If traffic jam, inexperienced climbers getting in trouble, littering & trash, deaths – all of this wasn’t enough – the “fake summits” issue has reared it’s ugly head again on Everest. Three mountain climbers claimed to have reached the top of Everest from the Nepal side on May 26th, however an investigation by a leading daily in Nepal shows that they did not. And these climbers happen to be from India. Alan Arnette, a fellow mountaineer and one of the most famous chroniclers of Everest, did a story on this fake claim, and one of his views is that such issues happen with Indian climbers often because there’s a prevalent myth that by climbing Everest they will become rich and famous. In part I agree with this, but in part I disagree as well. Yes this happens, at the same time there are many strong and passionate climbers across India, who I have personally had a privilege to climb alongside, who are doing amazing climbs across the world, and are also excelling on Everest by climbing it in a very conscious, safe and reliable fashion and have got nothing to do with money and fame!
Kuntal Joisher and Mingma Tenzi Sherpa on top of Everest – May 23, 2019
Also in last few years of my climbing, I have observed that it has become a fashion among the Indian Everest community to blame the Sherpa guides for their failures and troubles on the mountain. “I did not summit because my Sherpa abandoned me, I got frost-bitten because my Sherpa was inexperienced, so on and so forth”. Remember your Sherpa guide is not your Siamese twin. He has a family and very much wants to stay alive. If you don’t listen to your Sherpa, and then get in trouble and then expect your Sherpa to give up their share of oxygen and even risk their life – it’s unfair. Everyone coming on Everest needs to be a self reliant climber and needs to know when to move forward, when to stop, what to do in case of emergency, how to handle and debug oxygen system issues etc. If at every anchor point you need your Sherpa to change your jumar – Think again – Why are you even there???
Every time someone blames their Sherpa – I am like – who fixed the rope, pitched your tent, made water for you, cooked your food? Think! And personally I remember how selfless Mingma Tenzi Sherpa saved my fingers from sure shot frostbite by offering his mittens to me 600 feet short of summit of Everest in 2016. IMO – if there are any true superman and heroes in the Everest scene – they are the Sherpa people! A big Kudos and big Thank you to them!