Sonam Sherpa was born in Pangom, Solukhumbu (Everest Region), Nepal. His family owned a successful cattle business and wanted Sonam to continue the legacy.

A tragic avalanche during a climbing expedition of Mt Manaslu, claimed the life of Sonam’s older brother where the camp was buried killing all 15 climbers, this deeply affected him and inspired his future pursuit of mountaineering.

At the age of 14, Sonam and his friends ran away from their village to Kathmandu. He starts working as an assistant trekking guide in the Annapurna and Langtang regions, avoiding the Everest region due to family pressure.

At the age of 19, while working as a trekking guide, Sonam befriended a French traveler and spent three months working in a ski resort in France, making friends, learning to ski, and saving money.

After returning to Nepal, Sonam led a French group on a reconnaissance trip to Ladakh via Kashmir. Later that year, with the Ladakh trip a success, his French friend returned to France and promoted Sonam’s trips. This led to more French travelers joining his expeditions, marking the birth of Thamserku.

Sonam returned to France every year and continued to lead French groups to Ladakh and other destinations, building his reputation and network within the travel industry.

While in France, Sonam was invited by his friends to climb Mt Blanc. After a 3-week mountaineering course in France, he successfully scaled Mt Blanc. This was Sonam’s first climbing experience.

Back in Nepal, Sonam turns his attention to the mountains of his home country and climbs Annapurna.

Sonam leads an 11-person team to summit the southwest ridge of Thamserku, marking a significant milestone in his climbing career.

After three years of running the business single-handedly, Sonam invited his two brothers to join him, transforming Thamserku into a family business. Thamserku quickly became the third-largest adventure company in Nepal.

hamserku becomes the second-largest adventure company in Nepal.

Thamserku achieves the top position as the number one adventure company in Nepal, a title it has held for 16 years.

Recognizing the growing demand for flights to the Everest region and how difficult it was to get seats on Royal Nepal Airlines, the only airline flying to the Everest Region at the time, Thamserku established Yeti Airlines, providing much-needed air transportation options.

Thamserku expands into the hospitality sector with the opening of Yeti Mountain Home, the first comfort lodge on the trekking trails in the Everest region.

Sonam’s brother, Ang Tshering, took over the management of Yeti Airlines, leading to further growth and the subsequent development of their aviation sector with multiple airlines and helicopter services.

Over the following two decades, Thamserku’s business continued to flourish, expanding its operations and becoming a leading travel and adventure company in Nepal, growing from modest beginnings to employing over 3000 employees. With world-renowned resorts across Nepal, the largest aviation network in the country, and still one of the top adventure companies, Thamserku remains a pioneer in the industry.