Phurba Tashi

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Phurba Tashi
Known for21 ascents of Mount Everest[1]

Phurba Tashi Sherpa Mendewa (Nepali: फूर्वा तासी शेर्पा, 1971)[1] is a Nepalese Sherpa mountaineer known for his numerous ascents of major Himalayan peaks. These include 21 ascents of Mount Everest,[2] five on Cho Oyu, two on Manaslu, and one each on Shishapangma and Lhotse.

2007 to 2013[edit]

In 2007, he reached the summit three times in that single season.[3]

In 2009 Tashi was featured in the Discovery Channel series Everest: Beyond the Limit.[4] He has reached the summit of Mount Everest 21 times.[1][5][6] He lives in Khumjung, Nepal.[7]

In the first season of the Discovery Channel series (2006), he was shown carrying double-amputee Mark Inglis down a portion of the lower descent on his back. In 2007, as a result of urging by expedition leader Russell Brice, Tashi agreed to accompany David Tait on his mission to complete the first double traverse of Everest, climbing the north route to the summit, descending on the south side, resting for three days, and then repeating the trip in reverse. Once at Base Camp on the south side of the mountain, however, Tait decided to bow out of the return traverse. Tait said that his decision was influenced by his belief that Phurba Tashi was a far superior climber and would have allowed him all the glory had they continued.[6][8] Tait summited Everest for a third time in May 2009, again accompanied by Tashi (his 15th summit).[8]

Phurba Tashi completed his 21st summit of Mount Everest in May 2013 while working for Kishan Rai Mountain Experience, matching the record then held by Apa Sherpa.[9] In 2017, he was still one of the record holders of the number of summits on Mount Everest but the record was broken in 2018 by Kami Rita Sherpa.[10][11]

2014 and subsequent years[edit]

A crew was filming on Everest in 2014, planning to chronicle the work of Phurba Tashi. However, the 2014 Mount Everest ice avalanche caused the producers to change the focus to covering the aftermath of the tragic event. Nonetheless, Phurba Tashi was featured prominently in the documentary released in 2015 as Sherpa.[12][13]

Phurba Tashi retired from climbing Everest after the 2014 season but, "Everest Yak" as he is known, was the head Sherpa for Himalayan Experience/Himex, an Everest climbing company as of 2015.[14] However, the 2015 season was cancelled due to avalanches in the wake of the April 2015 Nepal earthquake.

Phurba Tashi's life was changed again by the 2015 earthquake that also affected his village of Khumjung. "Everything I worked for was destroyed in a minute", he said after the loss of his eight-bedroom trekking lodge in Khumjung, Nepal and the extensive damage to his house.[15] (Mountaineering is also a dangerous occupation. The April 2014 avalanche on Everest killed 16 Sherpas;[16] in 2015, 10 Sherpas died at the Everest Base Camp after the earthquake. In total, 118 Sherpas have died on this mountain between 1921 and 2018.)[17][18]

In 2015, he lost both of his parents.[19] Phurba was interviewed at the “Tashi Friendship Lodge” in Khumjung village by Deutsche Welle Adventure sports blogger Stefan Nestler.[19] In 2016, Tashi stayed at base camp and worked for Russell Brice with his Himex guide firm.[19]

A 2018 report stated that as of April of that year, he was continuing to work at Everest’s Base Camp, helping organize expeditions with Brice's Himex company.[20]

Everest summits[edit]

Mount Everest
  1. May 24, 1999 [5]
  2. May 27, 2001[5]
  3. May 17, 2002[5]
  4. May 25, 2002[5]
  5. September 8, 2002[5]
  6. May 22, 2003[5]
  7. May 31, 2003[5]
  8. May 23, 2004[5]
  9. June 4, 2005[5]
  10. April 30, 2006[5]
  11. April 30, 2007[5]
  12. May 15, 2007[5]
  13. June 14, 2007[5]
  14. May 5, 2009[21]
  15. May 21, 2009[21]
  16. May 5, 2010[21]
  17. May 22, 2010[21]
  18. May 5, 2011[22]
  19. May 20, 2011[23]
  20. May 10, 2013[24]
  21. May 24, 2013 (21st Everest summiting)[24]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "Himalayan Experience (Himex) Climbing Sherpas: Phurba Tashi".
  2. ^ "PeakFreaks 14 safe summits". May 19, 2013.
  3. ^ "PHURBA TASHI SHERPA – Sherpa".
  4. ^ "Discovery Channel : Beyond the Limit".
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "8000ers climbing records: Phurba Tashi". Apr 17, 2008.
  6. ^ a b "Phurba Tashi Superstar". April 10, 2009.
  7. ^ "Alpen Glow Expeditions: Phurba Tashi". 2012. Archived from the original on June 30, 2012.
  8. ^ a b "Everest 2013: Interview with David Tait, Mr. Traverse is Back". 13 February 2013.
  9. ^ "Phurba Tashi climbs Everest for 21st time, equals record - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 2019-05-19.
  10. ^ "Kami Rita Sherpa scales Mt Everest for record 22 times". The Himalayan Times. Retrieved 2023-08-01.
  11. ^ "Sherpa eyes record-breaking 22nd Everest climb". Gulf Times. Retrieved 2023-08-01.
  12. ^ "PHURBA TASHI SHERPA – Sherpa".
  13. ^ "Discovery Channel's Sherpa Tells the Harrowing Story of the 2014 Tragedy on Mt. Everest Through the Eyes of the Sherpas, the Men Who Risk Their Lives Each Climbing Season when It Airs April 23 – Discovery, Inc".
  14. ^ "This veteran Sherpa is trying to reach the top of Everest for a record-breaking 22nd time". Independent.co.uk. 11 April 2018.
  15. ^ MacAskill, Andrew (20 December 2015). "Nepal climbers face ruin after quake, blockade hits Everest industry". Reuters.
  16. ^ "Apa Sherpa: After deadly avalanche, 'leave Everest alone'".
  17. ^ "Everest 2018: Summit Wave 9 Recap - More Sherpa Deaths with Summits". 22 May 2018.
  18. ^ "Will Everest's Climbing Circus Slow Down After Disasters?". 13 May 2015. Archived from the original on May 15, 2015.
  19. ^ a b c ""The Everest record means nothing to me" - Mount Everest - Adventure Sports - DW.COM". Archived from the original on 2016-09-20. Retrieved 2016-06-13.
  20. ^ "This veteran Sherpa is trying to reach the top of Everest for a record-breaking 22nd time". Independent.co.uk. 11 April 2018.
  21. ^ a b c d 8000er Statistics by Eberhard Jurgalski (Everest)
  22. ^ HD - Spring 2011 - A6
  23. ^ HD - Spring 2011 - A11
  24. ^ a b "Phurba Tashi climbs Everest for 21st time, equals record - Times of India". The Times of India.
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