Climbing Everest

In April this year, an avalanche on Mount Everest killed 16 Sherpas preparing a route for Western tourists. After this tragic event, the Sherpas went on strike, demanding a ban on climbing in memory of their colleagues, but the Nepalese government refused to close the summit. About how life is now going on in the vicinity of the highest peak in the world, in the photo essay Navesh Chitrakar.

(Total 42 photos)

1. View of the runway in the cockpit of a Dornier aircraft as it approaches the ground at Tenzing Hillary Airport, reputed to be the most dangerous airport in the world, in Lukla, at an altitude of approximately 2800 meters above sea level, in the Solukhumbu region. (© REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar)

2. The reflection of the plane in the mirror of the hotel at Tenzing Hillary Airport, which has a reputation as the most dangerous airport in the world, in Lukla, at an altitude of about 2800 meters above sea level, in the Solukhumbu region. (© REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar)

3. American climber Alex Goldfarb, forced to cancel the planned ascent of Mount Lhotse, reads a book in the Solukhumbu region. (© REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar)

4. A woman in her shop on her way to Namche in the Solukhumbu region. (© REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar)

5. Through a sawn log, a worker is seen building a hotel in Namche, at an altitude of about 3,400 meters above sea level, in the Solukhumbu region. (© REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar)

6. A construction worker shows off his torn gloves after he cut stones to build a hotel in Namche, about 3,400 meters above sea level, in the Solukhumbu region. (© REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar)

7. A boy drinks water dripping from a public tap in the Solukhumbu region on April 30, 2014. (© REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar)

Hunyung Sherpa, 90, who made $0.09 a day as a porter in the mountains, sits outside his home in Namche, Solukhumbu region, on April 27, 2014. (© REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar)

Sherpa Tenzing Bhotai, 31, looks out the window as he arrives from Everest Base Camp in Phunki Tenge, Solukhumbu region, on April 30, 2014. He crossed the Khumbu Icefall just five minutes before the avalanche hit on April 18, he said. (© REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar)

10. Kedar Rai, 42, (right) and his sons carry cargo to their store in Solukhumbu district on April 26, 2014. (© REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar)

11. A porter crosses a bridge on his way back from Namche, at an altitude of about 3,400 meters above sea level in the Solukhumbu region on April 26, 2014. (© REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar)

12. Mount Ama Dablam with a height of about 6800 meters above sea level behind the village of Humyung in the district of Solukhumbu, April 30, 2014. (© REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar)

13. 42-year-old porter-Sherpa Lakpa on the way to the base camp on Mount Everest in Solukhumbu district on April 26, 2014. (© REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar)

14. A 42-year-old Sherpa porter stands in silhouette in front of Mount Kongde, about 3,400 meters above sea level, in Solukhumbu district on April 27, 2014. (© REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar)

15. 45-year-old Temba Sherpa, who has already conquered Everest seven times, climbs to clear mani (prayer) on a stone in Humyung, at an altitude of about 3,700 meters above sea level, in Solukhumbu district on May 8, 2014. (© REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar)

16. Statue of Sir Edmund Hillary, one of the first climbers to summit Mount Everest and founder of Humung High School, on the school grounds, at an altitude of approximately 3,700 meters above sea level, in the Solukhumbu region on May 8, 2014. (© REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar)

17. Dr. Sagar Pantin sits on the premises of the Kunde Hospital, founded in 1966 by Sir Edmund Hillary, the first climber of Mount Everest, in the village of Humyung in the district of Solukhumbu on April 30, 2014. (© REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar)

18. A novice walks past Kyabgon Tashi Choling Monastery in Lukla, at an altitude of about 2800 meters above sea level, in the Solukhumbu region on April 25, 2014. (© REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar)

19. 50-day-old girl Pasang Choti, whose father died in an avalanche on April 18, 2014, lies on her mother's lap in Humyung, at an altitude of about 3,700 meters above sea level, in the Solukhumbu region on May 8, 2014. (© REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar)

