Babu Chhiri

Babu Chhiri (June 22, 1965 - April 29, 2001) was a Sherpa mountaineer from Nepal. He was a legendary guide who reached the summit of Mount Everest 10 times.

Early life

Babu Chhiri was born in Taksindu in the Sherpa region of Nepal. As a child he spent most of his time helping his parents on their farm. Chhiri was uneducated as no schools existed in his or surrounding villages. As a boy, Chhiri was amazed by the mountains that surrounded his village. By the time he was a boy many Sherpas for many years supported themselves by guiding and portering in the mountains. The legend of Tenzing Norgay, and Norgay himself, was of great influence on Chhiri. Chhiri dreamed one day of reaching the pinnicles of those great peaks.

Mountaineering

When old and strong enough, Chhiri began working as a porter carrying heavy loads for expedition groups. He learned the ropes of high altitude trekking and climbing and after working as a mountain porter for many years he climbed Mera Peak in 1985. Chhiri eventually found work portering for Everest expeditions. It was during this time he began showing his true abilities as a high altitude mountaineer. Chhiri reached the summit of Everest a record ten times. He holds the record for the fastest ascent of Everest from Base Camp to summit: 16 hours, 56 minutes, breaking the previous record held by Kazi Sherpa of 21 hours. Chhiri camped on the summit of Everest for 21 hours without supplemental oxygen, an amazing feat given the low levels of saturated oxygen at the summit and the extremely high danger of acquiring acute mountain sickness.

Death

In 2001, Chhiri signed on for his eleventh Everest expedition. He was planning yet another bid for the summit. However, on April 29 while near Camp II (6,500 m) and apparently taking photographs, Chhiri miscalculated his steps and fell 200 meters into a crevasse and was killed. As in most cases like this, Chhiri's body was not retrieved.

Legacy

Chhiri is revered by mountaineers the world over. After Tenzing Norgay he is perhaps the most well known of the Sherpa people. Other than putting his mark on Everest history, Chhiri was an environmentalist and a humanitarian. He worked to have a school built in his home village so that the children there could get the education that he was never able to receive. The school was completed before his death.

On September 25, 2005, the Royal Nepali Government, as represented by the Crown Prince, inaugurated the Babu Chhiri Memorial Museum and erected a statue of Chhiri. 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.

Trivia

Babu Chhiri spoke four languages: Sherpa, Nepali, English and Hindi. He had travelled to Canada, China, Italy, Mexico, Pakistan & the USA.