"For a foreigner, a Sherpa means someone who carries loads at high altitudes. But Sherpas are actually all Tibetans. They are called 'People from the East.'"
Jamling Norgay
The Sherpas are an ethnic group who live in the high mountain region of the eastern Himalaya. About 3,000 of Nepal's more than 10,000 Sherpas reside in the Khumbu valley, the gateway to the southern side of Mount Everest. Because their physical prowess at high altitudes is unmatched, they are the backbone of climbing expeditions. Historically the Sherpas were traders, and yak trains still carry buffalo hides and sundry items across the 19,000 foot Nangpa La pass to Tibet, returning with salt and wool.

The Sherpas are Tibetan Buddhists of the Nyingmapa sect, and have drawn much of their religious tradition from the Rongphu monastery, located at 16,000 feet on the north side of Mount Everest. The Sherpas have, by and large, retained their traditional customs, even though some villages have limited telephone service, and energy for lighting and cooking.

They grow or raise most of their food herding yaks, and planting potatoes, which were introduced from the English gardens of Darjeeling and Kathmandu in the 1800s. Yaks provide wool for clothing, leather for shoes, dung for fuel and fertilizer, milk, butter and cheese. Potatoes, which grow at altitudes up to 14,000 feet, provide the Sherpas with their dietary staple: the main food eaten is Sherpa stew, "shyakpa," a meat and potato based stew with some vegetables mixed in. Rice with lentils, which is called "daal bhaat," is also a common meal for the Sherpas. Tea is the drink of choice, served in big thermoses with plenty of milk and sugar already added. Each household brews its own chang, which is a thick, rice-based beer.

Typically, Sherpas are small and stocky, with predominantly Mongolian features. The traditional dress of women is a dark wrap-around robe with a woven wool apron that has bright colored horizontal stripes. The men, on the other hand, usually wear second-hand western climbing clothing. In 1976, the Khumbu region was named Sagarmatha National Park, and in 1980 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site on both the "natural" and "cultural" lists.

Recently, the accumulation of garbage on the South Col of Everest, at Base Camp, and on trekking routes lower down, has generated worldwide trashattention. But local concern and some new regulations have combined with international efforts to clean up much of it, such that Base Camp is now nearly spotless, and waste is carefully managed. Many of the oxygen bottles have been removed from the South Col, and the staff of Sagarmatha National Park and the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee have begun to establish long term disposal facilities along the approach route.

These agencies, in concert with the Sherpas' social and religious institutions, have also begun to manage the forests and other natural resources of the Park. Replanting deforested hillsides has been an especially tough challenge: the traditional household hearth burns 2.5 metric tons of firewood per year. Jamling Norgay hopes this expedition will bring about a greater international understanding of the Sherpa heritage: "I'm hoping that Sherpas and their culture will be viewed more widely and sympathetically as a result of the expedition, and the film."