at Camp 2, when one hundred Sherpas had the world’s highest fistfight with three European mountaineers climbing Alpine style. After that, Nepali high altitude guides started working directly with international clients, building and marketing their own brands through the Internet. Such direct contact brought down prices because of lower wages, operating costs and liability requirements compared to international companies.  <figure><img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240223030236_1cd924d83b285cd95e71155c8d40562e97a1dcc737ce1145e2a9bdff5fd7cb4b.png" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20240223030236_1cd924d83b285cd95e71155c8d40562e97a1dcc737ce1145e2a9bdff5fd7cb4b" data-rendition-name="original" width="1286" height="809" loading="lazy" alt="Figures: ADAPTED FROM THE HIMALAYAN DATABASE/EDWARD MORGAN"></figure>  “Local companies have vastly improved,” says <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/covid-climate-crises-hit-everest-region" target="_blank">Dawa Steven Sherpa of Asian Trekking</a>. “Nepalis are no longer exclusively in the servant-porter role, with Sherpas now being highly trained, world class mountaineers.” Social media has also changed the Sherpa-climber dynamic by keeping dishonest mountaineers in check. They can no longer go home from expeditions and claim public hero status for carrying out a rescue, when in fact it was the Sherpas who are the saviours<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/nims-purja-does-it" target="_blank">. Nims Purja’s Netflix film 14 Peaks</a> established Nepali guides as being world class. Mountaineering is an expensive sport, and lower prices have made it accessible to a much wider range of climbers, and the clients are no longer just from the West but from China, India, Southeast Asia and Nepal itself. Many Chinese climbers prefer to climb from Nepal as requirements are much stricter on the north side of Chomolungma in Tibet – they must have climbed at least one other 8000er before. Most Nepali operators offer expeditions to clients with much less experience. An increase in inexperienced climbers comes with greater risk of fatalities. In fact, Spring 2023 was the deadliest season on Everest with 20 deaths over the season. “People should not be learning how to abseil on Everest,” says <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/billi-bierling-s-life-cycle" target="_blank">Swiss-German journalist and mountaineer Billi Bierling</a>, adding that previous climbing experience makes everything safer for everyone.  <figure><img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240223030228_cb001859c2eccde76cc25431104f44a17fc008e7d29cb08aad19049ab49bce26.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="20240223030228_cb001859c2eccde76cc25431104f44a17fc008e7d29cb08aad19049ab49bce26" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Lhotse NT"><figcaption>HIMALAYAN VERTICALS: One of the most challenging routes left in Nepal are on the South Face of Lhotse, 8516m. Photo: KONSTANTINOS SOFIKITIS</figcaption></figure>  Everest summiteer and mountaineering blogger Alan Arnette, recommends that climbers scale at least a 7000er before aiming for Everest. He is also for limiting the number of permits, since problems come up due to overcrowding high on the mountain. Along with more rescues and fatalities, there is also added risk of theft of oxygen bottles and other supplies. Inexperienced climbers also need much more assistance from high altitude guides, and the ratio of Sherpas to climbers on Everest is higher than it has ever been. This does mean more employment for locals, but it also means more trash and more risk for porters on the Khumbu Icefall. The Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality announcement this month that all expeditions will be required to bring down their poop from Everest made headlines around the world, and provided material for comedy shows. But many decades of frozen human waste thawing due to climate change is an issue. Waste Alleviation and Gelling (WAG) bags are now mandatory equipment for expeditions. Long used by soldiers, these poop pouches are lined with deodorising powder. There are doubts about how the new rule can be enforced and monitored. Consolidating waste in drums at Camp II and flying them to Base Camp by chopper has been proposed. Says Arnette: “Tourists paying $100,000 for an expedition are unlikely to bring back their own waste, and it becomes a question of dignity to ask Sherpas to do so for them. The use of these bags comes down to personal responsibility.” The Municipality where Everest Base Camp lies recently announced other rules: each climber on Everest is required to also bring back 8kg of other garbage. Expeditions currently pay a $4,000 deposit which is refunded only after proof of significant trash being brought down. <div class="embed-block"><iframe title="Climbing Permits by Peaks in Nepal Himalaya (in 2023)" aria-label="Donut Chart" id="datawrapper-chart-l6c4n" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/l6c4n/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="border: none;" width="600" height="439" data-external="1"></iframe></div> “Officials are quite ready to give this deposit back because, frankly, they don’t know what to do with the money,” notes Dawa Sherpa, who says it is a myth that Nepal’s mountains are dirty. “They are a hell of a lot cleaner than they were.” Sometimes, there are valid reasons to leave garbage behind, such as when a camp is buried by a storm or avalanche. Also, when team members are sick or dying, the priority is their rescue. Many feel that the tradition of assigning liaison officers on paid leave from their civil service jobs to every expedition by the department in Kathmandu is obsolete, and is driven by kickbacks. Liaison officers earn $5,000 worth of daily allowances and most also depend on expeditions even for their sleeping bags and jackets. Many do not even bother to stay at base camp. “How does it make sense that they are policing us when they are reliant on us?” questions Sherpa who says they are a financial and physical burden for expeditions, often requiring more attention at Base Camp than climbing clients. The Municipality has also released a new policy <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/chopper-vs-chauri-below-everest" target="_blank">limiting helicopter ferries</a> and the ‘luxury’ at base camp. The guidelines titled Base Camp Management Procedure 2024 was issued at the start of the spring climbing season, and are seen by many as “eleventh hour media stunts” that simply cannot be enforced. Luxury dome tents with en suite bathrooms are now supposedly banned at Base Camp, so are bakeries, cafes, and even massage tents. There is more: a climber henceforth cannot occupy more than 7.5sq m per sleeping tent, and 1sq m per person in the dining tent.  <figure><img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240223030240_df8ddc7b5551025f5bce6b5d3e529e1a2793ca36da39bd49e9c9464ef4018822.png" data-media-id="editor_8" data-image-id="20240223030240_df8ddc7b5551025f5bce6b5d3e529e1a2793ca36da39bd49e9c9464ef4018822" data-rendition-name="original" width="944" height="672" loading="lazy" alt="Expeditions by elevation range"></figure>  The policy also caps expeditions at 15 climbers plus 15 guides to reduce the ecological footprint at Base Camp. But Dawa Sherpa thinks 15 climbers need at least 30 support staff -- one Sherpa per client, kitchen teams, doctors, physios. Sometimes family members want to spend a few days at Base Camp too. Arnette is a proponent of a free market on mountains, and thinks agencies should be allowed to have 5-star expeditions if they want to. “It does increase each climber’s personal footprint per climber, but bigger changes would come from limiting total numbers,” he says. Many of the record high 20 deaths last year on Everest were avoidable had climbers not pushed forward when they should not have, and a larger proportion of the fatalities were on cheaper expeditions with less well-trained members. Despite this, preliminary data shows that the total number of climbers on Everest will surpass even last year’s 683. China is finally opening up the North East Ridge route to foreigners, and this is the last year before a 37% increase in Everest permit fees by Nepal. Currently, climbers have to pay $11,000 royalty from the Nepali side or $18,000 from the Chinese side. Nepali Permits will cost $15,000 per expedition from 2025. Despite many negative stories about Everest, Billi Bierling points to the bright side. “Everybody has their own reason to climb, and the vast majority of people on the slopes are working together.” Arnette concurs: “Everest is a big mountain that can handle hundreds of climbers at a time. Guides need to cooperate to prevent overcrowding on any particular day.”

