Little did they know, however, that Sherpas silently paid not only physical strength, but also the price of their lives. According to statistics, more than 40% of the people who died climbing Mount Everest were Sherpas. In this issue, why do Sherpas engage in such dangerous occupations? What kind of sad story is behind it?
Sherpas are ethnic minorities who have lived in northeastern Nepal for thousands of years. They have lived in the Himalayas for generations and made a living by farming, raising cattle and spinning wool on the plateau.
It was not until the 1920s that the British employed Sherpas as porters when climbing mountains. Since then, mountaineering has become a part of Sherpa culture.
We know that Nepal itself is an underdeveloped country, not to mention the remote villages where Sherpas live, which are extremely poor. For many Sherpas, providing services for climbers is their only source of income.
Every spring during the mountaineering season, Sherpas will carry equipment, transport materials, set up tents for climbers, and even build ladders and pave roads in the cracks of glaciers at an altitude of six or seven kilometers. Of course, we must guide and rescue climbers. In addition, it is also responsible for collecting garbage and transporting the remains of the victims back at the end of the mountaineering season.
In this climbing season, Sherpas earn about $4,000 to $5,000, barely supporting their families. Although their remuneration is only a very small part of the cost of climbers, this income has exceeded the average level in Nepal.
However, their income comes at a price, because they risk their lives every time they climb, and storms, avalanches and falls may take their lives at any time.
In order to transport materials between several camps on Mount Everest, and to fix ropes and ladders used by climbers, Sherpas may have to cross more than 30 dangerous sections in one summit, instead of crossing each road only once like other climbers.
According to statistics, among the many victims who climbed Mount Everest, more than 40% were Sherpas!
Take 202 1 as an example. Nepal's 202 1 spring climbing season, four people were killed on Mount Everest: 1 American climber, 1 Swiss climber and two Sherpa collaborators. This shows how high the death rate of Sherpas is.
April 20 14, 18, was a super tragic day in history. The avalanche killed 16 climbers, of whom 13 were Sherpas!
Behind these dead Sherpas are their grieving parents, helpless wives and children who have lost their fathers.
However, many Sherpas still take this job every year, because it can help them get rid of poverty and support their families. Their wish is to provide educational opportunities for their children, so that their descendants will no longer choose the same career as themselves and get rid of this dangerous cycle.
That mountain, right there. This is someone else's way to climb the mountain, but it is the way for Sherpas to make a living at the expense of their lives.