The Sherpas, once among Nepal’s poorest communities, have been benefiting from visitors to the world’s highest peak, Mount Everest. Tourism has allowed them to form their own middle-class, but they face higher risks as trail preparers and porters. The Sherpa people’s economy and culture changed dramatically in the early 1900s when British survey and mountaineering expeditions made Mount Everest the ultimate destination for climbing. They have historically responded and adapted to changes brought by the outside world, and now they can run their tourism businesses, ranging from barter trade with Tibetans on the other side of the Himalayas.
The Sherpa people of Khumbu, who traditionally relied on barter trade with Tibetans on the other side of the Himalayas, have become a leading center of Himalayan tourism. However, cultural changes are endangering the destination, as the way of life and traditions of the Sherpa used to be the main attraction for tourists. Migration has caused social issues related to overcrowding, and many Sherpas have become affluent through work in the tourist trade.
The increasing tendency of Sherpa youths and tourism entrepreneurs to abandon their tradition, customs, values, and heritage and to copy tourist attire is also causing concern. Many Sherpas are demanding better compensation and higher insurance payments for the lives lost in the Mount Everest avalanche on April 18th.
Travel development has brought prosperity to many Sherpas, but it has also had adverse impacts on regional forests and alpine vegetation. Many Sherpas see the increase in the costs of specific foods and fuel as perhaps the greatest negative effect of tourism on local life.
📹 Why Some Sherpas Say There Won’t Be Any Guides On Everest In 10 Years | Inside Everest
Everest climbing-guide services — often provided by people of the Sherpa ethnic group — can cost $10000 per expedition. At this …
How does tourism affect Nepal?
Nepal’s employment generation is primarily driven by tourism, creating jobs in hospitality, travel, guiding, agriculture, transportation, and handicrafts. The country’s diverse rural areas make it a captivating tourism destination. The country’s rich cultural and historical heritage, including ancient temples, monasteries, and palaces, is a major attraction. The Kathmandu Valley, home to seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites, showcases intricate architecture and centuries-old art.
Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha, attracts Buddhist pilgrims worldwide. Nepal’s national parks and wildlife reserves offer diverse wildlife, including Bengal tigers, one-horned rhinoceroses, elephants, and various bird species. The country is home to eight of the world’s 14 highest peaks, including Mount Everest, and offers breathtaking landscapes, snow-capped mountains, and serene valleys. Trekking, mountaineering, and hiking are popular activities, with popular treks like the Everest Base Camp trek and the Annapurna Circuit. Adventure sports like white-water rafting, paragliding, zip-lining, and bungee jumping also attract visitors.
What are the impacts of tourism in the Himalayas?
Postma and Schmuecker’s 2017 study found that unregulated tourism can lead to social and environmental changes, cultural distance, and crowding, negatively impacting the mental health of local residents. The study also highlighted the use of cookies on the site, and the copyright © 2024 Elsevier B. V., its licensors, and contributors. All rights reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.
How does tourism impact Mount Everest?
Nepal’s heavily reliant tourism economy can worsen environmental degradation, leading to a grim future for the landlocked country. The ecological damage caused by climate change, such as littering, microplastic pollution, and human waste, is further exacerbated by tourists. While mountaineering has provided employment opportunities and world record holders, it is crucial to work more proactively to protect the Everest. Sajina, a Master’s degree holder at the City University of Hong Kong, is an editorial intern at Earth.
Org, focusing on public policy and sustainable development, plastic pollution, minimalist lifestyle, and education. Her goal is to inspire individuals to create positive changes that benefit society and the planet.
How does tourism affect the Alps?
Winter ski tourism in the Alps is a destructive form of leisure activity, with over 300 ski areas and 10, 000 transport facilities serving over 3, 400 km². The construction of ski runs and the increasing use of snow canons cause irreparable damage to the landscape. However, sustainable tourism can be used to promote the protection of natural areas in the Alps. Well-planned and sustainably designed tourism can be used to conserve natural areas, as seen with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) using tourism as a conservation tool.
What are 10 negative effects of tourism?
Some experts have identified a number of concerns associated with tourism, including its potential negative impact on cultural heritage sites, indigenous communities, pollution, unstable tourism dependence, prostitution, and human trafficking.
What are the 3 main impacts of tourism?
Tourism impacts can be categorized into economic, social, and environmental. The UNWTO International Tourism Highlights report revealed a 1. 4 billion increase in international tourist arrivals in 2019, driven by a strong global economy, a surge in the travel-ready middle class, technological advances, and more affordable travel costs. Export earnings from tourism reached a staggering USD 1. 7 trillion, demonstrating its role as a major economic engine of growth and development.
Europe has traditionally been the region with the highest tourism dollar spending, followed by Asia and the Pacific (USD 435 billion), the Americas (USD 334 billion), Middle East (USD 73 billion), and Africa (USD 38 billion). Asia has seen the strongest growth in both arrivals and spending, while Africa experienced a +17% growth in arrivals, indicating a new interest in traveling to the continent.
