00:00 Sherpa guides risk life and limb to make sure climbers safely reach the summit of Everest.
00:08 To survive through bitter cold and perilous heights, they must choose the correct gear
00:13 for each elevation.
00:15 Here's everything a Sherpa guide needs to help climbers reach the highest point on Earth.
00:21 My name is Basthem Basherpa. I came here from Camp 3. I've been working in the mountains for three years.
00:32 The most important thing is the headlight.
00:39 Four batteries are needed. This battery is not enough. It needs many more.
00:47 Guides leave base camp as early as 3am. A headlamp is essential for surviving the pitch black climb.
00:55 Without a headlamp, it's impossible to climb.
01:01 This is oxygen.
01:06 This is a mask regulator.
01:12 Oxygen is used from 7,500 to 8,000.
01:19 If there's an emergency, it's used even before that.
01:23 The more you use, the less you get.
01:27 Getting stuck at a high elevation and running out of oxygen is a common cause of death on Everest.
01:33 Knowing how to regulate oxygen use is a crucial skill for a guide.
01:38 We climb as we go. This is zero.
01:42 This is 0.5. This is 1.0.
01:47 Sherpas use 0.5.
01:52 Sherpas use 1.0 when they're not able to climb much.
01:56 The members use 2.0 and 3.0.
02:03 If they can't reach the last point, they use 4.0.
02:06 If we use something that's 0.5, it's good for 15-16 hours.
02:13 If we're at home, it's good for 3-4 hours.
02:16 It's important to wear glasses.
02:22 Because when you look at the snow in the village,
02:27 your eyes will open automatically.
02:30 It opens for 24 hours.
02:32 If you wear glasses, your eyes will be more safe.
02:35 Snow blindness can occur quickly, damaging your eyes before you realise what's happening.
02:41 And the higher you climb, the further you are from rescue.
02:45 This is a snowboard.
02:55 You can't get on it.
02:58 You need to walk on it.
03:01 Crampons attach underneath climbers' boots and grip into the ice.
03:06 Busting by Sherpa makes it look easy, but this is something new climbers struggle to use.
03:12 If you don't have crampons, you can't get on the ice.
03:16 You need crampons to walk anywhere.
03:22 And the boots are just as important.
03:24 Before base camp, climbers use regular hiking shoes.
03:28 But to summit Everest, they need boots that are designed to be used above 8,000 metres.
03:34 These can cost $1,000.
03:37 This is a safety harness.
03:41 It's called a harness.
03:45 This is a safety harness.
03:48 This is a zimmer.
03:52 This is the only thing you can use to go up the mountain.
03:58 High-quality gear and the knowledge of how to use it is essential,
04:02 because climbers entrust their lives to the harness, hardware and helmet.
04:07 This is an eight-finger harness.
04:10 You can use this to get down.
04:15 It can carry 1,500 kg.
04:21 Guides also use an ice axe to climb technical terrain.
04:25 This is how it works.
04:27 It's been around for two or three years.
04:32 This is an eight-finger harness.
04:37 This is a safety zimmer.
04:40 It's been around for four or five years.
04:42 This is a pair of boots.
04:45 Once you wear them, you sweat a lot.
04:52 You can use them twice.
04:55 It can carry 2,000 to 2,500 kg.
04:59 It can carry 1,500 to 2,200 kg.
05:02 As they ascend, climbers require different types of clothing to handle the increasingly harsh conditions.
05:09 This is how it goes from camp 2 to camp 3.
05:15 It goes with a sural jacket.
05:17 You can use a down suit.
05:20 The down suit comes in a one or two-piece,
05:23 and it has a special zipper in the back for going to the bathroom.
05:27 Climbers wear fleece-lined down gloves for low temperatures,
05:31 but need another pair with better dexterity when using ropes.
05:35 This doesn't work in the summit.
05:39 Climbers go to camp 3 and camp 4.
05:42 You have to wear a pair of gloves and a pair of socks.
05:48 Climbers also need a sleeping bag that is designed to be used down to minus 40 degrees Celsius.
05:55 Climbers don't use their own clothes.
06:00 Climbers bring their own clothes, because they can't leave their own clothes.
06:06 Climbers bring their own clothes.
06:10 Medicine box.
06:14 The medicine kit includes things like antibiotics, altitude sickness tablets, and bandages.
06:20 Thermos.
06:26 This is used to get warm water.
06:30 This is used to get rid of the bad air that the snow has caused.
06:39 This is fruit.
06:44 This is high chocolate.
06:49 There are other things, but this is high chocolate.
06:54 At high elevations, your ability to taste decreases,
06:57 but climbers still need high-calorie foods to maintain their energy,
07:01 preferably ones that are also high in carbohydrates and antioxidants.
07:06 We get all the food we need from the top.
07:11 We eat high-chocolate and fruit.
07:14 It takes five minutes to pack all the food.
07:23 In a few days, Bas Thimba Sherpa will guide a group of climbers to the summit.
07:28 Maintaining all of the equipment is key to a successful expedition.
07:33 We buy all the equipment.
07:36 If we don't have a sleeping bag, we have to pay for the food.
07:40 If we lose, we have to pay for the food.
07:45 So we buy all the equipment ourselves.
07:48 OK, finished.
07:51 [wind]
07:53 [wind]
07:55 [wind]
07:57 [wind]
07:59 [wind]
Comments