Nepal Bids Farewell To Legendary Mountaineer Kancha Sherpa, Part of Hillary-Tenzing Ascent

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<p class=”pf0″><span class=”cf0″>Kathmandu: The last rites of </span><span class=”cf0″>Kancha</span><span class=”cf0″> Sherpa, the last living member of the 1953 Everest expedition, were performed with state honors. He breathed his last at the age of 92 at his private residence in Kathmandu.</span></p>
<p class=”pf0″><span class=”cf0″>Sherpa was part of the expedition team led by Sir Edmund Hillary and </span><span class=”cf0″>Tenzing</span><span class=”cf0″> Norgay Sherpa. He spent his final days in his ancestral home in Namche Bazaar, the gateway to Everest.</span></p>
<p class=”pf0″><span class=”cf0″>”</span><span class=”cf0″>Kancha</span><span class=”cf0″> Sherpa is a legendary climber. He is known all over the world. He was the only climber alive from the first ascent of Everest. He is our godfather for the entire mountain tourism industry, climbers and the mountain adventure community. He is a legendary figure who worked hard to make the climbing industry popular across the world and helped the tourism industry of Nepal to flourish,” </span><span class=”cf0″>Phur</span> <span class=”cf0″>Gyalje</span><span class=”cf0″> Sherpa, President of the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA), told ANI.</span></p>
<p class=”pf0″><span class=”cf0″>Born in 1932 in Namche, </span><span class=”cf0″>Kancha</span><span class=”cf0″> Sherpa began his mountaineering journey at the age of 19 when he ran away from home to Darjeeling in search of work. There, he met </span><span class=”cf0″>Tenzing</span><span class=”cf0″> Norgay, who recognized him as the son of a fellow mountaineer from the 1952 Everest expedition from Tibet. Impressed by his dedication, </span><span class=”cf0″>Tenzing</span><span class=”cf0″> helped him join Sir Edmund Hillary’s 1953 expedition as one of 103 Sherpas, earning five rupees a day.</span></p>
<p class=”pf0″><span class=”cf0″>Kancha</span><span class=”cf0″> Sherpa continued to work on mountaineering expeditions until 1973, before retiring at the request of his wife. He later worked with trekking groups, guiding trekkers through the Himalayas without venturing to extreme altitudes.</span></p>
<p class=”pf0″><span class=”cf0″>Although he did not reach the summit, </span><span class=”cf0″>Kancha</span><span class=”cf0″> played a crucial role in the success of the expedition. He climbed as far as the last camp, now known as the South Summit.</span></p>
<p class=”pf0″><span class=”cf0″>”He gave his best during the first ascent of Mount Everest for both </span><span class=”cf0″>Tenzing</span><span class=”cf0″> Norgay Sherpa and Sir Edmund Hillary. Because of his support, they were able to make the summit; without him, it would not have been possible. That is how he became one of the most important figures in Nepal’s mountaineering and tourism industry,” </span><span class=”cf0″>Phur</span> <span class=”cf0″>Gyalje</span><span class=”cf0″> Sherpa added.</span></p>
<p class=”pf0″><span class=”cf0″>In a 2020 interview with Nepal’s state news agency, Rastriya Samachar Samiti, </span><span class=”cf0″>Kancha</span><span class=”cf0″> reminisced about the expedition’s early days. He said the team departed from Bhaktapur with 35 climbers and about 400 porters, who carried heavy loads on foot, in waves of 100 men per day. “There were no roads, no hotels, just trails and roasted corn to eat,” he recalled.</span></p>
<p class=”pf0″><span class=”cf0″>The group took 16 days to reach Namche Bazaar. From there, only the climbers and local Sherpas continued, supported by yaks, reaching Everest Base Camp in another six days. Among their gear, </span><span class=”cf0″>Kancha</span><span class=”cf0″> said, were 25 bags filled solely with cash for expedition expenses.</span></p>
<p class=”pf0″><span class=”cf0″>One of the biggest challenges was building the path to Camp 1. At the Khumbu Icefall, the team encountered a massive crevasse with no way to cross. “We had no ladders. So we hiked back to Namche, cut ten pine trees, carried them up, and made a wooden bridge,” </span><span class=”cf0″>Kancha</span><span class=”cf0″> had told the state news agency.</span></p>
<p class=”pf0″><span class=”cf0″>He noted that at the time, Everest was not yet officially called Sagarmatha in Nepali, locals knew it as Chomolungma. After establishing Camp 4, Hillary and </span><span class=”cf0″>Tenzing</span><span class=”cf0″> pushed ahead. On May 29, 1953, around 1 p.m., a radio message confirmed their success. “We danced, hugged, and kissed. It was a moment of pure joy,” </span><span class=”cf0″>Kancha</span><span class=”cf0″> recalled.</span></p>
<p class=”pf0″><span class=”cf0″>For his efforts, he was paid eight Nepali rupees a day.</span></p>
<p class=”pf0″><strong><em><span class=”cf0″>(This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)</span></em></strong></p>
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