Nepal’s first Dalit Everest summiteer dies during acclimatisation climb
The mountaineer, who broke caste barriers in Nepal’s climbing community, died while ascending from Base Camp to Camp I during an acclimatisation rotation on Mount Everest.
PC: Ghimire's Facebook
Bijaya Ghimire, the first Nepali Dalit climber to summit Mount Everest, died on Sunday while ascending from Base Camp to Camp I during an acclimatization rotation, according to Nepal Police. He was on his fourth expedition to the world’s highest peak.
Ghimire, 35, died at around 5 a.m. in the Khumbu Icefall area, a treacherous section of the mountain known for shifting ice towers and deep crevasses. His death marked the second fatality of Nepal’s 2026 spring climbing season.
On May 3, Lakpa Dendi Sherpa, 51, from Gudel village in Solukhumbu District, died at an altitude of about 5,200 meters while on his way to Everest Base Camp.
“We do not know the exact cause of death, but it is likely related to altitude sickness,” Inspector Tul Bahadur Salami of the Lukla police said. He added that Ghimire’s body would be returned to his family in Solududhkunda Municipality, Solukhumbu, after a post-mortem examination.
Ghimire first summited Everest in 2016, achieving a milestone that carried deep social significance in Nepal, where Dalits — historically considered the lowest caste in the Hindu social hierarchy — have long faced discrimination and exclusion.
Friends and fellow climbers said he had been determined to climb Everest despite severe financial hardship, even considering mortgaging his family property to fund the expedition. He had originally planned to summit in 2015, but that climbing season was devastated by a powerful earthquake that triggered avalanches across the Himalayas and killed dozens.
After reaching the summit the following year, Ghimire became involved in efforts to help other Dalit climbers, particularly women, gain access to mountaineering opportunities. During that work, he encouraged Gyanmala Ranapal to climb Everest and become Nepal’s first female Dalit Everest summiteer. The two later reached the summit together in 2019. Ghimire went on to summit Everest again in 2023, marking his third ascent of the world’s highest peak.
This news has been updated
