Dawa Ongju Sherpa was born on 17 December 1972 in Makalu-09, Sankhuwasabha, Nepal a remote village in the shadow of some of the tallest mountains on earth. Growing up here, the mountains were not a destination. They were home.
He started his mountaineering career in the late 1990s, training at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute in Darjeeling. Those early years gave him the technical skills that would define everything that followed. By the time he made his first successful summit Kanchenjunga in 2000 the course of his life was set.
“I have dedicated 35 years of my life to the Himalayas, and I remain proud to continue this journey,” he has said.
47 Summits Above 8,000 Metres
Today, Dawa Ongju has completed 47 successful summits of peaks above 8,000 metres. He has also climbed 6,000-metre and 7,000-metre peaks, bringing his total major ascents to 135. No list quite captures what those numbers mean in terms of physical endurance, risk, and years of life spent at altitude.
He has stood on top of Mount Everest six times in 2004, 2005, 2008, 2021, 2022, and 2024. He has climbed Kanchenjunga seven times 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2019, and 2022.
He has summited Gasherbrum I and II, Broad Peak, Nanga Parbat, Dhaulagiri I, Annapurna I, Makalu, Lhotse, Manaslu, and K2 — twice. In 2023 and 2024 he summited Manaslu. In 2024 he reached the top of Ama Dablam. In 2025, Annapurna I and Manaslu again.
“Standing at 8,849 metres above sea level, where the sky feels closer and every step tells a story of determination, sacrifice, and dreams,” he said after completing his Everest and Lhotse summits in the 2026 season. “With these climbs, I have now completed my 47th successful 8,000-metre summit. Every peak has its own challenges, lessons, and memories, but the passion for the mountains remains the same.”
Only two 8,000-metre peaks remain on his list: Cho Oyu and Shishapangma. When he climbs them, he will join the rare group of people who have summited all 14 of the world’s highest peaks.
Six Peaks in 29 Days
In 2022, Dawa Ongju was part of a record-breaking achievement that made headlines across the mountaineering world. Guiding Norwegian climber Kristin Harila — alongside his nephew Pasdawa Sherpa — the team completed six 8,000-metre peaks in just 29 days. It was an extraordinary feat of pace, logistics, and physical capacity at extreme altitude.
That same 2022 season was part of the Fourteen Peaks Project, in which Dawa Ongju successfully summited Annapurna I, Dhaulagiri I, Kanchenjunga, Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, Nanga Parbat, K2, Broad Peak, Gasherbrum II, Gasherbrum I, and Manaslu — all within a single year.
It was a season that showcased everything he had built over two decades: strength, precision, and the ability to perform at the highest level again and again without rest.
“Uncle Dawa”
Among climbers and guides on the mountain, Dawa Ongju is known simply as “Uncle Dawa.” Kristin Harila, who spent months on expeditions with him, calls him by that name. His nephew Pasdawa Sherpa also a respected guide is a natural fit for the family-rooted nickname.
The name says something about how he is regarded. Not just as a technically skilled guide, but as someone people trust at altitude, when decisions matter most and the margin for error is thin.
A Career Built on Safety
Dawa Ongju currently works as a Mountain Guide and Advisor with 8K Expeditions Pvt. Ltd. His career has been shaped not just by the number of summits, but by his approach to guiding. Those who have worked with him describe his experience and skills as being “constantly focused on the utmost safety and security of his clients.”
Across more than 44 documented major expeditions plus many more he has led climbers on some of the most dangerous routes on earth. His track record of safe, repeated ascents in extreme conditions, built across decades, is what sets him apart even among elite Sherpa guides.
Expedition organizers describe him as “one of the finest mountaineers of this generation.”
Still Going
Dawa Ongju Sherpa is still climbing. He is still guiding. The mountains that have defined his life have not changed for him. The drive that took a young man from a remote village in Sankhuwasabha to the top of the world 47 times is still there.
Two peaks remain. And when he reaches their summits, the story will not end. It will simply add another chapter to a life lived entirely in the mountains.
