Pastemba Sherpa, a Mount Everest guide, breaks down every piece of gear Sherpa guides use to summit the world's tallest mountain. All of this equipment needs to be carried up and back, so guides can't afford any unnecessary weight. Oxygen tanks, down suits, and headlamps are essential for keeping him and the climbers safe.
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TechTranscript
00:00 Sherpa guides risk life and limb to make sure climbers safely reach the summit of Everest.
00:08 To survive through bitter cold and perilous heights, they must choose the correct gear
00:13 for each elevation.
00:15 Here's everything a Sherpa guide needs to help climbers reach the highest point on Earth.
00:21 My name is Basthem Basherpa. I came here from Camp 3. I've been working in the mountains for three years.
00:32 The most important thing is the headlight.
00:39 Four batteries are needed. This battery is not enough. It needs many more.
00:47 Guides leave base camp as early as 3am. A headlamp is essential for surviving the pitch black climb.
00:55 Without a headlamp, it's impossible to climb.
01:01 This is oxygen.
01:06 This is a mask regulator.
01:12 Oxygen is used from 7,500 to 8,000.
01:19 If there's an emergency, it's used even before that.
01:23 The more you use, the less you get.
01:27 Getting stuck at a high elevation and running out of oxygen is a common cause of death on Everest.
01:33 Knowing how to regulate oxygen use is a crucial skill for a guide.
01:38 We climb as we go. This is zero.
01:42 This is 0.5. This is 1.0.
01:47 Sherpas use 0.5.
01:52 Sherpas use 1.0 when they're not able to climb much.
01:56 The members use 2.0 and 3.0.
02:03 If they can't reach the last point, they use 4.0.
02:06 If we use something that's 0.5, it's good for 15-16 hours.
02:13 If we're at home, it's good for 3-4 hours.
02:16 It's important to wear glasses.
02:22 Because when you look at the snow in the village,
02:27 your eyes will open automatically.
02:30 It opens for 24 hours.
02:32 If you wear glasses, your eyes will be more safe.
02:35 Snow blindness can occur quickly, damaging your eyes before you realise what's happening.
02:41 And the higher you climb, the further you are from rescue.
02:45 This is a snowboard.
02:55 You can't get on it.
02:58 You need to walk on it.
03:01 Crampons attach underneath climbers' boots and grip into the ice.
03:06 Busting by Sherpa makes it look easy, but this is something new climbers struggle to use.
03:12 If you don't have crampons, you can't get on the ice.
03:16 You need crampons to walk anywhere.
03:22 And the boots are just as important.
03:24 Before base camp, climbers use regular hiking shoes.
03:28 But to summit Everest, they need boots that are designed to be used above 8,000 metres.
03:34 These can cost $1,000.
03:37 This is a safety harness.
03:41 It's called a harness.
03:45 This is a safety harness.
03:48 This is a zimmer.
03:52 This is the only thing you can use to go up the mountain.
03:58 High-quality gear and the knowledge of how to use it is essential,
04:02 because climbers entrust their lives to the harness, hardware and helmet.
04:07 This is an eight-finger harness.
04:10 You can use this to get down.
04:15 It can carry 1,500 kg.
04:21 Guides also use an ice axe to climb technical terrain.
04:25 This is how it works.
04:27 It's been around for two or three years.
04:32 This is an eight-finger harness.
04:37 This is a safety zimmer.
04:40 It's been around for four or five years.
04:42 This is a pair of boots.
04:45 Once you wear them, you sweat a lot.
04:52 You can use them twice.
04:55 It can carry 2,000 to 2,500 kg.
04:59 It can carry 1,500 to 2,200 kg.
05:02 As they ascend, climbers require different types of clothing to handle the increasingly harsh conditions.
05:09 This is how it goes from camp 2 to camp 3.
05:15 It goes with a sural jacket.
05:17 You can use a down suit.
05:20 The down suit comes in a one or two-piece,
05:23 and it has a special zipper in the back for going to the bathroom.
05:27 Climbers wear fleece-lined down gloves for low temperatures,
05:31 but need another pair with better dexterity when using ropes.
05:35 This doesn't work in the summit.
05:39 Climbers go to camp 3 and camp 4.
05:42 You have to wear a pair of gloves and a pair of socks.
05:48 Climbers also need a sleeping bag that is designed to be used down to minus 40 degrees Celsius.
05:55 Climbers don't use their own clothes.
06:00 Climbers bring their own clothes, because they can't leave their own clothes.
06:06 Climbers bring their own clothes.
06:10 Medicine box.
06:14 The medicine kit includes things like antibiotics, altitude sickness tablets, and bandages.
06:20 Thermos.
06:26 This is used to get warm water.
06:30 This is used to get rid of the bad air that the snow has caused.
06:39 This is fruit.
06:44 This is high chocolate.
06:49 There are other things, but this is high chocolate.
06:54 At high elevations, your ability to taste decreases,
06:57 but climbers still need high-calorie foods to maintain their energy,
07:01 preferably ones that are also high in carbohydrates and antioxidants.
07:06 We get all the food we need from the top.
07:11 We eat high-chocolate and fruit.
07:14 It takes five minutes to pack all the food.
07:23 In a few days, Bas Thimba Sherpa will guide a group of climbers to the summit.
07:28 Maintaining all of the equipment is key to a successful expedition.
07:33 We buy all the equipment.
07:36 If we don't have a sleeping bag, we have to pay for the food.
07:40 If we lose, we have to pay for the food.
07:45 So we buy all the equipment ourselves.
07:48 OK, finished.
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