Nabraj Ghimire
Born and Raised in Kimathanka the last village in Nepal Tibet Border of Sankhuwasabha District home to Mt. Makalu, the 5th highest mountain in the Planet Dawa Phinjo Lama Bhote is one of the first four certified Mountain Rescuer/ Helicopter Long Line Specialists of Nepal trained in Air Zermatt Switzerland. He is actively involved in Mountaineering and Rescue Operations in and out of Nepal and known among the Mountaineering community for his life saving rescue works. He also has climbing experience of 7 successful accent on Mt Everest Summit, Denali in America, Manaslu, Amadablam and few other peaks in Himalaya.
With over 15 years of experience as Mountain Sherpa and Guide including International Mountain Guide Course Instructor, Dawa have served as Mountain Guide Consultant for The United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in Mt. Herman, Syria from November 14 2015 till March 14 2016. He helped the soldiers in the ground how to survive in the cold weather and walk in the mountain terrain. Conducting various training sessions. “Working in the war zone was not easy job compared to death zones but as a Sherpa I have always been confident in my work,” he says, remembering his past. He remembers his past. He is an active Swiss Trained Helicopter Long Line Rescuer who has not only worked in the Nepalese mountains but also been to Myanmar in rescue Operations all the way from Nepal.
After working as a porter in the Himalayas for the first few years in his starting phase he came in the Theater of Mountaineering in 2007 in his early twenties. Climbing the highest mountain of the world requires Training and Preparation for the world climbers whereas for many Sherpa’s born and raised in Solukhumbu and other parts of Nepal can manage the climbing without much training which is an established fact in the industry. For Sherpa like Dawa Phinjo also getting an opportunity was an important and primary thing not the training, even basic one! He first climbed Everest successfully and later started his official basic mountaineering training with Nepal mountaineering association.
Coming form a remote corner of Nepal Kimathanka he remember his past while approaching to the mountaineering life –
“It was not an easy game for the Sherpa like me to get a group since most of the business were from Solukhumbu and they wants to promote their own areas Sherpa’s, so I have to begin the journey with a porter but later he was blessed to get a work of climbing Everest which turned my life, it was an epic journey. Opening the door of everything. social recognition, trust from your employer and more.” He continues: “The time I was seeking opportunity was not an easy time for Nepal which was itself in the smoke of war between Maoist Gorilla and Government and I even some time went to India to find seasonal work in the mountain regions working as a collie but was deprived of work many times which added more jealousy on me that one day I will do best if I got chance, it was the things before Everest.”
After his first Nepal Mountaineering Association Basic Mountaineering training he fell in love with trainings and he has now several trainings like Long Line Rescue Specialist & Helicopter Instructor , Rescue Specialist Helicopter, Mountain Guide Course, Aspirant Guide Course, Trekking Guide, High Mountain Rescue Training, Mountaineering Liaison officer orientation, Basic Mountaineering, Basic First Aid Course, Khumbu Ice Climbing, Advance Mountaineering Training, RECCO Instructor, Longline Helicopter Rescue Course, Basic Mountaineering Course, Basic Mountain Rescue Course. He is now working on English Language course to advance his English in less busy times. He says, “I wish I would have a degree but just after 10 class i was deprived of academic life due to family issues, Sherpa memories his early teenage life where he has to leave village in the far east for Kathmandu to find the opportunities.”
Dawa Phinjo, a certified UIAGM, IVBV, IFMGA, NNMGA Guide and instructor who defines mountains as a Place which is not always danger if you are well prepared. He complains of the mushrooming of expeditions and trekking operators in Nepal too much which is making the industry very competitive and sometimes using the unskilled worker which is the main reason for the accidents and problems.
He worked with Simirk air for 8 years and now shifted to the Local air called Altitude as a Long line Rescue specialist again. Every morning he flies to the mountains to rescue the trekkers, mountaineers, sick Peoples in the mountains of Nepal and at the end of the day back at home his 10 years son asks him how many life did you save Papa? It makes him so happy, he forgets all his hard work and risk of the days. His wife is worried to see him in long lines in the mountain gorge glaciers, but he keeps telling her that he is enough to bear the risk from his well received training and experiences. But some time when there are non-trained captains he feels uncomfortable to work with.
He remembers his few notable works accordingly:
“In Jan 2020, I was part of the Search team dispatched by Nepal Mountaineering Association to trace the 4 missing Korean Trekkers and 3 Nepali Guides in Hinku Cave area of the Annapurna Base camp Trek. In October 2018, I was the Leader of the team that recovered 5 Korean climbers and 4 Nepali Sherpa’s from Mt. Gurja Base camp. Long line method was used to recover the bodies of deceased climbers from highly challenging terrain. (Nine climbers died in an accident at the base of Gurja Himal (7,193 Meter) Nepal on Friday October 12, which was the biggest loss of life in Himalayan climbing since the 2015 Avalanche that killed 19 peoples on Everest.)
