Kanchha Sherpa, last surviving member of first Everest expedition, dies at 92

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Kanchha Sherpa, last surviving member of first Everest expedition, dies at 92

1 month ago

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Kanchha Sherpa, last surviving member of first Everest expedition, dies at 92

Credited from: ALJAZEERA

Kanchha Sherpa, last surviving member of 1953 Everest expedition, has died at 92.
He played a crucial role in the historic summit led by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay.
His passing marks the end of an era in mountaineering history.
Sherpa expressed concerns about overcrowding and pollution on Everest in later years.

Kanchha Sherpa, the last surviving member of the first expedition to successfully scale Mount Everest, died at the age of 92 in Kathmandu, Nepal. His family reported that he had been unwell for some time before his passing. Kanchha, who had participated in the historic 1953 expedition which successfully placed New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay on the summit, was described as a “historic and legendary figure” by the Nepal Mountaineering Association, highlighting his significant role in mountaineering history, according to Los Angeles Times and South China Morning Post.

Born in 1933 in the village of Namche, Kanchha Sherpa began mountaineering at the age of 19, quickly making a name for himself as a high-altitude porter during the perilous expeditions in the Himalayan region. Although he did not summit Everest himself due to family concerns over safety, he remained active in mountaineering until the age of 50. His lifelong engagement with the mountain and the climbing community earned him the respect and admiration of fellow Sherpas and climbers alike, according to Al Jazeera and BBC.

South China Morning Post and Los Angeles Times.

BBC and Al Jazeera.