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Some Important Features
of 2007 Spring
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March 29, 2007
Sherpa Chhiring To Install
Buddha's Statue Atop Everest
Senior climber Mr.
Chhiring Dorjee Sherpa will scale Mt. Everest in a different way this
spring.
The climber, who hails
from Gaurishankar village of the Dolkha district, is planning to carry
an idol of the Lord Buddha and a map of Nepal with photos of top leaders
of the eight parties. He will install them atop Everest.
He is leaving for
Everest Base Camp on April 2, 2007. He has already climbed Mt. Everest
for five times.
He aims to scale Mt.
Everest from Tibet side on the birthday of Lord Buddha, which falls on
May 2 this year. Himalaya Expeditions, a leading mountaineering and
expedition operating company of Nepal, has sponsored Sherpa's
expedition.
He was bidden a farewell
by Mr. Madhav Kumar Nepal, the General Secretary of the Communist Party
of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), amidst a function.
Deputy Prime Minister
and Chairman of People's Front Nepal, Mr. Amik Sherchan presented him
his portrait and the party flag.
Officials at the
Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA) have expected
more expeditions this spring with the improved political situation in
Nepal. |
March 28, 2007
World’s Highest Airport To Be Built In
Tibet
China
will build the world’s highest airport in Tibet as part of a
13-billion-dollar investment splurge in the Himalayan region, according
to an AFP news report from Beijing.
China will spend more
than 100 billion Yuan (12.9 billion dollars) over the next three years
on 180 projects in Tibet, including the airport in northern Ngari
prefecture, said the news report citing the state media.
The airport will be the
fourth in Tibet and another important plank in China’s plan to link the
remote Himalayan region with the rest of China. A third airport began
operating in Nyingchi, southeast Tibet, in September 2006, two months
after China launched a railway line from Beijing to the regional capital
of Lhasa.
The Ngari airport will
be located at about 4,300 metres above sea level, making it the highest
airport in the world, according to reports in the state press. The first
reports of plans for an airport at Ngari emerged in 2005, although there
has been little official mention of it since.
As per the news report,
the 180 projects by 2010 would focus on other forms of infrastructure
such as power plants and telecoms, as well as on education, social
security and environmental conservation.
One project aims to see
80 per cent of Tibet’s villages connected by road, while another intends
to provide safe drinking water for all the region’s 2.76 million people,
it said.
“Most of the projects
are designed to improve living conditions of people, especially farmers
and herdsmen, and to help them share fruits of reform and development in
Tibet,” Xinhua cited Tibet’s vice chairman, Hao Peng, as saying.
The amount of money to
be spent over the next three years is about one-third more than the 63
billion Yuan spent on similar projects in Tibet from 1994 to 2005,
Tibet’s chairman, Qiangba Puncog, was quoted as saying.
However critics of
China’s rule of Tibet say new infrastructure such as the railway and the
airport is allowing the nation’s ethnic Han majority to flood the
region, exploit its resources and consolidate its political control.
|
March 27, 2007
More Climbers In Record Setting Bids
With
the start of this year's spring, more climbers from across the world are
in record setting and breaking bids. Mr. Datuk Khalid Yunus, former
Malaysian Deputy Minister, is one among them.The
64-year-old politician is reported to be
leading an expedition to Mt.
Everest this season.
The
expedition includes 11
support climbers and three support crew members who can also serve as
backup climbers. One of the team members is a woman, Marina.
According to news reports, the retired politician's
team plans to
climb the world's
tallest peak between
May 15 and 22 to mark the 50th anniversary of the
independence of Malaysia.
Apart
from his involvement in politics, he has been a lifelong sports, track
and field enthusiast. He
was once president of Malaysian Amateur Athletics Union. He took up
mountaineering only six years ago but got hooked to it.
As per
news reports, some of
his friends were
shocked when he
told them he would climb Mt.
Everest and some others
couldn't believe it and kept asking him if he
was serious about it.
He
has spent the last four
years traveling to Scotland, Nepal, France and Argentina in preparation
for his Everest climb. He also climbed
various peaks in those countries to get into physical condition.
When Yunus was asked why
he chose Everest while other political retirees seemed to prefer golf,
he said, "Because I don't play golf and don't consider myself retired."
Meanwhile, T.
Ravichandran from
Malaysia is returning to Everest, apparently to make at attempt at the
South side of the mountain after claiming a summit on the North side in
2006. The 41-year-old Malaysian businessman is making the attempt
from Nepal side for a charitable cause. He
was one the many
climbers who passed by David Sharp on the way up to the Summit that
day....
He
claims a summit very late in the day (around 2
pm), so he was actually
going up the mountain as those with early summits were coming down.
Here is what T.