Mt Everest (Pvt) Ltd

Last spring, I climbed a couple of easy 6,000ers in Nepal with Howard Lister. When we returned to Kathmandu, we had dinner with Richard Salisbury and Rodolphe Popier of The Himalayan Database.&nbsp; For them, Nepal’s 2023 spring climbing season had not been very interesting. Although there was a record number of climbers on Mt Everest and many more on the other 8,000ers in Nepal, almost all fall into what László Pintér calls ‘of only statistical value’ -- commercial expeditions repeating the ordinary routes on 8,000ers.&nbsp; It could seem like Himalayan climbing (defined as making new routes and early repeats) is in decline. There are a couple of myths about Himalayan climbing, that should be dispelled: &nbsp; Myth 1: The Himalaya is Crowded The record numbers of permits given for Everest and the famous images of queues of climbers on the South-East Ridge might make a casual observer think that the Himalaya is crowded. This is far from being the case.&nbsp; In the 2023 pre-monsoon season, 1,176 climbers were granted permits for the 374 ‘open’ mountains, making an average of only three climbers per mountain. That does not sound too crowded, but the distribution of climbers is indeed unbalanced. László writes about ‘guided summit collectors who seek fame’, and these were massively concentrated on 8,000m peaks with 41% of the climbers on Everest. Even there, they were almost all on the South Col route.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/mt-everest-pvt-ltd">Mt Everest (Pvt) Ltd</a>, Vishad Onta Another 31% were on normal routes on Nepal's six other 8,000m peaks. Of the remaining 329, a quarter of the climbers were on Ama Dablam and a fifth on Everest’s near neighbour, Nuptse.&nbsp; That left another 187 climbers spread amongst 365 peaks, of which 346 had no visitors at all. If you want solitude in Nepal, it is not difficult to find. The magic 8,000m line has a massive influence on the choice of climbing objective. Whilst 847 people tried mountains of above 8,000m, with the exception of Nuptse, there were no attempts on any of the other 23 mountains between 7,500m and 8,000m.&nbsp; Myth 2: There Are No Climbing Challenges Left ‘Guided summit collectors’ tend to make up increasingly contorted claims to fame (‘first left-handed Zimbabwean’ or the ‘oldest dyslexic dentist’ to climb Everest). The casual observer might assume this is because there are no real climbing challenges left. That is absolutely not the case.&nbsp; Let us start with Lhotse, which essentially has three faces and three ridges. None of the ridges have ever been climbed, and almost all ascents have been by a single route on the North-West Face. The South Face was climbed 33 years ago, and waits for a repeat. This is a very wide wall on which multiple different lines would be possible. The North East Face of Lhotse has not even seen an attempt. Some of the other 8,000ers have had the most obvious routes picked off, but there are other climbing objectives to last a few centuries at the current rate of progress. The high 7,000ers in Nepal are mountains which differ from the 8,000ers only by being slightly below an arbitrary height line.&nbsp; Read also,<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/without-sherpas-there-is-no-mountaineering"> “Without Sherpas, there is no mountaineering”</a>, Bhadra Sharma Gyachung Kang, the world’s 15th highest mountain, is less than 50m short of being an eight thousander, but it has only had 10 ascents and no attempts for 18 years.&nbsp; Next is Annapurna II, which has been climbed only 5-6 times. For some Annapurna II may sound like a minor sub-peak of Annapurna, but being 30km away from Annapurna I and with a prominence of nearly 2,500m makes it indisputably a separate mountain.&nbsp; But these days hardly anyone attempts Annapurna II. There were 16 expeditions to it in the 1980s, three in the 1990s and three in the 2000s, but only one since 2008.&nbsp; Dhaulagiri, like Annapurna, is a name given to a series of mountains in a massif with Dhaulagiri II, III, IV and V -- all above 7,600m. Dhaulagiri III, IV and V may be considered subsidiary tops of Dhaulagiri II, but Dhaulagiri II is every bit as independent as Annapurna II, yet has received only 10 ascents, the last in 1986. None of Dhaulagiri III, IV or V have been attempted since the 1970s.&nbsp; If you Google ‘what is the most dangerous mountain in the world?’ you will get an answer based on the somewhat nonsensical measure of dividing the number of deaths by the number of successful summit climbers. It is declared to be Annapurna I followed by K2 and Nanga Parbat.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/letters-from-everest-base-camp-1-vfqcer0e">Letters from Everest Base Camp 1</a>  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240223060240_e4eb40276b95d06a98879c513b6e2d327ace35092e7b108b61497887e9fade3f.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20240223060240_e4eb40276b95d06a98879c513b6e2d327ace35092e7b108b61497887e9fade3f" data-rendition-name="original" width="595" height="842" loading="lazy" alt="Dangerous mountain"> </figure>  This is wrong because it only looks at 8,000m peaks. Annapurna is often quoted as having a ‘fatality rate’ of 32% (although the large number of commercial climbs in the last few years have brought this down to under 20%).&nbsp; That certainly does not make it the most dangerous mountain in the world. Twelve climbers have summitted Dhaulagiri IV, but 14 have died while trying, so the fatality rate on that peak is 117%. But Ngadi Chuli (Peak 29) is the world’s 20th highest mountain at 7,871m. It has had only two summiteers, but five people have died while trying, giving it a fatality rate of 250%. It has not even been attempted for more than 40 years. There is plenty of scope for new routes on all of these mountains. Excluding variants, Annapurna II has been climbed by two routes, Peak 29 by two, Dhaulagiri II by only one.&nbsp; And then there are mountains that have never been climbed like Shartse, a 7,591m peak on the East Ridge of Lhotse Shar.&nbsp; There are still some bold climbers making fantastic ascents, like Ukrainians Nikita Balabanov, Mikail Fomin and Viacheslav Polezhaiko on the South-East ridge of Annapurna III in 2021.&nbsp; The French pair of Boris Langenstein and Tiphaine Duperier last year explored the possibility of ascending the huge and untouched North East Face of Dhaulagiri II. Their plan to climb up and ski down was thwarted by route finding difficulties and bad weather, but this was a real pioneering attempt.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/chopper-vs-chauri-below-everest">Chopper vs Chauri below Everest</a>, Bhadra Sharma One of the finest climbs on a high 7,000er was the alpine style ascent of a partially new route on the daunting North Face of Jannu by Americans Matt Cornell, Alan Rousseau and Jackson Marvell last autumn. If we compare the proportion of expeditions to the seven 8,000ers and the highest seven 7,000ers in the Nepal Himalaya by decade, we can see the picture very clearly. Mostly non-guided climbing of 7,000ers, making new routes and first or early ascents, peaked in the 1980s and has been much lower since, while 8,000m climbing, mainly by commercial expeditions, is growing almost exponentially.&nbsp; While ‘real’ Himalayan Climbing is not dying, it is declining and carried out by a relatively small number of highly talented climbers.&nbsp; That situation is masked by the large numbers of climbers on commercial routes on Everest, the other 8,000ers and a handful of popular mountains and by the publicity these climbs receive. The lack of such ‘adventurous climbs’ is not because there are no worthwhile objectives. Himalayan climbing is dangerous even on the heavily populated and well equipped mountains, and it is even more so for those who venture away from well-trodden paths to seek new challenges.&nbsp; Anyone who attempts such exploits needs to make their own mind up about the risks and difficulties involved. But if anyone believes there are no climbing challenges left in the Himalaya or that all mountaineering in Nepal involves long queues on fixed ropes, then they are absolutely wrong. &nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/himalayans-on-the-frontlines">Himalayans on the frontlines</a>, Ang Tshering Sherpa  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2024022306024_d9a02bfe0967c9647b5d4d02aef5eb4ee985c7b16e8f142fc176c5e07080c8b5.jpg" data-media-id="editor_6" data-image-id="2024022306024_d9a02bfe0967c9647b5d4d02aef5eb4ee985c7b16e8f142fc176c5e07080c8b5" data-rendition-name="original" width="1136" height="702" loading="lazy" alt="Edward Morgan Book Details"> </figure>  Edward Morgan is the author of Lhotse South Face – The Wall of Legends. &nbsp;

