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37-480: A bellhop (North America), or hotel porter (international), is a hotel employee who helps patrons with their luggage while checking in or out. Bellhops often wear a uniform (see bell-boy hat ), like certain other page boys or doormen . This occupation is also known as a bellman and bellboy ( pronunciation ) in North America. The name bellhop is derived from a hotel's front-desk clerk ringing

74-601: A bell to summon a porter, who would hop (jump) to attention at the desk to receive instructions. It is short for bell-hopper, and the word's first known use was in 1897. The bellhop traditionally is a boy or adolescent male, hence the term bellboy . Bellhops interact with a variety of people each day, and duties often include opening the front door, moving luggage, valeting cars, calling cabs, transporting guests, advising directions, performing basic concierge work, and responding to guests' needs. While carrying luggage, they escort guests to their rooms. In most countries, it

111-505: A result of the disaster, stated that he considered her ascent to be "cheating". As a result of the dangers of the normal route up the left side of the icefall, the Nepali authorities announced in February 2015 that a new route, up the centre of the icefall, would be followed instead. According to the director of the Nepali government’s Department of Tourism, Tulasi Prasad Gautam, "In response to

148-409: A result, is the 2008 K2 disaster . Sixteen Sherpas were killed in the 2014 Mount Everest ice avalanche , inciting the entire Sherpa guide community to refuse to undertake any more ascents for the remainder of the year, making any further expeditions impossible. Human adaptability and flexibility led to the early use of humans for transporting gear. Porters were commonly used as beasts of burden in

185-718: A term for unskilled Asian labourer derived from the Chinese word for porter. Mountain porters are also still in use in a handful of more developed countries, including Slovakia ( horský nosič ) and Japan ( bokka , 歩荷). These men (and more rarely women) regularly resupply mountain huts and tourist chalets at high-altitude mountain ranges. Certain trade-specific terms are used for forms of porters in North America, including bellhop (hotel porter), redcap (railway station porter), and skycap (airport porter). The practice of railroad station porters wearing red-colored caps to distinguish them from blue-capped train personnel with other duties

222-496: Is customary to tip a bellhop for their service. Porter (carrier) The use of humans to transport cargo dates to the ancient world, prior to domesticating animals and development of the wheel. Historically it remained prevalent in areas where slavery was permitted, and exists today where modern forms of mechanical conveyance are impractical or impossible, such as in mountainous terrain, or thick jungle or forest cover. Over time, slavery diminished and technology advanced, but

259-415: Is impractical or unavailable, often alongside pack animals . The Sherpa people of Nepal are so renowned as mountaineering porters that their ethnonym is synonymous with that profession. Their skill, knowledge of the mountains and local culture, and ability to perform at altitude make them indispensable for the highest Himalayan expeditions. Porters at Indian railway stations are called coolies ,

296-428: Is only possible through their work. They are also often called upon to stage rescue expeditions when a part of the party is endangered or there is an injury; when a rescue attempt is successful, several porters are usually called upon to transport the injured climber(s) back down the mountain so the expedition can continue. A well known incident where porters attempted to rescue numerous stranded climbers, and often died as

333-459: Is planted shortly below the peak. When the route is prepared, either entirely or in stages ahead of the expedition, the main body follows. The last stage is often done without the porters, they remaining at the last camp, a quarter mile or below the summit, meaning only the main expedition is given the credit for mounting the summit. In many cases, since the porters are going ahead, they are forced to freeclimb, driving spikes and laying safety lines for

370-463: Is shaken here at base camp". Some of the climbers immediately packed up their belongings and left. In addition to mandatory insurance policies paying US$ 10,000 to guides' families, the Nepalese government announced compensation of Nepali Rs. 40,000 ($ 400) each as immediate relief to the victims' next of kin. This government offering, which only covers funeral costs, angered Sherpas and was dismissed by

407-533: Is uncertain. By 24 April, almost all expeditions had decided to abandon their climbing plans; the 600 mountaineers who were at Base Camp before the avalanche was down to 40 or 50. On 23 April, the Nepalese government announced it would give an additional 500,000 Nepali Rs. (approx. US$ 5,100) to the families of the dead climbers. Although these funds started to be paid in December 2014, it was reported in January 2015 that

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444-476: Is very doubtful however if any defensive structures are feasible for events of this size. The 2015 documentary Sherpa explores reactions to the avalanche after filmmakers were on location when it occurred. The first post-avalanche ascent of Mount Everest via the South Col route was on 23 May 2014, by Chinese businesswoman Wang Jing , together with five sherpas. Her ascent sparked controversy, as she bypassed

481-456: The Khumbu Icefall by helicopter, which took her to 6,400 m (21,000 ft); this decision was made because the 2014 ropes and ladders had been removed. She made her ascent without new rope lines, and beyond the usual 14:00 cut-off time, and made her descent in the dark. Tamding Sherpa, the leader of the team that Wang was planning to use before her original expedition was called off as

