Ming Kipa – Sherpa from Nepal, Mountain Guides

An amazing young lady, Ming Kipa is the youngest person to reach the summit of Mount Everest. She was only fifteen at the time of her groundbreaking achievement.

It was on the 24th of May 2003 that Ming Kipa very bravely made the climb to the summit of Mount Everest along with her older sister, Lhakpa Sherpa, and her brother, Mingma Gyalu Sherpa. Just fifty years prior to this, Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay were the first to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Only a few people had managed to summit the temperamental mountain since and even fewer had been women. On that day, at the tender age of just fifteen, Ming Kipa commenced her climb of the 8,848 meter high peak. It wasn’t long before news of her extraordinary achievement reached the base camp where she was congratulated for her endurance and stamina.

A week before Ming Kipa made the climb, Dorjie made an amazing climb of Mount Everest in just 12 hours and 45 minutes – more than four hours faster than the previous record. Most climbers take four days to climb from base camp to the top.

Ming Kipa Sherpa reached the summit from the opposite side of the Tibetan mountain which passes the northern slope. Her elder sister, Lhapka, is the only woman to have climbed Everest three times which another amazing family record.

The Sherpas are the true climbers of Mount Everest; they are a part of the mountain. While most climb Mount Everest for self-achievement and adventure – or even to set or break records – Sherpas do it to make a living. Maybe that is the reason they continue in silence, conquering the mountain summit with perseverance. Their dangerous occupation helps to support themselves and their families.

Sherpas play a huge part in making and breaking most of the world records on Everest. However they keep to themselves and avoid the media. There is an old saying in Napal that describe the Sherpas: “kholo taryo lauro birshyo” (Nepalese) which means that people tend to forget the walking stick upon crossing the river and without the stick they would have never been successful in crossing the river.

There cannot be an expedition to Mount Everest without Sherpas. Sherpas are the only mountain guides who can successfully guide the Mount Everest summiteers towards the achievement of their dreams and aspirations – to be on the top of the world.

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