"Please, don't present me as the man who has climbed Everest 14 times," Tendi Sherpa humbly asks, aware that what captures the general public are records, a goal he has never pursued. The ascents to the roof of the world, to Lhotse, to Manaslu, to Cho Oyu..., are not what best defines this mountaineer, a self-made man, who since he was five years old knows what it is to have to earn his support. Climbing eight thousand is his modus vivendi, like that of many other Nepalis who in the coming weeks, in the height of the high season in the Himalayan country, will accompany hundreds of clients to climb Everest, coinciding with the 70th anniversary of the first summit, to by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. "I have never looked for brands because I respect the mountain, for me it is sacred, it has been my great school, it has opened my eyes and it has given me friends, I owe it gratitude", reflects Tendi in a cafeteria in Kathmandu, last November when he did this interview.
Tendi's story is moving because of the hardships he suffered in his childhood and because of his enormous capacity for self-improvement. No one would say that a man who only went to school from the age of five to seven speaks eight languages, co-owns an expedition agency in Nepal and a mountain clothing brand, as well as starring in the book Higher than Everest, written by Swiss journalist Flore Dussey.
Tendi was born in 1983 into a family of farmers, in Saisima, in the area of Mount Makalu. “Since there was no school in Saisima, my parents sent me to another town, a two-day walk away. Some acquaintances took me in, but since we didn't have the money to pay them every afternoon I went to get firewood for them. I was very young and I didn't have a good time, I was scared, there were wild animals in the forest and at school the other children threw stones at me. After two years, I couldn't take it anymore, I missed my mother so much and I ran away, ”she recounts without resentment, on the contrary, looking for everything on the positive side. He understands painful experiences as learning. During his escape, during the monsoon season, the river that he had to cross dragged him downstream. "With so much luck that he pushed me to the other side, to the good shore, from which I was able to get home alive," he adds.
Tendi wanted to study, but was unwilling to leave his family again, so he gladly accepted his father's offer to go to a nearby monastery. In his family there are several Buddhist monks. "There they taught me Tibetan, to play instruments, to speak, to meditate, they showed me how to look at people, how to have positive emotions... They were very strict, but I learned a lot," he recalls. It was a happy stage but, as he entered adolescence, he began to entertain the idea of dedicating himself to the mountains. “My father combined working in the fields with guiding, accompanying trekking groups on Annapurna, Everest, Makalu... When he returned home he told very inspiring stories, he had been to very beautiful places, with people from all over the world. world who gave him generous tips and gave him free clothes. No sooner said than done. At the age of 13, he went to Kathmandu alone, without shoes, and it was not difficult for him to find a job as a porter, on the Annapurna. “I carried 43 kilos on my back for more than three weeks, every day I walked between eight and ten hours. I had already adapted to harshness as a child and I continued doing this work until I was offered the opportunity at the age of 19 to participate in an expedition to remove garbage from Everest”.
Tendi is part of the new generation of highly prepared Sherpas. He was one of the first Nepalis to obtain the highest qualification as a guide, which is issued by the International Union of Mountain Guide Associations (UIAGM), and one of the few who claims the need to set limits on Everest. “Out of respect for this peak, to preserve its reputation and for security, the Government must set a maximum number of people and require them to have climbed at least seven thousand before, I have rejected 28 clients for not having enough experience. I have seen people asking what this was about the crampons and other arrivals from Dubai who can't even stand the trekking to the base camp, ”he deplores. It saddens him to see so much ego and competitiveness. He recommends a bit of calm to get a spiritual connection with the mountain. Meditating brings you peace.
Initially, the current one will be his penultimate season on Everest, then he wants to focus on peaks of 6,000 and 7,000 meters in the most remote regions of Nepal. “Nobody goes there, you can do real mountaineering and help improve local economies.”
Grateful for everything the mountain has given him, he created a foundation to build a school in his town, attended by 50 children, and to build two bridges to cross the river in which he almost drowned at the age of seven. "I went through them several times, I couldn't believe it," he exclaims enthusiastically.
