Did you know that a Sherpa is not a profession but rather a member of an ethnic group?

In fact, the term Sherpa refers to an ethnic group from Tibet. Some 500 years ago, the Sherpa migrated from Eastern Tibet to the Himalayan valleys bordering Northern Nepal, specifically at the base of Mount Everest. Because of their habitat’s extreme altitudes, the Sherpa face some of the harshest living conditions in the world.

Prior to the arrival of the first Western mountain climbers in Nepal, the Sherpa were traditionally herders, farmers and merchants. However, since the 1950s, conquering the lofty Himalayan peaks has become an obsession that has led the Sherpa to specialize in a new trade, as skilled mountaineering guides. Living at the base of the high mountain peaks and being accustomed to the difficulties associated with life in high altitude conditions, they were quickly noticed by Western climbers determined to conquer the Himalayan summits.

But to what do the Sherpa people owe their special strength? It is logical to believe that natural selection was responsible for making the Sherpa more resilient. It is likely that exposure to high altitudes over successive generations caused the Sherpa to develop physiological mechanisms of genetic acclimation to extreme altitudes (e.g. Everest 8 800 meters): increased alveolar surface of the lungs and special hemoglobin conformation. As a result, their pulmonary capacity would have increased. And so, they rapidly gained an international reputation in climbing and mountaineering circles.

Their performance and skills have had such an impact in the high-altitude climbing community that nowadays the term Sherpa is broadly used throughout the English-speaking world, and incorrectly so, to refer to those who practice mountaineering trades. The term Sherpa therefore more aptly describes an ethnic group rather than a profession!