This is a beautiful and multilayered story—both spiritual and human. It weaves together the apparent and intangible weights that Sherpas bear on risky climbs, including not only physical risk but also a metaphysical cost that many outsiders are unaware of. The idea that dying below the snow line risks rebirth as a preta—an emaciated entity doomed to perpetual hunger—is disturbing. It captures a spiritual gravitas that is typically absent from mainstream mountaineering stories. (Biography/Travel)