May 11, 2009
The Sherpa community forms the soul and backbone of Everest climbing. The rest of us are mere guests in their native land and fortunate to have their priceless help when we come to climb this mountain. Whenever a Sherpa is lost on Everest, a large community is devastated. The pain goes far beyond grief for a lost friend or family member, for many, the reality of severe economic hardship looms large.
The international climbing community can only offer our sincere thanks and sympathy to that Sherpa community and give our direct support to the families involved.
As in the past, IMG will organize a relief fund to be directed to support for the family of Lhapka Nuru Sherpa, lost in the recent avalanche on Everest, through our affiliated non-profit organization, AFFIMER (American Foundation for International Mountaineering Exploration and Research.)
Those who wish to help Lhapka’s family in this time of great need can make tax deductible donations to the fund as follows:
Write checks payable to: AFFIMER – ‘Lhapka Fund’ and mail directly to:
AFFIMER, P.O. Box 155,
Ashford, WA 98304 USA
AFFIMER is organized under the Nonprofit Public Benefit Corporation Law for charitable purposes and is operated exclusively for charitable, educational and scientific purposes within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. AFFIMER is dedicated to promoting the exploration of mountains for the purpose of increasing geographic, cultural, and scientific understanding of the global alpine environment. Founded in 1990 by a group of alpine mountain climbers and researchers from across the United States, AFFIMER is governed by a volunteer board of directors and receives its funding from private contributions and donations from the public.
