In 1935 his frostbite ruled out any mountaineering but in 1936 he was selected by Bill Tilman for the British-American Himalayan Expedition to Nanda Devi. Because of his frostbite he was not able to go very high but Art Emmons, one of the American climbers, said he was by far the best porter, a fine personal servant, energetic, and hardworking. After Tilman and Noel Odell had reached the summit (at the time at it was the highest summit ever to have been climbed), he was the only Sherpa to accompany Tilman and Charlie Houston over Longstaff's Col out of the Nanda Devi Sanctuary, the first crossing of the col.