Eighty-Eight

Three days after the Sherpa assembly and six after the avalanche of fourteen thousand tons of ice and snow, the representatives of the Nepali government arrived at Base Camp. The delegation was headed by the Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation. He met with the Sherpas. He tried to convince them to go back up. He made promises. The strikers experienced a moment’s hesitation. They agreed to meet again to advance the dialogue. As the retinue of functionaries was about to depart in their helicopter, a dull rumour arrived at the camp from the west side of the mountain: another avalanche. Explicit kan runu in the middle of the union’s uprising. The Sherpas called an urgent closed-door meeting. It was decided. There would be no more ascents for the remainder of that season.