Ravichandran said in his own words about David Sharp:" "Ahead of me, I
saw about 40 other climbers walking past David and just leaving him to
die. Nobody wanted to help."
"At that time, I was
thinking of helping him and thought of forgetting about reaching the
summit. Then again, I was just a few hundred metres short of the peak
and, thus, I decided to reach the summit and left David behind," said
Ravichandran, who reached the summit on May 15.
Similarly, Pemba Dorje
Sherpa, who set the record of conquering
Mt. Everest in
the fasted time, is going to climb the 8,848-metre peak
this season carrying
flags of Nepal, the United Nations, the eight political parties and
photographs of Gautam Buddha and Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala.
Pemba also announced
that after successful completion of the expedition, he is
planning to scale Mt.
Everest and Mt.
Lhotse in a single day. He will also
stay atop Mt. Everest
for 24 hours without
oxygen.
His
expedition will start on April 5, 2007. As somebody who hails from from the
Gaurishankar VDC of
Dolakha district, he has already
scaled the 8,516-metre Mtt.
Lhotse without oxygen. He has also made it to the top of Mt.
Everest for four times.
He
hopes that his expedition would help
the eight political
parties and UN to be unified on the agenda for peace.
|
March 22, 2007
Heart Surgery Patient To Attempt Everest
Phill Michael, who got his Aortic
Valve replaced with a Medtronic Freestyle Valve in January 2003, is one
among several climbers trying to set new records in the world's
mountaineering history.
Phill is fulfilling his long
cherished goal to show to the world how someone who has undergone major
cardiac surgery can make it to the top of the world, according to his
website-- www.secretspoteverest.com.
The name of Phill's expedition is
the Everest Freestyle Expedition that will make an ascent of the North
Ridge route of the Mt. Everest to its summit.
His journey to the summit of the
world's tallest mountain in 2008 will begin in spring 2007 with a trip
to Advanced Base Camp, news reports said.
Goals for this first trip will be
to test communications equipment for the interactive classroom, develop
curriculum, test the physiology of team members and gain a better
understanding of the mountain for the 2008 summit bid, the news reports
added.
The expedition aims to show how
science and medicine allow people to do extraordinary things, create
cultural awareness about Nepal and Tibet- and their respective
populations, promote environmental awareness and clean up on the
mountain and inspire people to achieve their goals |
March 20, 2007
Filipino Women's Team To Scale Mt. Everest
In a bid to set a new record in the history of
mountaineering, a team of three Filipino women is going to climb Mt.
Everest, the highest peak in the world during spring 2007, according to
news reports.
Filipino climbers-- Janet Belarmino, Carina
Dayondon, and Noelle Wenceslao— want to be the first ever women from
South East Asia to scale the 8,848-metre peak.
The women climbers will be guided by Leo Oracion
and Pastour Emata, who are the first Filipinos to climb Mt. Everest. In
2006, the first Filipino team set the record by climbing Mt. Everest.
The team will also be accompanied by physician Dr. Ted Esguerra.
The team members are planning to spend a couple of
weeks in Nepal for acclimatisation before starting to climb. They are
planning to reach Everest Base Camp by mid-April. The expedition team
aims to summit Mt. Everest by the middle of May this year.
The team will also scale some smaller peaks located
near Mt. Everest before attempting on the world's tallest peak.
The doctor said that the climbers are prepared mentally and physically
to set a new record.
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March 14, 2007
Everest Rescue Trust Launches
Adventure Program For Kids
In a bid to generate a
sense of adventure among school children, the Everest Rescue Trust has
launched its Kids Adventure distance learning programme in Auckland, New
Zealand, since March 13, 2007.This was stated in a press release issued
by the New Zealand-based Everest Rescue Trust.
Trust has developed a
comprehensive and interactive schools project to run in tandem with the
Rescue on Everest challenge in consultation with New Zealand education
authorities.
Based on established
curricular modules tailored to students aged between eight and twelve,
the school project combines learning with adventure and challenge. The
project has been enthusiastically endorsed by teachers and students
during pre-launch school trials. Participating students choose their own
unique ID and password to access the site, according to the press
statement.
Highlighting the
project, Trevor Rogers, Founding Trustee of the Everest Rescue Trust,
said that it wanted to give children an opportunity to actively get
involved in what it was doing. "Through the Schools Programme we also
want to inspire a sense of adventure in children again as well as
encourage global interaction with other kids their own age,” he added.
The project is available
free of charge to all primary and intermediate English-speaking
school-age children (or any other student) around the world. A teacher
resource section is available on the site, where teachers can login to
view information and answers. The schools project may be viewed at home
by children, using their login, allowing their parents to view what is
being done and their child's progress. In future, the Trust will
translate the programme into foreign languages and develop more advanced
project content for inclusion at secondary school level.
