KATHMANDU, FEBRUARY 23

Senior tourism entrepreneur Lhakpa Sonam Sherpa, who successfully scaled Mt Everest last year, has proposed to form a special committee comprising representatives from different agencies to monitor mountaineering expeditions in the Everest base camp.

In his book 'Himbu', which is scheduled to be released on Sunday, Sherpa noted that he was extremely worried about degradation of the Everest environment in recent years. 'A special committee with representatives from Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality, Sagarmatha National Park, Nepal Army, Nepal Police, Everest Summiteers Association and Himalayan Rescue Association should be formed to monitor climbing activities in the base camp,' Sherpa shared. According to him, there should be at least two separate ropes for ascent and descent as that will help address the issue of traffic jams above 8,000m on Mt Everest.

Sherpa scaled Mt Everest on May 17 last year completing all real seven summits of all continents. In his book, Sherpa has also chronicled his life events describing how his family struggled hard to run tourism and aviation businesses in the country.

In 1987, Sherpa got a chance to meet with the then French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing in Paris. During the meeting, Valéry showed keen interest to visit Nepal for trekking. Immediately after returning to Kathmandu, Sherpa reached Tripureshwor-based Ministry of Tourism to brief the minister about Valéry's interest and request for an official invitation. Sherpa had been denied entry to the minister's chamber for several weeks but he didn't give up. Following the several failed attempts, he finally managed to make a forceful entry to the minister's office. 'But, it was my bad luck. Tourism State Minister Ramesh Nath Pandey turned down my request,' Sherpa recounted.

Starting his trekking career at the age of 15, the 63-year-old father-of-four set up Thamserku Trekking in 1988. 'After working in Chamonix, France for nearly seven years, I had decided to open my own company,' Sherpa shared. In five years, Thamserku became the country's third largest adventure company. 'I approached major banks and Nepali friends for loan to start aviation business but no one trusted me,' Sherpa shared, adding that he then requested a friend in France who wholeheartedly supported his move securing a US$ 3 million bank loan. At the age of 38, Sherpa bought two twin-otter aircraft and has started Yeti Airways in 1998.

Terming his younger brother late Ang Tshering his best friend, Sherpa shared that under Tshering's leadership Yeti Airlines expanded its services to rural parts of the country with 14 aircraft in just 19 years. 'From Skyline Airways to Cosmic Air, all tried to sabotage our aviation business but they had collapsed themselves,' he recounted. Sherpa also suggested that Nepal Airlines should be brought under foreign management for the time being.

With the country facing political and economic instability, Sherpa recounted that he also tried to convince Ang Tshering in 2001 to migrate to Australia where they could start anew business of sheep farming. 'But Tshering refused my suggestion,' Sherpa shared. Now, Sherpa's multi-sector businesses have created more than 3,000 direct jobs in Nepal.

In 2001, Sherpa led a group of 18 French trekkers to the restricted areas of Dolpa and Mustang on his own. 'That move ultimately forced the authorities to officially open these restricted areas to foreigners for trekking,' he shared. According to Sherpa, in the name of supplying food, the United Nations' World Food Program was playing foul in the Karnali region so were the UNESCO and National Park authorities in the Everest region.

Sherpa also wants to set up a new company in which the general public will have 49 percent of total shares. 'I will also contribute all profit of my businesses to the newly formed Sonam Anita Sherpa (SAS) Trust to run charitable works in the mountainous region,' he shared. Pasang Lhamu Foundation is already active in standardizing the situation of the women and children at high mountainous and hilly regions.

Sherpa, who once registered the Himalayan Green Party, described CPN-UML chair KP Oli as his role model and also suggested a directly elected presidential system in the country.