How does tourism affect the Blue mountains?
The contribution of tourism to the economy of the Blue Mountains is significant, with an estimated value-added to the gross regional product (GRP) of $221 million and the support of $121 million in wages and salaries. This is largely attributable to the annual 4 million visitors. Four million visitors.
What is the effect of tourism?
Tourism can have both positive and negative economic impacts on local communities. It can provide more jobs, higher quality of life, increased income, and revitalization of cultures. Heritage tourism focuses on local history and promotes education, while the local economy is stimulated and diversified. However, the benefits are not universal or guaranteed.
Travel-related jobs are often seasonal and low-paying, with prices fluctuating throughout the year. These can starve local residents out of their homes, damage social and cultural areas, and deplete resources. As the population increases, the carrying capacity for tourists at a destination site may be depleted.
The economics of tourism have been shown to push out local tourism business owners in favor of foreign ownership, creating leakage and reducing opportunities for locals to make meaningful profits. Foreign companies also hire non-resident seasonal workers because they can pay them less, further contributing to economic leakage.
Employment, both its availability and exclusivity, are subsets of the economic impacts of tourism. Travel and tourism create 10. 7% of the total available jobs worldwide, in both direct and indirect sectors. Direct tourism jobs include accommodation, food and drink services, entertainment, manufacturing, and shopping. Indirect jobs related to tourism include manufacturing aircraft, boats, and transportation.
Construction may also generate employment due to additional superstructures and infrastructure needed to accommodate tourists. Airports and ports generate seasonal employment opportunities for locals.
How does tourism affect Sherpas?
The influx of migrants into Khumbu has resulted in a number of social issues, including overcrowding. Prior to the advent of tourism, Sherpas engaged in subsistence agriculture, cultivating potatoes, wheat, and barley. However, following the advent of tourism, many households ceased subsistence farming and instead sought employment in the tourism sector.
What challenges do Sherpas face?
The Khumbu icefall presents a considerable risk to Sherpas, which makes it challenging for paying climbers to traverse it. Sherpa guides undertake approximately 30 to 40 journeys, transporting oxygen, tents, food, water, and fuel to higher camps. The documentary was inspired by a fatal avalanche that occurred during the filming process. However, the initial concept was conceived a decade prior to this event.
What are the problem faced by tourist in Nepal?
The tourism industry is confronted with a number of infrastructure-related challenges, including those pertaining to transportation, accommodation, seasonality and weather-related issues, as well as environmental concerns and sustainability.
📹 What happens to your body at the top of Mount Everest – Andrew Lovering
Explore what happens in your body when you don’t acclimate to higher altitudes and the dangers of altitude sickness. — If you …
6:18 the rescued hiker is from Malaysia and one of the most ungrateful person. He returned to his country and thanked his sponsor instead of the Sherpa(who had to convince his client to cancel their hike to save this hiker), He even went so far to block this Sherpa from his Instagram. Once news of this came to light, he turned from a national hero to an embarrassment for the nation.
6:08 What needs to be mentioned is that a rescue mission can be potentially career ending for the guide as well. I know a Sherpa who carried 2 injured climbers on his shoulders off a mountain (not Everest) and injured his own shoulders in the process. He could no longer be an expedition guide as his shoulders can no longer carry heavy loads. Not to mention the very real and high risk of death
I went to a corporate event a while back and there was a motivational speaker who had ‘climbed Everest’. While he spoke I realized that this was by far his only ‘accomplishment’, and in reality he had invested $60,000 into an Everest climbing expedition to parley into a motivational speaking gig. He wasn’t a climber with a story to tell, he just paid to go. We don’t need more people climbing Everest for that.
I’ve been perusal a lot of these articles lately, but this one made me cry. Without the Sherpas, it’s nearly impossible to climb that mountain. That’s why I was never amused and couldn’t understand why countries celebrate the people who summits Everest. The government SHOULD have a special holiday for these guides to celebrate them, SHOULD provide health benefits, SHOULD provide insurance and financial assistance for their families. They should price the permits at $50,000 so they’ll be able to provide these, at least, and to limit the number of hikers and trash on the mountain.
There is a film about the year the Sherpas went on strike and one of the rich climbers actually asked if his expedition leader could find out who they “belonged to” to get them to stop the strike. So the rich climbers don’t see the Sherpas as people, more like the yaks which are also used to carry stuff up to base camp.
I trekked in Nepal back in 1990, but I chose to visit the Langtang Valley, which at the time was rarely visited by foreigners. Later while trekking north of Darjeeling, I would get a clear view of Everest off in the distance. For me, this was enough. It is important to acknowledge, that for the vast majority of climbers, reaching the summits is an exercise of the ego. They “bagged” another summit, something to brag about, and Everest is the biggest prize of all.
