Mount Everest - The Sherpa's Story Our World

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Now on BBC News, it's time for Our World. How much of a risk would you

take to earn a living for your family? Every climbing season in the

Himalayas, shoppers put their lives on the line to help mountaineers

reach the top of Everest. on the line to help mountaineers

reach the top of `` Sherpas. Following a disastrous avalanche

that claimed 16 lives this year, the Tenzing Norgay refused to go back on

the mountain for the rest of the season. `` the Sherpas refused to go

back on the mountain. I was born and grew up in Nepal and now as a

reporter, I have come to the remote valleys of the Sherpa heartland to

find out why there is a stand`off at the top of the world. You have lost

two sons to the mountain. Do you think the job has become too

dangerous? Is this a turning point for the men who risked everything on

the world's highest mountain? The Himalayas, at once staggeringly

beautiful and frighteningly dangerous. Like silence in rock,

they are an irresistible draw to mountaineers and adventurous, but

approach at your peril. The risks are palpable. Rising majestically,

the peak that the Nepalese have named... The peak that the rest of

the world calls Mount Everest, the highest point on Earth. Everest is

and identity for all of the Nepalese like me. It is the soul of the

country. Nepal might be less well`known but the whole world knows

Everest. I respected but they also fear it, knowing what can happen up

there. I remember as a child proudly pinning a poster of the mountain on

my bedroom wall. To us Nepalese people, Everest is more than just a

national symbol. It is revered. And since it was first climbed by Edmund

Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in 1953, Sherpas have become the mountain's

heroes. The quiet and ferociously determined local guides that

mountaineers depend on. Men like Dawa Tashi, a descendant of the

close`knit community that migrated from Tibet hundreds of years ago.

Early on the morning of the 18th of April this year, Dawa Tashi was

working on Mount Everest. It was the beginning of the climbing season and

he was preparing the route from Anthony is to come up from base camp

in the days ahead. Dawa Tashi was just crossing the notoriously

dangerous Khumbu icefall when suddenly, there was a loud rumble

that he had never heard before. Can you show us the injuries you

have sustained? Dawa Tashi was rescued and carried down the

mountain. He suffered many injuries and was sent to Kathmandu for

treatment. The ribs on the right side and my hand. Nearly crushed. It

was the worst climbing accident to have happened on Everest. 16 Sherpa

climbers died, nine others were injured. 47 children were left

orphaned. The tragedy made the headlines for a couple of days and

then was largely forgotten by the outside world. I reported on the

avalanche but I knew that there was more to the story. Following the

deaths or the remaining Sherpas left the mountain and refused to climb

Everest for the rest of the season. That spontaneous protest has turned

into a campaign to improve their pay and working conditions. To find out

what is really going on in the Sherpa community, you have to go

where they live, so I am heading to the remote valley in the Khumbu

region, where many of the Sherpas come from.

2.5 days walk brought me to the village of Thame. Here, I met Pema

Chhepal Sherpa. He and his brother were working on Everest. It was his

first time on the mountain. Then the avalanche struck. His brother,

Tenzing, was struck. Pema Chhepal Sherpa was left to break the news to

the family. What kind of person was your

brother? Hears is a familiar story. There are

around 10,000 Sherpas working in the mountaineering industry in Nepal and

most of them come from a similar back ground. The next day, along the

valley, I heard about another victim. I have been told that in

their house over there is an old lady, a widow, whose son died in the

Everest avalanche. I'm going to go there now and up to her. As is the

custom after a death, a lama is there to carry out a one`day long

prayer ritual. Mingma Lhamu Sherpa is on her own. Her husband has died.

Her first son was killed on Everest. After his stealth come `` after his

death, her second son went to the mountain. Now he is dead as well. My

mind is heavy. But what is the use? I have to keep smiling to face the

situation. Mingma is still fighting to come to terms with the fact that

her son will not be coming home. And that is the heart of the

dilemma. The more Sherpa families I talk to, the more I realise that

they don't have a choice. There is little other work for them so they

have to take what is offered, knowing the risks. On my journey, I

came to Namche, the gateway to the trail up to base camp. Around 30,000

foreigners come through here every year, trekking or climbing in the

Everest region. Everest has become the money mountain but the Sherpas

have no say in how the lucrative industry is controlled or operated.

At the local monastery, I meet a group of Sherpas. In a good season,

they can make $5,000 per walk in a country where the average income is

$650 per year. It is good money but it is dangerous work. Most of the

Sherpas are fillings, hired by agents in Kathmandu who dictate

their terms and pay. Those who formed the backbone of the industry

feel powerless, impotent and ignorant.

I wanted to meet one man who has watched the industry grow since the

early days. last surviving member of the

historic 1953 expedition. That is me. Edmund Hillary is there. Back

then, they had the mountain to themselves. It is very different

now. So what do you think the government

can do about this overcrowding on the Mt, people being killed,

tragedies and all that? But it isn't just the numbers

counting Mt Everest which is causing concern in the Sherpas community.

During my journey through this region, I have become aware of a

more fundamental anxiety. Respect for the Mt. The Sherpas are

Buddhist. They believe that Mt Everest holds the spirit of a

goddess. The earth mother. And a growing commercialisation of the

mountain is making them angry. At the monastery here, this man

believes that the avalanche might have been the Mt showing her

displeasure. His views are heartfelt, and many

Sherpas told me they do feel uneasy about the commercialisation of the

Mt. But they need to work. Normally, at this time of year, this area is

busy with expedition equipment and airlifted in and out. It is

virtually deserted. No work, no money. Following a disaster like the

avalanche in April, under Nepalese law, the government must pay. At

first, officials promised $400 to each family. After widespread

criticism they now say it will be $5,000. But is any of this money

actually being paid out? This man, whose brother died, says his family

have heard nothing about compensation. They fear there may be

left out altogether. `` they may. This woman has received some

compensation, but not from the government. The foreign

mountaineering company her son was working for when he died gave her

$2000. That money has already been spent.

If I could find these people just by asking around the area, why couldn't

the Nepalese officials? Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. Only 100 miles

from the valley where these people live. But it is a world away. I

arranged to meet the Minister of Finance. I wanted to know why the

government has been so slow to respond to the tragedy. But the

minister insists the compensation is being dealt with, and the industry

will be reformed. I have said we already gave approval to it. And we

have expressed that compensation programme. We are ready to make

necessary arrangements to improve the conditions. But then it is

moving slowly. Whether it is slow or quick. To the families of those, to

the mother who has already lost two sons on the mountains, and has had

to struggle for her own life, what message do you have? We know, we are

very sorry about this situation. I extend my heartfelt condolences. And

the government will offer them necessary assistance. The minister

also says the Sherpas' welfare is not just the responsibility of the

government. The problem is they are employed by the mountaineers. Is it

not the responsibility of the mountaineering community, who are

mainly from foreign countries, to ensure that everything could happen

much better. I have talked to foreign expedition operators. They

say the problem is lack of regulation. That is the

responsibility of the government. And so, the buck is passed around,

and nothing changes for the Sherpas. Back in this region, families are

still waiting to hear about compensation from the government.

Experience has taught them that pledges and promises from officials

count for little here. They might as well be whispered to the wind.

For this woman and other bereaved relatives, the day`to`day reality of

just getting by is what preoccupies them.

20 years ago, one of the first stories are ever reported was the

plight of the Sherpas. Their grievances have not changed since

then. Two decades on, what has changed was that the operators and

agents who hire them have thrived and prospered. But what this

accident has done is galvanise the Sherpas, to make their voices heard.

And maybe, just maybe, that is a start.

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