Sherpa training for mountain huts
Around 30 Sherpas have worked in Alpine huts in Tyrol since May. Now they are saying goodbye to Tyrol and returning to their home country of Nepal.
NepalHilfe Sherpa project
NepalHilfe is the name of the Sherpa project launched four years ago by mountaineer Wolfgang Nairz. He became famous, for example, in 1978 as the expedition leader of the first Mount Everest ascent without supplemental oxygen. Nepal had become a kind of second home to Wolfgang Nairz. So he responded to the desire to do something for the people of Nepal. The region of Tyrol, famous for ski holidays, became the centre of NepalHilfe.
Sherpa training for mountain huts
Date: 30/09/2026
Sherpas as interns
Twenty affiliated inn and hut operators took on Sherpas as interns. During the summer, they taught them about electricity and water lines, maintaining access paths and marking them. The Sherpas learned a great deal about hygiene, including waste disposal and environmental protection. Guest services and improving their English and German language skills were also on the agenda. Kitchen work was covered, including food storage and preparation, as well as Tyrolean cooking. The goal was to pass on the basic knowledge needed to run a mountain hut smoothly.
Positive results
The results of the project placement are already clearly visible in Nepal. Nepalese huts and lodges run by Sherpas trained in Tyrol can already be recognised by their hygiene and cleanliness. The piles of rubbish that used to lie nearby are gone. The service is different, too. Trekking guides and hut operators with experience in Tyrol are able to cater to their guests. They understand what they want. This is very important, as a considerable proportion of visitors to Nepal go trekking in the Himalayas.
Thus, the Tyrolean ski resort, famous for ski holidays, became the centre of NepalHilfe—a project of self-help. As you can see, it has been worthwhile.
