Climbing
Kanchha Sherpa, a high-altitude porter on the famed first successful ascent of the world’s highest peak, has passed away. Phur Gelje Sherpa, president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association, said in a statement that Kanchaa passed away in his home of Kapan, Nepal, on Thursday, October 16. Kanchha was a member of Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay’s ascent of Everest. While only Hillary and Norgay stood atop the world’s highest peak, it took hundreds to make the summit many said was impossible a reality.
Kanchha was born in Namche, Nepal, in 1933 on an unknown date. He never originally planned to be a climber; rather, he traveled to India in search of work and so happened to fall into climbing the world’s highest peak. Kanchha was born with the right set of skills and genes, however. The Sherpa people have long been revered for their skills in the mountains and superhuman ability to adapt to high altitude, low oxygen environments.
Kanchaa joined the expedition in 1953 as a porter, where he was employed to haul over 60 pounds of climbing gear up the 29,032-foot peak. He also scouted the trail and set fixed ropes for climbers to follow safely towards the summit. Kanchaa made it as high as camp four on Everest, at a staggering elevation of 26,000 feet. It was at that elevation that Kanchaa’s journey ended, as he was employed to bring the necessary gear to the highest camp, while Norgay and Hillary continued on to the summit.
Kanchaa and the rest of the Sherpas celebrated at the roof of the world when the news came that the duo had successfully summited. “We danced, hugged and kissed, it was a moment of pure joy,” Kanchha reminisced in a statement to the Everest Chronicle.
After his massive achievement, Kanchaa continued to climb in the region until 1970, when a fatal avalanche caused him and his family to reevaluate his lifestyle. He spent his remaining years guiding treks in the lower altitude valleys of the region.
A true man of the mountains, Kanchaa expressed his concern over the overcrowding of Everest and the environmental impacts that have been affecting the region as a result. Though he wanted a cleaner and better-regulated Everest, Kanchaa was a realist. In a statement to Climate Wire, he said, “If we stop the tourists to save the mountains, we don’t have anything to do. Just grow potatoes and eat and sit.”
Kanchaa is survived by his two daughters, four sons, eight grandchildren, one great-granddaughter, and his wife, Ang Lhakpa Sherpa. A true pioneer of the climbing community, Kanchaa will be remembered for his achievements in the Himalayas and beyond.
