ABSTRACT
Sherpas are civil servants, often in their fifties when they organise their first summit, and are mostly male. They share a common belief, however vague it may seem, that Western cooperation should be improved. The evolution of the careers of sherpas after their involvement in the G7 framework further highlights the complex web of relations in which the G7 has embedded itself. Sherpas are not only a distinctive feature of the preparation of the G7 summits, they also lie at their very heart. National differences in the backgrounds and national positions of the sherpas are, therefore, clear, and underlines that the choice of a sherpa is linked to national administrative preferences and national peculiarities, as well as simply to the personal decision of the head of government. The balance between national differences and transnational similarities highlights very well the ambiguities of the G7 as an institution.
