KATHMANDU, AUGUST 9
Pasang Dawa Sherpa, a seasoned Nepali mountaineer from Solukhumbu, has achieved a remarkable summit of Mt. Baker in the United States today.
The 37-year-old Sherpa accomplished this remarkable feat on Wednesday at 12:00 pm American time. With an impressive record of nine successful climbs of Mt. Everest, Pasang Dawa Sherpa is no stranger to scaling challenging peaks. His ambition now extends to conquering more Himalayan peaks within Nepal and even the formidable K2, the second-highest mountain in the world.
His journey in mountaineering began at the age of 22 when he worked as a climbing assistant in the Everest region. Over time, he established himself as a recognizable figure in the field of mountaineering. Notably, he was part of the rare autumn Himalayan climbing team. Scaling the Himalayas during October is known for its immense difficulty and risks, and it hadn't been attempted since the year 2000. Remarkably, Pasang and his team successfully summited Everest on October 15, 2010.
However, Sherpa's contributions aren't confined solely to mountaineering achievements; he also fulfills his humanitarian responsibilities by acting as a rescuer. In 2012, during a climb on Mt. Everest, he demonstrated exceptional valor. One of his team members, an Indian climber, faced a life-threatening situation when his oxygen mask malfunctioned at an altitude of 8,600 meters. Pasang Dawa Sherpa unhesitatingly offered his own mask to the struggling climber, enabling him to descend safely. "Although I struggled to breathe, but he managed to descend with my mask," he recounted.
In 2013, Pasang and his team encountered another life-threatening situation when they attempted to summit Mt Everest from the Tibetan side. After reaching the summit, a 73-year-old Japanese climber ran out of oxyen, and fell critically ill due to oxygen deprivation. The team selflessly shared their oxygen masks, but unfortunately, the Japanese climber succumbed at 8,500 meters.
Similarly, in 2019, just two days after successfully summiting Everest, Pasang Dawa Sherpa embarked on a mission to retrieve the body of an Indian female climber from an altitude of 8,700 meters and brought it to Kathmandu.
Pasang's engagement extends beyond personal achievements; he actively promotes his country's diplomatic goodwill through mountaineering. In 2022, Pasang summited Mt. Denali in Alaska, the highest peak in the USA and hoisted the flags of both nations at the summit to commemorate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Nepal and the United States, reflecting his commitment to conveying positive messages through his mountaineering feats.
