Ogden Climbing Festival 2023

Apa was born with the name Lhakpa Tenzing Sherpa in Thame, a village in the Everest region of Nepal. At the age of 3 months, he and his mother were caught in an avalanche and Lhakpa was thrown from the basket on his mother’s back and came to rest under an ice ledge. After his mother found him unhurt, she took him to the Lama to pray and give thanks. It was at this point that Lhakpa was renamed “Apa” which means much "much loved". Apa always wanted to be a doctor, but his dreams were shattered when at the age of 12 his father died. Following his father’s death, Apa had to take up the responsibilities of his family, consisting of his mother, two sisters, and three younger brothers. He dropped out of school and started working as a porter for mountaineering groups. His climbing career began in 1985, when he worked as a kitchen boy and porter for various groups but was not given the opportunity to reach the summit until 1990. He continued to climb and summited Everest 21 times which gave him the world record for most summits. He held the world record until 2018 when it was surpassed by a fellow climber from Thame. Apa was a successful guide, never losing a client to the mountain. In 1996 Apa was asked to join Rob Hall on the infamous expedition that turned to tragedy. Apa's wife needed him to stay home during that time to finish construction on their home. Had it not been for her, his fate could have turned out differently. Today Apa is retired and is focused on giving back to his homeland. In 2012 he started The Apa Sherpa Foundation with a focus on educating young Sherpa children so that they have a choice for their future endeavors.  In Apa's famous words, "Without an education, we have no choice." 

A native of California, Philip started his outdoor career almost 30 years ago. His passion for recreation, education, and climbing has provided him with opportunities to travel, climb and ski around the world. Over the past two and half decades he has spent hours volunteering for many youth programs in the US, exposing young people from around the country to the power of nature. Phil has been instrumental in teaching mountain skills and training guides and porters around Nepal, Kenya, Tanzania, and Chile as well as encouraging, inspiring, and mentoring many more people to get outside. Philip now spends his free time skiing and biking in southwest Colorado where he lives with his wife and daughter.

• NOLS employee and instructor, 1994-2016
• Member of the North Face/National Geographic Everest Education Expedition, 2012
• Denali 2005 & 2013
• Numerous training mission in Nepal 
• Led the first All African American climb or Mt Kilimanjaro, 2018
• Recipient of the Outdoor Afro Lifetime Achievement Award, 2020
• Expedition Leader of Full Circle Everest Expedition, 2022
• First All Black team in history to summit Mt Everest.