Kanchha Sherpa, the last known survivor of the pioneering 1953 Mount Everest expedition that achieved the first successful summit, has died at the age of 92, his family announced on Thursday.
His grandson, Tenzing Chogyal Sherpa, confirmed to Agence France-Presse that Kanchha Sherpa “hadn’t been feeling well for a few days” before he passed away.
At just 19 years old, Kanchha Sherpa served as a porter on the historic climb led by New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary and Nepali Tenzing Norgay Sherpa on May 29, 1953.
Remarkably, the young porter reached the treacherous “death zone” above 8,000 meters (26,247 feet) without any prior mountaineering experience.
His passing severs a direct link to the groundbreaking ascent of the world’s highest peak, which stands at 8,848 meters (29,032 feet).
The President of the Nepali Mountaineering Association called him “a living legend and an inspiration to all mountaineers and those working in this field.” “We have lost our guardian,” the president added.
The 1953 expedition members first gathered in Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital.
From there, they embarked on a two-week trek to base camp, manually transporting all tents, food, and equipment.
Kanchha Sherpa recounted in a 2013 interview with AFP that “everyone had to walk because there were no roads, vehicles, or planes” at the time.
After the 1953 ascent, Sherpa continued participating in numerous expeditions for two decades.
He eventually retired from mountaineering at his wife’s insistence.
In his later years, Kanchha Sherpa managed an inn in Namche.
He also established a foundation dedicated to funding education for impoverished families in the region.