1999
Reference letter on completion of work with Air-Glaciers, Switzerland
2011
Certified as the Medical Rescue Coordinator by the Nepal Mountaineering Association
2012
Recognition from the International Mountaineering & Climbing Federation (Union Internationale Des Associations D’Alpinisme)
Lhakpa Gyalzen Sherpa, born and brought up in Solukhumbu, was inspired by his
father Phurba Gyalzen Sherpa who worked in the travel and trekking industry
since the 1970s. From a young age he saw foreigners coming to explore Nepal
and also heard of many casualties due to natural calamities while trying to
scale the great Himalayas. He was deeply affected by the news of people
getting hurt, or losing their life in the process of discovering Nepal and
themselves. Hence he felt, there could be a lot more precautions taken in raising
awareness and improving readiness for all travellers in case of disaster.
He initially started off as a guide in the industry, but by the time he was in his
early 20s he started his own travel company by the name of Sherpa Swiss
Adventure. He had the opportunity to go to Switzerland in 1989 for training in
rescue and medevacs and casevacs, and came back to Nepal empowered with
his new training and with a passion to make a difference in how people
experienced the mountainous terrains. When he started Sherpa Swiss Adventure,
many alpinists started reaching out to him, as they learnt of his 9 month training
and experience working with Air Glacier in Switzerland.
Due to his passion to improve the conditions in the trekking and mountaineering
business, he worked on educating all staff and the local community on how to
minimize disaster and how to respond during an emergency. He is also a pioneer
in bringing the concept of roof-top helipad to hospitals, which has now been
replicated across several medical institutions.
He is very proud of the services now provided by Easy Heli, that focuses on making
the Himalayan region accessible to seasoned mountaineers and travellers. In the 7
years since establishment, they safely completed over a 1000 rescues, largely due
to the strong local network and the training they have provided to the local
community to respond during emergencies. The team coordinates very closely
with the airport on the ground and with the hospitals in all the areas in which they
work, which ensures that their entire rescue and rehabilitation process is efficient
and safe, saving time, which is critical to saving lives in the mountains. Easy Heli
has also completed 10,000+ flights in since they started their services.