Ang Phurba Sherpa has climbed Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world 10 times. In January of this year, as a member of a 10-person team in Nepal, he climbed the second highest mountain Mt K2 in the world and added a feather to his hat.

Despite having more than 14 years of mountaineering experience and conquering 5 peaks above 8,000 meters above sea level, Ang Phurba has not yet obtained a mountain guide certificate.

"Our profession is to climb mountains, to provide convenience for those who are interested in climbing. When someone asks for a certificate and we can't show it, we have problems," he said.

Ang Phurba worked with the Nepal Team of Himalayan Guides to help more than 15 foreign expeditions climb Sagarmatha, K2 and other peaks. "In foreign countries, when we introduced ourselves as climbers, we gained great admiration and honor. But at home, we faced difficulties because we didn't have a mountain guide certificate."

He recounted how security officials and airport staff at Tribhuvan International Airport objected when they went to Pakistan to climb K2 Mountain last winter.

He recalled: "We were severely punished and were forbidden to travel further. After two hours of interrogation, we managed to convince them that we were on the way to climb K2."

He said they had to turn to the Internet to search for news related to previous climbs and persuade airport staff and security personnel. "Even the Pakistani immigrants released us after regular interrogations, but we were detained for several hours after returning home."

If the Nepalese government considers providing mountain guide certificates for professional climbers over 8,000 meters, things will be much easier for professional Sherpas who were not only born in the mountains but also for the mountains.

The brave climber recalled the historic K2 mountain winter climb and said: "I have tried to climb K2 four times, but only succeeded twice." This 8,611-meter-high mountain in Pakistan is considered a highly technically difficult mountain. Mountain peaks.

A nine-man expedition including him and American climbers climbed K2 Mountain. He is the guide of this team. The other members of the Ang Phurba Sherpa mountain guide team are: Siddhi Bahadur Tamang, Dorje Gyalzen Sherpa, Pasa Dhawa Sherpa, Kama Dorji Sherpa, Ming Dorje Sherpa, Dawa Nupu Sherpa, Lakpa Ongchu Sherpa, Mingmar Sherpa, and company manager Bhola Poudel. He said that about two hours after reaching the summit, they saw the bodies of three or four climbers during the descent. Since 2009, Sherpas have been cooperating with Madison Himalaya Guide Nepal Company.

According to him, the beauty of Nepal is hidden in the Himalayas, and further publicizing this huge tourism potential to the world will make a significant contribution to the growth of the national economy.

Dorje Gyalzen Sherpa from Solukhumbu is also a professional mountain guide in the Ang Phurba team. The 38-year-old has 19 experience climbing Mount Everest. He also does not have a mountain guide license. Dorje Gyalzan also called on the government to provide mountain guide licenses to guides who have climbed Mount Everest many times.

The youngest member of the team, 25-year-old Mindoje Sherpa, reached the highest peak in the world at the age of 21 and began his career. He is now in contact with the Nepal Himalayan Guide. His request was that the government issued a Taiwan policy as early as possible to grant mountain guide licenses to those who have climbed more than a dozen times.

Bhola Poudel, manager of Himalayan Guides Nepal, said his company employs more than 200 climbers who are recognized by the Ministry of Tourism as "high-altitude porters."

He believes that professional climbers who have climbed Mount Everest dozens of times face unfair treatment because the government has not provided them with a mountain guide certificate. He said: "Our requirement is that the government should provide mountain guide certificates to those who have been involved in mountaineering by meeting established standards."

Poudel said that after the COVID-19 pandemic began, the number of climbers has dropped to 10%. "Even now, we have received many'inquiries' from foreigners who are interested in mountaineering. However, they are discouraged by the quarantine and other troublesome regulations after arriving in Nepal," he said.

The authorities should relax the regulations for climbers and foreign tourists who have been vaccinated with double doses and have tested negative by PCR. April and May are suitable for climbing peaks above 8,000 meters, and September, October and November are suitable for climbing other peaks. A foreigner costs about 35,000-90,000 U.S. dollars to climb a mountain.

Kul Bahadur Gurung, secretary general of the Nepal Mountaineering Association, said that NMA has always divided the work experience of climbers into three stages, issuing "black book", "blue book" and "red book".

He added: “We distribute the blue book to those mountaineering supporters who have stayed in the base camp for three years, and the red book will be distributed three years after the blue book is released.” He said that he is preparing to revise and revise the book in time.

Gurung further stated that there is a requirement that people who have received training from the NMA and passed the first, second and third stages will also be eligible to become "national mountain guides" because there is a requirement to complete an international mountaineering course. The Federation of Mountain Guide Associations has obtained the membership of International Mountain Guides. Only 70 people have been approved by mountain guides.

He believes that "although the government has agreed to issue mountain guides to those who have climbed many times, have red books, and have trained in high mountains, it has stopped due to disputes."

In 2019, the Ministry of Tourism decided to provide climbing guides for climbers based on the recommendation of the NMA, saying that there are well-known climbers in Nepal, but the NMA recommends that only people with red books and those with red books be issued mountain guide licenses. After receiving high mountain training, he has been engaged in rock climbing industry.

A version of this article appeared in the "Himalaya Times" on August 25, 2021.