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Kanchha Sherpa, Last Survivor of 1953 Everest Expedition, Dies at 92

His passing underscores the overlooked labor of Sherpa workers who made the first ascent possible.

FILE - Kanchha Sherpa, 91, who was among the 35 members in the team that put New Zealander Edmund Hillary and his Sherpa guide Tenzing Norgay atop the 8,849-meter (29,032-foot) peak on May 29, 1953, speaks during an interview with The Associated press in Kathmandu, Nepal, March 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha, File)
Kanchha Sherpa, the last surviving member of the 1953 expedition that became the first to successfully reach the summit of Mount Everest, has died, aged 92, his family said
Kanchha Sherpa remembered the first Everest ascent as an arduous but ultimately joyous affair -- although he regretted that the glory had not been more equally shared among the team

Overview

  • He died early Thursday in Kathmandu at age 92 after being unwell for several days, and the cause has not been specified.
  • At 19, he served as a porter on the 1953 British expedition, climbed above 8,000 meters without prior mountaineering experience, and was among three Sherpas to reach the final camp with Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay.
  • The Nepal Mountaineering Association called him "a living legend" and said last rites will be held Monday.
  • He worked in the Himalayas for about two decades before quitting at his wife's urging after many colleagues died, then ran a lodge in Namche Bazaar and led a foundation that helped families afford schooling.
  • In a 2024 interview, he warned about overcrowding and trash on Everest and urged limiting climbers out of respect for the mountain.