Dispelling myths about climbing

The last sentence in French climber Maurice Herzog’s mountaineering classic, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Annapurna-First-Conquest-000-Meter-Peak/dp/1599218933">Annapurna</a>, after his first ever ascent of an eight-thousand metre peak in 1950 was: ‘There are other Annapurnas in the lives of men.’ To this, Arlene Blum would add: ‘… and women.’ Blum led the first all-women expedition to the world’s tenth highest mountain in 1978, and as she recounted in two books, Annapurna: A Woman’s Place and Breaking Trail: A Climbing Life, getting to the top was only a small part of the challenges women still face in life as well as in mountaineering. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Breaking-Trail-Climbing-Arlene-Blum/dp/0156031167">Breaking Trail</a> was Blum’s frank and introspective memoir in which she weaved circumstances of growing up in a Russian Jewish émigré family in Chicago with experiences of her mountaineering career. A bigger challenge than climbing, it seems, was overcoming sexism.&nbsp; Blum was accepted for a PhD at Harvard, but dropped out after its mountaineering club said it did not accept women members. She went to MIT instead, where her first research adviser in molecular structure refused to admit her because he did not “take girls”.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/peak-performance">Peak performance</a>, Tulsi Rauniyar She finally ended up at a Berkeley lab, and escaped frequently to climb in the Sierras, the Andes and Mexico. But when she wanted to join a trek to Nepal, the professor leading it said no because they did not have a separate tent for a woman. Another expedition to Afghanistan turned her down because a female climber would create ‘excretory’ complications at high altitude. The American Alpine Club (AAC) denied her all-women expedition to Denali. (“Chicks? Climb Denali? No way dames could ever make it up that bitch.”) But Blum went anyway, and also joined women climbers in British Columbia, the Pamirs and Kashmir.&nbsp; The first-ever female ascent of Denali was ignored by America’s climbing community, and Blum writes: ‘It was too early for the idea of an all-women’s team to capture public attention.’ Indeed, it was not enough for women climbers to be as skilled as men, they had to be stronger and more experienced than their male colleagues to be accepted. Read also: <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nepali-times-buzz/seven-summits-women-climb-again,1486">They climbed another mountain</a>, Matt Miller Travelling through India on an expedition to Trisul, Blum was shocked by the poverty and decided to change the trajectory of her research away from theoretical science to ‘help solve the planet’s problems’. After joining the American Bicentennial Everest Expedition in 1976, Blum returned in the autumn of 1978 with a group of 12 female climbers to take the route up the same face as Maurice Herzog had 28 years earlier on Annapurna I. But first, again, she had to fight an AAC decision not to endorse an all-women team, and one led by her. Finally, the American women arrived at the north base of Annapurna I in October 1978. The peak is 800m lower than Everest, but sections are more technical and avalanche prone. Four in every ten climbers on Annapurna has not made it back alive. The feminist movement brought change, but mountaineering still had a glass ceiling for women. The Annapurna expedition was as much an adventure as a statement highlighted in its cheeky t-shirt motto: ‘A Woman's Place Is On Top’.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240130090140_111031d690fd182ac2ef5ee914dff7d786c3a543628a83071af1bbd6a64fed5a.png" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20240130090140_111031d690fd182ac2ef5ee914dff7d786c3a543628a83071af1bbd6a64fed5a" data-rendition-name="original" width="2120" height="1296" loading="lazy" alt="Arlene Blum"> </figure>  In her 1980 book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Annapurna-Womans-Place-Arlene-Blum/dp/1619026031">Annapurna: A Woman's Place</a>, Blum admits that had she known of the post-monsoon avalanches on Annapurna she would have gone to another mountain. As leader, she also had to constantly balance the need to be a decisive leader, while taking decisions democratically. The expedition faced a strike by Sherpas, and perhaps they did not like taking orders from a woman leader. Eventually, after more storms, avalanches, and personality clashes, four members made it to the summit: two women and two Nepali male guides. Blum’s attempts to train Sherpani cooks to also climb were unsuccessful. Two other women climbers tried to make a second summit bid, but were killed near Camp IV.&nbsp; The deaths marred the expedition’s triumph, and there were naysayers dismissing the women’s achievement because Nepali male guides helped them reach the top. All-male expeditions are seldom judged like that, and even 45 years later, the controversy has not completely died down.&nbsp; After Annapurna, Blum returned to do the Great Himalayan Traverse from Bhutan to Ladakh in 1982 at the end of which she met Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in Delhi just months before she was assassinated. She has since lived in Nepal for a year and visits often to hike.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=19459">Seven women, seven summits</a>, Candice Neo “Nepal has changed a lot, it is more prosperous with farmers talking on mobiles,” she said last month after doing the Millennium Trek south of Pokhara. “It is also more crowded. When we bicycled along the Ring Road in Kathmandu back then, we used to think why did the Chinese build a road so far from town?” Blum has gone back to research that will make a difference to people and the planet, and heads the Green Science Policy Institute. Her findings made California ban fire retardant chemicals from children’s clothing and furniture because they can cause decreased IQ, infertility and thyroid problems. Blum’s activism also led to 30 countries banning harmful chemicals in the electronics industry.&nbsp; “I attribute our success to mountain climbing determination,” Blum told us recently in Kathmandu. “There are indeed other Annapurnas in the lives of women. There are now more female-led expeditions, half the students at MIT are women now. And you have women running your newspaper.”  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240130090140_8aec3415bb3762c7e67aa1c92c7a0484b011aaf64496e743d5c52491e04f3284.jpg" data-media-id="editor_7" data-image-id="20240130090140_8aec3415bb3762c7e67aa1c92c7a0484b011aaf64496e743d5c52491e04f3284" data-rendition-name="original" width="1152" height="850" loading="lazy" alt="Annapurna A Woman's Place"> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240130090140_fdfc5205fed685fd8609779063df07b65385e91f5a1c6051c413e2b4f0f54add.jpg" data-media-id="editor_8" data-image-id="20240130090140_fdfc5205fed685fd8609779063df07b65385e91f5a1c6051c413e2b4f0f54add" data-rendition-name="original" width="999" height="811" loading="lazy" alt="Breaking trail"> </figure>  &nbsp;

