Ngima Nuru Sherpa, 22 times summiter of Everest

On our next expedition to the summit of Everest North Face, guided by Bernard Muller in spring 2021, we will be lucky enough to have Ngima Nuru Sherpa as our Nepalese expedition leader (Sirdar): a Sherpa who has already climbed Everest 22 times. He is the youngest person in the world to have set foot on the roof of the world so many times, and the second (after Kami Rita Sherpa, 24 ascents) to have been there so many times. At less than 40 years of age, Nigma is without doubt one of the most experienced Sherpas on the planet. Interview.

See all our climbs above 8,000 meters.

What village are you from and what was your childhood like?

I grew up in a small village called Theso, near Thame, where I studied until the 7th grade at the Hillary school: a school built in 1961 thanks to the Himalayan Trust, an NGO founded by Edmund Hillary. As a child, I used to do a lot of climbing... At that time, I was already dreaming of becoming a mountaineer.

Why did you choose to work as a Sherpa on the Everest climb?

When I was very young, I could see the foot of the mountains from the village where I lived; I always wanted to go higher, with the idea of one day reaching Everest. My family was already more or less involved in mountaineering; I grew up seeing my father's climbing equipment at home and my older brother was working as a sherpa at the time. That's how I became interested in mountaineering and decided to make it my profession.

Nigma on the way to Everest

How did you feel the first time you reached the top of the world?

I started working in mountaineering in 1999 and reached the summit of Everest two years later, in 2001. Climbing Everest was my ultimate dream and one of the happiest moments of my life. 

How many times have you reached the summit of Everest? Other ascents of over 8,000 metres?

I've been to the summit of Everest twenty-two times, nine times on the south side and thirteen times on the north side. In addition to that, I've summited other mountains over 8,000 metres: Cho Oyu (8,201 m) three times and Shishapangma (8,027 m) three times. I've also tried to climb Manaslu (8,156 m) and Makalu (8,485 m), but I couldn't go all the way.

Nigma at the summit of Cho Oyu (8,201 m)

How do you feel if a client is out of shape and you have to come back before you've reached the summit?

In 2018, I took part in the biggest Everest expedition, with 115 people in total: clients, team leaders, doctors, cameramen, sherpas and cooks. As there were so many of us, we divided the group into three sub-groups. I led group A. After reaching the summit with my group, we went back down to the North Col camp at 7,000 metres. The next day, one of the clients in team B, who was on his way to the summit, fell ill at 8,300 metres with altitude-induced pulmonary oedema.

That same day, without having had breakfast, I took my team to the advanced base camp (6,500 metres) and went straight back up to 7,500 metres to help this client. There were fifteen of us Sherpas and we took him down to the North Col with a makeshift stretcher and oxygen. From there, we carried him on our backs to the advanced base camp and then looked after him throughout the night with the help of the doctor. The next morning, we used a yak to descend as quickly as possible to the intermediate camp, where he received an injection and continued the descent to the base camp.

Finally, from the base camp, we sent him, with our doctor and in a jeep, to the Nepal border, where a helicopter transferred him to the Kathmandu hospital. It was a difficult job to do at such a high altitude and in such complicated terrain.

Obviously, it hurts not to reach the summit when you only get the chance once a year, but we work for our customers and our priority is of course to keep them alive. As far as I'm concerned, I'm happier to turn back, because a person's life is more important than reaching the top of a mountain.

Itinéraire de l'ascension de l'Everest

This spring season has been cancelled. What expeditions were you planning? And what expeditions are you planning this autumn?

In the spring, I was due to set off on the Everest expedition via the North Face with Expeditions Unlimited, but it has been postponed until 10 April 2021. As for this autumn, there are no plans to go on any expeditions at the moment, as the health situation does not allow us to receive foreigners for the time being.

What was your day-to-day life like during the confinement?

During these four months of confinement, everyone was free to do things that they don't necessarily have time to do normally. So I tried to make the most of this period by doing productive activities, such as daily training, hiking, spending time with my family, sharing my experience of the mountains with my children, or even giving them mountaineering training.

Have you climbed other mountains outside Nepal?

Yes, I've summited Mount Elbrus (5,642 m) in Russia twice. It's part of the Seven Summits (the challenge of reaching the highest peak on each of the seven continents).

What is your dream today?

My dream is to climb other high mountains outside Nepal. I'd like to learn more about the weather, the environment and the natural habitats of these mountains, as I'm mainly familiar with the Himalayas. I also dream of visiting New Zealand, the birthplace of Sir Edmund Hillary, at least once in my life.

What advice would you give to a client making their first ascent above 7,000 metres to the summit of Everest?

My advice would be to start with climbs below 7,000 metres, such as Mera Peak and Island Peak (6,476 metres and 6,180 metres). Then, as a second step, go on to higher peaks to familiarise yourself with hypoxia, such as Himlung Himal (7,126 m) and Baruntse (7,129 m).

Join the next Everest climb via the Nepalese South Face or the North Tibet side.