Mingmar Sherpa - Founder/Operator/Lead Guide

Mingmar is from the Lower Everest Region of Nepal, in an area known as the Middle Hills. He was born in the village of Damar, a 3 day trek from the nearest road-serviced town.

As a boy growing up, Mingmar’s family struggled and he often went shoe-less, but on clear days he could see the sun glinting off the peak of Mount Everest to the north and he could dream.

Mingmar began working as a porter in 1986, and then became an assistant cook for treks and expeditions, and finally a Sherpa guide. In the off-season he undertook various forms of work to support his family.

One enterprise involved carrying supplies from Jiri to Namche Bazar, most notably salt in chunks weighing up to 30 kilograms. Each journey with those heavy loads took 7 to 9 days.

Mingmar worked as an assistant cook on his first Everest expedition in 1991. There was no turning back. For the next 10 years he worked as guide and cook for Tomaz Humar, the well-known Slovenian climber who was the first to conquer the South Face of Dhaulagiri, at 8167-meters, the seventh highest mountain in the world.

Since then, Mingmar has summitted Everest six times, guiding clients from all over the world. Despite this amazing accomplishment, even more extraordinary is Mingmar’s extensive experience at high altitude.

He has climbed to the South Col 45 times carrying trekking equipment, setting up camps, and fixing ropes, mostly without the assistance of supplemental oxygen. 

It is here, on this windswept gap on the sharp-edged ridge between Mount Everest and Lhotse, where climbers attempting to summit the world’s highest peak, make their final stop at Camp 4. In 2003, Mingmar accomplished another impressive feat, spending 55 continuous days as a cook at Everest’s camp 2, which is situated at 21,330 feet.

Today Mingmar, a member of the Nepal Mountaineering Association and the Everest Summiters Association, lives in Kathmandu with his family and works as a guide, leading treks to peaks that include Island Peak, Labuche, Pokalde, Machermo, Mera, Thorang, and Chuli East. He helps facilitate climbing trips to other major peaks and guides in India and Tibet.

Yet despite his vast experience, Mingmar’s favorite treks remain those in his home area around Damar Village, such as Pikey Peak.

Tanka Bahadur Baniya - Owner/Operator/Head Administrator

Tanka Baniya is from Okhaldhunga District in the Everest Region. He is married with 2 children and received a Masters Degree from Nepal University. 

Tanka was only 20 years old when he came to Kathmandu to live and study, and after his Master Degree, he took a job with Nepal Government. He then worked two years for Nepal Government as a village development secretary in Lukla, the main gateway to the Mt. Everest region, where he made many connections in the trekking world and got a lot of firsthand experience in the industry. 

Tanka has worked in this field since 1992, and he does a fantastic job managing official and administrative work for the company. Tanka does correspondence with clients, so if you come to Nepal with us for your adventure, you will most certainly be in touch with him.