Ang Dorjee Sherpa climbs Everest for 23rd time

Ang Dorje (Chhuldim) Sherpa, a renowned Nepalese mountaineering guide, climber, and porter hailing from Pangboche, Nepal, has an impressive record of having conquered the summit of Mount Everest a staggering 23 times. In the spring of 1996, Ang Dorje served as the climbing Sirdar for Rob Hall’s Adventure Consultants expedition to Everest. Unfortunately, this expedition was marred by an unexpected and catastrophic storm that claimed the lives of eight climbers from multiple expeditions, etching itself as one of the most tragic disasters in the annals of Everest mountaineering. Today, in a remarkable display of skill and determination, Chhuldim Ang Dorjee Sherpa, a Nepali American climber, led a group from Adventure Consultant to successfully summit Everest for the 23rd time. This feat was achieved at approximately 4:55 am, as confirmed by Iswari Paudel, Managing Director at Himalayan Guides. Undoubtedly, Ang Dorjee’s unparalleled achievement on Everest continues to be an awe-inspiring testament to his unwavering prowess in the world of mountaineering.

Chhuldim Ang Dorjee Sherpa from Nepal and the USA, Robert Ocampo from the USA, Jonathan Anderton from Australia, Neil Long from the UK, and Finn Ghent from Australia, along with Chhewang Dorjee Sherpa, Sanduk Dorjee Tamang, Tenji Sherpa, Tashi Thundu Sherpa, Chhebi Bhote, Pasang Rinji Sherpa, Rita Dorjee Sherpa, Pemba Chhewang Sherpa, and Temba Bhote successfully reached the summit of Mount Everest. They accomplished this feat at 4:55am, as informed by Paudel. Additionally, participants from Himalayan Guides, such as Ram Chawla from the UK, Robert Kelso Smith from Ireland, Pasang Bhote, Pasang Anju Bhote, and Dawa Tshering Sherpa, also stood at the peak of Everest at 6:21am. Siddhi Bahadur Tamang achieved the same feat at approximately 5:35am, according to Paudel’s statement.

His life has been filled with close encounters with death, particularly the recent season where a dozen climbers lost their lives. Mount Everest has claimed the lives of around 300 people, a mountain that Ang Dorjee first climbed at the age of 22 in 1992. Tragically, a third of those who perished were Sherpas, the tough Nepalese guides who work tirelessly to keep their clients safe. In 2014, Ang Dorjee narrowly escaped an avalanche on Everest that took the lives of 16 Sherpas, including three from his own team. Another harrowing experience occurred in 1996, when a blizzard swept through the group of Sherpas he was leading, taking the lives of eight people, including the well-known climber Rob Hall. Despite all this tragedy, the allure of the highest peaks in the world continues to draw Ang Dorjee, who hails from the remote village of Pangboche in Nepal. Stemming from a family of climbers, Ang Dorjee began working as a porter at just 12 years old. Over the years, he has become known for his numerous ascents of Everest and other 8,000-meter peaks around the globe.

Ang Dorjee has an extensive climbing background, having conquered numerous mountains multiple times. His list of accomplishments includes climbing Mt. Cho Oyu, Ama Dablam, Mt. Kilimanjaro, Mt. Aconcagua, and Mt. Rainier several times each. He has also summited other notable peaks such as Island Peak, Broad Peak, and Gasherbrum II. After meeting his future wife, Michelle Gregory, at the Everest base camp, Ang Dorjee immigrated to the United States in 2002. He now resides in Boise with his wife and two children, working as a wind turbine mechanic. Despite his professional commitments, Ang Dorjee returns to ascend Mt. Everest every spring, drawing on his heritage, expertise, and passion for the mountains to ensure the safety of fellow climbers.

Early life

Ang Dorje was born in upper Pangboche, Nepal in 1970, near the Khumbu Valley which descends from Mount Everest. His father, Nima Tenzing Sherpa, was an experienced climber who worked with British mountaineer Chris Bonington during the 1970s and 1980s. Following in his father’s footsteps, Ang Dorje started working with climbing expeditions at the age of 12 as a porter. He expressed his desire to climb from a young age and continued to pursue his passion while attending private school in Nepal with the help of impressed western clients. His hard work paid off when he successfully reached the summit of Mount Everest in 1992 at the age of 22.

Sirdar and guiding career

Ang Dorje has been a key leader in numerous successful expeditions on Mount Everest, often serving as the climbing leader for Adventure Consultants, a guiding service established by Rob Hall. During the tragic 1996 expedition on Everest, Ang Dorje and Lhakpa Tshering Sherpa made a valiant effort to rescue Hall and others amidst the deadly storm conditions that claimed the lives of 8 climbers. They managed to ascend 900 vertical meters to just below Everest’s South Summit, but were then unable to proceed due to the impenetrable storm conditions, stopping just 100 meters from Hall. After waiting for 45 minutes, they were ultimately forced to retreat due to the storm. Ang Dorje later expressed his sadness and described the incident as incredibly challenging. The rescue attempts were detailed by Jon Krakauer in his account of the disaster, Into Thin Air. In addition to serving as a climbing leader on Everest, Ang Dorje has also worked as a mountain guide on other significant peaks like Aconcagua, Mount Rainier, Kilimanjaro, and Island Peak. In 1984, he guided Bachendri Pal, the first Indian woman to summit Mount Everest, when he himself climbed Mount Everest for the second time.

Climbing accomplishments

By 2024, Ang Dorje had successfully climbed to the top of Mount Everest 23 times starting in 1992, during both spring and autumn, using the South Col route. He had also conquered Cho Oyu seven times beginning in 1995, as well as reaching the summit of Broad Peak in 1995, Gasherbrum II in 1997, and Ama Dablam in 1996 through the southwest ridge route.

Ang Dorje Sherpa’s Everest Summits

1992 – 1st summit
2008 – 14th summit
2013 – 17th summit
2016 – 18th summit with Adventure Consultants
2017 – 19th summit
2019 – 20th summit
2021 – 21st summit
2023 – 22nd summit
2024 – 23rd summit

Who is Ang Dorjee Sherpa?

Having met Michelle Gregory, an American computational linguist, at the southern Everest Base Camp, he decided to immigrate to the United States in 2002. The two got married a year later. Ang Dorje continues to make the annual spring trek to climb Everest, partly to visit family while en route to the mountain. His 19th summit of Everest was reached in 2017. In addition to his passion for climbing, Ang Dorje works as a wind turbine mechanic at wind farms in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. He also spent time climbing in Jotunheimen, Norway in 1997-1998 with his friend Morten Skjellen-Larsen and others.