Other Annapurnas in the lives of women

In his short 35-year life, only 10 years of which he spent guiding Himalayan mountaineering expeditions, Tenjen Sherpa was known for his stamina and humility. Unlike most of Nepal’s famous Sherpa climbers, Tenjen was not from the Khumbu region below Mt Everest, but from the foothills of Mt Makalu, the world’s fifth highest mountain. He herded yaks and farmed potatoes on the steep terraces of the village of Walung, where he was born in 1988, the seventh of eight brothers. He never went to school, but attended a monastery and was therefore known by the nickname ‘Mantare Lama’, after the lucky number seven. Tenjen quickly mastered the methods of technical climbing at high altitude, and was much sought after by international expeditions to fix ropes to summits. For most Nepali climbing guides, this is a nameless and largely thankless job, while the foreigners they help to the summit get most of the attention and fame.&nbsp; But that did not bother Tenjen too much. He was not the complaining type, and the expeditions earned him money. But Tenjen also represented a new breed of Nepalis for whom climbing was not just a job, but an adventure he enjoyed and excelled at. Earlier this year, he completed climbs of 14 peaks above 8,000m in just 92 days helping Norwegian mountaineer Kristin Harila also accomplish the feat. They beat the previous 14-peak record set by Nepali-British climber Nims Purja for climbing the world’s highest peaks in the shortest time.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231121071136_b266a0133e4de4a95aaa824f53ad3ca0dd46386da7088ae76ee9cc5947d8ed5c.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20231121071136_b266a0133e4de4a95aaa824f53ad3ca0dd46386da7088ae76ee9cc5947d8ed5c" data-rendition-name="original" width="1200" height="628" loading="lazy" alt="Tenjen and Harila"> </figure>  Perhaps even more remarkable than the record was the tale of Tenjen Sherpa’s struggle. He was married off when he was just 13. His father abandoned his family, and Tenjen had to help his mother take care of his siblings, as well as his wife and their own two sons.&nbsp; Financial hardship forced Tenjen to leave the village and seek his fortune elsewhere. Because he lacked schooling, there were only two options: migrate to India or work as a porter for climbing expeditions.&nbsp; Even as a child, Tenjen had seen expeditions to Makalu camp near his village and admired their climbing gear, flashy clothing and the money that some of his neighbours earned from being guides.&nbsp; Tenjen was inspired by the famous Sherpa guides he worked with, and was determined to become a high-altitude guide himself. He knew it was a risky job, but it paid well.&nbsp; Tenjen found a job with Seven Summit Treks, one of the new Nepali-run mountaineering outfitters that have been taking over the Himalayan climbing business from foreign companies in recent years. It is led by Mingma Sherpa, also from the Makalu region, and himself an accomplished mountaineer who has also climbed all 14 eight-thousanders.&nbsp; Mingma sent Tenjen with an expedition to Makalu in 2014, and despite having no prior experience at high altitude he reached the South Summit. Tenjen learnt fast to fix ropes, wear crampons, use bottled oxygen, and belay fellow climbers on steep sections.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231121071136_4b05955b11e8a5c3aa4d5fbdf06328a8589ecb3c10b8d97c264182fef9ae65e2.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20231121071136_4b05955b11e8a5c3aa4d5fbdf06328a8589ecb3c10b8d97c264182fef9ae65e2" data-rendition-name="original" width="1948" height="2355" loading="lazy" alt="Tenjen Sherpa"> </figure>  In 2016, Tenjen was sent as part of a rope-fixing team to Mt Dhaulagiri and reached the top of the world’s seventh-highest mountain. Tenjen never looked back after that, successfully summiting every peak he attempted.&nbsp; By July 2023, he had climbed 35 of the world’s highest mountains, many of them multiple times. He had helped Harila become the first woman to summit all 14 eight-thousanders after climbing Cho Oyu in May this year. After the monsoon, he was on Mt Shishapangma in China, guiding the American climber Gina Marie Rzucidlo who was competing with compatriot Anna Gutu to become the first female American to climb all 14 eight-thousanders, both had completed 13 peaks and had only one left. Rzucidlo had hired Tenjen at the last moment although he was not with her expedition company because he had proven to be a fast climber with Harila. On 7 October, at around 12:30PM a slab of avalanche swept away Gutu and her guide Mingmar Sherpa at an altitude of 7,600 meters. A few hours later, Tenjen and Gina were also hit by an avalanche at 8,000m on the north face of Shishapangma. Their bodies were never found. For Tenjen’s family, this was an added tragedy. Two of his brothers, Norbu and Phurba who were also climbers, had died earlier. Phurba died on Everest in the spring 2023, while Norbu died during the Covid-19 pandemic. Three of his other brothers had died at an early age. Tenjen’s eldest brother is the only one remaining in Walung, farming the family terraces. The youngest brother, Pas Dawa also works as a climbing guide. “I don't know whether to continue this job or quit," Pas Dawa told us in Kathmandu during a break between expeditions. "We cannot take care of our families if we do not work on the mountains, but it is a job that we could never return from."