20. Nima Doma, 25, whose husband, 26, died in an avalanche on April 18, 2014, holds her daughter Pasang Choti as she poses for a photo with her father, Tenzing, 56, (center), and mother, Chamchi Futi, 55. (right) at their home in Humyung, about 3,700 meters above sea level, in the Solukhumbu region on May 8, 2014. (© REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar)

21. A woman works in a field in front of Mount Thamserku in Humung, at an altitude of about 3,700 meters above sea level, in the Solukhumbu region on April 30, 2014. (© REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar)

22. Sherpa healer Nang Tashi sits in his home in the village of Humyung, Solukhumbu region, April 30, 2014. (© REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar)

23. A porter lies inside a tent in Tengboche, at an altitude of about 3800 meters above sea level, in the Solukhumbu region on May 1, 2014. (© REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar)

24. Boiling water using solar energy in Humyung, at an altitude of about 3700 meters above sea level, in the Solukhumbu region on April 30, 2014. (© REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar)

25. View of Mount Everest 8850 meters high through a window in a monastery in Tengboche, Solukhumbu region, May 2, 2014. (© REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar)

26. A yak walks past a clothing store in Namche, about 3,400 meters above sea level, in the Solukhumbu region on April 27, 2014. (© REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar)

27. Travelers check oxygen levels at the Himalayan Rescue Association of Nepal in Pkheriche, at an altitude of about 4300 meters above sea level, in the Solukhumbu region on May 3, 2014. (© REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar)

Climb leader Birbal Tapa Magar makes an emergency call to check on the health of his clients at Pkheriche, at an altitude of about 4,300 meters above sea level, in the Solukhumbu region on May 3, 2014. (© REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar)

29. A shepherd leads yaks near Pheriche, at an altitude of about 4300 meters above sea level, in the Solukhumbu region on May 3, 2014. (© REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar)

30. A Nepalese army officer sits inside a checkpoint before checking climbers' permits in the Solukhumbu region on April 26, 2014. (© REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar)

31. Yaks head to the base camp on Mount Everest in the Solukhumbu region on April 28, 2014. (© REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar)

32. View of the base camp on Mount Everest at an altitude of approximately 5300 meters above sea level, in the Solukhumbu region on May 6, 2014. (© REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar)

33. Yaks walk past prayer flags as they carry cargo back from Mount Everest base camp in the Solukhumbu region on May 5, 2014. (© REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar)

34. A climber in front of Mount Thamserku on his way back from Mount Everest base camp near Pheriche in the Solukhumbu region on May 3, 2014. (© REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar)

35. Prayer flags fly over the Lobuche River on the way to the base camp on Mount Everest near Pheriche, at an altitude of about 4300 meters above sea level, in the Solukhumbu region on May 3, 2014. (© REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar)

36. Climbers in front of Mount Thamserku on the way back from the base camp on Mount Everest on Pherich, at an altitude of about 4300 meters above sea level, in the Solukhumbu region on May 3, 2014. (© REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar)

37. A porter carries back mattresses from the base camp on Mount Everest, at an altitude of about 5300 meters above sea level, in the Solukhumbu region on May 6, 2014. (© REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar)

38. Garbage collectors work at an empty base camp on Mount Everest, at an altitude of about 5300 meters above sea level, in the Solukhumbu region on May 6, 2014. (© REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar)

39. 24-year-old Sherpa Purba Tenzing, 9 times conquered Everest, sits in a tent at the base camp on Mount Everest, at an altitude of about 5300 meters above sea level, in the Solukhumbu region on May 6, 2014. (© REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar)

40. Travelers stand at the base camp on Mount Everest, at an altitude of approximately 5300 meters above sea level, in the Solukhumbu region on May 6, 2014. (© REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar)

41. A climber stands in front of the 8,850-meter-high Mount Everest at Kala Pattar in the Solukhumbu region on May 7, 2014. (© REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar)

42. Sunrise illuminates Mount Pumori, approximately 7,100 meters high, in the Solukhumbu region on May 7, 2014. About 4,000 climbers climbed the mountain, whose height is 8850 meters, and the first in history to reach the summit of Everest was New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay. (© REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar)