| Apa | |
|---|---|
| Born | Early 1960s Thame, Nepal |
| Nationality | Nepalese |
| Other names | Apa Sherpa Appa Sherpa Lhakpa Tenzing Sherpa |
| Known for | 21 ascents of Mount Everest |
Apa (born Lhakpa Tenzing Sherpa; c. 1960),[1] nicknamed "Super Sherpa",[2] is a Nepalese Sherpa mountaineer who holds the record for reaching the summit of Mount Everest more times than any other person. He has climbed the mountain twenty-one times as of May 2011[update]. As part of The Eco Everest Expedition 2011, Apa made his 21st Mount Everest summit in May 2011.[3]
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Lhakpa Tenzing Sherpa was born in the early 1960s in Thame, a village in the Everest region of Nepal, near the Chinese border. His exact age is unknown, but during a 2003 interview, he estimated it to be 40. Following his father's death when he was 12 years old, Apa had to take up the responsibilities of his family, consisting of his mother, two sisters and three young brothers. He dropped out of school and earned money working as a porter for mountaineering groups. His climbing career began in 1985, and he worked as a kitchen boy and porter for various groups but was not given the opportunity to reach the summit until 1990.[1]
Apa married Yangjin, then also a resident of Thame, in 1988 and has two sons—Tenjing and Pemba—and a daughter Dawa. The family moved to the United States with the help of his friend Jerry Mika for business opportunities and to provide better education for their children. They live in Draper, Utah.[4][5]
In April 2009, Apa founded the Apa Sherpa Foundation, dedicated to the improvement of education and economic development in Nepal.[6] When not on expeditions, Apa works for Diamond Mold, a precision machining and injection molding company in Salt Lake City, Utah that has also supported his foundation.[7][8][9]
Apa first reached the summit of Mount Everest on his fourth attempt, on May 10, 1990, with a New Zealand team led by climber Rob Hall along with Peter Hillary, son of Edmund Hillary.[10] He then began his career as Sirdar, or chief Sherpa, for many high altitude expeditions. He has reached the summit every year between 1990 and 2011, bar 1996 and 2001; all but three times have been in May, and in 1992 he reached the summit twice.
Apa in his May 2010 Trek says that climbing to Everest has become tough due to the melting of ice and rock surfaces. He sees visible changes on the Everest summit due to global warming. [11][12]
Apa has climbed Mount Everest a total of 21 times, which stands as the current record. Aside from these 21 ascents, however, Apa has also participated in unsuccessful attempts.
| # | Date | Expedition |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | May 10, 1990 | International |
| 2 | May 8, 1991 | Sherpa Support/American Lhotse |
| 3 | May 12, 1992 | New Zealand |
| 4 | October 7, 1992 | Everest International |
| 5 | May 10, 1993 | American |
| 6 | October 10, 1994 | Everest International |
| 7 | May 15, 1995 | American On Sagarmatha |
| 8 | April 26, 1997 | Indonesian |
| 9 | May 20, 1998 | EEE |
| 10 | May 26, 1999 | Asian-Trekking |
| 11 | May 24, 2000 | Everest Environmental Expedition |
| 12 | May 16, 2002 | Swiss Everest 50th Anniversary Expedition 1952–2002 |
| 13 | May 26, 2003 | American Commemorative Expedition |
| 14 | May 17, 2004 | Dream Everest Expedition 2004 |
| 15 | May 31, 2005 | Climbing for a cure |
| 16 | May 19, 2006 | Team No Limit |
| 17 | May 16, 2007 | SuperSherpas |
| 18 | May 22, 2008 | The Eco Everest Expedition |
| 19 | May 21, 2009 | The Eco Everest Expedition |
| 20 | May 22, 2010 | The Eco Everest Expedition |
| 21 | May 11, 2011 | The Eco Everest Expedition |
Apa broke his own record by reaching the summit of Everest for the nineteenth time on May 21, 2009. He was a member of The Eco Everest Expedition, led by Bill Burke, whose purpose was to raise awareness about climate change. The team spent half an hour at the top of the mountain, unfurling a banner that said "Stop Climate Change".[13] The team brought down five tonnes of mountain trash that includes parts of a crashed helicopter, tin cans and climbing material.[2] On this expedition, a friend and fellow Sherpa, Lhakpa Nuru, was swept away in an avalanche on May 7, 2009, and died.[14][15]
Apa again broke his own record by reaching the summit of Everest for the twenty-first time on May 11, 2011.[3]