APA SHERPA
Apa (born Lhakpa Tenzing Sherpa; c. 1961),[1] nicknamed "Super Sherpa",[2] is a
Nepalese Sherpa mountaineer who holds the record for reaching the summit of
Mount Everest more times than any other person. He has climbed the mountain
twenty-one times as of May 2011. As part of The Eco Everest Expedition 2011,
Apa made his 21st Mount Everest summit in May 2011.[3]
Early life
Lhakpa Tenzing Sherpa was born in the early 1960s in Thame, a village in the
Everest region of Nepal, near the Chinese border. Following his father's death
when he was 12 years old, Apa had to take up the responsibilities of his family,
consisting of his mother, two sisters and three young brothers. He dropped out of
school and earned money working as a porter for mountaineering groups. His
climbing career began in 1985, and he worked as a kitchen boy and porter for
various groups but was not given the opportunity to reach the summit until 1990.[1]
Personal life
Apa married Yangjin, then also a resident of Thame, in 1988 and has two sons—
Tenjing and Pemba—and a daughter Dawa. The family moved to the United States
with the help of his friend Jerry Mika for business opportunities and to provide
better education for their children. They live in Draper, Utah.[4][5]
In April 2009, Apa founded the Apa Sherpa Foundation, dedicated to the
improvement of education and economic development in Nepal.[6] When not on
expeditions, Apa works for Diamond Mold, a precision machining and injection
molding company in Salt Lake City, Utah that has also supported his
foundation.[7][8][9]
Climbing career
Apa first reached the summit of Mount Everest on his fourth attempt, on May 10,
1990, with a New Zealand team led by climber Rob Hall along with Peter Hillary,
son of Edmund Hillary.[10] He then began his career as Sirdar, or chief Sherpa, for
many high altitude expeditions. He has reached the summit every year between
1990 and 2011, bar 1996 and 2001; all but three times have been in May, and in
1992 he reached the summit twice.
Apa in his May 2010 Trek says that climbing to Everest has become tough due to
the melting of ice and rock surfaces. He sees visible changes on the Everest
summit due to global warming. [11][12]
Ascents of Mount Everest
Apa has climbed Mount Everest a total of 21 times, which stands as the current
record. Aside from these 21 ascents, however, Apa has also participated in
unsuccessful attempts.
# Date Expedition
1 May 10, 1990 International
2 May 8, 1991 Sherpa Support/American Lhotse
3 May 12, 1992 New Zealand
4 October 7, 1992 Everest International
5 May 10, 1993 American
6 October 10, 1994 Everest International
7 May 15, 1995 American On Sagarmatha
8 April 26, 1997 Indonesian
9 May 20, 1998 EEE
10 May 26, 1999 Asian-Trekking
11 May 24, 2000 Everest Environmental Expedition
12 May 16, 2002 Swiss Everest 50th Anniversary Expedition 1952–2002
13 May 26, 2003 American Commemorative Expedition
14 May 17, 2004 Dream Everest Expedition 2004
15 May 31, 2005 Climbing for a cure
16 May 19, 2006 Team No Limit
17 May 16, 2007 SuperSherpas
18 May 22, 2008 The Eco Everest Expedition
19 May 21, 2009 The Eco Everest Expedition
20 May 22, 2010 The Eco Everest Expedition
21 May 11, 2011 The Eco Everest Expedition
May 2009 ascent
Apa broke his own record by reaching the summit of Everest for the nineteenth
time on May 21, 2009. He was a member of The Eco Everest Expedition, led by
Bill Burke, whose purpose was to raise awareness about climate change. The team
spent half an hour at the top of the mountain, unfurling a banner that said "Stop
Climate Change".[13] The team brought down five tonnes of mountain trash that
includes parts of a crashed helicopter, tin cans and climbing material.[2] On this
expedition, a friend and fellow Sherpa, Lhakpa Nuru, was swept away in an
avalanche on May 7, 2009, and died.[14][15]
May 2011 ascent
Apa again broke his own record by reaching the summit of Everest for the twenty-
first time on May 11, 2011.[3]
Great Himalayan Trail
On April 2012, he successfully lead the first expedition to complete the Great
Himalaya Trail, a 1,700-kilometre (1,050-mile) trek spanning the entire length of
the Nepalese Himalayas.[16] The Great Himalaya Trail is considered to be one of
the world's most difficult treks.[16] Sherpa and three companions set off in January
on the Climate Smart Celebrity Trek, an expedition promoting tourism and
highlighting the effects of climate change.[16] The adventurers set out from the
shadow of the world's third-highest peak, Mount Kanchenjunga, in the east and
finished at Nepal's border with Tibet in the west, 20 days ahead of schedule.[16]
Along the way they traversed some of the world's most rugged landscapes,
ascending beyond 6,000 metres (19,600 feet).[16] Dawa Steven Sherpa, a member
of the expedition who has climbed Everest twice, said the group found mountain
communities that rely on subsistence farming were suffering the effects of climate
change.[16]
