Kancha Sherpa, Last Survivor of 1953 Everest Expedition, Passes Away at 92

The world has lost a living piece of mountaineering history. Kancha Sherpa, the last surviving member of the legendary 1953 Mount Everest expedition that saw Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay conquer the world’s highest peak,  passed away in Nepal's Kathmandu at the age of 92.

Family members said that Ang Phurba “Kancha” Sherpa breathed his last around 2 AM on Thursday. In his later years, he had returned to his ancestral home in Namche Bazaar, the bustling gateway to Everest.

“We are deeply saddened by his passing. Kancha Sherpa’s journey symbolised the courage and humility of Nepal’s mountaineering legacy. His death leaves an irreplaceable void,” said Phur Gyalje Sherpa, President of the Nepal Mountaineering Association.

Born in 1932 in the mountain village of Namche, Kancha’s story was one of quiet determination. At 19, he left home for Darjeeling, hoping to find work. There, a chance encounter with Tenzing Norgay changed his life forever. Recognising him as the son of a fellow climber from an earlier expedition, Tenzing brought him into Sir Edmund Hillary’s 1953 team. Kancha became one of 103 Sherpas who supported the historic climb, earning just five rupees a day.

Kancha didn’t stand on the summit himself but played a vital role in getting the climbers there. He made it as far as the final camp, now known as the South Summit, before Hillary and Tenzing pressed on to make history on May 29, 1953.

In later interviews, Kancha recalled those days vividly, a world without roads, hotels, or equipment. “We carried everything on our backs, tents, food, ropes, and ate roasted corn along the way,” he once told Nepal’s national news agency.

One of his most vivid memories was building a bridge across the Khumbu Icefall using pine logs. “There were no ladders, so we walked back to Namche, cut ten pine trees, and made our own bridge,” he had said with pride.

When word reached the camp that Hillary and Tenzing had reached the top, Kancha said the team erupted in joy. “We danced, hugged, and shouted. It felt like we had all reached the summit together.”

After two decades of mountaineering, Kancha retired in 1973 at his wife’s request and later worked as a trekking guide. His earnings may have been modest, eight rupees a day at most, but his contribution to history was priceless.

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