In memory: A photo of the mountaineer Tenjen Lama Sherpa at his home in Kathmandu, Nepal on Oct 9, 2023. Lama was one of the most storied mountain guides of his generation. — Photos: ©2024 The New York Times Company
IN July 2023, mountaineer Tenjen Lama Sherpa guided a Norwegian climber to summit the world’s 14 highest peaks in record time. In a sport that demands an alchemy of sinewy resolve and high-altitude faith, Lama did everything his client did and more. But she received most of the money, fame and attention.
The kind of lucrative endorsements enjoyed by foreign athletes are not usually given to Nepal’s ethnic Sherpas. For them, the profession of Himalayan guide offers a path out of deep poverty, but also a possible route – strewed with avalanches and icefalls – to a premature death.
