Ten years ago, Nepali mountain guide Dawa Tashi Sherpa was fighting for his life after an avalanche hit Everest, then the world’s highest mountain.
The accident that killed 16 Nepali guides on April 18, 2014, shed light on the great dangers they face in helping high-paying foreign clients achieve their dreams.
Without the critical work of creating climbing routes, repairing ropes, mending ladders, and hauling heavy equipment up the mountain, very few foreign visitors would have been able to reach this daunting peak.
Ten years ago, a wall of snow passed through Nepali guides as they hoisted heavy gear up the treacherous high-altitude Khumbu icefall in freezing darkness.
The force of the avalanche threw Dawa Tashi about 10 meters (33 feet) down, injuring his ribcage, left shoulder blade and nose.
Dawa Tashi, then 22 years old, remembered her dead friends. The bodies of the three were never found.
“I was lucky to survive,” he told AFP. “Every time I tried to sleep in the hospital, they appeared before my eyes.”
The disaster led to protests for improved rights and conditions for guides and an unprecedented season-long closure at the peak.
– ‘Tipping point’ –
It sparked a debate over compensation to families of injured or killed Nepali guides and mountain workers.
Many are forced to rely on assistance from Western climbers, even though they are employed by expedition companies and are fundamental to the success of the multimillion-dollar industry.
“It was very difficult then,” said Nima Doma Sherpa, who lost her 33-year-old husband, Tsering Onchu, in the avalanche.
“What can you do when the main pillar of your home is not there? The children were young and I was worried about how to educate them and how to support ourselves.”
The government generates huge revenues from the lucrative climbing industry; In his final season in 2023, Everest generated more than $5 million in revenue from fees alone.
Shortly after the crash in 2014, as little as $400 was donated to the families of the dead to cover funeral expenses.
The offer was rejected by angry Nepalis whose families received only $10,000 in life insurance at the time.
The violent dispute, which erupted as Nepalis demanded better death and injury benefits from the government, led to days of tension in the base camp.
Grieving over the death of their colleague, Sherpa guides threatened to boycott the climb, disrupting the climbers’ plans and canceling the season.
“This was a tipping point for disillusioned young Sherpas,” said Sumit Joshi of Himalayan Ascent, an expedition operator who lost three guides from his team in an avalanche that year.
Since then, Everest teams have not climbed on the anniversary date.
“Ten years later, there is an improvement in working conditions and respect for them,” he said.
– Required safety standards –
In 2014, protesters at Everest base camp made various demands.
These included an improvement in insurance payments and a relief fund from mountain royalties.
“We were advocating for Nepali climbers to ensure they got as many benefits as possible,” said Ang Tshering Sherpa, who headed the Nepal Mountaineering Association at the time.
“But not all demands could be met because there were limitations.”
The insurance payout in case someone dies has been increased by 50 percent to 1.5 million Nepalese rupees ($11,250).
Helicopters are now allowed to carry supplies to high camps, reducing the number of journeys Nepalis make across the treacherous Khumbu glaciers.
Nepali companies displaced foreign operators to bring in the majority of climbers, and pay and conditions for guides at larger firms improved.
But guide Mingma G Sherpa said little had changed.
“They protested, but it was limited to the base camp,” he said. “The point is that government policies are still not good… We really need to set a standard for climbers to make the mountains safer.”
– ‘The spouses do not agree’ –
In 2015, a powerful earthquake triggered an avalanche at Everest’s base camp that killed 18 people before the climbing season began.
Last year’s season began with the death of three Nepali climbers carrying expedition equipment when they were swept into a crevasse by falling glacier ice.
Mingma G Sherpa said many local guides have left the industry.
“The number of Sherpas has decreased significantly. Now companies have to look for Sherpas. In the past, Sherpas had to move around looking for work,” he said.
“We want to go climbing because we know the environment there, but family members do not want to go. Mothers and wives do not agree.”
Survivor Dawa Tashi, who started trekking at the age of 11, still guides climbers and returned to Everest in 2021.
It is preparing to take six Americans to the central Mera summit, 6,461 meters high.
“There have been improvements after the disaster, but not enough,” he said, pointing to the $11,000 fee each foreigner pays the government to climb Everest.
“The government… should provide funds to maintain manpower,” he said.
“Customers will happily pay this money knowing it will be used to maintain their teams.”
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