Английская Википедия:Ang Tharkay
Шаблон:Short description Шаблон:EngvarB Шаблон:Use dmy dates Шаблон:Infobox mountaineer
Ang Tharkay (1907 – 28 July 1981) was a Nepalese mountain climber and explorer who acted as sherpa and later sirdar for many Himalayan expeditions. He was "beyond question the outstanding sherpa of his era"Шаблон:Sfnp and he introduced Tenzing Norgay to the world of mountaineering.
Personal life
Ang Tharkay (his name is also often written Angtharkay or Angtarkay) was born in 1907 to a poor family in Kunde, just north of Namche Bazaar in the Solukhumbu district of Nepal, near Mount Everest.[1]Шаблон:Sfnp Hoping to make a living as a mountaineering porter, like many ambitious boys of his era living near Everest, at the age of twelve he migrated to Darjeeling in India which was where many expeditions selected sherpas and porters.[2][3]Шаблон:Sfnp
He was married to Ang Yangjin and they had a daughter and four sons.Шаблон:Sfnp He was well-built though only about Шаблон:Convert tall.Шаблон:Sfnp In 1954 the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute in Darjeeling sent him to Switzerland on a technical climbing course. In 1954 he set up his own trekking business in Darjeeling and published his autobiography Mémoires d'un Sherpa (in French) – he was the first mountaineering sherpa to write a book.[2]Шаблон:SfnpШаблон:SfnpШаблон:Sfnp He also became a successful road building contractor in western Sikkim.Шаблон:Sfnp
When he retired from active mountaineering around 1962 he returned to Nepal to farm a large area of land to the south of Kathmandu. He then started another trekking agency Nepal Trekking. He died of cancer in Kathmandu in 1981.[1]Шаблон:Sfnp[2]
Major expeditions
The first time Ang Tharkay was chosen for an expedition was in 1931 by a German party for Kangchenjunga.Шаблон:RefnШаблон:Sfnp He was then included in the team for British attempt on Everest in 1933 where he became honoured as one of the "Tigers" – one who carried to over Шаблон:Convert.Шаблон:Sfnp Eric Shipton, who had also been in the 1933 party, selected him (effectively as sirdar) for the 1934 Nanda Devi exploration as well as for Shipton's return visit to Nanda Devi in 1936 – he had not been available when Bill Tilman was recruiting sherpas for the 1936 ascent of Nanda Devi.Шаблон:Sfnp There were two occasions on the 1934 expedition when Shipton credits him with finding a route when everyone else had thought they would have to turn back.Шаблон:SfnpШаблон:Sfnp
He was on the 1935 British Everest expedition and it was because of Ang Tharkay that a friend of his, Tenzing Norgay, got his first engagement as a sherpa.[4] Also that year Ang Tharkay was in the party supporting Reginald Cooke's solo ascent of Kabru. Cooke later said that because he found him to be the most reliable of the sherpas he "stupidly left him in charge of Base Camp and did not take him to the summit".Шаблон:Sfnp Ang Tharkay was sirdar in 1937 for Shipton's five-month survey of Шаблон:Convert of Karakoram territory north of K2 and again on the 1938 Everest expedition.[2]Шаблон:Sfnp
He was sirdar on the successful 1950 French Annapurna expedition with Maurice Herzog and Louis Lachenal to Annapurna, the first eight-thousander to be climbed. Herzog had invited him to be in the summit team but Ang Tharkay had declined, saying his feet were starting to freeze. Herzog and Lachenal, descending from the summit, had dreadfully frostbitten feet and had to be carried down by the sherpas, including Ang Tharkay.[2][5] In his 1954 memoirs he made particular mention that he was treated with friendship and equality by the French climbers.Шаблон:Sfnp He was awarded the Légion d'honneur – the first sherpa to receive a European honour.Шаблон:Sfnp
On Shipton's British Everest reconnaissance in 1951 the party had entered Tibet, which they knew was not permitted, but they hoped they would not be noticed. However, things went wrong and they were apprehended by an armed militia. There was shouting on both sides for ten minutes until Ang Tharkay, who was sirdar, asked the Europeans to move away. There followed twenty minutes further loud argument after which he came back to the sahibs, grinning – they were to be released for payment of seven rupees which Ang Tharkay had been arguing down from ten.Шаблон:Sfnp Shipton had been worrying because he only had 1200 rupees to purchase their freedom.[3]
Ang Tharkay went as sirdar to Cho Oyu in 1952, to Dhaulagiri and Nun in 1953, Makalu in 1954 and Kamet (reaching the summit) in 1955.[1][2] In 1962 he had to be coaxed out of his retirement to be sirdar for an Indian expedition to Everest where they reached the South Col.[1][6] This made him the oldest person to climb to eight thousand metres.[2] Ang Tharkay took a party to the Annapurna Sanctuary in 1975, and in 1978 at the age of 70 he led the sherpas for the French attempt on Dhaulagiri.[2]
Appreciation
The Royal Geographical Society said of Ang Tharkay, "He was exceptional as both climber and sirdar, and his character won high praise from all who knew him".[1] Cooke considered him "one of the bravest, most intelligent, and adventurous of all the young Sherpas".Шаблон:Sfnp
Shipton wrote, "We soon learned to value his rare qualities, qualities which made him outstandingly the best of all the Sherpas I have known. He had a shrewd judgement both of men and of situations, and was absolutely steady in any crisis. He was a most lovable person, modest and unselfish and completely sincere, with an infectious gaiety of spirit. He has been with me on all my subsequent journeys to the Himalayas, and to him I owe a large measure of their success and much of my enjoyment".Шаблон:Sfnp
Notes
References
Works cited
- Шаблон:Cite book
- Шаблон:Cite journal
- Шаблон:Cite book
- Шаблон:Cite book
- Шаблон:Cite book
- Шаблон:Cite book
- Шаблон:Cite book
- Шаблон:Cite journal