“On May 3rd 2016, I was one two rescuers who managed to evacuate 2 Germans and 16 Nepali members of the expedition from Mt. Sarebung utilizing long line technique. They were stranded above 5000m in Mt. Sarebung after a strong wind blew their tents and equipment. All of them were clinging to lives in an area above a vertical cliff.”
Dawa Phinjo Rescued and recovered several lives in the post-earthquake avalanche at Everest Base Camp in April 2015. He also Actively worked with various helicopter companies and Medicine Sans Frontier in post-earthquake rescue and recovery efforts throughout the affected areas of Nepal.
During the Earthquake, he was in the upper base camp of Everest and luckily his side had fewer avalanches and he was alive but the lower part was badly destroyed and immediately he began to rescue dead bodies from the base camp and supported the wounded climbers.
Another notable rescue mission where he was involved was Rescuing several dead bodies caused by Cyclonic Storm Hudhud in 2014 from Narphu and Annapurna area. He adds: “This was just a normal Trekking area /pass but due to the negligence of the Guide, and backpackers was reason of the big loss, this could be prevented if there was a proper weather forecast system and updates for Trekkers on time.”
(On 14 October 2014, a snowstorm and series of avalanches occurred on and around Annapurna and Dhaulagiri in the Manang and Mustang Districts of Nepal within the Himalaya range. Storm arose from Cyclone Hudhud and was the worst in a decade with almost 1.8 meters (5 feet 11 in) of snow falling within 12 hours. The storms resulted in the deaths of at least 43 people. Among the dead were 21 trekkers from several countries walking the Annapurna Circuit, including two Slovak climbers at Dhaulagiri base camp, and several local Nepali mountain guides, cooks and yak herders up to 50 people were estimated to be missing with 175 reported to have injuries such as severe frostbite.)
While talking about Annapurna he always remembers the Pisang Peak incident where he rescued a Russian who fell in the cliff while descending from the peak. While the other three Russians in the team came down safely. While people passed away in the mountain it is not easy to rescue, their weight becomes heavy and also it’s hard to find a place to work on Rescue since geography is not helping you. I Guide for all 4 Russian was too much and he thinks this was the cause of the accident.
“I was invited by HTOO foundation in Myanmar to advise and coordinate search and rescue of missing mountaineers in Myanmar’s highest mountain in September 2014. I was part of the 4-member team led by Capt. Siddhartha J. Gurung, a renowned SAR helicopter pilot of Nepal. But unfortunately in our 15 days stay no weather favored us and we could not do much then just return home empty handed,” he says.
Dawa Phijo Lama gives all the credit of this success and respect to the hard work to this father Phurpu Ridhar Bhote, 63 – True Mountaineering Legend of Nepal.At the age of 63, who holds 17 Everest summits on his belt in his long mountaineering career.
Not only his father is in Mountaineering , his older Brother Pasang Lama Bhote survived the K2 disaster in 2008 and is a ferocious climber. Pasang has summited Everest 6 times and several other Mountains above 8000m.
Phurpu Bhote and his sons Pasang and Dawa are the only father son duos to have summited Everest 5 times together, that too from both Nepal and Tibet sides. the family have played significant role in the Nepal Mountain Tourism.
Dawa has given new life to many Trekkers, mountaineers, many Nepalese people. Another example is here – June 1st week Dawa together with Capt Andy Thapa from the Heli altitude worked with evacuating 70 villagers from Manang District who were stuck in a mountain while collecting Yarchuguma also called Himalayan Viagra, after being stuck for 5 days due to bad weather the team safely evacuated the whole villagers. Dawa says: “If evacuation was not on time the story might be very painful , the whole village was rescued including children and their pet dog. they took the children and dogs also with them in the pass since they thought the weather will be constant and there wouldn’t be bad weather.”
(Yarscha Gumba It is an enthno-pathogenic fungus that grows on insects in the family Ophiocordycipitaceae. It is mainly found in the meadows above 3,500 meters (11,483 feet) on Tibetan Plateau in Southwest China and Himalayan regions of Bhutan and Nepal used to be valued as a herbal remedy and in traditional Chinese medicine, many villagers in Nepal make living by collecting this medicine and selling to the agent.)
Dawa came to this profession of Long line when he saw the shortages of manpower in this rescue field. He saw that there are lots of climbers but the industry lacks the technical manpower. “Now my aim is to develop more rescue specialists in the industry,” he says
For his best works he has received recognition from SWISS TELECOM and Swiss Rescue guides for the demonstration of real time Alpine rescue simulations in July 2015 in the Swiss Alps. Many other awards and recognition locally.
He happily lives in Kathmandu with his 3 children and wife. He is a source of Inspiration among Nepalese Mountain community and youths.
Nabraj Ghimire is from Kathmandu, Nepal. He is an entrepreneur and freelance journalist specializing in travel. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Humanities and Social Science and is the owner of a trekking agency in Nepal Capital.]