How long did you live in Nepal? Initially it was for two years, but actually since 1980 I've been going back every year for probably 20 years

Do you speak Nepali? No, I speak a little Nepali, but just conversational. Most of the Sherpa are fluent in English so it allows me to communicate with them in that fashion. Being a climber I spend most of my time in the mountains and with tribal people, but a lot of my time is spent making sure that we're successful in climbing these mountains.

When did you first start thinking about establishing the Alpine Ascents Foundation? I guess its been about 6-7 years now and what happened was I'd been going to Nepal like I said, twice a year for climbing expeditions and the more I traveled in these areas the more need I saw. I had started to acquire great friends like Lhakpa and his family and many other Sherpa.As I learned their culture I realized there were real needs. There are Sherpa that have the ability to educate their children and then there are those that are disadvantaged. Somewhat unlike in America where we have some social programs that pick up these kids that fall through the holes, there isn't one in Nepal.These children will receive no education and no health care. Even though it can be free, its a long distance away and their parents won't travel there. They just don't have the resources to help these kids.

How did it feel to be setting up the foundation? It was exciting. It was a new thing for us at the time. Setting up a non-profit in America has a lot of bureaucracy with it, but the great thing was the amount of support we received from individuals. Americans as well as Sherpa. The Sherpa have been a huge contributor to making this a success. The Americans and Europeans that travel in our groups see these environments, see the need, fall in love with these people and have been huge in helping to support and publicize the Sherpa Foundation.

Alpine Ascents is leading expeditions all over the world, why did you decide to start by focusing on the Sherpa people in the Solo-Khumbu region of Nepal? For one thing, I think before you step into a culture and start trying to change it or, assist it too greatly, you really need to understand it. Nepal's culture I've spent a lot of my life living there and know these people well and can truly see the huge need.It gave us a venue to really go in and help some people that really needed help.And we felt like we could make a real contribution in that area. We would love to expand to other places in the world. Those are things for the future, but one of the things that we've done... The way the Alpine Ascents Foundation works right now for the Sherpa children, is that we're not putting them in school for one year, or two years, we're trying to see them through the process of life, all the way to adulthood. This includes sending them home to their parents every year, clothing them, putting them in a private school. Watching them in their educational process and making sure we've raised enough money not just for one year, but for the entire length of their education. And as they approach 9th grade, 10th grade, seeing if we can't direct them into some sort of direction that will give them an occupation. Whether they go onto University, or trade schools, or just return to their village with an education, these are things we're really trying to see through all the way.

So the Foundation supports the Sherpa through school scholarships because the education opens up opportunities for them in the future. That's right. There are social standards and structures in that society as there are in the West, but the level of poverty there the people will not be able to rise above it without an education, and without some assistance. Our assistance is very directed at certain individuals in certain areas.I have strong faith that they will go back and contribute to their environments. Sherpa have very strong family ties.Even the wealthy Sherpa that send their kids off to private schools, etc. Most of these Sherpa return to the Khumbu or at least have a huge contribution to what goes on in the Khumbu environment.

That's great and I know that you're going to work towards putting programs in place so that the kids can do volunteer work or give something back when they go off to the rest of their lives somewhere else. Absolutely. We want to integrate them back into their world so that they can make it a better world for their people. It is a real need and I think we're contributing to that in a positive way.

Todd with baby yak on his farm in Alaska

What sort of changes have you been seeing in the Solu-Khumbu area since you first started going there? Are they positive changes or negative ones? I think a majority of the changes have been good. When you're a western tourist you can go to Nepal or the Khumbu and say "I wish we were all living in the tiny little villages and there was no electricity" and things of this sort, but things like electricity there is a hydro-electric project up in the village Thame, where Lhakpa is from, and it supplies good energy, natural energy to most of the Khumbu. It allows for refrigeration. These people don't have near the hygiene issues because they have refrigeration for their products and lights. Electricity for cooking so they don't have to burn so much wood. They have developed a certain tourism that has been very successful for them. I think that the SPCC, which is the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee, is very good at improving the standards of sanitation and environmental issues in Nepal and in the Khumbu. These have all been great. I also find that most of the Sherpa instead of adopting Western culture in such a huge way, they have adopted things such as pool tables and a few of these things in small areas, but in general they hang on to their traditions.They sing their family songs. They love their parents. They love their monasteries, their faith and their culture. They are a proud people and to assist them in entering the 21st century is a great thing.

What would you like to see the Foundation's scholarship students doing to help their communities after they graduate? I think they can go back into the Khumbu and create small industries. Some of the children will go onto university and can become engineers. There is a lot of development in that way that they can help and environmentally conscious development. I see healthcare is huge and education. It would be great if these villages could start educating their own people. We are trying to start the beginning of education in these remote areas so these graduates can go back and create in these remote various facilities in food, education, hygiene and health - these are huge.

One of the best examples of education and how it has helped in the Khumbu is Lhakpa Rita. His parents were some of the few people who actually sent their child away to get educated. He lived in Solu-Khumbu for a number of years where he learned to read and write, also mathematics and a variety of skills. Lhakpa now runs all of our climbing expeditions in Nepal. He hires the staff, he has created almost an industry in his village - all the yaks that we use to transport with, all the farmers, these people are being paid to carry loads to Base Camp. He hires the climbing Sherpa, he has trained young guys to become climbers and he has set an example of what can be achieved through education. Not only has his life been increased by his education but his contribution to his village has been huge.

What advice would you give to westerners going to Nepal for trekking or climbing so they can be supportive of local needs? People who work with the Porters Assistance Project want travelers to be more aware that, for example, their porters are properly kitted out. It's one thing when traveling with a company like Alpine Ascents International that ensures its porters are well taken care of, but for people who are perhaps trekking on their own - what kind of things could they do to be more aware and not to cause harm? People who are leading guided trips, environmental-wise we have requirements and I believe everyone now lives up to that standard. Everyone picks up all their trash, controls their waste, uses kerosene to cook with - doesn't use wood. We are really environmentally conscious, and along with that we are socially conscious, and we make sure that porters are well equipped. If we go to a very remote area we need to make sure the porters have warm clothes and that we do whatever it takes to be safe. And we're also respecting their culture. Trying to leave some of the arrogance of our education at home and learning to respect the way these people live their lives, in terms of the way we wear their clothing, the way we greet them, the complete way in which we interface with that culture. They are such a loving friendly people that it comes very naturally to do this. We don't try to impose western ways to such a great extent, we are there to participate in their world and vice versa. Just trying to keep an open mind and be conscious of the environment there.

Thank you Todd!