Last surviving member of the first team to climb Mt Everest furious at what mountain has become

The last living member from the team who first conquered Mt Everest says he is appalled by what’s happening on top of the mountain.

The last surviving member of the first mountaineering expedition to conquer Mount Everest is unhappy with the current state of the mountain, saying it is now crowded and dirty and not being revered as the god that it is.

Kanchha Sherpa, 91, was one of the legendary team of 35 to reach the summit of the 8848m peak on May 29, 1953, with Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay.

One of the first people to scale Mt Everest said the mountain is now “dirty”. Picture: Handout / Project Possible / AFP.

“They should not be dirtying the mountain. It is our biggest god and they should not be dirtying the gods,” said Kanchha, a Sherpa from the Tibetan ethnic group that lives in the mountains.

“Qomolangma is the biggest god for the Sherpas but people smoke and eat meat and throw them on the mountain.”

Sherpas like Kanchha consider Everest as Qomolangma or “goddess mother of the world” and perform rituals ahead of their climbs.

Since Kanchha’s inaugural climb, thousands have trekked up the world’s tallest mountain.

During the spring of 2023, 667 climbers scaled the peak, bringing thousands of support staff to the mountain’s base camp.

Mount Everest is littered with rubbish. Picture: Gesman TAMANG / AFP.

The climb to Mt Everest has become a popular trek. Picture: Lakpa SHERPA / AFP.

Kanchha said a solution would be to limit the number of climbers allowed.

However, authorities are not decreasing the number of permits they issue.

“It would be better for the mountain to reduce the number of climbers,” “Right now there is always a big crowd of people at the summit.”

Kancha Sherpa, a team member of the 1953 Mount Everest expedition, says less people should be allowed to climb each year. Picture: ROBIC UPADHAYAY / AFP.

Kancha Sherpa said with the influx of climbers comes an increase in rubbish on the world's highest mountain. Picture: ROBIC UPADHAYAY / AFP.

With increased numbers of visitors and also some who live on the mountain for months at a time, comes an influx of their garbage, which has sparked concern.

There are rules in place that state climbers must carry out their own trash and equipment or risk losing their deposit, but enforcement has proven ineffective.

IKancha Sherpa, a team member of the 1953 Mount Everest expedition, was the first group to the top of the mountain. Picture: ROBIC UPADHAYAY / AFP.

“It is very dirty now. People throw tins and wrappings after eating food. Who is going to pick them up now?” said Kanchha, who lives in Namche village in the foothills of Mount Everest.

“Some climbers just dump their trash in the crevasse, which would be hidden at that time but eventually it will flow down to base camp as the snow melts and carries them downward.”

More than 310 people have died climbing Mount Everest since explorations first launched in the 1900s.

– with New York Post