Phu Dorjee Sherpa | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1928 Khumjung, Nepal |
| Died | 18 October 1969 (aged 40–41) Khumbu Icefall, Everest |
| Allegiance | India |
| Awards | |
Phu Dorjee Sherpa (1928-1969) (also sometimes written as Phu Dorji) was the first Nepali man and 23rd person in the world to climb Mount Everest. [2]
He was a member of the third Indian Everest Expedition 1965, led by Captain M S Kohli, which was the first successful Indian Everest Expedition. The group consisted of 21 major expedition members and 50 Sherpas. The initial attempt was at the end of April, when they returned to base camp due to bad weather and waited 2 weeks for better weather. [3] (pp.126-137)
On 29 May 1965, on the fourth and final attempt on the 12th anniversary of the first conquest of Mount Everest, together with H. P. S. Ahluwalia and Harish Chandra Singh Rawat, Phu Dorjee summited Mount Everest. This was the first time that these three climbers climbed the mountain together. [4] [5] [6] [7]
He was a porter on the approach march to the base camp for the 1953 British Mount Everest expedition and was one of a small group who "showed promise" during the approach and were retained to carry loads to higher camps. [8] (p190) He was part of the "high level team" with Wilfrid Noyce which carried loads as far as the south col. [9] He was also recruited as a porter for the approach to Lhotse with the "The International Himalaya Expedition 1955" which was led by Norman Dyhrenfurth. He was again retained to the end of the expedition and carried loads to the Camp V at 25,000ft. [8] (p192)
In 1963 he was part of the American Mount Everest expedition and he carried loads to the South Col. [10] (p156 & 342) [3] (pp.49)
Phu Dorjee Sherpa was born in 1928 in Khumjung, Nepal. [8] (p179) He died in a fall on Mount Everest on 18 October 1969 whilst working with a Japanese expedition. [11] [12] [13]