Lakpa Gelu ( ne, ल्हाक्पा घेलु) (born June 23, 1967), often spelled ''Lhakpa'', is a
Nepalese Sherpa climber born in Jubing - 1, KhariKhola,
Solukhumbu
Solukhumbu District ( ne, सोलुखुम्बु जिल्ला , Sherpa: , Wylie: shar khum bu dzong) is one of 14 districts of Province No. 1 of eastern Nepal. As the name suggests, it consists of the subregions Solu and Khumbu. ...
,
Nepal. He is known for holding a
world record for the fastest climbing of
Mount Everest (the world's tallest mountain at 8,848 meters, known to the Nepalese as "Sagarmatha") in only 10 hours 56 minutes and 46 seconds. Gelu's record-breaking trip was his tenth trip to the summit of the mountain.
Personal life
Lhakpa Gelu was born around June 23, 1967 in the
Solukhumbu
Solukhumbu District ( ne, सोलुखुम्बु जिल्ला , Sherpa: , Wylie: shar khum bu dzong) is one of 14 districts of Province No. 1 of eastern Nepal. As the name suggests, it consists of the subregions Solu and Khumbu. ...
of
Nepal. The ethnic Sherpa community in Nepal does not record exact birth dates, though, so it is impossible to know his precise birth date.
Lhakpa Gelu comes from a family of climbers. His older brother died in 1991 while climbing
Annapurna, and his youngest brother has also climbed
Mount Everest. He is married to Fulli and has three children.
[http://deseretsherpa.blogspot.com/ ]
In December 2006, Lhakpa Gelu moved to
Utah.
Despite his mountaineering accomplishments, Lhakpa struggled financially, as Sherpas are paid far less than Western guides.
In Utah, he had difficulty finding work as a mountain guide, so instead he had to work at a coffee house, installing signs, and delivering pizzas while searching for employment as an expedition guide.
In 2008, Lhakpa began working as a guide for
Alpine Ascents International
Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to:
Places Europe
* Alps, a European mountain range
** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range
Australia
* Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village
* Alpine Nation ...
, where he has guided expeditions up
Mount Rainier
Mount Rainier (), indigenously known as Tahoma, Tacoma, Tacobet, or təqʷubəʔ, is a large active stratovolcano in the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest, located in Mount Rainier National Park about south-southeast of Seattle. With a s ...
and
Aconcagua.
Speed climb of Everest
Gelu started for the summit at 5:00 p.m. on May 25, 2003, and reached on the summit at 3:56:46 a.m. on May 26. He returned to Base Camp at 11:20 a.m. on the 26th. (It is also reported that upon reaching the top, Gelu hoisted the
Nepalese flag on a brass pole.) The total time of his climb from Base Camp to the summit and back to Base Camp was 18 hours 20 minutes.
The record he beat (12 hours 45 minutes) was set just a few days earlier on May 23, 2003 by 25-year-old
Pemba Dorjie
Pem Dorjee ( ne, पेम्दोर्जी शेर्पा ; born 1982) is a Nepalese Sherpa mountaineer born in Chyangba, a small, remote village south of Mount Everest in Khumbu, Nepal.
Pem Dorjee has climbed Mount Everest two times ...
, a Sherpa from
Rolwaling Himal.
Lakpa Gelu was the climbing ''
Sardar'' of the 12-member "Jubiläums Expedition Mt. Everest 2003". He began his ascent of Everest from the
Southeast Ridge under the leadership of Eckhard Schmitt, a 56-year-old mountaineer from Schaftlach,
Germany.
Other ascents
In addition to over a dozen Everest summits, Lhakpa has also summitted
Cho Oyu
__NOTOC__
Cho Oyu (Nepali: चोयु; ; ) is the sixth-highest mountain in the world at above sea level. Cho Oyu means "Turquoise Goddess" in Tibetan. The mountain is the westernmost major peak of the ''Khumbu'' sub-section of the Mahalangur ...
and
Ama Dablam in the
Himalayas.
In 2007, Lhakpa climbed Everest to raise money for an elementary school in his hometown in Nepal and to increase public awareness of the contributions of the Sherpa people to Himalayan mountaineering.
See also
*
*
List of Mount Everest records
*
Lhakpa Sherpa (female Everest mountaineer)
*
List of Mount Everest guides
This is a list of notable Mount Everest guides, which are professional mountaineers (and mountaineering firms) who help people to ascend Mount Everest in the Himalayas in return for fees. Previously, the summit was only accessible to expert moun ...
Notes
External links
Website dedicated to Apa Sherpa and Lhakpa Gelu Sherpa
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gelu, Lakpa
1969 births
Living people
People from Solukhumbu District
Nepalese mountain climbers
Sherpa summiters of Mount Everest
Nepalese Buddhists
Nepalese summiters of Mount Everest