Tenjen Sherpa, a tribute

&nbsp;At 8:30AM on 13 May, Jacob Weasel, MD, became the first Native American to summit Mt Everest. Standing on the world’s tallest peak, the Cheyenne River Sioux tribe member suddenly felt a deep connection with his ancestors from the other side of the planet. And he also felt an immense sense of pride for not just his Cheyenne River Sioux tribe, but for all First Nation communities from the Americas and the world. “My journey to becoming a surgeon and scaling Mt Everest is a story of perseverance, determination, and community support,” Weasel, 36, told Nepali Times in Kathmandu after the climb. “I am humbled by the encouragement I have received and proud to carry my people's legacy forward.” Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/to-the-base-of-everest-on-one-kidney">To the base of Everest on one kidney</a>, Shristi Karki  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230528140536_f06f00aeab12619a8a0f362d84aa2c8aacfa41ae3e5436c95b503448bb1986cf.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20230528140536_f06f00aeab12619a8a0f362d84aa2c8aacfa41ae3e5436c95b503448bb1986cf" data-rendition-name="original" width="622" height="902" loading="lazy" alt="First Native American on world’s tallest peak NT 4"> <figcaption> Photos courtesy: JACOB WEASEL</figcaption> </figure>  Weasel is also the first and the only person to become a surgeon from his tribe. Over 70% of Sioux children drop out of school, families are poor and the unemployment rate is high. Few go on to get a college education, or have prestigious professions so a surgeon-mountaineer could not be further from the stereotype. But young Jacob Weasel was so inspired by the story of Sophia Dannenberg, the first African American and the first Black woman to summit Mt Everest in 2003 that he started researching her, and was surprised to find that no Native American has ever climbed the mountain. “It took a year and a half of relentless exploration, alongside pursuing my education and medical career,” he said. “I completed my undergraduate studies, medical school, and surgical training all the while keeping the mountains in my heart.” Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/everest-70-years-on">Everest 70 years on</a>, Lisa Choegyal  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230528140540_e68e3c2d90fdd0e65773676d47193eb78462e64c1509de70e663d9c7e1d2146e.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20230528140540_e68e3c2d90fdd0e65773676d47193eb78462e64c1509de70e663d9c7e1d2146e" data-rendition-name="original" width="4032" height="3024" loading="lazy" alt="First Native American on world’s tallest peak NT 5"> <figcaption>Jacob Weasel was inspired by Sophia Dannenberg, the first African Amercian woman to climb Everest.</figcaption> </figure>  Weasel and his two siblings were born in New Mexico and they moved to Omaha with their parents when Jacob was only 12. But only he went on to finish college, and studied medicine in South Dakota. His father was born on a reservation, and had a challenging upbringing within a broken family. He dropped out of school in eighth grade and was pushed into drug dealing. But he managed to leave it behind, passed his GED test, attended Bible school, and became a pastor. Weasel started climbing at Mt Rainier and went on various expeditions including ones to Ecuador, Kilimanjaro, and Denali, fuelling his passion even more. But the goal was always to get atop the world’s highest mountain. Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/news/the-pinnacle-of-determination-and-courage">The pinnacle of determination and courage</a>, Bhadra Sharma <div class="embed-block"><div style="max-width: 56vh;"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 177.7778%;"><iframe src="//cdn.iframe.ly/api/iframe?url=https%3A%2F%2Fyoutube.com%2Fshorts%2Fklrh1pC4sPI%3Ffeature%3Dshare&key=87ca3314a9fa775b5c3a7726100694b0" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen scrolling="no" allow="encrypted-media *;"></iframe></div></div>Video: JACOB WEASEL</div> However, an Everest expedition meant much money and time, physical and mental strength and lots of training. But the fundraising efforts paid off, and Weasel was off to Nepal earlier this year.&nbsp; Things were much tougher than he imagined: the weather was harsh this spring, the Khumbu Icefall was treacherous as ever, and the north wall of Nuptse was heavy with new snow. The high altitude also took a toll on Weasel, each step felt like a tremendous effort, and monitoring oxygen levels became important. Weasel and his Nepali guides also narrowly survived avalanches in the Khumbu Icefall.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/billi-bierling-s-life-cycle">Billi Bierling’s life cycle</a>, Pradnya Pradhan <div class="embed-block"><div style="max-width: 56vh;"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 177.7778%;"><iframe src="//cdn.iframe.ly/api/iframe?url=https%3A%2F%2Fyoutube.com%2Fshorts%2FD-xXsu0CAU4%3Ffeature%3Dshare&key=87ca3314a9fa775b5c3a7726100694b0" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen scrolling="no" allow="encrypted-media *;"></iframe></div></div>VIDEO: JACOB WEASEL</div> Finally approaching the summit on a clear but windy morning, Weasel unfurled his Cheyenne River Sioux flag, with an eagle feather securely packed in red cloth in his backpack for protection.&nbsp; “It was an honour to carry my tribe's symbol to Earth's highest point,” Weasel told us. For Weasel, climbing Everest was not the only achievement, it was also to visit an Asian country for the first time and see how he can contribute as a medical practitioner to Nepal’s healthcare. Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/comment/high-himalayan-rescue">High Himalayan rescue</a>, Buddha Basnyat and Gobi Bashyal  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230528140540_2e503e0070e8e0db449d62324d92af0ccece8edb34f0ac58707087f5413be956.jpg" data-media-id="editor_9" data-image-id="20230528140540_2e503e0070e8e0db449d62324d92af0ccece8edb34f0ac58707087f5413be956" data-rendition-name="original" width="3716" height="2787" loading="lazy" alt="First Native American on world’s tallest peak NT 6"> <figcaption>Panoramic view of Everest as Jacob Weasel summitted the mountain.</figcaption> </figure>  “Leveraging my medical background, I aim to improve access to healthcare services, particularly for women and children in Nepal’s rural areas with limited resources,” he said. He wants to fundraise to build women's health clinics and birthing centres in Nepal in collaboration with local organisations working exclusively on maternal health like One Heart Worldwide. “I feel so welcomed here, Nepalis have been generous and shared wisdom, and taught me about resilience, humility, and the indomitable human spirit,” he said with feeling. “Leaving Everest, I carry those lessons to respect the mountains and the people who live among them.”&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/news/on-mt-everest-s-70th-records-and-fatalities">On Mt Everest’s 70th, records and fatalities</a>, Pradnya Pradhan  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230528140536_66c25ad0-bcb9-42d0-aece-4bd7e18f0e7d.jpg" data-media-id="editor_11" data-image-id="20230528140536_66c25ad0-bcb9-42d0-aece-4bd7e18f0e7d" data-rendition-name="original" width="3024" height="4032" loading="lazy" alt="First Native American on world’s tallest peak NT 3"> <figcaption>Weasel wants to help Nepal-based organisations like One Heart Worldwide build women's health clinics and birthing center.</figcaption> </figure>  Excited by his Everest success, Weasel now plans to become the first Native American to climb all seven highest peaks in the seven continents and complete the Explorers Grand Slam by reaching the North and South Poles. With his adventures, Weasel wants to create a ripple effect of positive change that extends beyond individual mountaineering achievements. His ultimate goal is to raise awareness about and support Native American communities. He wants his mountaineering feats to inspire others in his community to realise their potential, pursue their passion, break barriers, embrace their cultural heritage, and actively contribute to building stronger and more resilient communities. What is his most important take-home? Weasel replied: “With perseverance and support, we can overcome obstacles and achieve extraordinary things. Let us uplift and empower one another.”&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/news/without-sherpas-there-is-no-mountaineering">“Without Sherpas, there is no mountaineering”</a>, Bhadra Sharma

First Native American on world’s tallest peak

The Himalayan Rescue Association Nepal (HRA) is a voluntary, non-profit set up in 1973 to reduce casualties among trekkers and porters in the Himalaya.
Its aid-post in Pheriche at an altitude of 4,250m has been saving lives of Nepali and foreign hikers for 50 years. It is staffed twice yearly during the trekking season by volunteer doctors.&nbsp;
Another permanent aid-post in Manang at 3,550m has been treating patients since 1981. Ivan Somlai and Basanta Thapa were instrumental in opening the Manang aid post.
The HRA started Everest ER medical camp at Everest Base Camp in 2003 to mark the 50th anniversary of the first ascent of the world’s highest mountain in 1953.
Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/news/without-sherpas-there-is-no-mountaineering">“Without Sherpas, there is no mountaineering”</a>, Bhadra Sharma
&nbsp;Everest ER provides medical support to the porters, climbers, expedition staff and visitors and promotes safety. Luane Freer spearheaded the establishment of Everest-ER. HRA also has a temporary medical camp at Gosainkunda lake during Janai Purnima Festival to provide free medical care to Nepali pilgrims. Young Nepali volunteer doctors from the<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/high-alert"> Mountain Medicine Society of Nepal (MMSN)</a> have been working here since 1997.&nbsp;
For the first time, HRA staffed the Manang, Pheriche Aid-posts and HRA Everest-ER with all Nepali volunteer doctors in spring 2021 due to the pandemic.
The HRA has published pamphlets on mountain safety, especially dealing with the prevention of altitude illness and updated information on prevention and treatment.
Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/news/on-mt-everest-s-70th-records-and-fatalities">On Mt Everest’s 70th, records and fatalities</a>, Pradnya Pradhan
Major credit for the foundation of HRA goes to John Skow, an American national, who in 1973 went to Khumbu on completion of his assignment as a Peace Corps volunteer in Nepal. It saddened him to see trekkers severely ill from altitude illness, which is 100% preventable.
He organised a meeting of officials from the ministry of health, doctors and trekking companies which figured out that this was in the best interest of their clients and hence good for business. 
Joining HRA were John Dickinson from Shanta Bhawan Hospital and Mr Tek Chandra Pokharel from the trekking industry.
The charismatic Peter Hackett was one of the first doctors to volunteer at the Pheriche aid post. Based on his experience of seeing patients there, he co-authored a milestone article in 1976 (including a placebo controlled, double blind, randomised controlled trial using Diamox) in the journal Lance, ‘The incidence, importance, and prophylaxis of acute mountain sickness’.
Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/news/the-pinnacle-of-determination-and-courage">The pinnacle of determination and courage</a>, Bhadra Sharma
This paper is a classic in its field and clearly helped establish the relevance of the HRA in tackling altitude illness in all its spectrum, from the relatively benign acute mountain sickness to life-threatening <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/Altitude-illness-awareness,1381">high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE)</a> and high altitude cerebral edema (HACE) in the Himalaya.
An example of the usefulness of the HRA was recently illustrated this spring season. A comatosed porter was brought to the Pheriche aid post by passing fellow porters who appeared to know nothing about him except that he was found very drowsy and somnolent in a teahouse. The HRA staff got to work right away and determined, with the help of a portable butterfly ultrasound, that the patient had HAPE which probably led to HACE.&nbsp;
He was treated suitably with oxygen and dexamethasone. In two days the patient, under the competent care of the volunteers, was able to walk and was subsequently helicoptered out.
Since its inception in 1973, the HRA has quietly helped countless sojourners to the high Himalaya and saved many lives. Many Nepalis used to dismiss altitude illness as a “bideshi” (foreign) disease, Nepali trekkers, mountaineers, porters, pilgrims and soldiers now take it much more seriously. &nbsp;&nbsp;
Read also:<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/billi-bierling-s-life-cycle"> Billi Bierling’s life cycle</a>, Pradnya Pradhan
Buddha Basnyat, MD is Medical Director of HRA, and Gobi Bashyal is CEO.

