“Are Sherpa considered part of an expedition or not? I always thought they were, but I’m not a climber.”
I share your question. I’m also not a climber.
From what I’ve seen on TV, the Sherpas haul the heaviest supplies, because they are best acclimated to the altitude, and sometimes go before and install the ladders and ropes that the climbers need.
This is not meant to diminish the achievement of walking up there under your own power. But they shouldn’t veer too closely to either “I did it all by myself” or “these women did it hurrah.”
Agree with your assessment to not veer too close to "I did it all by myself."
Leave no trace. /s
True that about the Sherpas, they're the heavy lifters since they live in the higher altitudes.
As far as installing the ladders and ropes and stuff, Everest has become so commercialized that the common trail is already installed and all one needs is to contract with any of the 30 or so Everest outfitters (at a cost of about $30,000) and schedule your climb. For an extra $5,000 or so, they'll even give you some mountain training a week before you start your climb.
I'm not saying that it's a hike in the park but it's definitely not your grandfather's Mt. Everest............
As a side note, the contract you have to sign states that if you die on the mountain you stay on the mountain. Nobody is going to waste their trip in hauling your dead ass back down the hill..........LOL!