Kanchha Sherpa, last surviving member of 1953 Everest expedition, dies at 92 in Nepal
A lifelong mountaineer and guide, Kanchha Sherpa played a crucial role as a high-altitude porter, helping establish the route still used by climbers today.
Kanchha Sherpa, the last surviving member of the mountaineering team that first conquered Mount Everest in 1953, died early Thursday at his home in Kapan, Kathmandu district, Nepal. He was 92, according to the Nepal Mountaineering Association.
“He passed away peacefully at his residence,” said Phur Gelje Sherpa, president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association. “A chapter of the mountaineering history has vanished with him.”
Kanchha’s last rites will be held on Monday.
Part of historic 1953 Everest summit
Kanchha Sherpa was among the 35-member team that helped New Zealander Edmund Hillary and his Sherpa guide Tenzing Norgay reach the summit of Mount Everest on May 29, 1953. He was one of three Sherpas to reach the final camp below the summit, above the 7,900-meter South Col.
Although he never reached the summit himself due to his wife’s concerns over the risks, Kanchha played a vital role as a high-altitude porter and guide.
Lifelong mountaineer and guide
Kanchha began mountaineering at 19 and remained active in the expedition sector until the age of 50. Over the years, he participated in multiple Everest climbs and helped establish the route still used today from base camp to the summit, except for the Khumbu Icefall, which shifts annually.
Early life and path to mountaineering
Born in 1933 in Namche, in the Everest foothills, Kanchha grew up in a community of potato farmers and yak herders. He initially earned a living trading potatoes in Tibet before being persuaded to train as a mountaineer in Darjeeling, India.
His father’s friendship with Tenzing Norgay secured Kanchha a role in the historic 1953 expedition.
Concerns about Everest tourism
Later in life, Kanchha voiced concerns about overcrowding and environmental degradation on Mount Everest. He urged climbers to respect the mountain, revered by Sherpas as the mother goddess Qomolangma.
“It would be better for the mountain to reduce the number of climbers… People smoke and eat meat and throw them on the mountain,” he said in a March 2024 interview.
Honors and legacy
In 2013, Kanchha was honored during the 50th anniversary of Everest’s first ascent by the Nepalese government, joining relatives of Hillary and Tenzing in a ceremonial chariot through Kathmandu.
In retirement, he lived in Namche, where his family runs a small hotel for trekkers and climbers.
Family survivors
Kanchha Sherpa is survived by his wife, four sons, two daughters, and grandchildren. His passing marks the end of the last living link to the team that achieved one of humanity’s most iconic mountaineering feats.
(With AP inputs)