Trip Himalaya Treks and Expedition

Tibet reopens to foreign tourism

More than three months after a wave of violent anti-China protests, Tibet has reopened to foreign tourists, Chinese state media says. The region was 'safe' and overseas visitors were welcome, state news agency, Xinhua, quoted a local tourism chief as saying.
China had closed Tibet to foreign tourists after riots erupted in mid-March. The decision to allow them back comes days after the Olympic torch's short, tightly-controlled visit to the region passed off smoothly.
"The success of the Olympic torch relay held three days ago in Lhasa demonstrated that the foundation for the social stability has been further consolidated," Xinhua quoted Tanor, deputy director of the Tibet Autonomous Regional Bureau of Tourism, as saying.
"Tibet is safe. We welcome the domestic and foreign tourists."
Though Tibet was closed for foreigners, domestic tour groups were allowed to Tibet since late April, Xinhua said.
26 June 2008 TAN News.

77-years old Sherchan summit Mt. Everest

May 26 - Seventy-six-year old Min Bahadur Sherchan of Nepal has set a record Sunday, becoming the oldest person to reach the summit of Mt Everest.
Sherchan got to the top of Everest at 8:40 am today with Senior Citizen Everest Expedition, said Ramesh KC, an official at the Tourism Ministry.

He beat the record held by Japanese mountaineer Katsusuke Yanagisawa. The retired school teacher was 71 years old when he reached the summit in 2007.

KC said Sherchan is descending to the base camp where he is expected to arrive on Monday or Tuesday.

Born on June 20th, 1931, in Myagdi district, Sherchan had climbed smaller mountains before his Everest feat. The former soldier has been an active sportsman as well.

In a press conference held last January, prior to setting off for the Everest climb, he said his aim was to induce senior citizens to take up the challenge and that he wanted to be a source of inspiration for the youth. “I had a strong desire to put my feet on top of Everest since early childhood,” he said.

Even in his old age, he has made a string of adventurous journeys. He traveled 202 kilometers from Kathmandu to Pokhara in four days in 2003. Likewise, he covered a distance of 1028 kilometers from Mechi River to the Mahakali

River in 20 days in the same year. He scaled 5,844 meter Mt Nayakhanga Peak in 2006.

In a message posted on the website for Senior Citizen Everest Expedition, he said: “I want to galvanize the entire senile population in Nepal into enthusiasm and devotion to achieve a better life even in old age.”

“That is why I have commenced on the great mission with a great vision in a great season [spring season] to fight against the mighty Mt. Everest with the will-power of my mind and the clean energy of my heart,” he said.

KC said besides Sherchan, eight climbers, including Chunu Shrestha who was part of 10-member First Inclusive Women Sagarmatha Expedition 2008 reached atop Mt Everest today. Nine other members have already conquered the world’s tallest peak. At least 219 climbers have scaled the earth’s highest point this spring season only.

Appa tops Everest record 18th time:-

KATHMANDU, May 23 - 2008, Appa Sherpa, smashing his own world record, climbed Mt Everest for the 18th time Thursday, when 76 more climbers made it atop the highest peak on the planet. This is a single day record for the Nepali side.
Appa, along with his team member, scaled the 8,848 meter mountain early Thursday morning, said Ang Tshering Sherpa, president of Nepal Mountaineering Association. However, the Tourism Ministry is yet to confirm this.

A veteran guide, he is part of the Eco-Everest Expedition, which aims at highlighting the impact of glacial melt and global warming in the Himalayas.

Five Nepali women were also among today's climbers, the largest number of Nepali women to climb Everest at one time. Poojan Acharya, who scaled the peak with the First Inclusive Sagarmatha Expedition 2008 became the first Brahmin female to climb Everest. The other four women include Susmita Maskey, Maya Gurung and Nwang Phuti Sherpa. They were accompanied on the ascent by five altitude workers.

Ramesh KC, an official at the Tourism Ministry said the ascent by 74 climbers-- 45 Nepali and 29 foreigners-- has been confirmed. Another official at the Ministry said three more including Appa reached the top today.

Appa, 48, first scaled Everest on May 10, 1990 as a high altitude worker for the Kiwi-Everest Expedition. Since then, he has reached that summit every year except in 1996 and 2001. He ascended Everest two times each in 1992 and 1997.

After completing his 12th Everest ascent, Appa announced his retirement in 2002, citing family reasons.

But he abandoned his retirement plans and returned to mountaineering the next year. In 2006, Apa moved with his family to Utah, USA to ensure good education for his children.

