Sherpas, Baltis, and the triumph of local climbers in the great mountain ranges.
Maurice Herzog is known worldwide, beyond mountaineering circles, as the first man to summit Annapurna, but how many people know Ang Tharkay, the Sherpa who reached 7,500 meters and carried a severely frostbitten Herzog during that 1950 French expedition? Though rarely mentioned in mainstream accounts, local Himalayan and Karakoram climbers like Tharkay have long been essential members of expeditions and first ascents of the world's highest and most challenging mountains.
In The Real Heroes of the Himalaya, award-winning writer Bernadette McDonald sets the record straight by presenting a compelling account of the achievements of Sherpa, Balti, Ladakhi, Hunza, Astori, Magari, Bhotia, Rai, and Gurung mountaineers. From the survivors of the disastrous early attempts on Nanga Parbat, to Tenzing Norgay's first ascent of Everest in 1953, and the exploits of countless lesser-known climbers, these pages give credit where credit is due, both historically and today.
In the 21st century, local climbers are taking center stage. A team of Nepalese climbers recently became the first to summit K2 in winter, singing their national anthem as they took the final steps together. All of Pakistan came together to mourn the death of beloved climber Little Karim, an accomplished mountaineer, well known for his high-altitude rescues of foreign climbers and his generosity to his community. However, the journey has not been easy: decades of tradition have established a dynamic that favors foreign climbers over locals, and emerging from the shadow of this systemic colonialism takes time and enormous effort.
With unprecedented direct access to climbers and their families, and with the help of researchers from Pakistan and Nepal, McDonald has produced a groundbreaking book that will fundamentally change the way readers understand the history and legacy of mountaineering in the great mountains.
"Everything in the mountains is about mutual respect."
- Tashi Sherpa
This book is about climbers with little-known names; climbers from remote villages; climbers who were silent and reliable companions; climbers whose expectations grew as their experience grew. Ultimately, it's about climbers who are transforming mountaineering in the highest ranges on Earth thanks to their ability to break into new territory, to guide and advise, to create successful businesses, and to realize their personal dreams.
If we wish to more fully understand the evolution of these men, who went from silently assisting the sahibs to shining—and sometimes fading—in the spotlight, we will have to go back much further than 1954, indeed to the end of the 19th century. Some of these stories may disturb, and even shock, many ears in our 21st century.
Bernadette McDonald
“The Real Heroes of the Himalayas is a fascinating story of the crucial and often tragic role of Nepalis, Tibetans, and Pakistanis in expeditions to the world's highest mountains. Bernadette McDonald sheds new light on the inhabitants of the Himalayas and Karakorams exploited for decades by Western climbers, who often seemed to consider them little more than servants and expendable laborers. This important and engaging book explains how men and women from these underappreciated communities have recently earned worldwide respect and admiration as cutting-edge alpinists, heroic climbing guides, successful entrepreneurs, and masters of their own destinies.”
- Jon Krakauer
"Pakistani climbers are grateful for this important book about us, the unsung heroes of Pakistan. We are the next generation, ready for new challenges and to take our rightful place in climbing history. The True Heroes of the Himalayas tells our story."
- Sajid Sadpara. Balti Mountain Guide
