sirdar

His father, who worked as a “sirdar” or “lead Sherpa” on the mountain, could no longer climb after losing several toes and fingers to frostbite.

From there, he became a sirdar — the sherpa in charge of managing all of the other sherpas in an expedition.

She scrolled through her phone with sirdars - lead Sherpas - showing them pictures of the dead, asking for identification.

His father is a respected climbing Sherpa who taught him the basics of mountaineering at an early age so tThe sirdar is the head Sherpa.

He could not tell her that in his case the head sirdar of the Gularzai would be every whit as merciless as would Allah-din Khan and his followers.