Pasang Dawa Lama

Pasang Dawa Lama (1912 – September 15, 1982) was a Nepalese mountaineer / sirdar and a lama. Pasang is considered to be one of the greatest Sherpa mountaineers of the 20th century. He made the first ascent of Chomolhari with Spencer Chapman's expedition in 1937 and the first-ascent of the eight thousander Cho Oyu in 1954 whilst climbing with a party of Austrian mountaineers.

Personal life Pasang Dawa was born near Namche Bazaar in the Khumbu district of Nepal in 1911 and was married several times. He trained as a Buddhist lama in the Nyingma school and around 1939 he took on the name Pasang Dawa Lama. (on page 29 Bauer states that "A lively young herdsman from Nepal had been brought by his father to be inspected.) When he was accepted, he executed a dance of joy, throwing his hat in the air. He turned out to be one of our best men, his name is Pasang (or Pashang)". On page 96 Bauer describes Pasang as "a sturdy, jolly youth of twenty-two" but if he was born in 1912 he would have been about 17 years old at the time, however the correct 'Himalayan Club Number' for Pasang Dawa is given on page 142. Spencer Chapman also confirms that he took on "a less experienced porter, Pasang (Sherpa), who had been with Bauer in 1929.

In 1939, Pasang participated in the expedition to K2 led by Fritz Wiessner. The two men were not carrying supplemental oxygen, they were very close to reaching the summit when the cautious Pasang asked not to continue climbing as night had fallen. The pair were unable to return for a second attempt. He was awarded a Tiger Badge by the Himalayan Club in 1939, his 'Himalayan Club Number' was 139.

In 1954, along with Herbert Tichy and , Pasang made the first ascent of Cho Oyu.

In 1956, Pasang was sirdar for the 1956 Swiss expedition to Everest and Lhotse, that made the first successful ascent of Lhotse, and the second and third ascents of Everest.

Pasang's last expedition was in 1965 when he was recruited by Mohan Singh Kohli to join a team on a secretive mission to Nanda Devi. The mission involved placing a nuclear listening device on the mountain and in order to join the para-military operation he was recruited as a junior officer in the Indo-Tibetan Border Police.