518-458: The Khumbu Icefall encourages climbers to try to pass through as quickly as possible, usually in the very early morning before temperatures rise and loosen the ice. In the spring of 2012 Russell Brice , of the guiding company Himex , called off guided ascents run by his company due to safety concerns. He was worried about the stability of a 300 metres (980 ft) wide ice cliff, or ice bulge, on Mount Everest's western shoulder that could endanger

555-433: The Khumbu Icefall . This was the same icefall where the 1970 Mount Everest disaster had taken place. Thirteen bodies were recovered within two days, while the remaining three were never recovered due to the great danger in attempting such an expedition. Many Sherpas were angered by what they saw as the Nepalese government's meager offer of compensation to victims' families, and threatened a protest or strike . On 22 April,

592-509: The Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA). The NMA announced they would stop work in seven days' time if compensation of US$ 10,000 were not paid to families of the dead, injured and missing. They further demanded a memorial to the dead, the doubling of insurance coverage to $ 20,000 and government payment of medical bills. According to unverified reports, 350 guides voted to suspend operations on Everest. Other reports said

629-520: The 2014 ice avalanche was triggered when a block of ice "the size of a Beverly Hills mansion" broke off from the bulge. Conditions change regularly with the glacier's shifting ice, so climbing guides must find and maintain a new route through the icefall each season. At approximately 06:45 local time (01:00 UTC , 18 April 2014), an ice avalanche occurred on the southern side of Mount Everest , at an elevation of approximately 5,800 metres (19,000 ft). Twenty-five men, mostly Sherpas, were buried in

666-781: The 90-minute programme was shown on 4 May. The company also said it would make a donation to the American Himalayan Foundation Sherpa Family Fund, a charity supporting the families of those who died in the disaster. Following the accident, the NMA president Ang Tsering Sherpa proposed installing avalanche-prevention barriers similar to those found above European ski resorts. He said: "We should ... adopt some precautionary measure – learning from [how] mountains [are managed] in developed countries where they adopt measures to avoid avalanches by putting some kind of wood or some concrete so that it helps make it safe." It

703-767: The Italian mountaineer Walter Bonatti , are also known for having survived a night at the highest open bivouac - 8,100 metres (26,600 ft) - on K2 in 1954. Fazal Ali, who was born in the Shimshal Valley in Pakistan North, is – according to the Guinness Book of World Records – the only man ever to have scaled K2 (8611 m) three times, in 2014, 2017 and 2018, all without oxygen, but his achievements have gone largely unrecognised. Porters are still paid to shift burdens in many third-world countries where motorized transport

740-575: The Sherpa ethnic group, work each year's climbing season. (They are all referred to as "Sherpas" regardless of specific ethnicity.) As such, they can earn up to $ 5,000 a year, compared with Nepal's average annual salary of $ 700. In the years prior to the disaster, foreigners began bringing their own guides, causing tension with locals. Eight people, including one of the most experienced Sherpa guides, died on Mount Everest in 2013. The presence of numerous unstable blocks of ice (called seracs ) in and above

777-490: The Sherpas announced they would not work on Everest for the remainder of 2014 as a mark of respect for the victims. A Sherpa who works as a porter specialised in high-altitude work including rope fixing on Mount Everest typically earns about US$ 125/day per climb. Most come from climbing families, are raised on stories of wealth from climbs, with relatively few other economic opportunities. Between 350 and 450 such people, mostly from

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814-566: The ancient world, when labor was generally cheap and slavery widespread. The ancient Sumerians , for example, enslaved women to shift wool and flax. In the early Americas, where there were few native beasts of burden, all goods were carried by porters called Tlamemes in the Nahuatl language of Mesoamerica . In colonial times, some areas of the Andes employed porters called silleros to carry persons, particularly Europeans, as well as their luggage across

851-572: The avalanche. The group was fixing ropes and preparing the South Col route for fee-paying climbers during the upcoming climbing season. The accident zone, locally known as "the Golden Gate" or "Popcorn Field", lies within the Khumbu Icefall. The ice avalanche came from a large serac breaking off on the slopes of Mount Everest's western shoulder. Despite most reporting, this was not an avalanche in

888-503: The bereaved Sherpa families were further angered because the money could only be obtained if they presented documentation in Kathmandu, which is impossible for many of those who live in the Khumbu region. Discovery cancelled Ogwyn's planned BASE jump shortly after the ice avalanche struck, and announced it would broadcast a documentary about the tragedy. Entitled Everest Avalanche Tragedy ,

925-476: The difficult mountain passes. Throughout the globe porters served, and in some areas continue to, as such littermen , particularly in crowded urban areas. Many great works of engineering were created solely by muscle power in the days before machinery or even wheelbarrows and wagons; massive workforces of workers and bearers would complete impressive earthworks by manually lugging the earth, stones, or bricks in baskets on their backs. Porters were very important to

