Nepali Sherpa Apa scaled Everest 21 times

  Awarded honorary U.S. doctorate but secretly hates mountaineering

  British media reported on the 28th that Apa Sherpa of Nepal, who has summited Mount Everest 21 times, has been awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Utah in the United States. In an interview, the Sherpa, known as the "Michael Jordan" of mountaineering, said that he actually doesn't like climbing at all.

  Started climbing at 12 to make ends meet

  Apa's extraordinary life began after he survived a lucky escape from an avalanche. During that avalanche, two-month-old Apa fell from his mother’s arms, but fortunately, his mother heard his cries and rescued him.

  At age 12, after his father died, Apa began working as a porter for climbing expeditions to earn money. Apa said, "As a child, I wanted to be a doctor, but I needed to earn money to support my family, so I had to drop out of school and became a porter for a climbing team."

  Climbers soon noticed this small-built Sherpa with astonishing strength—he could carry loads much heavier than his own body weight, had quick reflexes, and always wore a smile.

  Lucky to cheat death

  Starting in 1988, Apa joined Everest expeditions, and it wasn’t until May 10, 1990, that he reached the summit of the world for the first time.

  The first time Apa summited Everest, he was with New Zealand mountaineer Rob Hall, Gary Ball, and Peter Hillary, the son of Everest’s first summiteer Sir Edmund Hillary.

  In 1996, Rob invited Apa to climb Everest again. This time, Apa wanted to go but couldn’t because his wife Yangjin asked him to stay and help build their house. As a result, Rob’s expedition turned into a tragedy—Rob and seven other climbers died within 24 hours of starting their climb, marking one of the deadliest disasters in Everest history.

  Actually always hated climbing

  By the time he announced his retirement from mountaineering, Apa had participated in 22 Everest expeditions, summiting 21 times—a record that still stands—earning him the title of the "Michael Jordan" of mountaineering. However, this Sherpa who set the Everest summit record actually hated climbing all along.

  "Whether male or female, Sherpas have dangerous jobs because we never know if we’ll survive—but we have no choice because we must earn money to support our families and send our children to school."

  Apa recalled, "Our salaries were very low, and we carried loads heavier than our own weight every day, working extremely hard. Every year, some of my friends died on the mountain—we were really earning our lives."

  Moved to U.S. as a cleaner for his kids

  After retiring from mountaineering, Apa founded the Apa Sherpa Foundation to continue the charitable work started by New Zealand mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary, helping improve the lives of thousands of Sherpas.

  Apa said, "I’ve met Sir Edmund many times. He used to visit Nepal every year, and even our school was built with his funding. He brought us schools and clinics."

  In 2008, after Sir Edmund Hillary passed away, Apa tried to lead an expedition to take his ashes to the top of Everest, but the Nepalese government banned the activity. So, Apa took a statue of Sir Edmund Hillary to the summit and prayed for him there.

  Story to be made into a documentary

  Last year, Apa left Nepal and moved to the United States, where he now works as a cleaner at a plastics factory.

  Apa said, "I’m making way for the younger generation and also trying to support my family. I want my children to get a good education. I hope one of them can become a doctor—if even one achieves that, I’ll be very happy."

  American producer Tammy Bradshaw is making a documentary called "Tiger of the Himalayas" about Apa’s extraordinary life. In an interview with Bradshaw, Apa admitted that adapting to life in the U.S. has required a lot of effort.

  Apa said, "It’s a completely different place. Back in our old home in Nepal, we often had to hike three hours just to find food, then walk another three hours to get back home. Here, the store is right at our doorstep—we’re almost getting spoiled. But adapting isn’t easy—for example, driving. We have to drive everywhere; we can’t walk anywhere. We didn’t understand the traffic rules at all when we first arrived, but now we’re much better. Anyway, moving to the U.S. was a very good decision."