Everest climbing-guide services — often provided by people of the Sherpa ethnic group — can cost $10,000 per expedition. At this price, the guide takes responsibility for climbers' lives as well as their own. They lead mountaineers to the top of the world, carrying heavy loads and providing emergency services. This is one of the most dangerous jobs on the planet. Of the 332 people who died climbing Everest between 1921 and spring 2023, over a third were mountain guides.
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00:00 A small shift of this ladder can turn catastrophic in a matter of seconds.
00:20 Navigating this path safely is the responsibility of Everest climbing guides, many of whom are
00:27 ethnic Sherpas who earn four to ten thousand dollars per climb. But usually these guides
00:34 can count on only one expedition per year. The job is one of the most dangerous in the world.
00:41 And while 2023 saw the most climbers on record, it also saw the most deaths.
00:56 332 people have been lost to Everest in the last century. Over a third of them were mountain guides.
01:04 It's 2 a.m at base camp and Phurba Wangchu Sherpa
01:12 is leading a team of guides and climbers of the world's tallest mountain.
01:16 Phurba Wangchu has touched Everest's peak 14 times already.
01:37 [foreign language]
01:49 [foreign language]
02:12 [music]
02:24 He begins every climb with a puja ceremony, praying for safe passage and paying respect
02:31 to the mountain. Even with his success rate, he never underestimates the deadly risks.
02:38 [foreign language]
02:52 Over the next several weeks, this group of 16 will climb for hours on end in total darkness,
03:02 face the threat of avalanches and storms and cross deadly passageways. Phurba Wangchu and his
03:10 team of experienced guides are their best chance of making it to the summit and surviving.
03:15 It gives you a lot of confidence. You know, when your Sherpa has 15, 16 summits like some of these
03:22 Sherpas here, when you're at high altitude and you're in those situations and they tell you,
03:27 you know, it's okay, it's going to be okay, it's very reassuring that they've summited so many
03:32 times. It's more than just mentally reassuring. On the mountain, the choices guides make directly
03:40 affect whether a climber lives. The next morning, another group of climbers is gearing up for its
03:52 expedition. It takes a bit of time, not to put it, but it saves your foot on the minus 30 or 50
04:03 sometimes. Near base camp at 5,364 meters, climbing guides lead a vital training course.
04:13 Without this refresher, climbers won't know how to work with their specific expedition team.
04:21 The guides are using the limited time they have today to review how best to handle steep inclines
04:26 and to teach this team how to problem solve on the spot.
04:30 The course is one of the services included in a mountain guides cost. Guides only work with experienced climbers.
04:48 I think if you are talking about high altitude mountaineering, it's important to have a good
04:54 knowledge of the terrain and the terrain. It's important to have a good knowledge of the terrain
05:01 and the terrain. It's important to have a good knowledge of the terrain and the terrain.
05:07 It's important to have a good knowledge of the terrain and the terrain.
05:13 I think if you are talking about high altitude mountaineering, it's important to do this at least every six months.
05:22 It keeps your body ready for a lack of oxygen.
05:25 I came here by helicopter, which was not the best idea. The first days were quite hard.
05:34 It'll be Ismail's second attempt at summiting Everest.
05:41 He confronted the danger that awaits his new team over a decade ago.
05:45 We almost reached 8,500, but because of the very unfavorable weather conditions, I had to return.
05:53 So the summit was very close. So after 11 years, I'm back.
05:58 Ismail averted catastrophe in his first summit attempt, but not everyone is so lucky.
06:08 When climbers are critically injured, guides have to be prepared
06:12 to switch an expedition to a rescue and provide emergency relief.
06:16 In May 2023, a team of Sherpa guides rescued a climber from Everest's death zone.
06:24 Over the course of six hours, the guides carried him on their backs down to Camp 3.
06:36 Since the 2019 season, as a safety measure, Nepal has required every climber to be accompanied by
06:42 at least one climbing guide. And choosing a local guide has its distinct benefits on Everest.
06:49 Many of these mountain guides are Sherpas, an ethnic group native to the slopes of Mount Everest.
06:55 The conquering team was composed of 20 Americans, aided by Sherpa tribesmen, who acted as carriers.
07:03 Though the term Sherpa is informally used as a catch-all for Everest guides,
07:07 the Sherpa people have been closely involved in mountaineering here since the very first
07:12 Everest expeditions. Their tissues use oxygen more efficiently and preserve muscle energy better
07:20 than people from lowlands. That's one of the reasons Sherpa guides can assist their climbers
07:26 with heavy loads without risking as much physical strain.
07:30 I've got a very good Sherpa, you know, and he carries a lot.
07:35 So about 10 kg I would carry, but they would carry three times that.
07:39 And it's indispensable, especially here at the Khumbu Icefall,
07:50 where three Sherpas lost their lives in 2023.
07:54 At an elevation of 5,486 metres, the team slowly makes its way through shifting glaciers.
08:19 So
08:28 the group is also relying on the work that locals known as icefall doctors did months earlier.
08:46 These specialized climbers establish the safest route to the top of Everest every season.
08:51 A separate fee of $600 per expedition member goes to these icefall doctors
08:58 to use the ladders and ropes they set up.
09:00 But even with a clear path, climbers are still in danger of crevasses opening and closing,
09:14 and even unexpected avalanches.
09:16 Considering the danger, it's no surprise that mountain guides are one of the biggest
09:44 expenses in summiting Everest. Climbers pay as much as $100,000 for the expedition,
09:52 and a chance at standing at the top of the world.
09:55 For each of these climbs, guides certified by the International Federation of Mountain
10:03 Guides Associations can charge agencies $10,000. Less experienced climbing guides make only $4,000
10:12 per climb. The agency Vodapadhwangchu works with, Makalu Adventure, says it pays guides an additional
10:20 $1,500 for every successful summit. I think it's okay for what it is. It's okay and, you know,
10:30 the Nepalese government have to make money from it. The Sherpas have to make money and,
10:35 you know, it would be an insult, I think, if we would just come and pay hardly anything and
10:40 summit the mountain. The majority of summits occur in the spring season, so most guides are
10:47 hired for only one expedition, limiting their yearly income. Vodapadhwangchu says guides don't
10:54 see enough money to justify continuously risking their lives.
11:00 We don't have enough money to go to the Himalayas.
11:03 We have to pay for our food, our children's education, and everything else.
11:11 If we want to get here, we have to pay a lot of money.
11:16 It's very difficult.
11:18 Guides also have to pay for their own gear, an investment of as much as $7,000.
11:28 That includes clothing, boots, and backpacks that must withstand extreme conditions on the mountain.
11:35 The downsuit alone can cost $2,000, and some gear needs to be replaced every few years.
11:43 Oftentimes, working as a guide in the increasingly commercialized Everest industry
11:49 comes out of necessity.
11:51 We chose to climb the mountain because we were born in a remote area. We didn't have a school.
12:01 We didn't have a complete education. That's why we chose to climb the mountain.
12:17 To stay afloat, Phurba Wangchu takes on other work.
12:24 This is common for many local guides who struggle to make ends meet from a job
12:37 that routinely puts their life in danger.
12:40 That's one of the reasons Dawa Gelgen Shirpa quit his career as a climbing guide.
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