The majority of Sherpas live in the eastern regions of Nepal, namely the Solukhumba, Khatra, Kama, Rolwaling, Barun, and Pharak valleys.

They can also be found in Tingri County, Bhutan, the Indian states of Sikkim, and northern portions of West Bengal, specifically the Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts.

Sherpas descend from nomadic progenitors who first settled in the Himalayas on the Tibetan Plateau, namely the Khumbu and Solu regions of Mahālangūr Himāl.

It is found in the Solukhumbu District in Koshi which is the easternmost province of Nepali and to the south of the Tibet Autonomous Region in China.

In the 13th and 14th centuries, religious conflict with Mahayana Buddhism may have contributed to the Sherpa's migration out of Tibet into the Khumbu regions of Nepal.

Reasons for this term are unclear, but one common explanation describes Sherpa origins laying in eastern Tibet.

In tested genes, the strongest affinity was for Tibetan population sample studies done in the Tibet Autonomous Region.

[12] Additionally, the Sherpa had exhibited an affinity for several Nepalese populations, with the strongest for the Rai people, followed by the Magars and the Tamang.

[15] A 2014 study observed that considerable genetic components from the Indian Subcontinent were found in Sherpa people living in Tibet.

Today, the term Sherpa is often used by foreigners to refer to almost any guide or climbing supporter hired for mountaineering in the Himalayas, regardless of their ethnicity.

[18] Sherpas are renowned in the international climbing and mountaineering community for their hardiness, expertise, and experience at very high altitudes.

It has been speculated that part of the Sherpas' climbing ability is the result of a genetic adaptation to living in high altitudes.

[19] On 18 April 2014, a serac collapsed above the Khumbu Icefall on Mount Everest, causing an avalanche of massive chunks of ice and snow which killed 16 Nepalese guides, mostly Sherpas.

During each season, Sherpas typically make up to $5000 US dollars during their 2 or 3-month period of taking international clients to the summit of Everest.

Their clients were debating whether or not to continue to try to reach the summit of Everest because they had paid tens of thousands of dollars to be there.

[28] However, international clients were fearful of this strike and how it would affect themselves and had their bags packed in case of a need for a swift escape.

[24] On top of this, rumors spread among the Sherpa community that others would hurt them if they were to continue to take foreigners on their expeditions (Peedom, 2016).

Allegedly the oldest Buddhist sect in Tibet, founded by Padmasambhava (commonly known as Guru Rinpoche) during the 8th century, it emphasizes mysticism and the incorporation of local deities shared by the pre-Buddhist Bön religion, which has shamanic elements.

[3] In addition to Buddha and the great Buddhist divinities, the Sherpa also believe in numerous deities and demons who inhabit every mountain, cave, and forest.

Lamas identify witches (pem), act as the mouthpiece of deities and spirits, and diagnose spiritual illnesses.

The monasteries are communities of lamas or monks (sometimes of nuns) who take a vow of celibacy and lead a life of isolation searching for truth and religious enlightenment.

Their contact with the outside world is focused on monastery practices and annual festivals to which the public is invited, as well as the reading of sacred texts at funerals.

Park managers have made an effort to try to include Sherpas' voices by creating buffer-zone user groups.

These are worn with colourful striped aprons; pangden (or metil) aprons are worn in front, and gewe (or gyabtil) in back, and are held together by an embossed silver buckle called kyetig and a kara[3]: 138–141 Sherpa clothing resembles Tibetan clothing.

When a son marries and has children, the community may help to construct a new house, as the extended family becomes too large for a single home.

A spiritual ceremony may be conducted at every building stage as the house must have space for deities, humans and animals.

The house style depends on the lay of the land: old river terraces, former lake beds or mountain slopes.

[39] The Central Bureau of Statistics of Nepal classifies the Sherpa as a subgroup within the broader social group of Mountain/Hill Janajati.