"Sherpas: Scaling Everest with the one percent" April 26, 2014
An Everest expedition has become a kind of romantic adventure for the one percent, who hire Sherpas to do the heavy lifting, a godsend for the impoverished people who live near the mountain.
I knew it, I knew it, I knew it! That is why it has received so much attention in my new$paper.
The pay for a few months of guiding climbers up the dangerous peak often exceeds what the average Nepali earns in a year.
It's still a pittance.
"While the work on Everest is dangerous, it has also become the most sought-after job for many Sherpas. A top high-altitude guide can earn $6,000 in a three-month climbing season, nearly 10 times Nepal’s $700 average annual salary."
And can certainly be easily replaced bib those looking for work, right?
If deceased guides means higher climbing fees, so be it. For the wealthy globetrotters who fuel the Everest economy, a few more dollars for the men who make their feats possible seems like the least they can do.
Oh, how generous of the Globe to finally $ugge$t $uch a thing, huh?
Yeah, a few more dollars I$ the LEA$T they can do!
--more--"
Relatives at a funeral of a Sherpa guide (Niranjan Shrestha/Associated Press).
Also see: The Face of Grief in Asia
I don't know how you console something like that.
Who cares about wins and losses on the basketball court now?
UPDATE: My team got hammered in two out of three games, but squeaked out a 12-10 win in the middle game. I scored points 10 and 11 on a nifty reverse lay-up and step-back wing jump shot, and had several other nice moves over the course of the day. I know it is nothing compared to Sherpa slavery and suffering.