Mt Everest has been ascended over 3,000 times since 1953 when Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary made it to the summit for the first time.

Posted on: 2008-05-22 21:04:09 (Server Time)

Nepal Elections Mark New Political Beginning

21 April 2008
Read the Preliminary Statement: Nepal Constituent Assembly Elections

Carter Center election observers witnessed a historic vote in Nepal on April 10 creating a constituent assembly to draft a new constitution for the country that will likely abolish the 240-year-old monarchy.

"This election was transformational for the people of Nepal," said President Carter. "Traditionally marginalized groups are guaranteed a place in the new government."

Nepal's decade-long Maoist insurgency left more than 12,000 people dead and some 100,000 people displaced. Shortly after a breakthrough peace agreement was made in November 2006, the Maoists joined an interim government, but elections were twice delayed due to political disagreements among the interim government's parties.

Sixty election monitors from 21 nations joined delegation leaders former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, and Dr. Surakiart Sathirathai, former deputy prime minister of Thailand for the election.

Nepal's electoral system, which is a complicated combination of single-member constituencies and proportional representation, introduced quotas for women and other marginalized groups to create a far more inclusive and elected body than previously existed in Nepal. More than 6,000 candidates representing 73 political parties sought a position for the constituent assembly's 575 directly elected seats. Twenty-six seats will be appointed by the cabinet after election results are final.

The Carter Center's observation mission — the only international election observation organization present throughout Nepal's entire electoral process — established its field office and deployed long-term observers in March 2007. They traveled throughout the country's 75 districts multiple times during the pre-election period. On election day, Carter Center observers visited more than 400 polling centers in 28 districts.

Center observers found that most polling stations opened on time or with only a brief delay and followed the correct procedures. In a postelection statement, the Center noted that a significant number of eligible young voters were left out due to insufficient time to update the voter roll prior to the elections, but overall the majority of Nepali voters participated in a remarkable and relatively peaceful constituent assembly election.

"These elections are another step for Nepal on its path to peace and political stability," said David Pottie, associate director of the Carter Center's Democracy Program. "But there is still a long road ahead for the country, and it is essential for the international community to remain engaged." The Carter Center will continue to observe the district counting and national tabulation until complete and comment on the electoral process periodically through public statements.

Nepal's constituent assembly elections were the 70th elections observed by The Carter Center. All Carter Center reports on Nepal's election process are available at www.cartercenter.org.
www.cartercenter.org.

738 expeditions to attempt different peaks in Autumn

The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA) and Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA) have permitted 738 expedition teams to climb 68 different mountains peaks of the country. MoCTCA has issued permits to 83 expeditions for 36 mountain peaks while NMA has issued 654 permits for its 32 peaks. Likewise, MoCTCA has also permitted an expedition from United States of America to do skiing in the Khumbu Region.

 According to the information provided by the Mountaineering Section of MoCTCA, ten different expeditions are attempting five 8,000-meter peaks in Autumn season. There is only one expedition each to Mt. Everest (8,848m), Mt. Makalu (8463m) and Mt. Annapurna I (8091m) while Mt. Dhaulagiri (8167m) has four expeditions and Mt. Manasulu (8163m) has three expeditions.

 Similarly MoCTCA has allowed 29 teams for Mt. Ama Dablam (6812m); six teams for Mt. Baruntse (7129m); four teams for Mt. Dhampus (6012m); three each for Mr. Manaslu (8163m) and Mt. Pumori (7161m); and two each for Mt. Merra (6335m), Mt. Saribung (6346m) and Tukuche Peak (6920m). Likewise, there is only one expedition team each on Danee Sail, Punchen Himal, Langtang Ri, Varaha Shikhar, Kanti Himal, Langtang Lirung, Kumbakarna, Himlung Himal, Thapa Peak, Tilje Peak, Tilicho Peak, Kangbachen, Ghhanyali Hies, Swelokhan Peak, Nemjung, Gaugiri, Ganesh Himal V, Annapurna IV, Tent Peak, Tawache, Putha Himchuli, Thorang Peak and Linku Chuli.

 After many years, there is one Everest Expedition in Autumn season this year. A nine-member First Thai Everest Expeditions is climbing Mt. Everest in Autumn this year.

 Similarly, Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA) has issued permits to 654 expeditions to climb 32 peaks below 6500m. According to NMA, there are 259 expeditions to Island Peak and 148 expeditions for Mera Peak this Autumn.

114 foreign climbers summitted Everest in spring 2007'

The summit of Mt. Everest witnessed over 500 ascents from both north (Tibet) and south (Nepal) sides during spring 2007.