962-502: The disaster. Thirteen bodies were recovered within 48 hours, when search and rescue operations were called off due to "too much risk". Three victims are still buried in roughly 80 to 100 metres (260 to 330 ft) of snow and ice. Nine other guides were also injured, including three who required intensive-care hospitalisation. Four fatalities were Sherpas from Nepal's Solukhumbu District . Five were working for Discovery Channel , preparing for an upcoming special in which Joby Ogwyn

999-510: The film's production gave assistance after the avalanche. In total, the search and rescue team included nine Sherpas and three foreigners. The 2014 disaster is the second-deadliest disaster in Everest's history, only superseded by avalanches that struck the southern side of the mountain the following year , on 25 April 2015, triggered by a magnitude 7.8 earthquake in Nepal . Rippel reported "everyone

1036-530: The guides agreed to unspecified "strong protests". On 21 April, eight of the dead were ceremoniously driven through Kathmandu and then cremated in a Buddhist religious ceremony. On 22 April, the Sherpas announced they would not work on Everest for the rest of 2014 out of respect for the victims. Tulsi Gurung said: "We had a long meeting this afternoon and we decided to stop our climbing this year to honour our fallen brothers. All Sherpas are united in this." The fate of 334 climbing permits sold at $ 10,000 each

1073-598: The local economies of many large cities in Brazil during the 1800s, where they were known as ganhadores . In 1857, ganhadores in Salvador, Bahia , went on strike in the first general strike in the country's history. The contributions of porters can often go overlooked. Amir Mehdi was a Pakistani mountaineer and porter known for being part of the team which managed the first successful ascent of Nanga Parbat in 1953, and of K2 in 1954 with an Italian expedition. He, along with

1110-401: The logistics of mountain climbing, not merely people paid to carry loads (although carrying is integral to the profession). Frequently, porters/Sherpas work for companies who hire them out to climbing groups, to serve both as porters and as mountain guides ; the term "guide" is often used interchangeably with "Sherpa" or "porter", but there are certain differences. Porters are expected to prepare

1147-406: The main expedition to use as they follow. Porters (such as Sherpas for example), are frequently local ethnic types, well adapted to living in the rarified atmosphere and accustomed to life in the mountains. Although they receive little glory, porters or Sherpas are often considered among the most skilled of mountaineers, and are generally treated with respect, since the success of the entire expedition

Bellhop - Misplaced Pages Continue

1184-522: The role of porter for specialized transporting services remains strong in the 21st century. Examples include bellhops at hotels, redcaps at railway stations, skycaps at airports, and bearers on adventure trips engaged by foreign travelers. Porters, frequently called Sherpas in the Himalayas (after the ethnic group most Himalayan porters come from ), are also an essential part of mountaineering: they are typically highly skilled professionals who specialize in

1221-416: The route before and/or while the main expedition climbs, climbing up beforehand with tents, food, water, and equipment (enough for themselves and for the main expedition), which they place in carefully located deposits on the mountain. This preparation can take months of work before the main expedition starts. Doing this involves numerous trips up and down the mountain, until the last and smallest supply deposit

1258-519: The route through the Khumbu Icefall, if it collapsed. "When I see around 50 people moving underneath the cliff at one time," he commented, "it scares me." However, Brice and Himex returned to the south side of Everest for the 2014 climbing season. Mountaineer Alan Arnette reported that this ice bulge had been a known hazard for years and had discharged ice into the Khumbu Icefall almost every season. He added that, "In 2012 it narrowly missed many climbers." According to writer and mountaineer Jon Krakauer ,

1295-406: The usual sense of the word as there was little snow involved and the large blocks of serac ice behave much more like a rockfall. The serac was estimated to have been 34.5 meters (113 ft) thick and to have had a mass of 14,300 tonnes (31.5 million pounds). Though there have been calls for construction of defensive structures, they are impossible on the scale necessary. Sixteen people died in

1332-496: Was begun on Labor Day of 1890 by an African-American porter in order to stand out from the crowds at Grand Central Terminal in New York City. The tactic immediately caught on, over time adapted by other forms of porters for their specialties. 2014 Mount Everest ice avalanche On 18 April 2014, seracs on the western spur of Mount Everest failed, resulting in an ice avalanche that killed sixteen climbing Sherpas in

1369-510: Was planning to attempt a BASE jump from the mountain. No foreigners were killed. According to mountaineer Tim Rippel, the victims were moving slowly and carrying large "loads of equipment, tents, stoves, oxygen and so on up to stock camps" when the avalanche occurred. The Sherpas had started out in early morning but were delayed by poor climbing conditions. The second unit crew of disaster movie Everest (2015) were filming nearby, but suffered no injuries or fatalities; Sherpas involved with

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