Ballav Dahal 

With the demise of record-breaking climber Ang Rita Sherpa, Nepal and the entire mountaineering community of the world have lost a legendary mountaineer. His death has caused an irreparable loss not only to the nation but also the entire mountaineering community across the globe.

Family Background
Born in Thame village of Solukhumbu district, Sherpa, 72, died at his daughter's residence at Jorpati of Kathmandu on September 21 this year. Having died after suffering from brain and liver ailments for years, Ang Rita's funeral service was held with state honours in Kathmandu. His body was cremated at Teku Dovan, where the two holy rivers of Bagmati and Bishnumati meet, as per the Buddhist tradition on September 23.
He has left behind his two sons and one daughter. Karsang, his eldest son, was also a mountaineer. Karsang also climbed Mt. Everest nine times. Sadly Karsang lost his life at Everest Base Camp in 2012 when he was on his way to the summit of Mt. Everest. Ang Rita's wife passed away a year after the death of their eldest son. Their second son, Chhewang, has also scaled the world's tallest peak five times.
Ang Rita's friends and family say that the Sherpa couple's health started degrading following the death of Karsang.
Since his family used to rear yaks in the mountain region, he spent his childhood taking care of those domesticated animals. As the economic status of his family was not so good, he would carry goods across the Himalayas to and from Tibet for making a living.
He also got involved in mountaineering activities as a porter when he was only 15. His father was also a yak herder. The family would use the yaks for transporting goods in the remote Khumbu region.

Unparalleled Feat
Popularly known as the "Snow Leopard", he had gained name and fame by making it to the summit of Mt. Everest 10 times without using bottled oxygen between 1983 and 1996.
He was with an American expedition when he attempted Mt. Everest for the first time. He also set his feet atop many other mountains at home and abroad.
In 1982, he climbed Mt. Dhaulagiri together with a Belgian team. Although the 8,167-metre peak is considered technically difficult to climb, it was his first eight-thousander to be conquered.
Because he was as active as snow leopards on the mountains, he was nicknamed as the 'Snow Leopard". The title was just an honour for him.
Most of Ang Rita's Everest ascents were via the Southeast Ridge route. He made his final successful attempt at the world's tallest peak just 12 days after the 1996 Everest disaster. He still holds the record for making most ascents without oxygen even though some other climbers have conquered the world's tallest peak for more times than he did. Kami Rita Sherpa has already set a world record by scaling Mt. Everest 24 times.
Ang Rita and Sundare Sherpa appeared to compete to create history on mountaineering. However, Sundare would use bottled oxygen while climbing peaks.
In 1987, he was able to set yet another record on the 8,848-metre mountain by reaching the summit together with the first South Korean Everest Winter Expedition. He did not use oxygen while attempting the mountain even in winter. Until now, no other climbers have set such a record in winter.
However, some Polish climbers had attempted the peak prior to some years before him.
Apart from Mt. Everest, he made it to the summits of many other mountains such as Mt. K2, Mt. Lhotse, Mt. Manaslu, Mt. Annapurna I, among others, several times without oxygen. He is believed to have reached the summits of eight-thousanders 18 times.

No Formal Training
Although Ang Rita never received any formal education, he would communicate with foreign tourists in English that he had learnt through practice. Also, without any mountaineering training, he had established himself as a very reliable mountain guide.
A source of inspiration for many Nepali as well as foreign climbers, Ang Rita's bravery had made the country able to attract a lot of international climbers. Being a world-famous climber and mountain guide, he would be invited to different countries for conducting training on mountaineering. Many potential foreign climbers would be interested in listening to the reputed climber's ideas and experiences.
It is also noteworthy that the country's mountaineering training courses are based on his hands-on experiences and expertise.
However, it is a matter of sadness that despite being a reputed professional climber, he had to struggle hard almost throughout his life for making a living. He never opted for resettling overseas. He was offered better life opportunities abroad but he did not accept them. That reflects his great love for the nation.

