«Tendi Sherpa, higher than Everest».»

Le Regard Libre N° 23 - Loris S. Musumeci

Armand Dussex is a mountaineer and mountain enthusiast. For many years, he was janitor of the Audannes hut. He is also the founder of the Musée valaisan des bisses, in Anzère, where he demonstrates his attachment to culture. Indeed, it was his love of the mountains and his inexhaustible thirst for discovery that prompted him to travel to Nepal several years ago. He befriended the Sherpa family of the same name. In Tendi Sherpa, Plus haut que l'Everest, Armand Dussex tells the story of his companions on the other side of the world, with a particular focus on his beloved Tendi, who became a renowned guide in the Himalayas. The alpinist and writer has also produced other books, always related to the mountains, such as Des bisses et des hommes. Meeting in Sion.

Loris S. Musumeci: In your book Tendi Sherpa, higher than Everest, you write that Tendi Sherpa's story «is not banal» and that «that of his ancestors is also remarkable». Why is this?

Armand Dussex: Tendi's family is indeed a special one. They underwent their first astonishing migration in the 1970s, which involved not just a change of locality, but a veritable new way of life. They abandoned their land, walking for five days with all their livestock, largely for religious reasons. Where they used to live, the monastery was abandoned because there were no lamas (Tibetan Buddhist monks) there. Myself, in 2000, I wanted to travel this migration path to learn more about the history of the Sherpa family. Khamsu, Tendi's father, was also involved in a second move with his wife and children: to Kathmandu, to become a mountain guide. This is why the Sherpa story, and Tendi's, is so remarkable.

Is Tendi, through his education and phenomenal breakthrough in the world of mountaineering, the bearer of an unprecedented evolution in his family?

Tendi was the first to read, write and open up to the world. Speaking of which, another major turning point in the Sherpa way of life will soon be their plates. In March, I'll be visiting my Nepalese friends to teach them how to grow vegetables, which is still very underdeveloped. Indeed, their diet of cereals and roots is very poor. We'll be studying a permaculture system and setting up greenhouses. In this way, too, Tendi will become the protagonist of an unprecedented development that will gradually affect the whole region.

Does Tendi mark a turning point in Nepalese mountaineering?

This young man has always shown a very sharp mind. When he came to the Valais at my invitation, he discovered totally different ways of looking at the mountains: as work, but also as leisure. Out of curiosity, he didn't hesitate to take an interest in them, with a view to importing such customs back home, and becoming an exceptional mountaineer. Tendi also took a close look at rescue techniques, which are invaluable in developing a quality tourism industry in his own country. In recognition of his passionate openness to new things, I even suggested that he take the exam to obtain the UIAGM (brevet international de haute montagne). His friends advised against it, deeming the paper useless. Tendi nevertheless took the guide course, and is now delighted with it. Little by little, several of his colleagues also wanted to take a complete mountain training course. This is one of the real turning points in Nepalese mountaineering. Nevertheless, the Nepalese people already comprise the elite of guides for the various Himalayan regions of India, Tibet and Nepal.

As a lifelong mountaineer, what do you and Tendi have in common when it comes to the mountains?

I'd rather talk about the fundamental difference between Tendi and myself when it comes to the mountains: what drove us to love them. For me, it was sport and pleasure; for my friend, work. In a second phase, I worked through the mountain and he learned to see the mountain as a leisure activity. Today, Tendi and his companions race for the simple joy of the mountains, something that Khamsu's generation couldn't have imagined.

What role does religion play in Tendi's life?

The Sherpa religion is Tibetan Buddhism. It is essentially a superstitious practice of ritual. Influenced by Hinduism, its deities are numerous, and the faithful have little or no intimate relationship with them, to whom they must utter precise prayers without indulging in spontaneity. This is not to say that religion is not precious to them - on the contrary! Tendi and his family are in fact very scrupulous: they don't kill any animals, they work hard on their passions with a view to a beautiful reincarnation, piety pervades them from morning to night and compassion remains a rule of life, in the image of Buddha. At home in Kathmandu, Tendi has reserved the largest room for a «Gompa» (chapel), where he regularly prays and meditates for long hours.

How would you describe your friendship with the Sherpa?

I met Khamsu Sherpa through his brother. Although my relationship with his brother remained very superficial, I felt a special sympathy for Khamsu. We shared a lot in Nepal, as well as in Switzerland, thanks to all the times he came to stay with us. As a result, I couldn't help but love his son Tendi, and our respective children are very close. This is the story of a simple but beautiful friendship.

Do you hope for continuity through the generations with the Sherpa family?

Yes, I hope the links will continue. It's started well, because my daughter has forged a beautiful friendship with Tendi. In fact, my granddaughter, Tendi's eldest, is called Dali, like Tendi's mother. My son also shares this Nepalese sympathy. He's a journalist and would like to join me on the next expedition to make a documentary about the Sherpa family, their story and their daily lives.

Do you see a natural closeness between Valaisans and Nepalese?

I don't feel culturally close to the Nepalese as a whole, but I do with the Sherpa family and ethnic group. They're mountain people, they work the land in difficult conditions, but above all, what a similarity in mentality! I find in them a certain fatalism well known to the old-timers in the small villages of our Valais.

Turning to the book itself, why did you choose to call it «Higher than Everest»?

Tendi is aiming for more than Everest, even though Everest is the highest peak on Earth. Tendi is working to improve the way of life for his people, for his family. Achieving a summit is a means to an end, not an end in itself.

Your links with the Sherpa family have spawned a trekking agency and a humanitarian association, «Audan Trekking» and «Nepalko-sathi» respectively. What is the function of each?

The agency was born of a desire for independence from other local companies. Since we often go on expeditions, we thought it would make more sense to set up our own company. All the more so as we are thus able to guarantee our work ethic to our porters and other collaborators. However, many other organizations that have developed recently also deserve to be recognized as honest, safe and of high quality.

The association was born out of the schooling of two of Khamsu's nieces from underprivileged backgrounds. Then, several people I took to the site, touched by the kindness but also the poverty of the Sherpa people, decided to contribute to the funds we had set up to help them. When the number of active donors reached twenty, we financed the reconstruction of the school in the village of Khamsu. Other projects have of course followed since then. For example, all the children in the valley now attend school. It's a great achievement, but we still have a lot of work ahead of us.

Write to the author : loris.musumeci@leregardlibre.com