I remember a few years ago while working at a private school in the UK, we had a former pupil come and speak to the whole school on his experience of climbing Mount Everest. He failed the first time due to weather but was like “I had to go again, I felt compelled too!!” and talked about all the money he raised for it before the second time around. He also mentioned how he had a wife and kids and while yea, he might die in his attempt it was worth it. He made it on the second attempt but the whole “presentation” was just a weird self-gratification to brag at his old school, like show people he did something with his life. I remember leaving the assembly and while people around me were like “wow, so inspiring!!” I just felt off about it all but didn’t want to say anything. I get back to the Library where I worked and my boss, who I have so much respect for, was like “what a load of bullshit, just a selfish man chasing his own glory and risking his life when he has people that depend on him. That was the most pointless assembly ever.” I know this article was more from the sherpas pov but I think it’s important to point out how selfish the climbers are. Like the sherpas do it out of necessity, ironically because they have a family that depends on them, whereas the climbers are risking their life for a bit of glory and potentially destroying dozens of lives in the meantime.
I keep getting recommended articles of rich people talking about Everest. This is the only Everest article I care to watch. RIP to every Sherpa who gave their life so wealthy tourists could get their fix, post on the internet, become motivational speakers, etc. Summiting Everest has become such a soulless endeavor.
Sherpas deserve a rate increase to $30,000 and beyond, considering the dangers, risks, and labor involved. Western and European climbers often rely on them without proper compensation, exploiting their expertise for personal gain. It’s time for significant action to be taken by the Mount Everest Sherpa community.
I hope there is an incoming documentary on highly experienced sherpas and their childhoods. Climbers such as lhakpa Rita Sherpa, who has climbed Everest 18 times and his brother, Kami Rita Sherpa, the current record holder for the most summit of Everest. I know Lhakpa personally and its sad to see that he doesn’t get the media coverage that he truly deserves by the western world.
1:12 Buddy is getting the sherpa to put his harness on, then proceeds to put his Half Dome on backwards overtop of his headlamp. That’s how you know some people just shouldn’t be climbing Everest. It amazes me how skilled these sherpas need to be to get these types of people to the summit and back safely.
Sherpas not only guide and support climbers but also shoulder the responsibility of carrying hefting loads heavier than those they guide also performing emergency rescues, showcasing their extraordinary commitment to ensuring the safety and success of mountain expeditions. Despite these vital roles, they often face inadequate compensation and recognition.
The adventurer you’re referring to is most likely Göran Kropp, a Swedish mountaineer and cyclist nicknamed “The Crazy Swede” for his daring feats. In 1996, he embarked on an epic journey, cycling 13,000 kilometres from Sweden to Nepal, summiting Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen, and then cycling back home. This incredible expedition cemented his reputation as an extreme adventurer.
This seems like a pretty obvious supply and demand issue. With the record demand, the cost is obviously too low, especially with the decreasing supply of Sherpas willing to do the work. They should increase the price WAY more than they are. Enough people will still pay the much higher price, and it will likely slightly reduce the traffic on Everest. AND give the Sherpas a much bigger cut. AND set clear boundaries that the Sherpas must be treated a certain way as they are GUIDES not SLAVES.
So let me make this clear; the whole expedition costs over a 100k and the Sherpas are only getting paid 4.5k – 10k?! That means you are only paying 5-10% of your cost to the Sherpas who are the single most important factor that will help you survive over there. These guys are horribly underpaid and exploited. I truly hope the Sherpa people get opportunities to live a dignified life other that to serve as baby sitters for these grown ass rich assholes.
So excited that you’re doing a series on Everest! One question, though– “guides only work with experienced high-altitude mountaineers, a requirement of the Nepalese government.” The Nepalese government requires absolutely no experience whatsoever for an Everest permit, and many low-cost operators advertise learning on the go (resulting in high rates of death for their clients). You might be confusing the Nepal side with the Tibetan side. The Chinese government requires any Chinese citizen attempting the Tibetan side to have already summited an 8000-meter peak, and any foreign national to have summited a 7000-meter peak. The lack of requirement for experience on the Nepal side, driven by the government’s dependence on permit fees, is a major contributor to the rising death rates we’ve seen in recent seasons.
If I were a climber I most deffinitly would pay my Sherpa more than 10,000. If you can pay 100,000 for the whole, than a bit more doesn’t matter. Your Sherpa carries so much of your stuff, he leads the way and he is also in danger every time he climbs. So for his family left behind, I would pay at least 20,000.
Sherpas are in charge of setting up all the ladders and ropes needed for climbers to ascend safely. Remember that the snow-covered terrain is constantly changing due to snowfall and solar heat, and that some people are taking great risks to place safety harnesses, ropes, ladders, cylinders, and other equipment all the way from base camp to the summit. Salute to these mountain legends. 💪
Perhaps the best thing that might happen for the future of Everest mountaineering would be for the likes of Nirmal Purja and other Sherpas to assume control of the management of expeditions, beyond just the laborious functions. It is their backyard, they are highly skilled, and they have the greatest vested interest in the future of Everest. See “Fourteen Peaks”.
