After he dedicated 2 years of his life to the 2003 movie Touching the Void, producer John Smithson said he would never make a mountain film again. That was until he was approached by director Jennifer Peedom with her idea for Sherpa – a documentary that would depict the 2014 Mount Everest climbing season from the Sherpa’s point of view. More specifically from Phurba Tashi’s viewpoint; a Sherpa on the precipice of breaking the world record for the number of times to summit Mount Everest.
Neither Smithson, Peedom nor Phurba could have foreseen what would actually unfold when their camera crew hit base camp in Spring 2014. On April 18 last year, a block of ice crashed down into the Khumbu Icefall, the most dangerous section of the Everest route. 16 Sherpas were killed, more in one day than had ever been killed in an entire year. The Icefall is the most perilous section of the mountain, while tourists cross it just two times in their ‘conquering’ of Mount Everest, the Sherpas have to cross it up to 30 times in order to ferry supplies and heavy equipment to set up camps higher up the peak.
They risk their lives for minimum wage so tourists can get the chance to tick something off their bucket list. With the increase in education and exposure to social media among the Sherpa people – they are now more aware than ever at the inequality inherent in this multi-million dollar industry. So grief quickly turns to anger after the tragedy as the Sherpas decide enough is enough. Tensions rise as the cashed-up tourists on the mountain push to continue with their once-in-a-lifetime trip. The inequality is palpable as one American thrill seeker demands that somebody speak to the Sherpa “owners” to sort the situation out – the audience at my viewing audibly shuddered in disgust at his use of words. Cinematographer Renan Ozturk’s (a climber and specialist in high altitude photography) breathtaking recordings are interspersed with iphone footage shot by Peedom herself in the midst of the real-time Sherpa strike. History unfolds on her shaky camera work as the Sherpas take a stand for their rights.
Before hitting the big screens the moviemakers will be adding this year’s disastrous earthquake to the storyline. Maybe the Sherpa’s superstitions are true; maybe we are angering the mountain by trampling all over her face.
This movie is a must see for anyone considering climbing Mount Everest. It’s still a fascinating watch for non-climbers, although the story is really nothing new. Poor people have been exploited by adventure seeking tourists since the concept of travel began, but maybe this story documents a turning point for that trend.
