'Snow Leopard' Angrita Sherpa passes away

KATHMANDU: Angrita Sherpa, who managed to set a world record by climbing Mt. Everest 10 times without oxygen, has passed away. His relative Nur Chhepal Sherpa informed that he died at his residence in Jorpati, Kathmandu at 10 am on Monday.

Angrita's body, known as 'Snow Leopard', 72, born in Thame, Solukhumbu, is being prepared to be taken to Sherpa Gumba. Preparations have been made for the cremation on Wednesday according to Buddhist tradition. He started climbing Mt. Everest in 1983.

That was Sherpa's last ascent of Mount Everest in 1996 without oxygen. He has repeatedly climbed not only the highest peak, Mount Everest, but also Mount Ketu in Pakistan without oxygen and dozens of mountains in Nepal, including Choyu, Manaslu, Lhotse, Annapurna and Dhaulagiri.

Angrita's climbing journey

Born in 1948, Angrita's ancestral occupation was Chauripalan, but she started climbing at the age of 15. Sherpa, who first climbed Choyu Mountain at the age of 20, first climbed Mt. Everest in 1983 without oxygen.

The ascent was halted when Angrita fell ill during the ascent. The main reason for not going to climb Mt. Everest was that when he was ill, the then King Virendra sent Yuvaraj Dipendra to visit him at home. Dipendra, who came to meet Sherpa in a rented room at Gopi Krishna, said, "Father (Virendra) has been ordered to retire from Arohan." According to the family, he did not go on the climb after that.

At that time, King Birendra asked about the desires and needs, but he did not express any desire, said Angrita in a meeting with a journalist. Around 1996, Dipendra said that he would not come to the palace, but he did not go to the palace.

The ten-time world record has yet to be broken by any climber. Her daughter Doma said that Sherpa had not received much support from the Nepali government even though the Indian government had offered to make arrangements for her to stay in Nepal.

However, the Nepal Mountaineering Association has been providing regular assistance stating that his financial condition is deplorable. According to the daughter, the mountaineering association has been giving Rs 15,000 monthly. Angrita has three sons and a daughter. The eldest son Karsang Arohan is still in the profession. Mahila's son Chhewang Dorje lives in the United States and his youngest son Furanuru lives in Khumbu. Daughter Doma has been living in Jorpati. Angrita had been living with her daughter. His wife died seven years ago.