The mountaineering world is mourning the loss of Kanchha Sherpa, the last surviving member of the 1953 expedition that first conquered Mount Everest. He passed away on Thursday at the age of 92 at his home in Kapan, a suburb of Kathmandu, Nepal. His death marks the end of a remarkable chapter in the history of Himalayan exploration, one that reshaped global mountaineering and forever linked the Sherpa community to one of humanity’s greatest feats.
Born in 1933 in Namche Bazaar, the gateway to Everest, Kanchha grew up amid the rugged beauty and hardship of the Khumbu region. Like many Sherpa boys of his generation, he began his working life carrying loads through treacherous mountain trails. At 19, he journeyed to Darjeeling, India, in search of work, where he met Tenzing Norgay, the legendary climber who would later make history alongside Sir Edmund Hillary. It was Tenzing who invited Kanchha to join the British-led expedition to Mount Everest in 1953, an opportunity that would change his life and place him in the pages of mountaineering history.
The 1953 British Mount Everest Expedition, led by Colonel John Hunt, was a massive endeavor that involved over 350 porters, 20 Sherpas, and numerous climbers from across the Commonwealth. Kanchha Sherpa was among the youngest members of the team and one of the many Sherpas who carried equipment, fixed ropes, and supported higher camps. While Hillary and Norgay reached the summit on May 29, 1953, their success depended heavily on the groundwork laid by Sherpas like Kanchha, who braved the thin air and icy slopes above 8,000 meters without formal mountaineering training. Their contribution, long underacknowledged, was essential to the triumph that resonated across the world.
Following the expedition’s success, Kanchha returned to the Khumbu region, where he continued to work in mountaineering and trekking for decades. He later settled in Namche Bazaar, where he ran a lodge and became a respected elder in his community. Over the years, he witnessed the transformation of Everest from a near-mystical mountain to a crowded and commercialized climbing destination. In interviews, he often lamented the state of the mountain he once served to conquer, describing it as “dirty and overcrowded,” and urged limits on climbers to protect the mountain’s sanctity. His voice carried the quiet authority of experience, echoing both pride and concern for the fragile ecosystem and the Sherpa culture intertwined with Everest.
Kanchha Sherpa’s legacy extends far beyond his participation in the 1953 expedition. He helped establish a foundation to support Sherpa children’s education, recognizing that opportunities for younger generations could open doors beyond the mountains. As the last living link to the first Everest ascent, he embodied the courage, humility, and endurance of the Sherpa people. His passing not only closes the human connection to that historic climb but also symbolizes the fading of an era when exploration was driven by passion rather than publicity.
His death has been widely mourned in Nepal and among the international mountaineering community. The Nepal Mountaineering Association called his passing “the end of an era,” and tributes have poured in from climbers who remember his contributions. For them, Kanchha represented the unsung heroes behind every celebrated summit, the Sherpas who carried the loads, fixed the ropes, and paved the way.
Even in his later years, Kanchha spoke with clarity about the changes he witnessed. “We should keep the mountains clean and prevent the snows from melting,” he once said, reflecting both his reverence for nature and his awareness of the growing threats of climate change. His life story is not only about mountaineering but also about stewardship, a reminder that Everest is more than a challenge; it is a sacred landscape that sustains entire communities.
Kanchha Sherpa is survived by his wife, children, and grandchildren, along with a global legacy that lives on in the countless climbers who still tread the path he once helped carve. For every mountaineer who steps onto the Khumbu Glacier or looks up at Everest’s towering peak, a small part of Kanchha’s spirit endures in the trail he helped build, in the mountain he revered, and in the legacy of courage and humility he leaves behind.
