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Sherpas’ strength and skill in mountaineering began to be recognized in Darjeeling around 1900s when Western expedition groups started climbing mountains. Having lived in the high altitude, rough terrains of Solukhumbu, the Sherpas did not require much acclimatization and could carry heavy loads even at dizzying heights of 8000 meters.

Sherpas usually had a big family in SoluKhumbu, but food was scarce in Khumbu; the rocky soil was poor for agriculture. Khumbu Sherpas acted as middlemen in the trading business between the Tibetans and the Nepalese from the south. However, opportunities were limited and this made it difficult to provide for family needs.

In the 1900s, the British in Darjeeling needed labor to build railroads and work in their large tea plantations. Seeing the opportunity, many Sherpas moved to Darjeeling to take part in this gold rush. One such person was Tenzing Norgay, the first man to ascend Mount Everest along with Sir Edmund Hillary. By 1901, a census in Darjeeling counted 3,450 Sherpas in Darjeeling (Ortner, Life and Death on Mt. Everest).

It was some time before the Sherpas became well known for their mountain-climbing abilities. Once sahibs, the term for western expedition members, realized the Sherpa skill and strength, sahibs started hiring them in abundance. Sherpas were paid higher wages and their work, instead of being referred to as coolie work, a term referring to the work of the railroad workers, was referred to as sherpa work.

Nepal itself was opened to the outside world after 1950. This created opportunities for foreign expedition groups to climb many unscaled peaks in the Himalayas. A Nepal ascent was preferred to the wild and isolated stretches of Tibetan highland. Since expeditions required many laborers to carry expedition equipment and food in the high altitudes for long periods of time, Sherpas really became the inevitable preferred porters and staff. This developed into bonds of friendship between the Sherpa community and the westerners who relied on their expertise. Once Sir Edmund Hillary from New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay from India made their successful ascent of Mount Everest on the 29th of May, 1953, Sherpas soon became famous among climbers and trekkers enchanted with the Himalayas.

Since that milestone held by Tenzing Norgay, many Sherpas have climbed Mt. Everest, and there is hardly an expedition today in Nepal where Sherpas are not involved. Sherpas have reached almost all the peaks in Nepal. Some of them have even led Everest expditions that they themselves formed. Heroic records of unbelievable strength, endurance and skill have been set in recent years. The legendary Ang Rita has climbed Everest ten times without the aid of oxygen. In 1999, Babu Tshering Sherpa set a world record by climbing Everest in a record speed of 18 hours. He also proved his endurance in another instance by staying on top of Mount Everest for twenty-three hours straight.

The keen business mind of the Sherpas was quick to grasp the potential opportunity that mountaineering and tourism offered. The mountaineering and tourism business employs a large number of Sherpas today, as expedition team members, trekking guides and support staff at the numerous tea-shops, lodges and restaurants in the popular Everest trekking route. Several Sherpas have opened their own travel agencies, luxury hotels and even airlines companies to provide service to the thousands of tourists that travel to Nepal and the Himalayan region every year.