LIFE AT 15,000 FEET: The Everest-Conquering Sherpas of Nepal

  • Photo: Steve Brown
    01
    Every year, more than 600 people climb Mount Everest for sport—and none of them could do it without the help of sherpas: local villagers who have carved out a cottage industry as trekking guides, icefall doctors, porters, and more.
  • Photo: Steve Brown
    02
    Sherpas, who are members of a Buddhist ethnic group by the same name, have led climbers up the mountain Tibetans call Chomolungma for the better part of a century. Living at altitudes as high as 15,000 feet has helped them adapt to low-oxygen environments—crucial for trekking on Everest.
  • Photo: Steve Brown
    03
    The work, which includes setting up camp and fixing routes, is lucrative for the area: sherpas can earn $5,000 in a season. But it’s also dangerous; this former climbing sherpa lost most of his fingers in a snowstorm, and now sells paintings to the climbers.
  • Photo: Steve Brown
    04
    Photographer Steve Brown joined a group of rookies on their 3-week trek, and captured images of some of the countless people who are integral to the journey—like this abbot, who performs prayer rituals called Pujas for climbers on their way to the summit.
  • Photo: Steve Brown
    05
    Pasang Dikki Sherpa works as a teacher, and cooks for climbers at her father’s guesthouse on the mountain. She and her sister are also high-altitude marathon runners.
  • Photo: Steve Brown
    06
    Visiting climbers favor technical gear—but porters often schlep equipment up the mountain in casual wear and sneakers. "I was struggling along, and suddenly someone would stride past with 12 times as much weight," Brown says. “As athletes, they’re unsung heroes.”

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