Sherpa: The Memoir of Ang Tharkay

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"Ang Tharkay was born in 1908 and became one of the most renowned Sherpas during early Himalayan exploration. In Sherpa, Tharkay describes his experiences traveling with Eric Shipton and H.W. Tilman and as the head Sherpa on Maurice Herzog's 1950 ascent of Annapurna. Few such Sherpa accounts have been written and fewer still from these early Himalayan expeditions. Opening with a brief account of Tharkay's childhood and background, Sherpa then immerses readers in expeditions on Everest, Nanga Parbat, and, of course, Annapurna. Tharkay reveals some of the politics within the Sherpa support teams: petty arguments and shared struggles that went unnoticed or at least unrecorded by those who hired them. Tharkay's admiration of his employers is leavened with his recognition of their shortcomings, but his affection for the climbers who employed him, and theirs for him, radiates throughout the story." -- Provided by publisher.