Everest 2024 /Unsung Heroes of Everest: The Icefall Doctors sherpa
Learn about the unsung heroes of Everest expeditions, the Icefall Doctors. Despite their critical role, their names are rarely known beyond Nepal. Celebrate their dedication and bravery.
The Icefall Doctors are a team of Sherpa climbers who are responsible for establishing and maintaining the climbing route through the treacherous Khumbu Icefall on Mount Everest each climbing season. Their job is extremely dangerous as the icefall is constantly moving, and ice towers can collapse at any time.
The Icefall Doctors place ladders across deep crevasses and fix ropes along the route from Everest Base Camp to Camp 2 in the Western Cwm. This essential work allows climbers to safely ascend and descend the icefall, which is considered one of the most dangerous sections of the Everest climbing route.
The team is selected and paid by the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC), an organization that manages the Everest region on behalf of the Nepalese government. Each expedition member must pay $600 for the Icefall Doctors' services.
Some notable Icefall Doctors include Ang Nima Sherpa, who worked in the icefall for 37 years before passing away in 2013, and Ang Sarki Sherpa, the current senior member of the team who has been an Icefall Doctor since 2008. Gelje Sherpa, a famous Nepalese mountaineer who has climbed 13 of the 14 eight-thousanders, also started his career as an Icefall Doctor.
Despite their critical role in enabling Everest expeditions, the Icefall Doctors remain unsung heroes, with their names rarely mentioned beyond Nepal. Their work is a testament to the skill, bravery, and dedication of the Sherpa people who make climbing Everest possible for many foreign climbers each year.
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