Kanchha Sherpa, the last surviving member of the first team to conquer Mount Everest, expressed concern over the overcrowding and environmental degradation on the world's highest peak, emphasizing the need to reduce the number of climbers and address the issue of waste management. He highlighted the sacred significance of Everest to the Sherpa community and urged climbers to respect the mountain as a revered deity. Despite the increasing challenges, the route opened by the historic expedition continues to be used by climbers, while Kanchha now resides in Namche village with his family, running a small hotel for trekkers and climbers.
Kanchha Sherpa, the last surviving member of the team that first reached the summit of Mount Everest, expressed concerns about the overcrowding and pollution on the world's highest peak, emphasizing the need to reduce the number of climbers and address the littering issue. He highlighted the mountain's significance to the Sherpa community and the lack of respect shown by climbers, urging for better stewardship of the sacred site.
Kanchha Sherpa, the last surviving member of the first team to conquer Mount Everest, expressed concern over the mountain's increasing crowding and pollution, stating that it should be respected as a god. With the peak being climbed thousands of times since the initial conquest, it has become crowded and dirty, with climbers leaving behind trash and waste. Sherpa emphasized the need to reduce the number of climbers and urged for greater respect for the mountain, which holds religious significance for the Sherpa community.
Kristin Harila and Tenjen Sherpa successfully summited K2, facing hazardous conditions including heavy snow and slab avalanches. Harila missed her self-imposed deadline to climb all 14×8,000’ers within three months by just one day. Other teams, including Furtenbach Adventures and Madison Mountaineering, aborted their summit attempts due to dangerous avalanche conditions. Over 40 climbers from 8K Expeditions and Summit Karakoram reached the summit, while Imagine Nepal put a nine-person team on the summit. Nearly 200 climbers are currently queuing up on the fixed ropes, and conditions remain challenging with heavy snow and the need to go all the way to Camp 3 for supplies.
A Chinese climber rescued from Mount Everest has been accused of refusing to pay a promised $10,000 fee to the Sherpas who saved her. While her climbing organization and the firm employing the Sherpas confirmed that they'd settled all claims, the allegations against the climber have roiled into a social media frenzy that's seen her doxxed and attacked in thousands of comments. The dispute hinges on a promise made, without the climber's knowledge, that ultimately saved her life.
Nepali sherpa guide Gelje Sherpa abandoned his summit attempt to rescue a Malaysian climber who was clinging to a rope and shivering from extreme cold in the "death zone" of Mount Everest. Gelje hauled the climber 600 meters down from the Balcony area to the South Col, over a period of about six hours, where another guide joined the rescue. The climber was then airlifted to base camp. Gelje convinced his Chinese client to give up his summit attempt and descend the mountain, saying it was important for him to rescue the climber.
Mount Everest continues to attract climbers 70 years after the first summit by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa. The climb has transformed small farming villages into tourist hubs, boosting the livelihoods of local communities. Sherpas have become synonymous with high-altitude guiding and are the backbone of the multimillion-dollar industry. Local expeditions now bring the bulk of paying clients into Nepal, and a younger generation of Nepali climbers is slowly being recognised in their own right. More than 10 percent of Nepalis are employed in tourism, and the government this year collected more than $5m in Everest permit fees as a record number of summit hopefuls arrived.
Nepali sherpa Kami Rita Sherpa has set a new record by scaling Mount Everest for the 27th time, beating his own previous record. He climbed the 8,849-metre mountain early on Wednesday morning, guiding a foreign climber. Kami Rita has climbed Everest almost every year since 1994, except in 2014, 2015 and 2020. Nepal has issued a record 478 permits for people to climb Everest this year, and the country has been criticised for allowing too many climbers, many of them inexperienced, to try for the summit.
Nepali sherpa Kami Rita Sherpa has set a new record by scaling Mount Everest for the 27th time, beating his own previous record. The 53-year-old sherpa guided a foreign climber along the traditional southeast ridge route to reach the summit. Kami Rita has been climbing Everest almost every year since his first ascent in 1994, except in 2014, 2015, and 2020 when climbing was halted for various reasons. Nepal has issued a record 478 permits for people to climb Everest this year, with many inexperienced climbers attempting the summit.
Nepali climber Kami Rita Sherpa has set a new world record by scaling Mount Everest for the 27th time. The 53-year-old has been working as a guide for over two decades and has reclaimed his own record for the most summits of the world's highest peak. Nepal is home to eight of the world's 10 highest peaks and welcomes hundreds of adventurers each spring. Climbing contributed to $5.8 million to state coffers in 2023, $5 million of which comes from Mount Everest alone, according to government data.
Pasang Dawa Sherpa, a Nepalese guide, has scaled Mount Everest for the 26th time, matching the record set by fellow guide Kami Rita Sherpa. Dawa reached the summit with a Hungarian climber, and Rita is currently leading a US team up the mountain to break his own record by climbing Everest for a 27th time. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the first ascent of Mount Everest in 1953 by New Zealander Edmund Hillary and his Sherpa guide Tenzing Norgay.
Anurag Maloo of India has been reported missing after falling into a crevasse below Camp 3 on Annapurna, while retreating back to Base Camp. About 20 climbers have summited Annapurna today, while an aerial search is underway for Maloo. Most climbers used supplementary oxygen and may rest in a higher camp before continuing across the most exposed sections early tomorrow morning. Two climbers, Bartek Ziemski and Oswald Rodrigo Pereira, summited without supplementary O2 or personal porters and were resting back in Camp 4.
Three Nepali Sherpas are missing after being buried by a block of snow on Mount Everest while delivering materials to construct and clear a route for this year's spring climbing season. A search and rescue operation is underway, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to locate them. Mountaineering is a significant source of revenue for Nepal, employing large teams of Sherpas, guides, and porters to support groups of climbers.