Nepal In Spotlight
"When Ang Rita was able to make his 6th successful ascent of Mt. Everest, breaking Sundare's record, the international community, mountaineers and media started giving much importance to Nepal and her mountaineering sector," said Ang Tshering Sherpa, a former president of Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA).
Sherpa, a veteran adventure tour operator, said that the international community would not have shown so much interest in Nepal and her mountain tourism before that. "His extraordinary achievements, therefore, helped give a boost to the country's mountain tourism," he added.
He said that the late Sherpa was the strongest climber in the world during his time. "He was really a star."
To date, thousands of people have reached the summit of Mt. Everest. But none of them has so far broken the late climber's record. It is not an easy task to successfully attempt the world's tallest peak without oxygen. The national icon, however, used to feel more comfortable to climb the mountains without supplementary oxygen.
In 1996, he retired from mountaineering after he fell ill due to a liver ailment. The same illness caused his death. He has also suffered from a stroke some years ago.
He was hardly found attending functions and gatherings related to mountaineering after his retirement. It was mainly because of his deteriorating health condition. However, he was fond of drinking, a habit that led to the deterioration of his health.
Decorated with Gorkha Dakshina Bahu (first class) and Tri Shakti Patta (first class), he is said to have chosen to retire from mountaineering as per the suggestions of the then King Birendra. Given the Sherpa's serious illness, the King had made that suggestion.
Financial crisis
His financial condition worsened further after he stopped taking climbers to the mountains. As he was struggling hard to keep his body and soul together, the NMA managed to provide him with some money on a monthly basis. The National Alpine Organisation also contributed hundreds of thousands of rupees for his medical treatment.
Ang Rita's family and friends often express grudges over the government's failure in providing any financial support to the national hero.

Global Recognition
In 2017, the Guinness World Records recognised the skilled and brave climber as the only person in the world to have scaled Mt. Everest 10 times without oxygen. He was among the first Nepali mountain guides to gain international fame for his exceptional feats.
Earlier, he had expected a Guinness World Record document. However, he received it more than two decades of his last ascent on Mt. Everest.
The late Sherpa's peers used to consider him as the strongest and most skilled mountain guide of his time.
"He (Ang Rita) was a strong and dedicated person who was able to win the hearts and minds of foreign climbers," tourism entrepreneur Ang Dorjee Sherpa recalled.
In 1987, Ang Dorjee worked together with the late Sherpa for almost two months to assist the Korean Everest Winter Expedition.
"I found him very honest, strong and hardworking. He would leave no stone unturned while carrying out his responsibilities," he observed.
According to him, Ang Rita was a soft-spoken person, who did not want to hurt anyone. "He would also not speak much. But he was very serious about his duty. He was hell-bent on carrying out his responsibility."
It may also be relevant to note here that when he was working as a low-altitude porter for an expedition to Mt. Dhaulagiri, he had to carry equipment to Camp III. He did it successfully without shoes and any climbing gear.
When the late Sherpa and another climber got separated from the team one night, the two performed aerobic exercises throughout the night to keep warm and alive. Thus, he was always ready to face harsh and challenging situations.
Mountain guide and climber Pasang Namgyal Sherpa said, "Many trekking companies and workers have reaped the benefit from the late mountaineer's dedicated efforts to serve foreign mountaineers and highlight Nepal as an important adventure tourist destination internationally."
Phurba Tsering Sherpa, the late reputed climber's grandson, said that the whole family felt proud of his grandfather as he was able to enhance the image of the nation and the Sherpa community at the international level.

In Fond Memory
The nation and the mountaineering community will remember him forever. Expressing his condolences to the bereaved family, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli said he was saddened by the demise of the celebrated climber. "His records will always be remembered.”
A mechanism should be in place to recognise the contributions made by renowned climbers for the nation. The government needs to come up with a concrete plan to support national icons like Ang Rita financially throughout their life.

(Dahal is deputy executive editor at TRN)