The Nimsdai Foundation, founded by Nepali British climber Nirmal Purja Nimsdai, has announced that it will build a lodge in partnership with Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality in Lobuche to provide free accommodation for porters.
Lobuche, a must stop for trekkers en route to Everest base camp, has four lodges for porters, which accommodates around 250 porters. During peak season, there are about 400 porters at any given day.
Situated at an elevation of 5030m above sea level, the place serves as the last overnight stop for trekkers before Everest base camp. Chances of altitude sickness increase from here. Those who suffer from altitude sickness at the base camp come down to Lobuche to recuperate. People can trek to base camp or Kalapathar from Lobuche. They can either return here and rest on the same day, or stay at Gorakshep.
“Porter lodge in Lobuche is an absolute necessity. In Khumbu, it is difficult everywhere during the season but the situation is still very dire in Lobuche,” said Mang Raj Rai from Mahakulung of Solukhumbu district, a trekking guide. “Hotels in Gorakshep (5200m) have made separate lodges for porters of their clients, but Lobuche does not have enough lodges to accommodate porters,” added Rai.
Rai, who worked as a porter for 10 years, shared that he had to walk two hours down to Thukla from Lobuche to spend the night. “Sometimes, we had to go further down to Pheriche and Dingboche if we couldn’t find shelter in Thukla, then return to Lobuche at the break of dawn,” he shared his experience.
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Nimsdai Initiative seeks to address the need for proper lodging for porters in the area, who face challenge in one of the least populated and most expensive regions of the world.
With a capacity of accommodating 100 people, the porter house is likely to be a relief for hundreds of porters who work with climbers during expedition seasons and for the thousands of trekkers who embark on popular Everest Base Camp trek.
Usually, porters or support staff of trekking groups and expedition teams stay at separate modest lodgings in the region or “bhatti”. Some of these lodgings are managed by hotels to accommodate their client’s porters while some are run independently.
“We needed more lodges for porters in Lobuche. Due to lack of land in the national park, there are not enough hotels and lodges for trekkers and porters,” said Mingma Tsheri Sherpa, chairperson of Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality, adding, “We have reached an agreement to complete construction of the porter lodge within a year. However, we want to complete it as early as possible.”
The municipality has started clothing bank, which distributes clothes to porters. This year, the municipality also organized a first aid training in Gorakhshep so that porters can avoid altitude sickness and learn about emergency treatment.
However, the daily wage rate for porter is $20 per day, while they spend up to $15 in two square meals a day. And if they take a snack, they hardly save any money. The biggest hope for earning for them comes from tips from generous clients at the end of expedition. The Sagarmatha National Park collects a charge of Nrs. 25 (~USD 20 cent) per porter upon entry in the Park.
In a Facebook post shared on Saturday, Purja said that his foundation will spend Rs 59 million while the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality will chip in Rs 5 million to build the porter lodge, which will be exclusively for porters.
“Porters are the powerhouses of the mountain community, helping carry food and gear up and down the Big Mountain trail. They help achieve others achieve their new possible, and we must look after them,” Nimsdai wrote on the Foundation website.
A former British Army soldier, Purja made a name for himself with the record ascent of 14 peaks above 8000 meters in six months and six days, a feat featured in the Netflix documentary “14 Peaks”. Nimsdai Foundation was established in 2022 and is run by proceeds from different Nimsdai affiliate businesses and public fundraisers. According to its website, it aims to support mountain communities across Nepal and Pakistan among other things.
