Nepal quake deals fresh blow to Sherpas’ livelihoods

The magnitude 7.8 earthquake in April further jeopardised the jobs of hundreds of Sherpa families who were already suffering from last year's avalanche accident that forced a shutdown of Everest.

In this photograph taken on April 26, 2015, Buddhst prayer flags flutter in the wind near tents as a rescue helicopter takes off from Everest base camp, after an earthquake-triggered avalanche crashedShow more

NEW DELHI // This is the time of year when Nepal’s Sherpa community prepares for busy weeks of doing what they do best: guiding mountaineers up some of the highest peaks in the Himalayas.

But the avalanches on Mount Everest triggered by the April 25 earthquake have ruled out any climbing this summer, jeopardising the livelihoods of hundreds of families for a second year in a row.

“It’ll be dangerous to try climbing again this year,” said Shyam Tamang, a Sherpa who was guiding an expedition in the Mustang valley in the Himalayas when the quake hit. “But that also means I won’t be able to work at all. It’s going to be difficult. I don’t know what I’ll do.”

Mr Tamang returned from the expedition to find that his family’s house in the village of Nuwakot had been destroyed. His father died of injuries from the quake.

In April last year an avalanche on the southern side of Mount Everest killed 16 Sherpas – the worst accident on the mountain until this year, when 19 people died in the avalanches triggered by the earthquake.

The 2014 tragedy led to a shutdown of Everest. Climbing companies cancelled planned ascents, and the Sherpas observed a season of mourning for their colleagues.

This year too, climbers will be reluctant to venture on to Everest, fearing aftershocks or further avalanches, said Sujoy Das, a photographer and mountaineer based in Kolkata.

Mr Das, who led the Mustang valley expedition that Mr Tamang was accompanying, had planned to lead a trek on Manaslu, the world’s eighth-highest mountain, next month.

“I think this year has had it,” he said. “It’s not just the trek itself. Kathmandu itself is so badly hit that it is very difficult to organise any sort of infrastructure.

“Of course, given the fact that the Sherpas have been affected very badly, because all their villages have been hit, you won’t be able to get them to come and help you.”

Nepal’s government has not yet officially closed Everest to climbers, from whom it earns roughly US$3.3 million (Dh12m) a year in fees.

But Kapindra Rai, a spokesman for the government agency that ensures Everest is made ready for climbers, told the Associated Press on Monday that the route through the perilous Khumbu Icefall, just above base camp, had been destroyed.

The advent of the summer, and the rainy season that follows, will complicate any effort to prepare a new route through the Khumbu Icefall, Mr Rai said. “It is just not possible to rebuild the route in time for climbers to attempt to scale the peak.”

More than 300 foreigners reach the summit of Everest every year. At least another 700 more make unsuccessful attempts, bringing the total number of foreign climbers on Everest to more than a thousand every year.

Each of these climbers pays a $11,000 fee to the government. They also pay out thousands of dollars more to climbing agencies and to Sherpas who accompany them, apart from spending money on local porters, hotels and guesthouses, tea rooms, supplies and calls from phone kiosks.

Sherpa charges vary, depending upon experience. They can make $3,000-5,000 per season, and possibly more in bonuses if they assist in a successful ascent. Nepal’s average income per capita is roughly $660, according to the United Nations.

“When Shyam went back to his village, we all gave him whatever money we had on hand,” Mr Das said. “When I asked him what he would do this season, he said: ‘I need money, but nobody will come to trek. So I’ll be helpless. What will I do?’”