Our Team

Our expert team of guides for mountaineering, trekking and mountaineering courses have a wealth of knowledge, skills and experience to give you the best adventure experience possible.

Lhakpa Gelu Sherpa

Managing Director
Lhakpa Gelu is from the Solu-Khumbu region of Nepal. He is Expedition Base’s specialist in organising and leading treks and expeditions across the Nepal, Bhutan and Indian Himalaya.

Lhakpa Gelu has 15 years experience in organising and leading trekking, tours, adventure travel and expeditions across the Himalaya in areas such as the Khumbu, Langtang, Mustang, Manaslu, Dolpo, Humla, Tibet and Ladakh. He is particularly popular with our French clients because of his fluent French, and impressive guiding record across the Himalaya for trekking.

Lhakpa has also guided on 6,000m trekking peaks including Lobuche, Mera Peak, Island Peak and Chulu East. Lhakpa is also often asked to lead dignatories on trekking trips as he is so well regarded in the industry. Lhakpa is fluent in French, English, Tibetan, Sherpa, Nepali and Hindi.

Lakpa Sherpa

Consultant
Lakpa Sherpa is the consultant of Expedition Base. He has been a mountain guide for international clients since 1996. Lakpa comes from the Makalu region of Nepal. Lakpa’s guiding career began when he won a Sherpa Scholarship and completed the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute’s Basic and Advanced mountaineering courses back in 1995.

Since this time, Lakpa has participated in numerous Himalayan expeditions, and has led expeditions to and summited many peaks including Mt Everest, K2, Kanchenjunga, Lhotse, Annapurna, Gasherbrums I and II, Makalu, Manaslu, Cho-Oyu, Ama Dablam (21 times), and the following trekking peaks: Nerikha, Pachermo, Lobuche, Island Peak, Pisan Peak and Mera Peak to name a few.

Lakpa is also well known for repeating Catherine Destiville’s 18 pitch waterfall ice climb on Kwangde in 2006. Lakpa is a founding member of the Kathmandu Sport Climbing Association and was the winner of the Nepal National Rock Climbing Competition in 2004. He was previously a lead instructor at the Alex Lowe Charitable Fund’s Khumbu Climbing Centre in Phortse, Nepal, teaching Sherpas the skills required for mountaineering. Lakpa has performed many search and rescue missions in Himalaya for many companies over the years, often being one of the ‘go to’ people for advice and participation in such missions.

When he is available, he also leads treks for Expedition Base, including treks for school children and clients with special needs, where special care is a must. Lakpa was previously the managing director of another mountaineering and expedition company in Nepal from 2009 until forming Expedition Base with new partner, Lhakpa Gelu Sherpa, in 2017, with the support and input of his now wife, Chris. Lakpa also featured in international publication National Geographic magazine in November 2014. Lakpa is fluent in English, Tibetan, Sherpa, Nepali and Hindi.

Chhiring Sherpa

UIAGM / IFMGA Guide
Chhiring is from the Makalu region of Nepal, and is also Lakpa’s nephew and Jangbu’s brother. Tshering obtained the internationally-recognised UIAGM / IFMGA qualification in 2016, graduating first in class, making him eligible to work anywhere in the world as a professional mountain guide.

Chhiring began his career on a multitude of lower-elevation climbs, including Ama Dablam and numerous ascents of Nepalese trekking peaks. Over time, he has added many 8,000m peak expeditions to his resume including: Everest, Cho Oyu, Kanchenjunga and K2. In 2014, he became the then youngest Nepali to reach the summit of K2.

He was previously a lead instructor at the Alex Lowe Charitable Fund’s Khumbu Climbing Centre in Phortse, Nepal, teaching Sherpas the skills required for mountaineering. He currently teaches mountaineering skills to foreigners and Sherpas for the Nepal Mountaineering Association.

Like his brother, Jangbu, Chhiring is an ‘in demand’ guide. Chhiring was in New Zealand for the period 1 November 2017 - 31 March 2018 guiding with a leading NZ mountaineering company, Aspiring Guides, before returning to Nepal for a lead guiding role on Kanchenjunga in April and May of 2018. On that expedition, Chhiring broke trail for nearly 6 hours in some of the toughest conditions anyone could face. After that, he was then in Australia meeting clients in preparation for future climbs and will return to Australia in late 2018 for the same reason.

Pema Tshering Sherpa

Senior Guide
Pema is from the Makalu region of Nepal. He is one of Expedition Base’s most experienced 8,000m guides with more than 15 summits of 8,000m peaks, including Mt Everest, Annapurna (multiple), Kanchenjunga (multiple), Lhotse, Dhaulagiri, Gasherbrum 1 & 2 (multiple), and with summits of many other peaks in the Himalaya.

He is one of the strongest guides you will ever meet in the mountains, and one of the most considered in approaching a mountain, assessing risk and knowing the mountains he climbs well.

Pema’s commitment to excellence and his experience working with the Expedition Base team have been invaluable to date to give Expedition Base’s missions the best chance of being successful.

Pasang Sherpa

Senior Guide
Pasang is from the Makalu region of Nepal and like many other team members, he has worked with Lakpa and Lhakpa Gelu for many years. Pasang has experience on numerous 8,000m peaks as a personal guide including Mt Everest (multiple summits), Kanchenjunga and Cho-Oyu, plus lower peaks such as Ama Dablam, Lobuche, Island Peak, Mera Peak and similar.
Pasang is a popular team member and guide to have on the team and one of the stronger guides that you will see on big peaks in the Himalaya. He carries the nickname 'Speed Pasang' for obvious reasons - he is pretty much faster than anyone on a mountain when you need him to be and right there with you when you need him.

Phurba Pasang Sherpa

Guide
Phurba Pasang Sherpa young and strong come from the Solukhumbu region. He has guided people on top of the Annapurna 1 ( 8091m), Baruntse Peak (7129) Labuche east, Mera peak, Island peak.