Sherpa and Staff Policy

Clothing appropriate to season and altitude must be provided to sherpas for protection from cold, rain and snow. This may mean: windproof jacket and trousers, fleece jacket, long johns, suitable footwear (leather boots in snow), socks, hat, gloves and sunglasses.

Above the tree line sherpas should have a dedicated shelter, either a room in a lodge or a tent (the trekkers’ mess tent is no good as it is not available till late evening), a sleeping pad and a blanket (or sleeping bag). They should be provided with food and warm drinks, or cooking equipment and fuel.

Sherpas should be provided with the same standard of medical care as you would expect for yourself, and life insurance.

Sherpas should not be paid off because of illness/injury without the leader or the trekkers assessing their condition carefully. The person in charge of the sherpas (sirdar) must let their trek leader or the trekkers know if a sick sherpa is about to be paid off. Failure to do this has resulted in many deaths. Sick/injured sherpas should never be sent down alone, but with someone who speaks their language and understands their problem, along with a letter describing their complaint. Sufficient funds should be provided to cover cost of rescue and treatment.