Katmandu, Nepal – A veteran Sherpa guide set off Thursday on an attempt to scale Mount Everest for a record 17th time and is confident he’ll make it to the top, as he won’t be worrying about helping a foreign client up the slopes.
Appa, who goes by one name, will lead an eight-member team of Sherpas calling themselves the “Super Sherpas Expedition” as he attempts to break his own record for the number of climbs to the 29,035-foot summit.
“This is my 17th time. … I hope this is my 17th time (to reach the peak),” Appa said before leaving for Everest.
Appa – a modest, thinly built 46-year-old – is one of the most respected climbers in the mountaineering community. His closest competitor, fellow Sherpa guide Chewang Nima, 41, scaled the peak a 14th time last year.
Appa and his teammates will make a documentary about the climb, and all money raised will go toward providing better education and health care for children in their community at the foothills of the mountain.
Appa’s wife and three children live in Salt Lake City. News of his expedition can be found online at supersherpas.com.
