Indonesian Everest team impresses Apa Sherpa

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.