What have been the changes in Sherpa culture since their first involvement in mountaineering

Krakauer gives us some background into Sherpa history and culture. Sherpas primarily come from Nepal. They number in the neighborhood of 20000 people who are engaged in the business. They are primarily Buddhists who migrated from Tibet hundreds of years prior to this period. Sherpa have evolved over the years. They have become an intricate part of the mult-million dollar climbing industry. One-third of the people who have died on Everest have been Sherpa.