Indonesian Everest team impresses Apa Sherpa
By Rudi Nurcahyo
KATHMANDU, Nepal (JP): "I have often worked with foreign teams climbing Mount Everest. With the Indonesian team, however, I found something special that other teams do not have," said Apa Sherpa at the farewell evening in Hotel Ghauri Shankar in Kathmandu.
"I have been working with Indonesians for the past six months. It has been a very pleasurable experience. Indonesians are very friendly and helpful," Apa said.
"When climbing a mountain over 8,000 meters in altitude, one usually encounters extremely tough conditions. At that time people's characters will show through. The Indonesian climbers maintained their friendliness at that altitude," Apa said.
Apa Sherpa is a seasoned guide who has reached the top of Mount Everest eight times in his ten year mountain climbing career. Apart from Everest he has climbed Annapurna I (8,091 m), Dhaulagiri I (8,167 m) and Cho Oyu (8,201 m).
In 1985 Apa worked as a kitchen boy. After two years he decided to climb Mount Everest. A sherpa, Ang Purba, living in the same village of Thame, gave him important mountain climbing lessons. Thame is located at an altitude of more than 3,900 m, three hours from Namche Bazaar, the town which famous climbing sherpas like Sudari Sherpa, Ang Rita Sherpa (who has reached the Everest summit ten times), Ang Purba Sherpa, and Dawa Nuru Sherpa hail from. Dawa Nuru Sherpa is one of the sherpas who, with Apa Sherpa, accompanied our climbers to the Everest top on March 26, 1997.
Like the average ethnic Sherpa, Apa Sherpa is very humble and kind. We would never have guessed that he was a skillful climber who had climbed Everest eight times.
He is very helpful and even accompanied me when I was looking for equipment in Thamel village, one of the places in Kathmandu frequented by tourists, and which sells climbing gear, both locally made and foreign produced.
Apa Sherpa is married with two sons and two daughters. His wife has not given him her blessing to climb mountains, especially Mount Everest which has claimed many victims - mainly sherpas. Apa has been in professional mountain climbing since he was 12, when his father died.
Apa's first venture to climb Everest was in 1987 with Japanese climbers. The attempt resulted in only reaching the South Col (7,986 m). Yet it was a valuable experience.
Apa Sherpa reached the South Col four times in 1987, while transporting expedition material in preparation for climbing the summit. But very bad weather had impeded the endeavors. Nevertheless, he gained self-confidence and hoped to become a famous sherpa climber like his idol Ang Rita Sherpa.
Apa's earnings from mountain climbing are sufficient to provide for his family. He acknowledges that his income is substantially lower than that of foreign climbers/guides whose work is lighter than that of the sherpas. The sherpa's start work at the preparatory stage of the expedition and continue until the termination of the track.
A sherpa often has to go up and down the mountain in support of the team's that are climbing, and come to the rescue if an accident happens to an expedition team member. Apa's income is not sufficient enough to buy adequate snow climbing equipment. Apa hopes that some day an organization will be established to accommodate all sherpas to channel their aspirations for the purpose of gaining better work conditions.
Through the organization it is hoped that the standard fee for sherpas will be uniform and commensurate with the work. Unhealthy competition among sherpas has created non-standard fees.
Apa Sherpa does not want his children to follow in his footsteps as a mountain climber/guide. When he decided to work as a kitchen boy it was due to the family's dire financial conditions. In that critical situation Apa emerged as a hero.
The conditions in his family now are different. Apa is convinced he is capable of providing his children with various basic needs--clothes, food and housing -- as well as education, which he believes is a basic capital for life. This is also the reason why he will not allow his children to go into mountain climbing.
His most impressive experience was when he was climbing Mount Annapurna I (8,091 m) through the South Face Route. The route is difficult and only some skillful climbers have succeeded in passing it. Apa hopes that he will still be given the opportunity to climb high mountains of more than 8,000 m altitude through intricate routes. Another difficult passage he once endeavored was the North Face Route with a Swiss team under the alpine tactic system (climbing to reach the summit transporting all equipment including the logistics).
As far as Everest is concerned, he hopes to climb the summit another five times, targeting a total of 13 times. By achieving that feat he will break the record of 10 times held by his idol. Apa Sherpa is never afraid of climbing the Everest. Over time his confidence has grown. When asked what his feelings were at the top of the mountain, he replied, : "I want to be here more often ..." Well, Apa, we hope that you will achieve what you have set out to do and that you will return safely. Good luck.
The writer is a member of the 1997 Indonesian Everest Team.