One year ago an avalanche took the lives of 16 sherpas on Mt. Everest. Last fall a team from ESPN went to the region to chronicle the story. The result of their journey was a film showing the events that lead to their deaths and the ways in which the Sherpa community responded. On April 18, 2014 just as the climbing season was starting, a bottleneck was created along the Everest route as Sherpas heading up to set the route for their clients waited to cross a couloir using a defective ladder. Without much warning, an ice and snow avalanche fell from above trapping the Sherpas. This incident highlighted the dangers of the job to the Sherpas and the rest of the world. In a region where most people are extremely poor, the Sherpas line of work allows them to double or triple the average income in just a few months of work.
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Home › Forums › Lightweight Backpacking News: Digest No. 14