FREIBURGER ZEITGEISTLITERATURE (Satis Shroff)

Ueli Steck: was a fascinating Swiss climber from Basle (near Freiburg) and now he lives no more. He was known for his daredevil speed-climbing in the Alps and the Himalayas, and had a row with Sherpas while climbing a few years back.Ueli was a blogger, climber and an inspiration for young climbers throughout the world. The world of high-altitude climbing will miss him. May his Bergsteiger rest in peace. ---Satis Shroff The Sherpa Issue: Live and Let Die on the Death-Zone (Satis Shroff) Can you imagine over a hundred Sherpas throwing stones and threatening climbers from abroad? Even the Swiss climber admits that the deep animosity between the tourist-climbers and the Sherpas was more of a behavioural nature, and a longstanding one at that. What made the normally peaceful Sherpas threaten the visitor from abroad with ice-picks? Was it a deadly faux pas that brought the wrath of the Sherpas? The three foreigners wanted to climb the Lhotse’s flank up Camp 3 to...

Chomolungma: the Mother Goddess of the Earth (Satis Shroff) The highest peak on earth is Mt. Everest but to the Nepalese living below the Himalayas it has always been Sagarmatha, and to the Sherpas the mountain was always Chomolungma, the Mother Goddess of the Earth. The Sherpas are born at altitudes of 3000m and above, and you can find them around the Solokhumbu area, and they are acclimatized to high altitudes and are recognized for their climbing prowess. In 1953 Tenzing Norgay became the first Sherpa to climb Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest) with Edmund Hillary, and since then the experienced Sherpas bear the title Tigers of the Snow. The Sherpas settled in the Khumbu area circa 300 years ago after a long journey from Tibet (China). The Sherpas were traders before they became famous as porters and mountain guides. A relatively small group of Sherpas also live in Helambu, and there are many clans among the Sherpas. All Sherpas speak the official language of Nepal, ...