Utah Sherpa vows to protect Everest after 20th ascent

SALT LAKE CITY — Ten days ago, Apa Sherpa made his 20th trip to the top of Mount Everest, breaking even his own world record. But it's what he helped carry down the mountain that makes him prouder: more than a ton of garbage left behind by nearly six decades of other climbers.

All those discarded tent poles and ropes, oxygen bottles and plastic were once buried under the snow. But as the earth heats up and glaciers melt, the garbage has resurfaced, the Nepali mountaineer explained Tuesday morning after his return to Utah, where he has lived since 2006.

Apa's goal in making yet another ascent of the world's tallest peak was not only to help clean up the mountain but also to draw attention to both climate change and the initiatives of the Apa Sherpa Foundation, recently organized to improve schools for the Sherpa people, in the Khumbu Himalayan Region.

The diminutive mountaineer was humble as he talked to reporters at Salt Lake City International Airport, speaking about his respect for the mountain that has made him famous. It was left to his friend Jerry Mika to do a little bragging.

The 50-year-old Apa left Utah two months ago for the grueling expedition, and didn't do anything to get in shape, said Mika, who was one of a dozen friends, neighbors and family — including Apa's wife, Yangjin, and his two sons — on hand at Salt Lake International Airport to welcome him home, gently placing scarves around his neck in a traditional Nepali greeting.

Apa was once buried in an avalanche on his way to the summit, and had become friends with climbers who later died trying to get to the top. This May, the team he led — Eco Everest Expedition 2010 — carried down the bodies of climbers who died years ago.

Melting glaciers have not only exposed those bodies but have also made the climb even more treacherous, Apa said. Climbers have more trouble getting traction now, and there are now deeper crevices and more flooding.

A few hours after dawn on May 22, Apa stood on the top of the world and unfurled a banner that read "You Heard Our Voice, Now Raise Yours — We Can Stop Climate Change in the Himalayas." Later, in Kathmandu, he was honored as the new Goodwill Ambassador for Climate Change by the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.

While in Nepal, Apa vowed to climb the mountain only for philanthropic reasons in the future and no longer for commercial purposes.

e-mail: jarvik@desnews.com