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High Himalayan rescue

Kami Rita Sherpa broke his own record last week when he climbed the world’s highest mountain for the 27th time, keeping ahead of compatriot Pasang Dawa Sherpa who had tied his 26th climb earlier this season. Kami Rita <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/i-can-do-it-25-times">has been climbing Mt Everest </a>every year since the first time he helped an international expedition get to the summit in 1994, sometimes reaching the top twice in the same season. The only years he could not climb were in 2014 and 2015 because of deadly avalanches, and in 2020 due to the pandemic. But Kami Rita says with characteristic understatement that for him it has never been about the record. It is just another job that requires him to guide expeditions to the top, and it is a job he does well. “Had I been chasing records, I could have summited many more times,” says Kami Rita, who has turned back several times from near the summit because he had to rescue foreign climbers, or blizzards. “I have seen first hand how unpredictable and unforgiving the mountain can be.’ Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/if-the-ice-is-gone-we-are-done">“If the ice is gone, we are done”</a>  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230521040552_8387b98b50704cf7ed76007be3d6e6ad3b27c6ade00288923033cf6dd3670434.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20230521040552_8387b98b50704cf7ed76007be3d6e6ad3b27c6ade00288923033cf6dd3670434" data-rendition-name="original" width="1600" height="1354" loading="lazy" alt="Kami Rita Sherpa NT"> </figure>  He was at Base Camp in 2014 preparing for a live telecast with his brother for a National Geographic expedition when an avalanche slammed into the Khumbu Icefall, killing 16 Sherpas, many of whom he knew.&nbsp; A year later, 19 climbers and Sherpas lost their lives when an <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/big-drops-in-Everest-bookings-affect-livelihoods-of-Nepali-high-altitude-guides,2048">avalanche triggered by the 2015 earthquake</a> destroyed Base Camp. Then the Covid-19 pandemic halted all expeditions, depriving many guides and porters of income. Throughout all this, Kami Rita has remained in Nepal, declining job offers from overseas. “For me, there is nothing more meaningful than serving my community and people,” he says matter-of-factly. "The younger generation is aware of the dangers and some have given up working on the mountains. But if we Sherpas were not here, there would be no mountaineering.” Many, including previous summit record holders like Apa Sherpa, have migrated abroad. A new generation of Sherpas are now scientists, climatologists, businessmen, or airline pilots, and their success has been made possible because of the sacrifices of their parents. Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/from-the-nepali-press/khumbu-wants-its-share">Khumbu wants its share</a>  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230521040552_c0c351ab9fe199499a4698b6f56a9cee2fdfa61b825593ece63bfe72aa2c5ffb.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="20230521040552_c0c351ab9fe199499a4698b6f56a9cee2fdfa61b825593ece63bfe72aa2c5ffb" data-rendition-name="original" width="1200" height="1600" loading="lazy" alt="Kami Rita Sherpa NT"> </figure>  For Kami Rita, it looks like his family’s involvement in mountaineering may end with him. His son Lhakpa Tenzing is studying tourism as an undergrad and has no desire to follow in his father’s footsteps. His daughter Pasang Dolma is pursuing a computer science degree. “I worked hard all my life so they got a good education, even though mountaineering is an unpredictable business with seasonal income,” he says. “I have made sure that they have opportunities I never got.” <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/news/where-have-all-the-guides-gone">Expedition guides </a>are now increasingly being replaced by ethnic groups from lower valleys, as younger Sherpas move on to other jobs. Kami Rita says younger Nepalis from other ethnicities should have access to rock and ice climbing training so that they can take over.&nbsp; Born and raised in the Khumbu, Kami Rita attended school in Thame, one of many established by New Zealand mountaineer Edmund Hillary, who along with Tenzing Norgay became the first to climb Mt Everest 70 years ago. Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/letters-from-everest-base-camp-1-vfqcer0e">Letters from Everest Base Camp 1</a>  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230521040552_41b36f9ee594f1ec5ecdfce673d21472c3a32738085784d5f1c1f088d01d0e33.jpg" data-media-id="editor_8" data-image-id="20230521040552_41b36f9ee594f1ec5ecdfce673d21472c3a32738085784d5f1c1f088d01d0e33" data-rendition-name="original" width="1200" height="1600" loading="lazy" alt="Kami Rita Sherpa NT"> <figcaption>Kami Rita with his family.</figcaption> </figure>  Kami Rita’s own father went to Darjeeling with Tenzing Norgay, and one of his two brothers Lhakpa Rita Sherpa was a climbing guide himself before he went on to become the first Nepali to climb the Seven Summits. Mountains was all that his family knew, so it was no surprise that Kami Rita followed in their footsteps. “I wasn’t able to get much of an education, and working for expeditions would earn me much more money,” says Kami Rita, who became a porter at just 12. His only regret is that the Nepal government has never really helped the Sherpas of Khumbu. He cites the example of <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/everest-trail-repaired-during-pandemic">Ang Rita Sherpa</a> who climbed Everest 10 times without oxygen but never got the support due to him. “If someone like Ang Rita does not get respect, what hope is there for the rest of us?” says Kami Rita. “The sad truth is that we have always thought of the nation first, but the nation has not shown us the same consideration.” Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/why-are-sherpas-always-happy">Why are Sherpas always happy?</a>, Tom Robertson

“Without Sherpas, there is no mountaineering”

