Two other Utahns may have made it to the top.

By Brett Prettyman
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated: 06/26/2007 06:33:53 AM MDT

Climbers on Mount Everest often wonder what Apa Sherpa's secret is when it comes to successfully timing a push for the summit in the narrow weather window the mountain is reluctant to relinquish. 

The answer really is no surprise. Apa, who broke his own record with a 17th trip to the top of Everest at about 9 p.m. Mountain Standard Time Tuesday, leaves the decision to a higher power.    Roger Kehr, a member of the SuperSherpas Expedition, was with Apa and Lhakpa Gelu Sherpa, the other Sherpa climber on the team, when they visited a Buddhist lama in Kathmandu in April to receive a blessing prior to their historic trek. 

"He was one of the highest lamas in Kathmandu. While we were there getting a blessing the lama told Apa exactly when he would summit," Kehr said.

While the team worked hard to obtain the best possible weather forecasts for Mount Everest, Kehr said Apa remained confident the holy man's prediction would become reality, and it did. 
In addition to breaking his own world record, Apa, 47, a Draper resident, also achieved a 15th consecutive successful summit on the tricky mountain. 

Tuesday night's summit was the 13th for Lhakpa, also a Draper resident, who in 2003 set a speed record for the trip from base camp to the top at 10 hours, 56 minutes. Five other Sherpas also were part of the SuperSherpas climbing team. 

With the exception of expedition member Pemba Renchen, who stayed at Camp 4 after descending from the summit to rest, the team made it to Camp 2 to spend the night. They were expected to arrive at base camp by late today Mountain Standard Time. More details and photographs from the summit will be posted at http://sherpas.sltrib.com as they become available.     Apa and Lhakpa and their families moved to the Salt Lake Valley in December 2006. 

They were not the only Utah residents on the top of the world late Tuesday.  Nepal's minister of tourism has yet to confirm the summit, but reports indicate Scott McIntosh, the Utah doctor who conducted medical tests on the Sherpas to determine why they are so uniquely conditioned to excel as high-altitude climbers, joined the Mountain Madness team at Camp 4 and also made it to the top. 

The leader of that Mountain Madness team, the first to summit from the Nepal side of Everest this spring, was Sandy resident and climber Guillermo "Willie" Benegas. 
The summits mark the second time in three years that Salt Lake County residents have met at the top of the tallest mountain the world. On May 30, 2005, Benegas, Dean Cardinale and Douglas Brockmeyer were among the first to summit Everest.   Apa, Lhakpa and other members of the SuperSherpas team are set to return to Utah in early June.   They haven't said whether they plan to tackle Everest again in 2008.

Two other Utahns may have made it to the top.

By Brett Prettyman
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated: 06/26/2007 06:33:53 AM MDT

Climbers on Mount Everest often wonder what Apa Sherpa's secret is when it comes to successfully timing a push for the summit in the narrow weather window the mountain is reluctant to relinquish. 

The answer really is no surprise. Apa, who broke his own record with a 17th trip to the top of Everest at about 9 p.m. Mountain Standard Time Tuesday, leaves the decision to a higher power.    Roger Kehr, a member of the SuperSherpas Expedition, was with Apa and Lhakpa Gelu Sherpa, the other Sherpa climber on the team, when they visited a Buddhist lama in Kathmandu in April to receive a blessing prior to their historic trek. 

"He was one of the highest lamas in Kathmandu. While we were there getting a blessing the lama told Apa exactly when he would summit," Kehr said.

While the team worked hard to obtain the best possible weather forecasts for Mount Everest, Kehr said Apa remained confident the holy man's prediction would become reality, and it did. 
In addition to breaking his own world record, Apa, 47, a Draper resident, also achieved a 15th consecutive successful summit on the tricky mountain. 

Tuesday night's summit was the 13th for Lhakpa, also a Draper resident, who in 2003 set a speed record for the trip from base camp to the top at 10 hours, 56 minutes. Five other Sherpas also were part of the SuperSherpas climbing team. 

With the exception of expedition member Pemba Renchen, who stayed at Camp 4 after descending from the summit to rest, the team made it to Camp 2 to spend the night. They were expected to arrive at base camp by late today Mountain Standard Time. More details and photographs from the summit will be posted at http://sherpas.sltrib.com as they become available.     Apa and Lhakpa and their families moved to the Salt Lake Valley in December 2006. 

They were not the only Utah residents on the top of the world late Tuesday.  Nepal's minister of tourism has yet to confirm the summit, but reports indicate Scott McIntosh, the Utah doctor who conducted medical tests on the Sherpas to determine why they are so uniquely conditioned to excel as high-altitude climbers, joined the Mountain Madness team at Camp 4 and also made it to the top. 

The leader of that Mountain Madness team, the first to summit from the Nepal side of Everest this spring, was Sandy resident and climber Guillermo "Willie" Benegas. 
The summits mark the second time in three years that Salt Lake County residents have met at the top of the tallest mountain the world. On May 30, 2005, Benegas, Dean Cardinale and Douglas Brockmeyer were among the first to summit Everest.   Apa, Lhakpa and other members of the SuperSherpas team are set to return to Utah in early June.   They haven't said whether they plan to tackle Everest again in 2008.