Monday, December 31, 2007

Ang Gyalzen Sherpa

At age 90, Gyalzen Sherpa is the only surviving Sherpa from Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay’s historic first summit of Everest in 1953. He is also Sherpa Adventure Gear founder Tashi Sherpa’s uncle, and the inspiration for our company. When he was a child, Gyalzen did not grow up thinking of climbing the great peaks surrounding his home. Life in a small Himalayan mountain town was frugal at best. And he spent his time herding yaks and gathering firewood. “People were very poor. There were few houses. Most Sherpas from Kunde, Khumjung, Pangboche, Thame, everyone, worked as coolies transporting loads for the few rich traders that lived here. The expeditions changed that,” Gyalzen recalls.

Being the youngest in his family, he was expected to stay home and take over the family business of yak herding and salt trading. But the fancy clothes and wrist watches of Sherpas returning from expeditions attracted him to climbing. In 1952, he traveled to Darjeeling, India—the center of mountaineering before Nepal’s borders opened in the early fifties—in search of work as a porter that would pay all of 4 rupees a day (about 10 cents at the time).

When he got there, Gyalzen discovered that the Swiss expedition with the soon-to-be-famous Tenzing Norgay at the helm had already left for the mountain. Undaunted he ran until he caught up with the expedition, and was thankfully offered a position collecting firewood and carrying loads for the group. A dependable, honest and hard worker, when the expedition ran short of money and sugar, he was honored with the responsibility of traveling to Kathmandu to pick up 18,000 rupees (a princely sum!) and buy additional supplies. Since the money was in coins, he and his companions had to carry it in three big, heavy tins the almost fifty miles back to base camp.

On the way back he was waylaid by a severe storm in Thukla and began to rethink the wisdom of his decision to work for the mountaineering expeditions. Soon however, Tenzing promoted him to local porter. This allowed him to carry loads up to the higher altitudes and make additional pay. He was thrilled to also be given a complete set of mountaineering gear including jacket, pants and climbing shoes as part of his promotion. The shoes were what he treasured most since they allowed him to proudly walk the slopes with ease. Much to his dismay, all the gear was taken back by the team at the end of the expedition.

Gyalzen continued landing work as a porter, and in 1953, eager to earn a bonus offered to Sherpas who climbed the highest, he twice carried gear to Everest’s 26,200-foot South Col. He was also honored by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Coronation Medal for his part in supporting the famed Hillary expedition.

Though he never reached the summit of Everest, after more than 12 years hauling loads for eight major expeditions, Gyalzen finally saved enough money to retire from climbing. “Going on a mountain is like going to war,” he recalls. “You don’t know whether you’ll come back or not.” After retiring, he quickly turned to a safer and more lucrative occupation … carrying Nepali paper, butter and silver 3 days across the Nangpa Pass to trade in Tibet for rock salt, wool, and yaks. He also devoted time to the Sherpa community and was chosen as the Chorinba (community leader of the monastery), a role that he served in for 35 years.

Today Gyalzen lives a quiet life with his wife of 63 years, Pemba Lhaki (age 93). Although he is widely regarded as the richest man in Namche Bazaar, he spends his days in prayer, living in the same house he grew up in. He is the last of the original Sherpa climbers.


Photos of Ang Gyalzen Sherpa and Pemba Lhaki Sherpa by Joseph Puryear.