Everest Legend's Final Farewell: Nepal Honors Last 1953 Expedition Survivor

Sherpa was part of the expedition team led by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa. He spent his final days in his ancestral home in Namche Bazaar, the gateway to Everest.

"Kancha 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," Phur Gyalje Sherpa, President of the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA), told ANI.

Born in 1932 in Namche, Kancha 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 Tenzing Norgay, who recognized him as the son of a fellow mountaineer from the 1952 Everest expedition from Tibet. Impressed by his dedication, Tenzing helped him join Sir Edmund Hillary's 1953 expedition as one of 103 Sherpas, earning five rupees a day.

Kancha 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.

Although he did not reach the summit, Kancha played a crucial role in the success of the expedition. He climbed as far as the last camp, now known as the South Summit.

"He gave his best during the first ascent of Mount Everest for both Tenzing 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," Phur Gyalje Sherpa added.

In a 2020 interview with Nepal's state news agency, Rastriya Samachar Samiti, Kancha 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.

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, Kancha said, were 25 bags filled solely with cash for expedition expenses.

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," Kancha had told the state news agency.

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 Tenzing 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," Kancha recalled.

For his efforts, he was paid eight Nepali rupees a day.

- ANI