Walking to Climbing School

Photograph by Lincoln Else

Instructor Zoe Hart, a Patagonia athlete, passes a painted mani stone along the Dudh Kosi River on the approach to Phortse.

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Puja Ceremony

Photograph by Lincoln Else

A local lama performs the puja ceremony at the beginning of the course. In this ceremony the lama blesses climbing equipment spread before him by students and instructors for good luck and safe climbing.

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Flour Face Paint

Photograph by Lincoln Else

Instructor Heidi Wirtz gets a traditional flour face painting at the puja ceremony that begins each KCC course.

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Gearing Up

Photograph by Lincoln Else

Climbing instructor Eric Knoff outfits KCC students with helmets, boots, and climbing gear for the school session. Equipment has been donated to the school over the years from equipment companies, organizations, and individuals.

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Spinning the Prayer Wheels

Photograph by Lincoln Else

Instructors Dawa Sherpa and climber Pete Athens, co-program director with Steve Mock, turn prayer wheels on the approach hike from Lukla headed for Phortse, where the school is located. It is believed that spinning the wheels has the same meritorious effect as orally reciting the prayers.

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Getting Vertical

Photograph by Lincoln Else

Student Minga Sherpa, an Everest summitter, climbs one of his first vertical ice pitches, belayed by student Galu Sherpa. Some of the students who attend the KCC program have climbed Everest and nearby high-altitude peaks previously, in some cases multiple times. KCC teaches these students the technical climbing skills necessary for guiding.

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Avalanche Safety

Photograph by Lincoln Else

Longtime National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) instructor Phil Henderson, part of the upcoming 2012 Americans on Everest expedition, teaches an avalanche course for Nepali students. While the bulk of the KCC program is centered on technical ice climbing, students are also taught a variety of mountain safety skills, from first aid to basic technical rescue techniques.

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Knot Skills

Photograph by Lincoln Else

Instructors teach knot techniques on the first day of the basic climbing course. Like most climbing programs, the KCC courses begin on the ground, teaching rope fundamentals before moving to a vertical environment.

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Hiking In

Photograph by Lincoln Else

Three Nepali students return to Phortse from above the seasonal herding town of Konar. In addition to ice climbing, the KCC program provides an introduction to technical rock climbing. Since the program’s beginning, American instructors have worked with Nepali instructors to establish a number of local climbing areas.

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Ice Climbing Class

Photograph by Lincoln Else

Basic course students observe an ice screw demonstration while a porter resting on the trail watches. Many of the students who attend the KCC program have previously worked as porters in the Khumbu region and elsewhere in Nepal.

A few years earlier this porter actually carried the photographer, Lincoln Else, partway to Namche, the region's capital, when he was extremely sick. Shortly before taking this photo they recognized each other and enjoyed a reunion.

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Technical Training

Photograph by Lincoln Else

Climber Amy Bullard, a Marmot athlete, teaches a Nepali student how to rig a hauling system built off an ice anchor.

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Vertical Rescue

Photograph by Lincoln Else

Phunuru Sherpa is lowered with Chandra Ale, acting as the patient, during an advanced rescue training session in 2009. Brandon Latham, a climbing ranger in Denali National Park, and photographer Lincoln Else taught this course for the more advanced Nepali students.

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Closing Ceremony

Photograph by Lincoln Else

Phortse community members attend the KCC closing ceremony at the completion of the school course. A majority of the village residents attend the event, where each student and Nepali instructor is recognized with a certificate for the course level completed or taught.

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Prayer Katas at Closing Ceremony

Photograph by Lincoln Else

A Sherpa instructor gives KCC instructor Adam Knoff a prayer kata at the closing ceremony. A form of respect, celebration, and thanks, katas are exchanged frequently throughout Nepal.

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Closing Ceremony Dance

Photograph by Lincoln Else

Students, instructors, and community members gather for the closing ceremony at the end of the KCC program. The celebration includes a traditional step dance.

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