The Nepalese government’s requirement of experience before Everest is a joke, simply because it’s not effective. It doesn’t require any actual technical capability, only that you had to have summited 6500m or higher in Nepal. Basically, it’s revenue focused rather than capabilities focused. The article clearly shows some folks who don’t even have basic skills in climbing with crampons. The fact that there were more permits issued sort of shows that the requirements are a joke, especially since there’s no ramifications because there aren’t any actual enforcement procedures to prove a client met the previous summit requirement.
Beautiful documentary and such an important topic. Thank you for this! I love mountaineering docs but so often guides are treated as secondary characters instead of stars, I love the refocus here on the immense expertise and courage they have. And the inequity in mountaineering. They deserve so much more.
Excellent article, and a big surprise on a site like Business Insider. The footage is also amazing, (sure, you can give a few Gopros to Sherpas and collect at the end, but much more great footage has been taken here. These men are truly amazing, and do seem to be a dying breed. Nat Geo also did an excellent article, Unsung Here’s of Everest. I spent a couple days with an Everest / Chomolungma Sherpa, they seem to have nerves of steel, can handle crazy elements, have an unwavering sense of duty / responsibility, and are caring, gentle people (giants).
These Sherpas are amazing what beautiful people . God keep them safe bless them with good health. They deserve so much more money. They have to carry all of that stuff that these people bring on their backs set up the ropes, the ladders they’re taking so many risks. I hope these people give them a good tip on top of their payment because they deserve it.
A really insightful focus here. If the mountaineering industry on Everest is finally confronted with skilled Shepa guides are deciding not to train the next generation of guides, because the risks outweigh the the compensations, and they value better education and more options for their kids, maybe the Everest climb will lift up those who most support that dangerous pursuit, allowing the few who are truly willing to take risks to make a great deal of money. It ought to always have been so. They do the useful things on the mountain, including rescuing people, most. For anyone else, it’s mostly about an experience and bragging rights about skill-level and symbolic importance. With so much real danger to human life and welfare on the line for abstractions we could just as well attach to some more practically useful work in the world, climbers should be funding the self-actualization of the entire Himalayan Sherpa people, if they want to survive Everest. Otherwise, what does it all really stand for?
I found the most infuriating part that some companies offer the sherpas 1500 after a successful ascent. Not only does that incentivize sherpas to keep climbing even in not so favorable conditions but it means that should they die and leave there family behind they pay them less and leave the family with less. When they should be taken care of fully by the tourists or government. No words.
I feel lucky that I have climbed Everest. I was lucky and got to do it in one attempt. It took us 11 weeks in total from the very start. It wasn’t as cold as I thought it would be at the top, and something people don’t show often is the bodies left behind that are used as markers, and the flags left at the summit. The most terrifying part is crossing a crevasse and you can see that some can go several hundred feet down. One of my group’s Sherpa guides was incredibly friendly. He blessed each and every one of us, despite us not sharing his beliefs. I actually left most of what I did not need to take home with some Sherpas to either sell for some extra money or to use themselves. If I were to do it again, and I am definitely not going back, I would personally pay my Sherpa guides more. Edit: spelling errors.
A few things I see different: 1. No, they can’t count on only one expedition per year. All of the sherpas we have worked with did at least a few per year (spring and autumn season). Smaller ones like Mera Peak or Lobuche that are “easy” and usually one big one as Everest, Makalu etc. 2. Purchasing Power Parity: 10.000$ are a different world in Nepal. That is good money! 3. There are always “tourists” in the mountains, you’ll never change that. But most of the guys I’ve met in our teams are quite experience, having summited other hard mountains before! These climbing courses in basecamp are a joke, you should be proficient in it beforehand! This should only be to see how the altitude affects your climbing.
When is history going to give Sherpas the credit they deserve for being the first to summit Everest and being on top the most times? When Westeners summit for the “first” time they don’t even give the Sherpas credit for doing all the work and for getting them to the top. Their names are most often not even mentioned. I hope Sherpas will get the recognition that they deserve and have earned.
Excellent article @BusinessInsider fantastic footage and insightful interviews. Much of the circumstances around what the Sherpa are paid comes down to the expedition operators. About half of the expedition operators that offer opportunities to climb Everest are Nepali owned….some of them cater primarily to clientele who cannot afford, say, $65,000 for a trip to Everest. These operators, charging more like half that, in order to keep their costs low will hire lesser experienced high altitude porters and guides. Operators can get away with paying less because the money is still alluring. It’s a problem that can’t necessarily be solved by so-called rich clients tipping more, unfortunately. It’s built into the system, only worsening due to the mass commercialization of the mountain.
Tbh, I hope costs soar a lot more than they are so less people can afford to climb. There are way too many people on Everest these days and it should be accessible to only real professionals such as Sherpas and those who are really willing to put in the time in training, gear, emergency procedures, etc. Pretty much everybody except for the client is indispensable, so they all should be compensated as much as possible. I’m totally cool with the suggestions of raising costs. Some weekend warrior paying a minimum of like, $2-3 million, for a trip to properly compensate the people doing all of the heavy lifting? I’m all for it.
