A group of Sherpas from Nepal have spent the last 18 years reconstructing Norway’s mountain paths for locals and tourists to enjoy. They have built paths and stairways in more than 100 different locations throughout Norway.
Sherpas are from villages in the Himalayan mountain range near Mount Everest. They are known for their strength and capacity to work in high altitudes. Sherpas are very skilled in collecting stones from surrounding areas and using those stones to create walking paths. Typically, these stones weigh more than their own body weight, and they carry them for miles on their backs up rugged mountains. Sherpas are hired when there is a need for restoration in spots that machinery cannot access.
Norway has helped the Sherpa villages fight poverty by providing them work. One summer season of work in Norway pays more than 30 years’ worth of salaries in Nepal. Sherpas live in a social economy, which means they share their earnings with those in the village who need it. Norway has helped create a better future for these villages that were in danger of being extinguished.
So far, Sherpas have restored the following hiking paths in Norway:
- Keiserstien in Bodø
- Skåla in Nordfjord
- Besseggen in Jotunheimen
- Preikestolen in Kjerag
- Gaustadtoppen in Telemark
- Fanaråken in Jotunheimen
- Stoltzekleiven in Bergen
- Oppstemten in Bergen
- Kongevegen in Lærdal
- Breidablikk by Folgefonna
Sherpas are constantly breaking records and continue to build walking paths throughout the country. Today, more than 100,000 hikers of all ages climb the pathways of Norway.