Working Stiffs

Sherpas are ethnic nomads who settled in eastern Nepal; "Sherpa" means "eastern people." They are said to be of the "Red Hat Sect" of Tibetan Buddhism which emphasizes mysticism and local deities. Indeed their clans are filled with disparate gods and holy places with stories of treasure and sacred valleys. They hold Everest in great religious awe, calling it "The Mother of the World." As a group they are renown climbers, mountain men and guides. Everest, specifically, is filled with Sherpa lore; the Sherpa Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary were the first men to climb Everest in 1953.
The Sherpa is involved in every Everest climbing attempt. They are aides and companions to the professional foreign climber and they smooth the climb for the less talented, the less prepared and the amateur. Often they will climb ahead, mark the safe trail, build ladders, prepare rest areas, prepare a camp for the next leg up, place the supplies there then return to the camp below and lead the amateur climbers on the path they have laid out to the camp they have created--sometimes all in the same day.

The New York Times had a recent article decrying the apparent abuse of these stalwarts.

In the United States there are two groups of people, those who do not work and those who support them. For example, 43% of people in the United States do not pay taxes and 20% of people in the United States pay 90% of the taxes. These people who work to care for and support those who do not work should be called "Sherpas."