There will always be Sherpas. Not only those with that use it as their last name. Trust me, money talks and plenty of Nepalese would quickly kill for that job. It’s as clear as day to foreigners if you visit Kathmandu. The climbing industry is the lifeblood of Nepal and probably sustains at least 25-75% of the population through tourism.
GOOD! It’s a travesty what they get aid but if it can help their kids get an education and the number of Sherpa guides falls then they’ve done their jobs well as Dad’s. They are the unsung heroes of Everest not only guiding but rescuing. They deserve soo much more reimbursement! God bless every one of ‘em🙏
A glorified high altitude via ferrata assisted by Sherpas (setting up the route, with the ladder and fixed ropes, carrying all their stuff, setting up the camps, cooking their food, helping them step after step …), this isn’t climbing. Sherpas have my biggest respect as they do that to support their families and provide a better future to their children,. It’s such a shame so many of them die years after years in order for wealthy people with huge egos to summit Everest and come back bragging about themselves while most of the time they are not even mentioning the Sherpas who made all the shitty work for them to succeed.
I love the breakfast Table at 21,000 feet. I slept feet away from a Utah cliff edge, and felt myself falling from a near vertical face 800 feet up Senica Rock, at another point intime.. When I felt myself let go ( no ropes).,at light speed my brain said FREEZE, don’t move a muscle. I did that for a good 15- 20 minutes, before somehow backing across the face to a better way up. Met two guys up top, and we shared weed and wine from their leather bag, and My plastic baggy. Humans will do anything sometimes to escape reality. Im to old now so I will face these devils in reality on level ground in USSA.
Good for their children getting education and choosing different profession. I’m not an expert, but I presume there is no 1:1 ration between tourist climber and sherpa needed to go up, so for the 4-10k the sherpa gets multiple people pay. If you can afford to pay 100k to climb ME, they should be able to find in the budget for the sherpa to get at least double the amount they get today.
Even as a child (even though i didnt know the word sherpa) i remember wondering why we were meant to be in awe at the protagonists of news articles and documentaries who climbed mt everest, who had all the spotlight placed on them and were basically regarded as indomitable heroes, when there was another dude right there who did the same thing while carrying massive bags and also had reached the peak before, and yet for some reason they were made little more than part of the background
Sherpas being paid 4k-10k sounds ridiculous considering the risks they are taking and the fact that they can only do one summit per year, not to mention that, with the money the climbers are spending on going to Everest, an increase on the sherpas’ pay wouldn’t be that much of a difference. Absolute respect for these guys.
The Sherpa people are truly heroes- saving lives, ferrying equipment and supplies up and down the mountain, extending hospitality. It’s incredible. In return, they are largely unacknowledged and overlooked. So many would never have made it up or down that mountain without them. The mountain is trashed, totally disrespected and seen as something to conquer for climbers looking for glory and nothing else. Climbing should be severely restricted and Sherpas deserve pay that’s in accordance with what they do for these climbers!
Today, a lot of automobiles cost more than 100K dollars. A once in a lifetime adventure with pinnacle bragging rights should certainly cost a lot more than $100,000. Especially when the travelers can well afford it. Double or triple the price and you weed out the casual tourists who put others at risk. What you’re left with hopefully are people who actually want to do it, train to do it and will actually pay a fair price to do it.
It’s fascinating to me how curious and motivated humans are to ‘accomplish’ feats like this when in reality, it has a such a high risk factor not only to yourself but to others who are helping you accomplish it that it’s not worth risking lives over – no matter what the $ cost is. Some things are meant to be in awe from afar.
As a person from the climbing community, I see people talk about the overcrowding issue and its not really understood by people who arent climbers. They issue is and when you’ve seen those famous pictures on everest is from seasons where the weather was extremely poor more than usual and so when you have a 2-3 month window to climb everest and then that window gets shorten to 1-2 days out of an entire year then ya you are going to have a bunch of people making a summit push on the same days. So many people have this idea that its like that constanly now and its just not true. Had friends who have climbed with a few people and they were the only ones at the summit.
I just returned from the Everest Base Camp Trek and though in itself it was a fantastic experience (couldn’t reach Base Camp though, I turned at 4.900m feeling sick), I do believe the time has come to re-evaluate what we humans are doing to the environment there, especially higher up. Is it normal to have a stench of yak/donkey shite all along the trail (especially at the paved sections through the villages)? Is it normal the whole Khumbu valley has turned from a once peaceful area, into a circus with groups of loud-mouthed trekkers, ego-tripping climbers and a constant buzzing of helicopters overhead? Is it normal that people, including Sherpas are dying at alarming rates just to stand atop a mountain? Is it normal we desecrate these beautiful Himalayan giants in every possible way? The only answer lies in the hands of the Nepalese government, as they only control access to the mountains. I very well know that cold cash is a very important factor for this desperately poor country, but I hope they make the only right decision to close off the mountains to end this utter madness. If it does continue, I predict the future will behold first of all a severe clash between the Sherpas and the climbing clients, as the inequality in pay vs. risks taken is disproportionate and the Sherpas are very right not to take this inequality any longer. Second of all, a tougher selection must take place in deciding WHO is allowed onto the mountain, having money can no longer be the main factor, some qualifications are needed.