The Sherpa high altitude guides who take climbers to the tops of Himalayan peaks and glory have for decades been nameless and consigned to the shadows. They are also exposed to the most dangerous parts of mountains for the longest period -- as the tragic death of three guides on the Khumbu Icefall this month proved. Things were not much different back in the autumn of 1990 when Pasang Lhamu Sherpa attempted to climb Mt Everest. The French leader of the expedition she was with ordered her to go back down. He seemed to be worried Pasang would steal the thunder from his climbers.&nbsp; As it turned out, Christine Janine became the first French woman to climb the world’s highest peak as Pasang Lhamu looked on from a lower camp. She realised it was her identity as a Nepali Sherpa woman that prevented her from getting to the top too. This ordeal only made her more determined to become the first Nepali woman to conquer Chomolungma. Pasang: In the Shadow of Everest is an inspiring story of the ambition, dedication, and triumph of this amazing woman. In equal part, it is the retelling of a tragedy that transcends socio-cultural boundaries.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230422040440_a41b978e19c989753156c07a2cdebb4d5fcc2b3637e5143cdff192f4d8e1e6a1.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20230422040440_a41b978e19c989753156c07a2cdebb4d5fcc2b3637e5143cdff192f4d8e1e6a1" data-rendition-name="original" width="719" height="478" loading="lazy" alt="Nancy Svendsen, Ang Dorjee Sherpa, and Dawa Yangzum"> <figcaption>From left: Dawa Yangzum, Ang Dorjee Sherpa and Director Nancy Svendsen.</figcaption> </figure>  "Her incredible story moved me," says Nancy Svendsen, the director of the 72-minute documentary that premiered on 19 April, ahead of the 30th anniversary of Pasang Lhamu’s historic climb on 22 April 1993, and the 70th anniversary of the first climb on 29 May 1953.&nbsp; Svendsen was first introduced to Pasang Lhamu not as a Nepali national hero, but as the late sister of her brother-in-law, Ang Dorjee Sherpa. But the climber’s story resonated strongly with Svendsen who had worked in corporate America, a field traditionally dominated by men. "From that moment, I have been working to gather her archival footage and pictures. I started with very little. We had maybe a few home videos and scrapbooks of pictures her daughter gave me, and that was it," recalls Svendsen. Pasang Lhamu came from a deprived farming family so much of her climbs and expeditions were never filmed. But Pasang makes it work with press footage combined with contemporary photos to portray her life. Svendsen has also deployed clever edits and animation to show Pasang Lhamu’s last journey. The entire production took 10 years with Svendsen changing her career to become a first-time filmmaker to locate and interview the late mountaineer’s colleagues, including Pemba Norbu, the last person to see Pasang Lhamu alive. Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/review/on-screen-mountains">On-screen mountains</a>, Sahina Shrestha  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230422040440_720c4705cb02a6e2881cc63ae2188da46c580cb200f2202977e3c8c5a6841163.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20230422040440_720c4705cb02a6e2881cc63ae2188da46c580cb200f2202977e3c8c5a6841163" data-rendition-name="original" width="452" height="700" loading="lazy" alt="thumbnail_Pasang-Lhamu-Sherpa"> <figcaption>Pasang Lhamu Sherpa</figcaption> </figure>  "It seems much like everything even risk-taking is gendered," says Dawa Futi Sherpa, Pasang Lhamu's eldest daughter and president of the Pasang Lhamu Foundation and Nepal’s former ambassador to Spain. "For the longest time my mother was criticised for leaving her family and takings risks with her life even as she was doing it for her country and Nepali women." Pasang Lhamu, born the only daughter of a Sherpa mountaineer, was not allowed to go to school or mountaineering with her brothers like the majority of Nepali women of her time. She eloped, escaping an arranged marriage, with Lhakpa Sonam Sherpa and opened her own trekking company in Kathmandu. Mother to three, she was a homemaker determined to level the status of Nepali women to what Western women had at that time. It was not necessarily her mountaineering skill she wanted to prove. Her struggle is seen in the backdrop of Nepal's quest for democracy as she clashes with the prime minister, political parties, and Western mountaineers to fund her expeditions. As she embarks on her fourth and final mission to Everest, we can see how the subordinate status inflicted on her for being a woman, a Sherpa, and a Nepali led to decisions that proved to be fatal for her and her team in that 1993 expedition. Pasang: In the Shadow of Everest brings the real Pasang Lhamu Sherpa to life, beyond what little is depicted in school textbooks while also addressing controversies surrounding her final climb through first-hand accounts. It equally showcases her trailblazing character that led to national mourning after her demise. "Climbing Mt Everest as a Nepali woman then is harder than climbing 14 peaks now," notes Dawa Yangzum Sherpa, the first Nepali international mountain guide who was at the premiere of the film in Kathmandu this week. Dawa Yangzum Sherpa herself started her career by climbing the Pasang Lhamu Foundation walls, and says that a whole generation of Nepali women mountaineers has grown up inspired by the legacy of Pasang Lhamu. After Pasang Lhamu, 65 Nepali women have scaled Mt Everest. Winner of 14 international film awards, Pasang: In the Shadow of Everest honors the legendary climber while also delving into the realities of Sherpas, often sidelined in mountaineering films. Public screenings of the Nepali version will begin on 28 April and there are plans for shows in 15 locations in Kosi and Madhes provinces with donations raised during its Nepali premiere. House Speaker Dev Raj Ghimire and famed ophthalmologist Sanduk Ruit were among the attendees at the premiere where Ang Dorjee Sherpa said: "This documentary will encourage Nepali women to dream big and conquer their summits." Read Also: <a href="http://nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/women-take-over-the-%20mountains,1868" target="blank">After Everest and K2, Sherpa women set sights on Kanchenjunga</a>, Tsering Dolker Gurung <a href="http://nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/all-women-nepali-team-scale-k2,1557" target="blank">Ketis on K2</a>, Ayesha Shakya <a href="http://nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/k2-women-nepal,1610" target="blank">Conquering the world</a>, Pasang Lhamu Sherpa Akita <a href="http://nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/WOMEN-ON-TOP,236" target="blank">Women on top</a>, Tsering Dolker Gurung <div class="embed-block"><iframe id="aswift_0" name="aswift_0" sandbox="allow-forms allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation" width="718" height="0" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" vspace="0" hspace="0" allowtransparency="true" scrolling="no" src="https://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/ads?client=ca-pub-6415359448570403&amp;output=html&amp;h=180&amp;slotname=1392833685&amp;adk=461865442&amp;adf=3145719360&amp;pi=t.ma~as.1392833685&amp;w=718&amp;fwrn=4&amp;lmt=1682131490&amp;rafmt=11&amp;format=718x180&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.nepalitimes.com%2Farticle%2FNepali-Times-Buzz%2Fnepali-mountaineer-breaking-barriers%2C2708&amp;wgl=1&amp;adsid=ChAI8OiIogYQ0pOKyM7hx5U3EjkA3d-9b1mqGISDvdad8KAx3AewqDjyt9En6FuVBwQ5_OqP8GNB75I6e4TO0kQbDFGrRvZVZo9DZfI&amp;uach=WyJtYWNPUyIsIjEzLjIuMSIsImFybSIsIiIsIjExMS4wLjU1NjMuNjQiLFtdLGZhbHNlLG51bGwsIjY0IixbWyJHb29nbGUgQ2hyb21lIiwiMTExLjAuNTU2My42NCJdLFsiTm90KEE6QnJhbmQiLCI4LjAuMC4wIl0sWyJDaHJvbWl1bSIsIjExMS4wLjU1NjMuNjQiXV0sZmFsc2Vd&amp;dt=1682131427262&amp;bpp=2&amp;bdt=367&amp;idt=788&amp;shv=r20230418&amp;mjsv=m202304130102&amp;ptt=9&amp;saldr=aa&amp;abxe=1&amp;cookie=ID%3Dc5b4cdb05cf8144d-229b93d9a5de0091%3AT%3D1680592509%3AS%3DALNI_Mamkt9UmuQGMOCGLpZz_oPKpUIwdw&amp;gpic=UID%3D00000bebd63f863d%3AT%3D1680592509%3ART%3D1682128380%3AS%3DALNI_Ma_YtFySMX09AOoZZN28vO0GUGzPA&amp;prev_fmts=0x0&amp;nras=1&amp;correlator=4350293643221&amp;frm=20&amp;pv=1&amp;ga_vid=2032045364.1680592509&amp;ga_sid=1682131428&amp;ga_hid=371399134&amp;ga_fc=1&amp;rplot=4&amp;u_tz=345&amp;u_his=1&amp;u_h=900&amp;u_w=1440&amp;u_ah=813&amp;u_aw=1440&amp;u_cd=30&amp;u_sd=2&amp;dmc=8&amp;adx=207&amp;ady=3244&amp;biw=1440&amp;bih=657&amp;scr_x=0&amp;scr_y=691&amp;eid=44759926%2C44759842%2C44759875%2C31073974%2C31074012%2C42531706&amp;oid=2&amp;pvsid=2703339081112636&amp;tmod=178841159&amp;uas=0&amp;nvt=1&amp;ref=https%3A%2F%2Fnepalitimes.com%2F&amp;fc=896&amp;brdim=0%2C25%2C0%2C25%2C1440%2C25%2C1440%2C793%2C1440%2C657&amp;vis=1&amp;rsz=%7C%7CEebr%7C&amp;abl=CS&amp;pfx=0&amp;fu=128&amp;bc=31&amp;jar=2023-04-22-02&amp;ifi=1&amp;uci=a!1&amp;btvi=1&amp;fsb=1&amp;xpc=4JnXA4eA5J&amp;p=https%3A//archive.nepalitimes.com&amp;dtd=63261" data-google-container-id="a!1" data-google-query-id="CKu69o-8vP4CFYgIXAodE-4JOg" data-load-complete="true" style="overflow: hidden; left: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px; border: 0px; width: 718px; height: 0px;"></iframe></div>

