Babu Chiri Sherpa
| Babu Chiri Sherpa | |
|---|---|
Babu Chiri Sherpa at 2000
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| Born |
June 22, 1965 Taksindu, Solukhumbu District, Nepal |
| Died | April 29, 2001 (aged 35) Mount Everest |
| Nationality | Nepalese |
| Occupation | Sherpa mountaineer and guide |
| Known for | Summited Mount Everest 10 times |
Babu Chiri Sherpa (June 22, 1965 – April 29, 2001) was a Sherpa mountaineer from Nepal. He was a legendary guide who reached the summit of Mount Everest ten times. He held two world records on Everest. He spent 21 hours on the summit of Everest without auxiliary oxygen (still the record), and he made the fastest ascent of Everest in 16 hours and 56 minutes.
Babu Chiri Sherpa was born in Taksindu, a small Sherpa village near Salleri, the headquarters of Solukhumbu District in Nepal. As a child he spent most of his time helping his parents on their farm. Babu Chiri was uneducated as no schools existed in his or surrounding villages.
As a boy, Chiri was amazed by the mountains that surrounded his village. Many Sherpas support themselves by guiding and portering in the mountains. The legend of Tenzing Norgay, and Norgay himself, influenced Chiri. He always dreamed of reaching the pinnacles of those great peaks one day.
He began his career as a climber at the age of 16 when he procured a job as a trekking porter. On his first portering assignment he scaled the notorious Ambhu Labtsa pass. He summited Mera Peak (6472 m) in four hours in 1985.
Chiri eventually found work portering for Everest expeditions. It was during this time he began showing his true abilities as a high altitude mountaineer. Chiri reached the summit of Everest ten times.
In May 1999 he spent a record 21 hours on the summit without supplementary oxygen, even sleeping there.
Babu Chiri spoke four languages: Sherpa, Nepali, English and Hindi. He traveled to Canada, China, Italy, Mexico, Pakistan and the United States. He had six daughters.
In 2001, Chiri signed on for his eleventh Everest expedition. He was planning another bid for the summit. On April 29 while near Camp II (6,500 m) and apparently taking photographs, Chiri fell into a crevasse, and died.
Chiri was an environmentalist and a humanitarian. He worked to have a school built in his home village; the school was completed before his death.
On September 25, 2005, the Royal Nepali Government, as represented by the Crown Prince, inaugurated the Babu Chiri Memorial Museum and erected a statue of Chiri. The museum and statue were both built by the Everest Summiteers Association (ESA) with financial contributions from the government, local businesses, social organizations and individuals. The museum and statue are located in Til Ganga, Kathmandu.
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