Kanchha Sherpa, last surviving member of the first team to climb Mt Everest passes away

KATHMANDU — Kanchha Sherpa, the last surviving member of the first successful summit of Mount Everest in 1953, passed away at the age of 89. 

Sherpa, who had been unwell for quite some time, died early Thursday at his home in Kapan, Kathmandu, said Phur Gelje Sherpa, President of the Nepal Mountaineering Association.

“With his passing, there are no longer any surviving members of that legendary team of climbers, which is a great loss for the entire mountaineering community,” he told IANS.

His last rites are scheduled to be performed on October 20 as per Sherpa tradition.

Sherpa is survived by two sons, two daughters, and their children.

He was among the 35-member team that led Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay to the summit of the 8,848.86-metre peak on May 29, 1953.

He was one of three Sherpas to reach the final camp before the summit with Hillary and Tenzing.

Born in March 1937, Kanchha was just 17 when he became part of the team that first conquered the world’s highest peak.

In later years, Kanchha continued to work as a high-altitude guide.

He expressed concern about overcrowding and pollution on Mount Everest during a 2024 media interview. He urged people to respect the mountain, which the Sherpas revere as the Mother Goddess.

He also regretted that the Sherpas' contributions to the 1953 expedition were not more widely recognised.

The Nepal Mountaineering Association remembered him as a "historic and legendary figure," noting that with his passing, "a chapter of the mountaineering history has vanished".

“The Nepali tourism industry mourns the loss of this historic and legendary figure. His absence leaves an irreplaceable void,” the Nepal Mountaineering Association said in a condolence message.