Climb Ben Nevis instead. The highest summit in Scotland, at around 4,000 feet above sea level. At the summit you are on the highest place visible from where you are. That makes it just as good as Everest. And you’re not putting any guides at risk of their lives. No need for a guide at all. Just follow the path, along with all the other people enjoying a pleasant walk up the mountain and back.
It always irks me that people say they climbed everest. No, you were helped up everest. That’d be like me, a wheelchair user who can walk a little, saying I walked to a mountain I reached in NZ recently, ignoring the fact that without my husband’s work I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere near it. They carry your stuff. They set up ropes. They set up ladders. And more. It’s like saying you walked somewhere when, in reality, you walked to the bus stop, rode the bus, then maybe walked in between changing to another bus. Yes, it is still difficult and still an achievement, but quit talking and thinking as if you did all of that. You never would have gotten there if you actually climbed without their help. They are the only real climbers because they have to get to the places before the ropes etc.
I did the same trek and faced all the same situations as you did. We are so thankful to our local guide company, Alpine Ramble Treks, and our guide. They were extremely helpful throughout the trek. We are glad that we chose them; their services at the tea houses were amazing and different from those of other tour providers. Overall, this trek is amazing, and I agree with you; it is a trip of a lifetime.
It is fascinating that the tallest mountain in the world requires guide for every trip to its summit enforced by the government. Sure that will reduce the amount of casualties there. Please do next about Malaysian hill/mountain guide, I’ve been told there were wonderful stories bout the regulation in Malaysia where it is compulsory to hire guides even when you’re hiking a hill of minimum 600 meters above sea level, let alone mountains. I believe there should be a reason why the government implement such regulations due to the mysteries in the Malaysian jungle
For sure, the salary of the sherpa guides needs to be drastically improved! Climbing the Everest is generally something incredible that one would be more than proud to accomplish once in a lifetime… and be happy to still be alive ! So paying somebody to do that… well you can’t simply give 4000$ or 5000$ to somebody for that! Come on! 10000 is a sheer mininum and it should be paid way more than that if you calculate the level of expertise needed, the cost of the equipement that person would need, the time needed to do that, the huge difficulty and crazy level of energie needed, plus the insane hours of works, day and night, plus the fact that they are risking their lives highly.
It seems like a lot of these issues: overcrowding, low Sherpa pay, safety – will work themselves out naturally. If enough Sherpas decide that the pay doesn’t justify the danger, fewer of them will work. If fewer of them work, the ones that remain will be in more demand. If there is a growing population that wants to summit Everest, as there has been in recent years, more people will be chasing after fewer Sherpas, which will allow them to demand higher pay. Increased pay might attract Sherpas who quit due to low pay before. This has the added benefit of restricting the people who get to summit the mountain, cutting down on deaths and pollution. This equilibrium forms automatically. As long as Sherpas are allowed to turn down a lowball offer, and as long as there is demand for guides to help people summit Everest, their way of life will continue.
I note that if, on average, each guide is only hired for one climb per year, that is because there are too many of them working as guides. That isn’t the fault of the climbers. It is simply market forces at work setting a price. Or if the price is set by the Nepalese government, then obviously it needs to change the rate if it really is ‘too low’. That aside, given the obvious excess of guides, I have some doubt about one of the guide’s prediction there will be few/no guides left within 10 years.
These Sherpa’s are amazing. So much respect for them. They should get more money from all the rich fools going up there. Carried on the back of the sherpas! I use to think of mt Everest as something for very strong/ healthy athletic people. Not just because you’re rich and you want to. It shouldn’t be so easy for any jerk to go up there.
When I read about Sherpas like 13 years ago, I was like ‘surely they go into this climbing business because it must be a tempting revenue’, now it seems it isn’t so and it was just a means for survival. Surely they would want to keep their children out of it and young people wouldn’t join if they have other options and this doesn’t pay good
Demand increases. Prices increase. That’s essentially what will happen. There will always be guides on Everest. However it’s a shame it’s even a topic – they should be paid 20-30 k a climb in my opinion. Rising prices could hopefully become a factor in decreasing the amounts of climbers coming to Everest though, it’s way too much traffic and business around the whole thing which definitely eats away at it’s charm and beauty. A sherpa is such an essential part of you having a successful climb or not. Put your egos aside, pay them what they deserve, and give back to the local community.
world bank can improve this place if they want. the ladders can be improved a little bit they should be doubled or trippled and the spaces be reduced to help those who get ill to pass through without problems. instead of sleeping in tents at least at the last camp they should build a house like what is done on Mt. Kenya. There are two base houses where tourist usually stays or guides stays to protect their lifes and life of those who usually get sick up there and where pple rest as they wait to summit to the top during the night of an early morning. The government should pay the guides and they should be compensated for any danger they may come across while climbing the mountain.