Pasang Lhamu Sherpa, the film

The spring mountaineering season had started when the Nepal government suddenly banned cargo helicopters to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/on-everest-4-years-after-the-nepal-earthquake">Everest Base Camp</a> and told expeditions to use porters and yaks instead.&nbsp; Just like another rule making it mandatory for all trekkers to hire guides, the decision has been greeted with cheers and jeers. Helicopter companies and expeditions are outraged, while porters, and owners of mules and yaks support the idea.&nbsp; So far, 400 international climbers are expected on Mt Everest, about the same number as last year. Nepal’s trekking and mountaineering industry is seeing a revival after the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/peak-season-on-everest-during-nepals-covid-peak">2020-21 </a>break. The Expedition Operator's Association Nepal estimates that there will be more than 2,500 Nepali guides and support staff at Base Camp for expeditions on Everest, Lhotse and Nuptse peaks. They have to be supplied by food, energy and material for 3 months. Nepal shares Everest (Chomolungma) with China, and expeditions from the north Tibet side have also been opened this season after a three year gap. Nepal gets some of the largest numbers of mountaineers from China as well.&nbsp; This year also marks the 70th anniversary of the first ascent of Everest by Edmund Hilary and <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/was-tenzing-a-tibetan-nepali-or-indian-it-does-not-matter">Tenzing Norgay</a> on 29 May 1953, and this is expected to attract more climbers and trekkers. Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/mt-everest-city">Mt Everest City</a>, Monika Deupala  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2023040413048_e9efc0626c853117574e17af075cd8e80f6bc50226b5fc6d64259aad606679f1.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="2023040413048_e9efc0626c853117574e17af075cd8e80f6bc50226b5fc6d64259aad606679f1" data-rendition-name="original" width="750" height="498" loading="lazy" alt="Porter EBC"> <figcaption>Photo: HIMAL ARCHIVES</figcaption> </figure>  Many mountaineers already arrived at base camp before the climbing season officially began, in order to acclimatise to the high altitude. Even before they arrived, helicopters have already been doing the heavy lifting from Kathmandu and Lukla. Expeditions begin only after climbers have made sure that they have all the necessary supplies, and the Icefall Doctors forge a route and fix ropes, which is already underway.&nbsp; The <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/peak-tourism-in-2023-9ukoi8iz">sheer volume</a> of climbers will mean that it will be difficult to get essential supplies to base camp in time. Now, tourism operators say that the difficulty will be compounded after the local government of the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality banned helicopters from making supply runs to base camp for environmental and employment reasons.&nbsp; At present, the municipality allows helicopters to transport supplies up to Dingboche (4,400m) and nearby Pheriche. Now choppers will only be allowed to fly gear up to Syangboche airfield (3,800m). The municipality has stipulated that porters, yaks or jokpe be used to move supplies from Syangboche. It can take up to four days for yak caravans and porters to carry supplies from Syangboche to &nbsp;base camp. Expedition operators complain that they are facing difficulty finding porters and pack animals. Local youth from districts to the south have <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/letter-from-sikles">migrated</a> to cities for better education and employment. Farmers in Khumbu are also moving away from traditional pastoralism, which means fewer yaks and jokpe.&nbsp; The sudden rule change at the cusp of the climbing season has not given expeditions time to prepare logistical alternatives. In fact, one expedition to Lhotse through Seven Summit Treks switched to climb Makalu after facing delays in supplies reaching Everest Base Camp. <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/annapurna-dhaulagiri-double-take">Other expeditions</a> may &nbsp;follow suit. Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/if-the-ice-is-gone-we-are-done">“If the ice is gone, we are done”</a>  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2023040413048_36f8a83e8280c3475f239a64a420139615cbf51fabb925791406e1c0aa47c1db.jpg" data-media-id="editor_9" data-image-id="2023040413048_36f8a83e8280c3475f239a64a420139615cbf51fabb925791406e1c0aa47c1db" data-rendition-name="original" width="1200" height="800" loading="lazy" alt="Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality"> </figure>  But some residents of Namche and surrounding villages are against what they see as “<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/so-far-so-good/the-season-of-summits">hyper-commercialisation</a>” of Everest by expedition operators and helicopter companies which have taken away local jobs. Chopper flights in the Everest region have increased after climbers who could afford the fares began paying to be flown down even from Camp 2 under the guise of rescue operations. Locals add that the amount of trash in the region has increased significantly since helicopters started transporting goods directly to base camp. This politicisation of <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/peak-climbing-season-in-nepal">mountaineering</a> will hurt this season’s expeditions if the local government and tourism bodies do not find a solution on time, say operators. Fifty climbing clients are booked for Everest just through Lakpa Sherpa’s ATK Expedition, and 15 have applied to climb Lhotse, and 160 guides will be helping them. But Sherpa says his supplies are stuck at Syangboche. “I have 14 tons of supplies waiting for transportation, our guides at base camp are spending nights in cowsheds,” he adds. Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/news/expedition-brings-down-11-tons-of-mt-everest-trash">Expedition brings down 11 tons of Mt Everest trash</a>  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230404130412_0dd3ca72a7ada3980ce4468100696b36f3d0b1e4c200753f9e37bf982edcd020.png" data-media-id="editor_13" data-image-id="20230404130412_0dd3ca72a7ada3980ce4468100696b36f3d0b1e4c200753f9e37bf982edcd020" data-rendition-name="original" width="505" height="423" loading="lazy" alt="Yaks NT"> </figure>  Operators are worried that delays in organising base camp and fixing ropes will reduce the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/after-deaths-a-weather-window-on-manaslu">summit window</a> leading to a repeat of dangerous overcrowding on the peak. "The icefall team has not even made it to Camp 2 yet,” adds Lhakpa Sherpa. “I can already see traffic jams on Everest making headlines in the global media once again.” The Everest Pollution Committee is contracted by the operator’s association to fix the route up the Khumbu Icefall to Camp 2 for most expeditions. &nbsp; Some 11 climbers and guides lost their lives while summiting Everest in 2019, with many of the deaths attributed to long delays in the summit ridge. The Expedition Operator’s Association Nepal met with Hom Prasad Luitel of the Department of Tourism, after the local government banned helicopters to base camp warning that this would affect the industry adversely. The Department of Tourism has since written separate letters to the rural municipality and district administration office to find a compromise. “Concerns about employment are valid, but the timing of these demands just at the start of e climbing season has led to tension between locals and tourism operators,” admitted Bigyan Koirala at the Department of Tourism, "The local government must come up come up with a solution immediately. We cannot afford to prolong this problem." Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/letters-from-everest-base-camp-1-vfqcer0e">Letters from Everest Base Camp 1</a>