How much is a Sherpa paid for Everest?

Many of the lead Sherpas now have a subset (no ski qualification, for example)of the IFMGA certification with more summits than many Western guides. This certification allows the Sherpas to earn up to $10,000 for the Everest season compared to $4-5,000 previously.



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Sherpas make at least $2,000 per climbing season, considerably more than the median income of Nepal, which comes in at around $540 per year. Elite Sherpas can make as much as $4,000 – $5,000 in just two months. By comparison, Western guides make as much as $50,000, plus tips.

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Since 1922, when the first attempt to climb Everest was made, 193 climbers and 125 Sherpas have died on both sides of the mountain.

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David Goettler summited Everest last year without Sherpa support. He carried his own gear up and down the mountain. He freely admitted that he had used the ropes at some points and he also took advantage of an empty tent platform along the way. Otherwise, he relied on his own abilities and decisions.

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Many Sherpas are highly regarded as elite mountaineers and experts in their local area. They were valuable to early explorers of the Himalayan region, serving as guides at the extreme altitudes of the peaks and passes in the region, particularly for expeditions to climb Mount Everest.

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Of all deaths from 1950 to 2019 in non-Sherpa climbers during a summit bid on Mount Everest, about 35% were caused by falls, with other leading causes being exhaustion (22%), altitude illness (18%) and exposure (13%). In Sherpa deaths over the same time period, 44% were attributable to avalanches.

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The most common cause of death on Everest is from avalanches, followed by falls and hypothermia. However, heart attacks, altitude sickness, frostbite, and exposure have also been known to take their toll on climbers who push themselves too hard or venture out unprepared.

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The deadliest season was in 2015, when at least 18 people died in an earthquake that also killed nearly 9,000 people across Nepal. This season, 12 people died and five others are missing. Ten of them were foreigners, the highest such toll on record, as well as seven Nepalis: guides, mountain workers and a climber.

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Over the years working in expeditions, dating back to the early decades of the 20th century, the argument goes, Sherpas had learned what the foreign climbers valued and rewarded, what the climbers wanted to see -- loyalty, camaraderie, and cheerfulness -- and gave it to them.

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