Apart from this, the
Trust has also created a challenging educational game—SkyHook-- for the
entertainment of all children. The game strategy is based on the
activity of the Trust’s challenge, rescuing injured climbers, cleaning
rubbish and litter from the mountains and creating awareness of the
harsh conditions of the mountains. Players must overcome difficulties
including weather, avalanches, rockfalls, temperature, time and fuel
use. A little artistic license is applied in the encounter of a Yeti
(Abominable Snowman) and a few other surprises.
“There is deliberately
no blood or violence in this game, as we want it to be a pleasant
interlude in the progress of completing the school project and an
adjunct to the learning process,” said Bob Lye, Project Manager of the
Rescue on Everest Challenge, “Actually, the game would probably be
enjoyed by the parents as well, as it touches a little on the skills
involved in flying an actual helicopter," he said.
On the 1st of February
2007, the Everest Rescue Trust launched the Rescue on Everest Challenge
to design, build and operate a self-funding rescue helicopter service
for the extreme altitude regions of Nepal. This humanitarian project
aims to save lives on Everest and improve the safety and emergency
services in Nepal, while directly benefiting the Nepalese people.
After six years
research, development and building of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)
TGR Helicorp in East Tamaki New Zealand, has designed and developed an
unpiloted full-size alpine rescue helicopter. The Alpine Wasp, which
will be able to operate safely and autonomously at altitudes up to and
beyond 30,000ft (over 9,000m). Most helicopters are not designed to
operate above a ceiling of about 14,000ft (4,300m).
The company will be
donating the Alpine Wasp to the Everest Rescue Trust. It will be capable
of airlifting up to two sick or injured climbers at a time from extreme
altitude, using ultra-modern composite technologies, a revolutionary
diesel helicopter engine and rotor blades designed especially for
maximum performance in thin air. The Alpine Wasp represents a huge leap
forward in helicopter performance and technological capability.
The success of this
project will increase the Trust’s capability to help other people all
over the world. The potential for pushing the boundaries of long range,
high altitude rescue is unlimited, it could change the course of modern
alpine aviation history. |
March
13, 2007
Nepal highlighted at
ITB 2007
Nepal as an
adventure-cum-cultural destination was highlighted at the International
Tourism Bourse (ITB) in Berlin, Germany. The ITB is the world's biggest
travel mart, which was held at the Berlin Exhibition Grounds between
March 7 and 11, 2007.
Altogether 15
Nepalese travel trade companies attended the fair. As part of promoting
Nepal at the mart, the country's new tourism brand-- "Naturally
Nepal Once Is Not Enough" -- was presented amidst tens of thousands
of tour operators and media people from across the world.
Renowned climber
Wolfgang Nairz and Nepali participants portrayed Nepal's varied tourism
products amidst a huge gathering, according to a press statement issued
by the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB).
On the occasion,
Secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Mr.
Madhav Prasad Ghimire highlighted the contributions made by the German
experts in the formulation of Nepal's first tourism master plan in the
1970s.
Mr. Ghimire, who is
also the Chairman of NTB, commended the Germans for playing a vital role
in the development efforts of Nepal.
He said that the
ongoing peace process in Nepal has helped the country's tourism
business.
Germany is one of the
major tourism markets for Nepal.
The NTB felicitated
Mr. Nairz and Mr. Dil Gurung, Honorary PRR (Public Relations
Representative) of NTB, for their cooperation for promoting Nepal's
tourism in Germany.
Nepal's ambassador to
Germany Dr. Madan Kumar Bhattarai, Director at the Public Relations
Department of NTB, Mr. Aditya Baral, among others, were also present on
the occasion.
|
March 11, 2007
Jeanne Set to Scale Everest
Jeanne Stawiecki, who
has set a new world record for females by completing the Antarctica
Marathon on February 26, 2007, is all set to climb the world's tallest
peak—Mt. Everest— during spring 2007. She is leaving for the 8,848-metre
peak on March 29, news reports said.
If she becomes
successful in her attempt, she will become the first woman in the world
to summit the highest peak and complete a marathon on each of the seven
continents in just five months. The 56-year-old adventure lover may also
be the oldest woman to reach the seven summits.
"I am on a journey to
become the first women in the world to summit the highest peak and
complete a marathon each of the seven continents. I am on a target to
complete this task by May 2007," news reports quoted her as saying.
This is an endeavor she
is financing herself through hard work and determination. She grew up in
a Massachusetts factory town where her mother used to work to support
her children.
She completed the course
in 4:54:50. The course on King George Island off the tip of the
Antarctic Peninsula is quite challenging. It loops through the
scientific research bases of Uruguay, Chile, China and Russia, brings
runners across streams and huge mud flats and up a large glacier twice.
