Sherpas consider boycott after deadliest avalanche on Everest
Print Edition
BUDDHIST monks cremated the remains of Sherpa guides who were buried in the deadliest avalanche to hit Mount Everest, a disaster that has prompted calls for a climbing boycott by Nepal’s ethnic Sherpa community.
A Sherpa boycott could critically disrupt the Everest climbing season, which is key to the livelihood of thousands of Nepali guides and porters. Everest climbers have long relied on Sherpas for everything from hauling gear to cooking food to high-altitude guiding.
At least 13 Sherpas were killed when a block of ice tore loose from the mountain and triggered a cascade that ripped through teams of guides hauling gear. Three Sherpas missing in Friday’s avalanche are presumed dead.
“Right now, I can’t even think of going back to the mountain,” said Tashi Dorje, whose cousin was killed. “We have not just lost our family members, but it is a loss for the whole mountaineering community and the country.”
Hundreds of people lined the streets of Nepal’s capital, Katmandu, yesterday as the bodies of six of the victims were driven in open trucks decorated with Buddhist flags.
During the cremation ceremony, dozens of nuns chanted for the victims’ souls to be released as the bodies were covered in pine branches. A daughter of one of the climbers fainted and was taken to the hospital.
While the work on Everest is dangerous, it has also become the most sought-after work for many Sherpas. A top high-altitude guide can earn US$6,000 in a three-month climbing season, nearly 10 times Nepal’s US$700 average annual salary.
The avalanche came just as climbing was to begin in earnest, with mountaineers set to begin moving above base camp and slowly acclimatizing to the altitude on the world’s highest mountain. Most attempts to reach the 8,850-meter summit occur in mid-May, when weather is at its most favorable.
Since the avalanche, the Sherpas have expressed anger that there has not been a bigger response from Nepal’s government, which profits from the permit fees charged to the climbing expeditions.
Ang Tshering of the Nepal Mountaineering Association said Sherpa guides are considering a climbing boycott to press their demands. Without the guides, it would be nearly impossible for expedition teams to continue.
Tshering said there were about 400 foreign climbers from 39 expedition teams on the mountain and an equal number of Sherpa guides, along with many more support staff such as cooks, cleaners and porters in the base camp.
The Tourism Ministry, which handles the mountaineering affairs, said it has not been told of any cancellations by expedition teams. Some Sherpas had already left the mountain by yesterday, either joining the boycott or mourning their friends and colleagues.
The government has announced an emergency aid of 40,000 rupees (US$415) for the families of the deceased climbers, but the Sherpas are demanding better treatment.
The “Sherpa guides are heating up, emotions are running wild and demands are being made to the government to share the wealth with the Sherpa people,” said a blog post by Tim and Becky Rippel.
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