His father, Tenzing Norgay Sherpa, accompanied Sir Edmund Hillary on the first ascent of Mount Everest in 1953 and started Jamling on his path as climber, guide and teacher. I started climbing when I was 6 years old, just following my father wherever he went. There were mountains close by and I'd go whenever I wanted. Many people who participate in guided trips up the mountain are lacking in those climbing ethics, Norgay said, and that can puts their lives in danger. Also dangerous is the belief that will and money alone can get you up the mountain.
People climbing high without getting experience, that sort of thing gets dangerous.
He should know. When he climbed Everest in 1996 with an IMAX crew making a documentary, parts of his team helped the effort to rescue the survivors of an expedition that had been hit with a sudden storm. Death on Everest is especially disturbing, he said, because Everest, traditionally named Chomolungma, is sacred to native sherpa culture. There are quite a few dead bodies there. It's not a good feeling.