“only” 4000 usd (not mentionin extras)? That is more than most nepalese earn in a YEAR. And no, there will not be lack of guides. If they see that the amount of guides are decreasing because of “not big enough salary” then they would simply increase the salary (there is enough room to do so) to adjust the supply and demand of guides.
These are not climbers, they are tourists and the sherpas are the climbers/tourist guides. If you cannot navigate your way around the climbing route and carry your own load with climbing gear/oxygen tank and spot the dangers…then you are not the climber, you’re a tourist… being a tourist is not an accomplishment…that’s like sitting in the passenger seat of a race car driven by a professional (someone who does this as career) and claiming to finish the race on podium. But hats off to them for willing to part take in the activities, not all of us want to be sitting in the passenger seat of a race car and not all of us want to experience the conditions at those altitudes. I guess any of us can aboard a plane, enjoy the flight and say we’ve flown across the Pacific Ocean like some kind of badass…
The fee increase is NOT going to have any impact on the number of “Tourists” wanting to climb the Mountain. Nepal is happily giving out permissions as it earns the country a lot of money for doing NOTHING. There is NO respectable Insurance for Sherpas. It is practically an unofficial private job market. Businesses that can reach out to foreign clients match them with local Sherpas. The Sherpas make peanuts compared to the Middle-Men. Nepal must tie in the ACTUAL Sherpas in the Licensing and pay them DIRECTLY after collecting the License Fees from Clients.
While it is still not easy to climb it is much easier than it used to be. The climbers have the safest route laid out in front of them ropes, ladders, railings, hooks, anchors, sherpas, better gear, better clothing, better food, better weather forecasting, better medical care. Heck who couldn’t do this with a sherpa pulling you and one behind you pushing you, this is essentially what they do.
Kinda makes me want to start an expedition business but make it the “in n out” of western expeditions operating in Nepal. Guides and climbers get the majority of the money as they are literally the backbone of the industry and are beasts. Also provide life insurance for their families if something were to happen etc
I find a bit off the woman in the 4:48 on the article, she falls during the training and said sorry; my first thought it was… Omg, sorry won’t save your life in the real trek but your sherpa will. People unexperienced as she seems, can definitely jeopardize the sherpas life in real dangerous situations . Sherpas are definitely Heroes to me❤, because they put their lives in risk to make others dreams come true, of course they don’t do it for free, but still there is no price to pay for a life. Just truly be thankful to them and treat them with the respect they deserve.
As long as the money is right, there will always be more than enough willing to be guides. Lookalike such out bursts are geared to increase financial incentives for the guides. Having said that, the relevant authorities need to put in checks and balances by policies to safeguard the guides and have appropriate measures such as safety programs and additional benefits such as insurance schemes snd such. The government should have taken the initial to set up guide training programs, even setting up guide training colleges.
The sherpa should be paid $1,500 for every Climber they assist on Everest. For every person successful in summittng and returning unscathed the sherpa should be given a bonus of $1,500. They are the backbone of every attempt at climbing Everest. They are the backbone of every summit of Everest. Without them you will not succeed and will probably die.
The problem will fix itself by something called “market”: so maybe in 10 years the price will be 250K or 500K per person. The price point does not matter, there is no right for a person to climb Everest. Maybe the government should auction off the licenses and restrict the numbers. Why not go with 99 licenses a season? Make it special again and generate so much revenue that the industry can be run sustainable.
The news clip from 60s says ..”the successful team composed of Sherpa tribesmans..” It sounds obnoxious, reducing them to some less than human servants. They are the specialists, original inhabitants of the mountains, with much higher physical and mental capabilities than rich wannabe climbers who pay them to be able to show-off without ending up dying. They are the superiors in every aspect. My deepest respect to these Sherpas.
Having climbed for nearly 20 years I never had any desire whatsoever to climb Everest or K2 … it’s a ridiculous risk that only those with a lot of money with a desire for bragging rights. Would parts of it be fun vs strenuous? Of course, but oxygen depravation and a high change of death seems silly and no longer enjoyable.
I disagree, with Starlink, Sherpas could make a killing streaming their climbs on the internet live. Also gear companies should sponsor Sherpa guides, both as a way to test drive new gear and to recommend gear to climbers. The next generation of Sherpas would be more in tune with these opportunities .
