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Tag: sherpas

  • Mount Everest Shut Down After Avalanche Kills 16

    Mount Everest is one of the most dangerous locations on earth where many people die every year. Things came to a head earlier this month when a massive avalanche ripped through the Sherpas carrying supplies up the mountain leaving 16 people dead and three others wounded. In response, the infamous mountain has been shut down.

    After the shut down, sherpas began to demand better death and injury benefits from the government. Until those demands are met, most sherpas will not be leading tours or carrying supplies up the mountain. The strike has effectively canceled many planned climbs for the season. If the strike goes on for too long, it would have a negative effect on the climbing industry that puts millions into Nepal’s coffers.

    The Nepalese government won’t be the ones hardest hit by the shut down though. The sherpas themselves claim to be the ones hardest hit with many taking on the dangerous job to provide for their families. Many sherpas are the sole workers in their families and a canceled climbing season would drown many families in poverty.

    To make matters worse, sherpas are the only ones who can do the jobs they do. The Nepalese government relies on sherpas to lead climbers up the mountain who then pump money into the economy. The relationship was detailed in a video from a years back that shows how important sherpas are to those who want to conquer Mount Everest:

    Despite being so important to the country’s economy, the sherpas believe it isn’t doing enough for them. The AFP says that the country provides $10,000 in life insurance to sherpas as well as $3,000 in medical coverage. The sherpas say that this isn’t anywhere near enough as the $3,000 doesn’t even cover an airlift off the mountain in the event of injury. After the accident, the government offered the families of sherpas $400 to cover funeral expenses. The families rejected this offer and continue to lobby the government for more money.

    If you want to help the Sherpas out, climbers have set up a donation page for those wanting to send a little money their way. You can find it here. After losing a loved one, it would be even worse if the family lost everything else.

    Image via Thinkstock

  • Mt. Everest: A Thrill and a Death Trap

    Why do people climb Mt. Everest? Because it’s there.

    It is the tallest mountain in the world. It is ten times taller than the worlds tallest building, and is only slightly lower than the cruising altitude of a jumbo jet.

    The attraction of a seemingly insurmountable object like Everest is too great for some people to pass up. Perhaps every person who has ever climbed the thing had their own reasons for doing so.

    In 1953, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay wrote themselves into the history books — as well as Time Magazine’s list of the 100 Most Influential People of the 20th Century — by being the first verified people to make it to the top and live to tell the tale.

    Everest has been the scene of the death of 248 people. Most of those bodies are still on the mountain. The winds on the mountain can blow 200 mph. But there is a window of time in May and November when the winds shift and things calm enough for a climb. That period is called the summit window, and it is when most climbers give it a go. In total, over 4,000 people have climbed the mountain, and almost 3,000 of them have gone back for another round.. Only 660 made it to the top.

    Most climbers on Everest take bottled oxygen with them. The climb itself is not any worse than most mountains, but the sheer altitude makes things incredibly difficult. There is only 1/3 of the oxygen at Everest’s summit than there is at the base. Of the 660 people who have made it to the top, fewer than 200 went without bottled oxygen.

    The popularity of Everest as a challenge has taken a hit lately due to avalanches. Some say that global climate change is to blame for the instability that took 16 lives recently. Things are so bad that the country of Nepal has officially closed access to Mt. Everest from their side for the rest of 2014.

    Image via Twitter

  • Mount Everest Avalanche: Are Sherpas Safe?

    Mount Everest Avalanche: Are Sherpas Safe?

    The recent avalanche that took place on Mount Everest and claimed the lives of 13 Sherpas has led many to wonder how safe Sherpas really are. Sherpas are known for their high-altitude fortitude but the avalanche caused many of them to pack up their tents and leave Mount Everest.

    Even before the avalanche, the Sherpas had begun to grow unhappy with their wages and felt as if they were not being paid enough for their skills and the risks they take while helping foreign travelers navigate and climb Mount Everest. The avalanche has now led the Sherpas to consider canceling all of their tours and ascents.

    On Tuesday, several Sherpa tour leaders met with government officials to discuss the problem and negotiate terms that would allow the Sherpas to feel that they were being paid appropriately for their work. If the negotiations do not go well, there may be very few, if any Sherpas who are willing to take climbers to the top of Mount Everest.

    “I would like to go back to my Sherpas and say, ‘Look, guys, I got what you wanted,’” said Phil Crampton, the owner of Altitude Junkies, a mountaineering company, in a telephone interview. “We want the Sherpas happy, we want the government happy, and we want our clients happy. The bottom line is that if at the end of the day, the Sherpas aren’t happy, we will comply and cancel our expedition.”

    While many Sherpas are hoping that the government will meet their demands so they can continue to work, there are also some who have no desire to return to Mount Everest, regardless of the pay or benefits they are offered.

    Kaji Sherpa is an experienced Sherpa who was on the mountain when the avalanche happened. Luckily, he was not killed but was injured badly and is currently in a hospital being treated for two broken ribs. Although Kaji enjoyed his career and was good at it, he said that the avalanche has made him rethink his career path and that he will not be returning to the mountain when he heals.

    “I will never return to the mountain and will prohibit my two sons from joining the mountaineering profession,” said Kaji. “There is too much risk. I will tell my children to complete their education and seek regular jobs.”

    Mount Everest Sherpas can make between $3000 to $5000 in a season. The companies that hire them can charge as much as $50,000 for a tour package. Of that, $11,000 goes to the Nepali government for a climbing license. The Nepali government has made millions on these licenses while the Sherpas risk their lives for the ascents up the mountain for low wages.

    The Sherpas are demanding more relief, a welfare fund, and better insurance.

    Do you think the government will agree to these demands and will the Sherpas return to Mount Everest?

    Image via Wikimedia Commons