Requiring immense physical endurance and mental resilience, reaching the peak is no easy feat – although the view from the top is said to be breathtaking, literally and figuratively, and more than worth the effort.
Tendi Sherpa has beheld this glorious view not twice, not three or four times, but an astonishing 17 times!
In Kuala Lumpur recently upon the invitation of Jabatan Perhutanan Semenanjung Malaysia and Universal Fitness & Leisure (UFL), the jovial 41-year-old regaled the media with candid and amusing anecdotes about his life as a mountain guide.
With Everest, there are many experiences you undergo, like ladders (used to cross crevasses), which you can’t really find elsewhere. And if you climb on a day when the mountain is not congested and the weather is beautiful… it’s a sight you’ll always remember.
Tendi, who speaks 10 languages including Tibetan, Sherpa, French, Spanish and Portuguese, was born in a mountain village in the Sankhuwasabha district east of Nepal. This village was so remote, he said, it would take him two days of travel to reach the nearest school.
Unwilling to be apart from his family for so long, Tendi eventually dropped out and became a monk. But as he grew older, he was filled with a desire to see the world and decided to follow in his father’s footsteps as a mountain porter.
This proved to be a highly strenuous job: Tendi had to carry loads of 43kg for up to 15 hours every day for 26 days. The heaviest he has ever had to carry was 74kg – he still winces today as he recalls the weight upon his shoulders!
When he was 20, Tendi had the opportunity to serve as a climbing sherpa on Everest. A Japanese expedition had organised a cleaning campaign there and needed his help.
Some people would have baulked at the idea of collecting garbage on a mountain, but Tendi was honoured.
he said.We sherpa have a very deep connection with Mount Everest. We consider it a sacred and holy mountain. So when they invited me to work and clean it, I couldn’t be happier. For the 90 days I worked on the mountain, every day felt new to me,
Tendi reached the summit of Mount Everest for the first time in 2004, and seven years later became a qualified mountain guide. Since then, he has spent much of his life guiding climbers to the summit.
While the job has its highs (pun not intended), Tendi stressed that mountaineering can also be very challenging, as the smallest mistake could have deadly consequences.
He spoke of an incident in 2004, during which he had almost fallen to his death. The crampons – used for traction – on his boots had fallen off, and he plunged 250m down a chasm. Fortunately, he landed on a ledge and was spared.
Tendi said.Every morning, as I leave my tent, I will touch my sleeping bag and pray: ‘Please let me come back safely tonight, so I can sleep in this warm sleeping bag.’ Being a climbing sherpa has shown me how important life is and has taught me to appreciate what I have,
His advice for aspiring climbers is to make adequate preparations before any expedition, and to never be overconfident, no matter how much experience you have.
Scaling the world’s tallest mountain numerous times has not only infused Tendi with a sense of satisfaction, it has also helped him give back to his community. For example, he has built two suspension bridges back in his hometown to provide the residents with safe travel, especially during the monsoon season.
And in 2005, he started a scholarship programme, which has since supported about 70 children with their studies.
he said.I’m happy to see these children now on their way to becoming doctors, engineers, schoolteachers and more,
Seeing these changes in their lives, it makes me happier than standing on the summit of Everest.- - FMT
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