Not letting fame go to his head was harder than climbing the world's highest mountain for 18-year-old Temba Chhiri Sherpa, the youngest Sagarmatha summiteer. On 28 May 2001, just a few days past his 16th birthday he set foot on top of the world. "I was just an ordinary boy-next-door when I left, but on my return I became a celebrity-I had never seen so many cameras, and all of them were pointed at me," he says.

But fame came at a price. The responsibility attached to being a summiteer, and the youngest at that, took away from the adventure and excitement of being a 'normal' teenager. Temba has an image to maintain, and other non-climbing ambitions to reach. "Sometimes I yearn to be among people my own age," he confides.

Born in Dolakha, Temba grew up in the shadow of the majestic Gauri Shankar. He learnt the basics of climbing while shepherding animals in the steep terrain and walking the trails to and from his village school. Temba's first attempt on Sagarmatha, when he was only 14, ended in failure. Five of his fingers had to be amputated because of frostbite. The mountain doesn't allow itself to be conquered easily, and with the wisdom of hindsight Temba compares his two expeditions: "In the first one I was too young and inexperienced. I didn't have enough training or proper equipment."

This modest student from Kathmandu's Sidhartha Vanasthali high school will be invited to next week's 50th anniversary celebrations and will get to chat with fellow-summiters old enough to be his grandfathers. Temba loves adventure sports, but mountaineering is not his priority at present. "There are too many risks," he says. Instead, he wants to concentrate on applying to college while waiting for his SLC results. "I need a good education to fulfil my other dream," says Temba, speaking about his determination to return to his village in Dolakha to start a school for quality education.