Everest Guide Phurba Tenjing Sherpa Warns of Dying Sherpa Way of Life
SCMP · 1 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Phurba Tenjing Sherpa, a celebrated 37-year-old Everest guide who has summited Mount Everest 18 times, has raised alarms about the future of the Sherpa way of life. Speaking from his guiding business on Earth's highest peak, Phurba expressed concern that the Sherpa community is increasingly turning away from mountaineering as younger generations seek education and opportunities abroad in America, Canada, Australia and Europe. He warned that a shortage of Sherpas will become a significant problem while simultaneously highlighting how climate change is melting glaciers and erasing snow cover from historic climbing routes.
Key Points
- Phurba Tenjing Sherpa, 37, has successfully guided climbers up and down Mount Everest 18 times over his career
- He runs his own business as a guide on Earth's highest peak and notes the Sherpa community is no longer climbing in the numbers it once did
- Young Sherpas are leaving the mountains for America, Canada, Australia and Europe, citing danger and low earnings as primary reasons
- Raj Gurung, a 53-year-old Everest summitter from Hong Kong, appeared in the Road To Everest documentary filmed in May last year, praising Sherpas for handling all logistics and guiding duties
- Global warming is rapidly melting the Khumbu Glacier and removing snow cover from mountains like Ama Dablam and Island Peak, threatening water sources
Why It Matters
The dual pressures of generational workforce decline and environmental degradation threaten not only the Sherpa people's traditional livelihood but also the future of Himalayan mountaineering itself, with implications for the thousands of climbers who attempt Everest annually .
The dual pressures of generational workforce decline and environmental degradation threaten not only the Sherpa people's traditional livelihood but also the future of Himalayan mountaineering itself, with implications for the thousands of climbers who attempt Everest annually .