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King og the Sherpas

AFP, KATHMANDU
Saturday, Jun 17, 2006, Page 15

Mount Everest, left background, has claimed the lives of 11 climbers so far this year. PHOTO: AGENCY

Nobody knows what the view is like from the roof of the world as well as Apa Sherpa -- he has climbed the world's highest mountain a record 16 times.

The wiry 46-year-old with stooped shoulders is regarded as the king of all Sherpas by climbers and peers alike, and last month he risked his life and wife's wrath to return to Everest's 8,848m summit.

While news that he had again conquered the "death-zone" made him the toast of the town in Nepal's Thame, in Solukhumbu district in the foothills of the Himalayas, his worried wife wasn't joining in the celebrations.

"When I said I had retired it was not due to my physical condition, but due to family pressure," says Apa Sherpa, who announced he was quitting in 2003.

"My wife did not know about this season's summit until I reached there. She was very angry," he adds, breaking into an infectious laugh.

Despite his promise to quit, Apa was also back atop Everest in 2004 and last year.

His wife's fears are understandable on a mountain that has claimed more than 200 lives. Danger stalks a climber's every step up Everest, including the indigenous Sherpas who work as support crews to foreign mountaineering expeditions.

Of 11 people killed on the mountain's treacherous, thin-aired slopes fatalities this year, three were Sherpas, one of them his good friend.

"I used to feel quite scared but my level of fear has dropped as I got more confident with every successful ascent," says Apa.

But the work is well paid by local standards and competition for jobs is fierce, despite the risks. Today between 500 and 700 high altitude climbing Sherpas work in Nepal.

Top flight climbing Sherpas can earn up to US$7,000 per season, a fortune in impoverished Nepal where the average annual salary remains around US$240 per year.

Sherpas are now considered as equal to the world's best climbers, but initially they were simply seen as porters by the colonial British.

Their fortunes have been inextricably linked with mountaineers in the Himalayas ever since explorers in Darjeeling first recognized their abilities at the turn of the 20th century.

"Their behavior was excellent. By the end of the trip we were all working together most harmo-niously. Really they are the most splendid fellows," wrote research chemist A.M. Kellas in 1909.

While the term Sherpa refers to an ethnic group, nowadays the term applies to all those who support Himalayan expeditions.

Sherpa Tenzing Norgay took their reputation to new heights when he summited Everest with New Zealand mountaineer Edmund Hillary in 1953 and both assumed legendary status.

More than 1,300 people have climbed Everest since, all with the aid of Sherpas.

Mountaineers tackling Everest usually climb in stages to four camps above base camp. Each camp must be stocked with food and oxygen and it is the Sherpas who undertake most of this work. They also cook for clients and set up camps.

In addition, kilometers of ropes must be laid out and hundreds of ladders fixed across crevasses on the route to the top. Again, the work of the Sherpas.

Frozen cadavers littering the ascent to the top are reminders of the risks.

Apa started climbing in 1987 and works as base camp coordinator.

His knowledge and cautious approach to climbing the deadly peak is legendary in the tight-knit world of mountaineering.

"I check the conditions, I have to control other climbing Sherpas and team members, I help the team acclimatize by going up and down," he says.

His approach and formidable climbing record make him in high demand with the increasing numbers of commercial expeditions tackling Everest.

"He is a very remarkable man. He thinks hard before going up. He does not take big risks and is very calm and reflective," says Nico Smeets, a Belgian mountain guide based in Kathmandu.

Having a world record holder on an expedition is also big draw for Asian Trekking, Apa's employer since 1997.

"He is very popular with the clients because he is a world beater," says Man Mohan Singh Chhetri, deputy general manager of the firm, adding that Apa is in a class of his own.

"He is a very softly spoken and well rounded guy. He does not drink or smoke and is different from many other Sherpas," Chhetri says.

Given the inherent risks of their jobs, many Sherpas enjoy a drink and a smoke when not working, the deputy general manager said.

Whereas foreign climbers have to train rigorously for attempts on Everest, Apa's home life in the stunning Solukhumbu region is preparation enough for the physical strength and endurance needed to climb Everest.

"I was born in Thame at 3800m. There are no cars and no roads so we have to climb every day, so this prepares us for the physical difficulties of trying to summit," he says.

But it is not just physical strength that is needed to tackle the world's highest peak, according to Apa.

"To climb Everest you have to be strong mentally as well. There is a lot of pressure on a climb, the weather is unpredictable and there are always avalanches. You always have to be alert and focussed," he says.

Living in the shadow of Everest, and with limited job prospects other than mountain work, Apa had long wanted to climb.

"Being born in the foothills of the mountains I have a very special attachment to the Himalayas. Its very difficult work, but it's in my blood," he said.

He first got to the top of Everest in 1990, and while he has now repeated the feat another 15 times -- including on two occasions doing it twice in the same season -- he recalls the first time fondly.

"Standing on top of Everest for the first time was truly a great moment for me, and every ascent since then has been unique," he says.

But getting to the top of the world is one thing, getting down alive is another.

"A climber should not get carried away after reaching the summit. Reaching the top is only half the job. You have to get back to base camp and this requires as much seriousness as the climb up," he says.

"There is a sense of happiness that comes when you get near the summit, but climbing at those altitudes is never easy. It can bring a lot of joy, but we always have to be careful," says Apa.

With two sons and two daughters, Apa needs to climb to support them, but will not be encouraging his children to follow him into what can be a fatal profession.

"I did not get an education so I want to make sure that first my children get a good education. I won't force them to go into mountaineering, they can decide themselves once they grow up," Apa says.

He keeps promising his wife that he will stop going back to the roof of the world, but his friends, fame and standing in the mountaineering world keep pulling him back up.

Asked whether he will climb again next year, his response is a mischievous "I will see," followed by another hearty laugh.
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