It makes me sad and angry, how Sherpas are treated. Climbers need them. But little thought is given about them, their lives, their families. Sherpas are paid a pittance for repeatedly risking their lives- and they save ill-prepared, wealthy idiots every time they guide a climb. They are not treated or seen as people or individuals- more like necessary but replaceable/exchangeable accessories. It’s revolting. Thank you for this article- the focus on Sherpas is so rare
I can only imagine how emotionally draining and disheartening it must be to deal with big egos of overly ambitious climbers that insist on pushing ahead despite their safety warnings and repeated advise to turn back, especially because of storms, running out of oxygen causing a climber to deteriorate. It sounds like the Sherpas are highly supportive and caring people, which makes it so difficult to have to abandon a fallen climber that refused to listen but is begging to be saved on the brink of death (ie. Shriya Shah-Klorfine). Despite of the brutal reality of what can happen in the Death Zone with the exhaustion and hypoxia causing the need to save oneself from also dying, many of them must blame themselves for doing so 🙁
11:14 If I were Nepalese government I would allow only Nepalese nationals running Everest climbing companies, abs. no foreigners. Nepal is not a rich country. Nepal has to take advantage of its mountain to enrich its citizens. I watched a documentary a foreigner owning the hiking company he charged $100K for each climber and he paid only $5K for each sherpa.
How can these rich people be saying they are climbing the mountain if they are being guided to the top like a little kid? They should climb it on their own! Chose their own path. From what I see on other climbing websites, climbers climb on their own. Maybe they sometimes have a belay or they climb in a group but they are not lead up the mountain by a guide. Plus there is no real reason to go up there.
hear me out why not try to make like a greenhouse at each camp. i know it sounds crazy a little. but especially near the dead zone. so you could have a room of naturally produced oxygen. idk. may be hard considering how much one person needs to breathe. unless they like. exhaled to the outside somehow.
Sherpas should be treated better and whatever money shark agencies are above them, should be controlled in what they receive from these summits by govt or union. It shouldn’t be that the ones risking their lives and doing all the work only get a crumble, whilst the ones sitting back in an office leasurely get the whole pie. Sherpas deserve a lot more respect on their names.
There are definite benefits to local guides, but there is also a major risk that is very topical in the community, and which you completely ignored. The commercialisation, and lack of regulation on the popular Nepal side, has meant a proliferation of poor quality companies and guides. Unfortuately, because they are cheaper (you get what you pay to an extent) less experienced climbers are more likely to go with them. In fact, it is well known amongst the better companies that climbers they turn away for being dangerously inexperienced (perhaps not fully comprehending the importance of a good guide and company) commonly go to these bad ones who don’t care and will take anyone. To be clear, not all local companies and guides are these bad ones.
Without Sherpa’s no one would be able to climb Everest. I feel like rich people are making this mountain their dumping ground and also to boost their egos and bragging rights. Dont get me wrong its very impressive to take this on but a lot of people will get you to the top not just determination. You should be very respectful and humble.
Them sherpas are real deal ‘salt-of-the-earth’ type peoples. Sir Edmund Hillary is credited with being the first person to summit Everest but he never did tell whether it was he OR the Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, his lone fellow climber, who summited first. He did this out of respect when the media people rushed up to him to ask virtually ignoring Tenzing
I remember that Singapore man was rescued by sherpa, which later doesn’t thank him or even mention him at all in his tv interview. He later blocked sherpa in his i.g too. Shame. He talks like he reaches the summit without any help. He thanks to his climbing sponsored instead of the person who saved his life.
The Nepalese government should charge $25,000…the loss of life (caused by unprepared climbers), emergency services & the environmental damage from the camps are not really covered. Also, create a nationally supported fund & scholarships for the families/ children of the lost guides/ Sherpas. If the climbers can pay $100,000, surely, they can contribute.
these sherpas are worth their weight in gold. There have been increasing accounts of inexperienced climbers, with little to no experience in mountaineering, who attempt everest. All because some greedy travel companies say they will ‘teach them as they go’. The increase in permits means increasingly, there are prolonged waits in the death zone. Ultimately, everything changing with the increased commercialisation of everest means that Sherpas are being put more and more at risk. In any other country, these sherpas would be paided well over $100000 for their position with insurance for their families in case of deaht or injury. Im not sure it would be the worst occurence if more and more sherpas leave, especially if it demands reform for their pay and expertise.
2:46 They consider the mountain sacred, light incense, and seek permission to climb. It’s funny that he says “permission” as if it could be a yes or no. They literally ALWAYS climb and the only thing that would stop them or delay them is the weather. There’s no “permission”. The mountain is also so sacred to them that many of the sherpas play a part in littering Everest with trash. Not all, but many. Rather than hauling trash or their empty air canisters back down, they’ll leave them or bury them in a shallow hole in the snow so they have less weight to carry to summit and back down. This has gotten worse in more modern times. True mountaineers will do their best to leave no trace, but I’ve witnessed Sherpas first hand who treat it as nothing more than a payday. Don’t get me wrong, there are some great and respectful ones, but those are the minors these days, unfortunately.
Having summited Everest in 2013 with my twin with trials and tribulations- this is not an easy climb and the mind boggles at how many inexperienced climbers underestimate this deadly climb and only depend on the good graces of the amazing Sherpas of Nepal. These heros sacrifice their lives in most instances to give these novices an experience of a lifetime.