KATHMANDU, APRIL 9

The COVID-19 pandemic brought the world to a standstill halting almost every activity; however, the mountaineering journey of three Sherpa brothers - Mingma Sherpa, Chhang Dawa Sherpa, and Tashi Lakpa Sherpa - did not stop.

These sons of Wandi Sherpa continued their journey amid the pandemic with dedication that they were successful to set world records - siblings reaching the world's southernmost point - the South Pole, and the highest peak of Antarctica Mt Vinson (4,892 metres). They are also the first Nepali expedition team to land on the South Pole.

Born in Makalu village of Sankhuwasabha, the trio were set on a mission - the Adventurers or Explorers Grand Slam of Mountaineering , an adventure goal to reach the North Pole and South Pole, along with completing the Seven Summits and 14 Peaks Expedition.

As a part of this mission, the Sherpa brothers accomplished their target of reaching the South Pole on January 2 and Mt Vinson on January 13, having departed for Antarctica from Kathmandu on December 13, 2021.

'There are different levels of mountaineering like Seven Summits, 14 Peaks, North Pole and South Pole Expedition; only when one complete all these levels can we call the expedition 'Explorer or Adventurers Grand Slam'. And in mountaineering, one has a desire to step up from climbing the Seven Summits to completing a journey to the North Pole and South Pole,' said Tashi, the youngest of the three.

'We planned this journey to the South Pole before the pandemic but we could not do so then. But even during the pandemic we were guiding the Bahrain Royal team (in 2021) to climb Mt Everest and other mountains (over 6,000 metres),' he informed and added, 'So, the pandemic didn't create that much of a barrier to in our mountaineering journey.'

The eldest of the siblings Mingma added saying, 'We luckily didn't test positive for COVID-19 because of which we continued this journey easily.'

They are the second team to scale Mt Vinson and reach the South Pole, Park Young Seok from South Korea having done so in 2005.

Mingma and Chhang Dawa already have the Guinness World Record for becoming the World's First Siblings to Climb All 8000-ers.

South Pole in 8 days

The trio started their journey to the South Pole from the Union Glacier in Antarctica.

They practised skiing for three days after reaching the Union Glacier. Then they went to the 90 Degree or Last Degree by aircraft and set off for their destination the South Pole. It took them eight days to reach South Pole, skiing.

'There was no schedule on how we would travel. Rather, we skied up to 15 to 20 km a day,' shared Mingma and recalled, 'The South Pole features Ice Cap (a climatic condition with temperatures of minus-25 to minus-40 degree Celsius and no existence of living beings). So, our journey there was different.'

Mingma elaborated, 'We planned and managed to carry essentials like food and equipment needed for 10 days, but we completed the expedition in eight days.

As all the pathways there looked similar, we navigated as we continued our journey.

Sometimes, navigation was difficult when the battery of the navigator shut down due to the cold weather. We even skied the wrong way. However, as there was open space, we could rest if we got tired.'

To this, Tashi added, 'We skied to the South Pole - travelling a distance of 111 km in a straight path under minus-30 to minus-45 degree Celsius. But we travelled 140 km in total because of the rough or bumpy land surface, also because we went there without any guide.'

Comparing his Antarctica expedition experience to that of climbing Mt Everest, Tashi said, 'Climbing Mt Everest was a climbing job entirely and was similar to climbing Mt Vinson; but the skiing trip there was interesting, and adventurous.

'Also skiing there was different from skiing in other places because this place lacked slopes, which is the feature of most places. Fortunately, we managed to adjust in the extreme weather and also we had aircraft on standby in case of an emergency.'

Saying that the journey to the South Pole was a new experience for them, Chhang Dawa said, 'We didn't have to do vertical climbing but we had to climb small hills and ski due to which the trip to the South Pole was different.'

'The most interesting thing about this journey was that we felt like we were in heaven as the South Pole was so peaceful, silent,' shared Mingma.

Chhang Dawa added, 'I completed my summit of 14 peaks in 2013 which I had started in 2000. I have climbed five peaks of the Seven Summits Expedition, and need to climb two more. After completing 14 peaks, Seven Summits and the North Pole and South Pole expedition, we will complete a true grand slam,' he said comparing their journey to that of a student, 'A studious person feels like s/he has to complete the Master's degree. So for us too, it is like completing a Master's degree. We are on our way to achieve our degree in mountaineering.'

Challenges along the way

For the three brothers, climbing a mountain is neither new or a tough job. But for them this journey was adventurous and the only thing they felt challenging was Antarctica's extreme cold.

Tashi said, 'It was a difficult journey but I really enjoyed it.

The mountaineering part was not difficult because we are used to climbing and guiding mountaineers to climb the mountains in our place, and our mountains are so sharp and steep that one can lose his/her life in a second. However, Antarctica is an extremely cold place, but there was no such situation that risked our life. The main challenge in the Antarctica was its cold weather.'

He also explained that frostbite posed a serious challenge to them adding, 'Once you get a frostbite when the temperature is even minus-5 degree Celsius, you won't recover.'

Mingma added to this, 'South Pole is a place in Antarctica that lies at an altitude of 2,800 metres, but it feels like it is on an altitude 3,400 metres.'

Elaborating on another challenge, Tashi said, 'It is like a dream for Nepalis to climb the peaks in foreign countries, and none from Nepal had reached Antarctica before us. But it was difficult for us to get the visa as we had to take the visa from Chile to travel to the South Pole and Mt Vinson.'

Similarly, Mingma said, 'For Nepalis, it is an expensive journey as one has to spend a lot of money. The three of us spent Rs 45 million on this journey as it is mandatory to spend that much in Antarctica.'

Lessons learnt

Chhang Dawa said that the journey taught them many things that could be used to promote Nepal's tourism sector. 'I learned many things from our journey to Mt Vinson and the South Pole.

The places were open and peaceful. The only sound there was our breathing. Human habitation is rare there. At the same time, the place was so clean. People cannot urinate anywhere like here despite the place being open. Likewise, there was a proper timetable for the trip and everything was well-arranged. I wish to implement that kind of arrangement here.'

Sharing that the government has been supporting the tourism sector of Nepal, he also stressed on improving some weaknesses in this sector. 'Many things are missing in the tourism sector here. (When there are teams to climb Mt Everest), the Sherpas have to carry everything to the Khumbu Base Camp on their backs, risking their lives. Reaching Camp II from the Base Camp is also difficult due to the rough road, which again puts the lives of Sherpas, who have to carry the heavy loads, at risk.

Thus, the government should arrange for easy transportation of goods, maybe allowing it to be done via helicopters. Another difficulty for the mountain guides is that they have to bring back all things after the climb.

So, rather than bringing back things, it would be more feasible to put certain necessary things during such ascents in every camp. Instead of carrying back other things, it would be better to make the climbers bring back their garbage while coming down.'

The trip to Antarctica

'We made the plan to go to the Antarctic so that we could set an example that Nepali people can also do such adventures and expand the market for Nepal's tourism. We feel fortunate in being able to complete this journey as siblings as we have been recognised as the first siblings from Nepal to march to the South Pole. So, representing Nepal through this success is also a great contribution to our country to promote its tourism,' said Mingma.

Tashi added, 'This success of our journey has been shown to the world. This success has also benefited the overall mountaineering tourism of Nepal. We can't get the world's attention only by investing heavy capital in mountaineering tourism in Nepal. But we are getting global attention after our successful expedition. So, this success has been a good promotion for Nepal's mountaineering tourism.'

A version of this article appears in the print on April 10, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.