Sherpa Movie Review: Did It Stop Me From Climbing Everest?

Sherpa Movie Review: Did It Stop Me From Climbing Everest?

Will the plight of Sherpas change with the release of Jennifer Peedom's BAFTA-nominated and exciting new Sherpa film?

Let's be clear: I have neither the skills nor the money to climb Everest. I've spoken several times about my long-standing ambition to climb the Seven Peaks, but I'm not so naive that I can't see that it could forever remain a distant dream.

Of course, that doesn't stop me from dreaming and I assume that the appeal of being on top of the world will never really fade. However, after watching the BAFTA-nominated documentary Sherpa, I'm wondering whether foreigners should even be on the mountain.

Sherpa traces the Everest story from a rarely seen perspective and subtly asks the question: Is the ongoing foreign obsession with Everest bad for Nepal, Khumbu and the Sherpas?

It's clear that most foreigners couldn't climb Everest without the help of Sherpas: it's their land, their mountain and their expertise. A Sherpa crosses the Khumbu Icefall - the most dangerous part of the mountain - up to 30 times during an expedition. A customer is only allowed to cross it twice.

Unfortunately, so much of the Sherpa story is lost in major productions like the 2015 survival thriller Everest.

This is set to change with the release of Sherpa.

The visually arresting film offers an honest look into the lives of Sherpas: the challenges they face and their changing attitudes towards foreigners. Perhaps the most fascinating aspect is the changing image of the Sherpa from the ever-smiling, submissive sidekick made famous by Tenzing Norgay to the younger, connected generation of Sherpas among whom there is an undercurrent of resentment.

This growing discontent came to a head in 2013 when a brawl broke out on the mountain between foreign climbers and angry Sherpas.

The tense exchange is a harbinger of further unrest. Coincidentally, director Jennifer Peedom and her team shot their film on Everest's (then) darkest day, April 18, 2014, when 16 Sherpas died in an avalanche over the Khumbu Icefall.

The resulting tension erupts as the film's foreign clients expect the underpaid Sherpas to continue climbing after the deaths of so many of their colleagues, friends and loved ones.

alt=“Sherpa film review – Train of the Sherpas”>Sherpas train in the Khumbu Icefall, the most dangerous part of the mountain

What caught my attention was the attitude of some customers. At one point, a would-be climber, unable to understand why the Sherpas don't want to continue crossing the deadly icefall, asks his expedition leader, "Can't you talk to their owners?"

Later in the film he goes so far as to compare the striking Sherpas to terrorists.

The question that comes to mind is: Are we essentially forcing Sherpas to risk their lives?

On the one hand, it is clear that the tourism industry encourages Sherpas to risk their lives on a mountain that they believe should be treated with reverence. On the other hand, calling for the mountain to be closed is unbearably paternalistic. It implies that the Sherpas cannot think for themselves, that they are just mindless mules mindlessly following orders.

alt=“Sherpa Movie Review – Base Camp”>Given the choice, would Sherpas rather not be on Everest?

The Sherpas in Peedom's film want better wages and safer working conditions so as not to cut off their income. The answer then lies with the Nepalese government and the Sherpas themselves. Taking industrial action is the most powerful tool in the hands of the Sherpas and it is heartening to see them taking control of the mountain.

I can't deny it: I still want to be on top of the world, but I can only do that with the Sherpas' permission. It is their land, their mountain and their expertise. If I ever have the skills or money to climb Everest, the Sherpas will decide whether I do it.

old=““>

Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster is the true story of a 24-hour period on Everest that began with a storm and ended with the highest single-season death toll in the summit's history.

Images: sherpafilm.com

      .