00:00 A small shift of this ladder can turn catastrophic in a matter of seconds.
00:20 Navigating this path safely is the responsibility of Everest climbing guides, many of whom are
00:27 ethnic Sherpas who earn four to ten thousand dollars per climb. But usually these guides
00:34 can count on only one expedition per year. The job is one of the most dangerous in the world.
00:41 And while 2023 saw the most climbers on record, it also saw the most deaths.
00:56 332 people have been lost to Everest in the last century. Over a third of them were mountain guides.
01:04 It's 2 a.m at base camp and Phurba Wangchu Sherpa
01:12 is leading a team of guides and climbers of the world's tallest mountain.
01:16 Phurba Wangchu has touched Everest's peak 14 times already.
01:37 [foreign language]
01:49 [foreign language]
02:12 [music]
02:24 He begins every climb with a puja ceremony, praying for safe passage and paying respect
02:31 to the mountain. Even with his success rate, he never underestimates the deadly risks.
02:38 [foreign language]
02:52 Over the next several weeks, this group of 16 will climb for hours on end in total darkness,
03:02 face the threat of avalanches and storms and cross deadly passageways. Phurba Wangchu and his
03:10 team of experienced guides are their best chance of making it to the summit and surviving.
03:15 It gives you a lot of confidence. You know, when your Sherpa has 15, 16 summits like some of these
03:22 Sherpas here, when you're at high altitude and you're in those situations and they tell you,
03:27 you know, it's okay, it's going to be okay, it's very reassuring that they've summited so many
03:32 times. It's more than just mentally reassuring. On the mountain, the choices guides make directly
03:40 affect whether a climber lives. The next morning, another group of climbers is gearing up for its
03:52 expedition. It takes a bit of time, not to put it, but it saves your foot on the minus 30 or 50
04:03 sometimes. Near base camp at 5,364 meters, climbing guides lead a vital training course.
04:13 Without this refresher, climbers won't know how to work with their specific expedition team.
04:21 The guides are using the limited time they have today to review how best to handle steep inclines
04:26 and to teach this team how to problem solve on the spot.
04:30 The course is one of the services included in a mountain guides cost. Guides only work with experienced climbers.
04:48 I think if you are talking about high altitude mountaineering, it's important to have a good
04:54 knowledge of the terrain and the terrain. It's important to have a good knowledge of the terrain
05:01 and the terrain. It's important to have a good knowledge of the terrain and the terrain.
05:07 It's important to have a good knowledge of the terrain and the terrain.
05:13 I think if you are talking about high altitude mountaineering, it's important to do this at least every six months.
05:22 It keeps your body ready for a lack of oxygen.
05:25 I came here by helicopter, which was not the best idea. The first days were quite hard.
05:34 It'll be Ismail's second attempt at summiting Everest.
05:41 He confronted the danger that awaits his new team over a decade ago.
05:45 We almost reached 8,500, but because of the very unfavorable weather conditions, I had to return.
05:53 So the summit was very close. So after 11 years, I'm back.
05:58 Ismail averted catastrophe in his first summit attempt, but not everyone is so lucky.
06:08 When climbers are critically injured, guides have to be prepared
06:12 to switch an expedition to a rescue and provide emergency relief.
06:16 In May 2023, a team of Sherpa guides rescued a climber from Everest's death zone.
06:24 Over the course of six hours, the guides carried him on their backs down to Camp 3.
06:36 Since the 2019 season, as a safety measure, Nepal has required every climber to be accompanied by
06:42 at least one climbing guide. And choosing a local guide has its distinct benefits on Everest.
06:49 Many of these mountain guides are Sherpas, an ethnic group native to the slopes of Mount Everest.
06:55 The conquering team was composed of 20 Americans, aided by Sherpa tribesmen, who acted as carriers.
07:03 Though the term Sherpa is informally used as a catch-all for Everest guides,
07:07 the Sherpa people have been closely involved in mountaineering here since the very first
07:12 Everest expeditions. Their tissues use oxygen more efficiently and preserve muscle energy better
07:20 than people from lowlands. That's one of the reasons Sherpa guides can assist their climbers
07:26 with heavy loads without risking as much physical strain.
07:30 I've got a very good Sherpa, you know, and he carries a lot.
07:35 So about 10 kg I would carry, but they would carry three times that.
07:39 And it's indispensable, especially here at the Khumbu Icefall,
07:50 where three Sherpas lost their lives in 2023.
07:54 At an elevation of 5,486 metres, the team slowly makes its way through shifting glaciers.
08:19 So
08:28 the group is also relying on the work that locals known as icefall doctors did months earlier.
08:46 These specialized climbers establish the safest route to the top of Everest every season.
08:51 A separate fee of $600 per expedition member goes to these icefall doctors
08:58 to use the ladders and ropes they set up.
09:00 But even with a clear path, climbers are still in danger of crevasses opening and closing,
09:14 and even unexpected avalanches.
09:16 Considering the danger, it's no surprise that mountain guides are one of the biggest
09:44 expenses in summiting Everest. Climbers pay as much as $100,000 for the expedition,
09:52 and a chance at standing at the top of the world.
09:55 For each of these climbs, guides certified by the International Federation of Mountain
10:03 Guides Associations can charge agencies $10,000. Less experienced climbing guides make only $4,000
10:12 per climb. The agency Vodapadhwangchu works with, Makalu Adventure, says it pays guides an additional
10:20 $1,500 for every successful summit. I think it's okay for what it is. It's okay and, you know,
10:30 the Nepalese government have to make money from it. The Sherpas have to make money and,
10:35 you know, it would be an insult, I think, if we would just come and pay hardly anything and
10:40 summit the mountain. The majority of summits occur in the spring season, so most guides are
10:47 hired for only one expedition, limiting their yearly income. Vodapadhwangchu says guides don't
10:54 see enough money to justify continuously risking their lives.
11:00 We don't have enough money to go to the Himalayas.
11:03 We have to pay for our food, our children's education, and everything else.
11:11 If we want to get here, we have to pay a lot of money.
11:16 It's very difficult.
11:18 Guides also have to pay for their own gear, an investment of as much as $7,000.
11:28 That includes clothing, boots, and backpacks that must withstand extreme conditions on the mountain.
11:35 The downsuit alone can cost $2,000, and some gear needs to be replaced every few years.
11:43 Oftentimes, working as a guide in the increasingly commercialized Everest industry
11:49 comes out of necessity.
11:51 We chose to climb the mountain because we were born in a remote area. We didn't have a school.
12:01 We didn't have a complete education. That's why we chose to climb the mountain.
12:17 To stay afloat, Phurba Wangchu takes on other work.
12:24 This is common for many local guides who struggle to make ends meet from a job
12:37 that routinely puts their life in danger.
12:40 That's one of the reasons Dawa Gelgen Shirpa quit his career as a climbing guide.
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