Of the total number of climbers, 254 successful attempted the word's highest peak from Nepal side. A total of 114 were foreigners, while the remaining 140 were Nepali climbers and high altitude guides. Of the total successful climbers, eight were women, a press statement issued by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA) stated.

Meanwhile, news reports say that seven climbers lost their lives in course of climbing the peak from Nepal and Tibet sides.

The Ministry had issued permits to 23 expeditions, including three Nepali teams, to attempt the 8,848-metre peak from Nepal side during the period.
 

More than 200 climbers Atop Everest From Nepal Side

Over 200 climbers and high altitude workers associated with 21 various expeditions have reached the summit of the world's highest peak Mt. Everest as of May 26, 2007, according to officials at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA).
The ministry granted permits to 23 expeditions to attempt the 8,848-metre peak for this spring.
The remaining members of the teams have continued their efforts to make it to the summit, the officials said.
Three climbers two Koreans and one Nepali woman climber (Mrs. Pemba Doma Sherpa)�have lost their lives. The Korean climbers died on Mt. Everest, while Mrs. Sherpa lost her life while descending from the summit of Mt. Lhotse.
Meanwhile, three climbers-- Colombian Fernando Gonzalez Rubio, Ecuadorian Ivan Vallejo and Australian Andrew Lock summitted Mt. Annapurna on May 24. They are reported to be descending.
In the meantime, all three women members of the Pinay Mount Everest Expedition 2007, the first Filipino women's team to scale the world's tallest peak, said that they have fulfilled their dream of reaching the summit of Mt. Everest.
"As we are from a tropical country, climbing Everest was our great dream," said Art Valdez, team leader, told journalists at press conference organised in Kathmandu on May 24.
He is also a former Vice-Minister of the Philippines.
The three courageous women climbers are Noelle Wenceslao, Carina Dayndon and Janet Belarmino.
They have become the first women to cross the mountain from the north route in Tibet to the south route in Nepal. Only very few male climbers have crossed the mountain, so far.
"We had never thought of setting any world record. We had just wanted to reach the world's highest peak," said Jenet, who is the mother of her five-month-old first baby.
Similarly, Mr. Kami Sherpa, a journalist with Nepal Television, has climbed Mt. Everest for six times, was felicitated in the capital city amidst a function on May 24.

Rai wins Tenzing Hillary Everest Marathon 2008

Deepak Rai won this year's Tenzing Hillary Everest Marathon, which is considered the world's highest altitude marathon.
Rai, 25, a farmer from Gundel-8, Solukhumbu completed the marathon within 3 hours, 59 minutes and 24 seconds, while two-time champion Dangima Sherpa finished the race just 6 minutes and 15 seconds later.
The marathon was organised by the Himalaya Expeditions Inc., a leading sports adventure tourism operator in Nepal. The company has been organisng the marathon annually since May 2003 to mark the first ascent of Mt Everest by Tenzing Norgay Sherpa and Sir Edmund Hillary on May 29, 1953.
Milan Kulung, Rai's playmate from Gundel-8, stood out third. Kulung completed the race within 4 hours, 7 minutes and 4 seconds, while former winner Uttar Kumar Rai emerged fourth.
In the women's category, 19-year-old Yangdi Lama Sherpa finished the race at 5 hours, 27 minutes and 41 seconds, while Mingma Chhami Sherpa, also aged 19 years, who completed it at 5 hours, 29 minutes and 26 seconds. Yangdi, who is a 12-grade student from Lincoln College, had taken lead from Mingma at Gorakshep and never lost it to win the race while 20-year-old Phurba Yangji Sherpa became third at 5 hours, 36 minutes and 51 seconds.
Japanese duo of Yoshiaki Ishihara aged 62 years and Toshio Ohmori, the oldest participant of the event at 66 years, completed the marathon within 8 hours, 26 minutes and five seconds and 8 hours, 39 minutes and 11 seconds respectively.
A total of 130 runners, including 53 foreigners, participated in this year's marathon. Of them, 10 were females.
The top three of the main category received US $ 1,000, 500 and 300 respectively while the women's section (for both Nepali and foreigners) carried cash award of US $ 500, 300 and 200 for the top three runners. There was also cash prize in the men's category for foreigners equivalent to the women's category.
Chief guest German Ambassador to Nepal Franz Ring, Pakistani Ambassador Sohil Amin and Secretary of Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Madhav Prasad Ghimire had presented the awards to winners. Shobha Gyawali awarded the women's winner Yangdi Lama Sherpa.