She worked to put
herself through nursing school, where she was told to take up smoking to
relieve stress.
A self-described former 2 pack a day smoker and a poor
performer in sports for as long as she can remember, Jeanne did not
begin exercising seriously till her mid 40's. As she decided to give up
smoking for financial reasons, she began exercising to prevent weight
gain. In the beginning, she could only walk -- and not very fast without
getting winded. Gradually, she started to run part of the route and,
later, the entire route. Distance running became a way for her to
relieve stress, but after a number of years, she became bored with
running. Taking up climbing in her 50's at a colleague’s suggestion, she
had never been out of the country until she did her first climb in 2002.
Having made the decision in middle age to turn her life around, now she
is the vision of health and athleticism
|
March 08, 2007
Dutch "Iceman" set to Record on Everest
A Dutch climber Wim Hof is all
set to scale Mt. Everest, the world’s highest peak, wearing just boots,
shorts, gloves and a cap in spring this year, reports AFP quoting the
expedition leader Werner de Jong from the Netherlands.
Known as the “Iceman” the Dutch
climber will climb the 8,848-metre peak in shorts, only in sections.
However, the expedition leader de Jong said the team is planning to set
many new records on Mt. Everest.
Gifted with special abilities to
withstand freezing temperatures, Hof holds nine endurance records and
recently ran 21 kilometers barefoot above the Arctic circle in Finland.
The adventure lover's website
www.innerfire.nl shows him cross-legged and semi-naked, meditating
on ice.
According to de Jong, Hof will
strip off for climbing, but don clothes while resting. “Overnight and
during tea breaks, he will wear clothes,” he said
The climber will have four extra
Sherpa's with him to assist him.
In May 2006, a media furor was
spread, as he claimed to have briefly stripped off on the summit of
Everest, considered a holy mountain by Tibetans.
The expedition, which includes four
clothed climbers, will leave the Netherlands on April 1, 2007 and hopes
to make a summit attempt on May 16th.
Meanwhile, TA Loeffler, a Full
Professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland, is also planning to
climb Mt. Everest from Nepal side using IMG for logistics support,
reports everestnews.com.
As a multidimensional personally,
TA Loeffler is an outdoor adventurer, hockey player, filmmaker,
photographer, educator, workshop leader, motivational speaker, and life
coach. Her work and adventures have taken her to 20 different countries
and five different continents.
With compassion, care, presence,
and playfulness, TA creates a safe space for all to learn, grow, and
heal within. She uses her vast collection of outdoor adventures to
create metaphors that provide new ways to see and transform the
inevitable obstacles of life. TA inspires hope, possibility, and vision
in those whose lives she touches, the news report says.
TA has produced nine films. Her
films have shown in film festivals in Vancouver, Toronto, Regina,
Lexington, and St. John’s. TA seeks to create films that document,
inform, educate, move, and transform…her and others. She is also a
professional photographer shooting both film and digital images. As an
image-maker and artist, TA understands the power of the creative process
to initiate and sustain life change. Art is a transformational process
in her own life, and TA brings this creative synergy into all aspects of
her work.
TA is a talented athlete. While
training for her successful climb of Denali, she ran a half marathon a
week for weeks on end. Besides running, TA uses strength training, yoga,
cycling and step aerobics to prepare for her expeditions. She has a
passion for hockey and has played every position on the ice including
goaltender.
TA has coached several championship
winning hockey teams and has officiated at the national championship
level. Through her experience in both sports and outdoor adventure, TA
intimately appreciates teamwork and knows how to bring teams together to
accomplish their goals and fulfill their greatest potential.
Her Ph.D. in Outdoor Education and
Master’s in Adventure Based Counseling provide the foundation for both
her work and personal adventures. She is dedicated to experience-based
learning within academic, wilderness, and corporate environments.
|
March 07, 2007
Peak Removed From List
The Government of Nepal
has decided to remove the 7,012-metre 'Palung Ri' peak from the list of
mountains for expedition.
The Government has taken
such a decision on the basis of a report submitted by an expedition team
in the spring season of 2006. As per the report, the peak was not found
in the Mahalangur Range. The Department of Cartography also could not
spot the peak. |
March 07, 2007
Peak Named After Dr. Gurung
Recognising his
outstanding contributions to the nation, the Government of Nepal has
renamed the 7,871-metre mountain— "Peak-29"— as "Dr. Harka Gurung Peak."
Dr. Gurung, a senior
geographer and development expert, had died in a helicopter crash in
Taplejung last year. He had also gained much expertise in the field of
mountaineering.
He was also an Honourary
Patron of the Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal (TAAN), which is
an umbrella organisation of the trekking companies in Nepal. |
March 05 , 2007
Tourist Arrivals
in Nepal Up By 63%
In what may be a record
growth, tourist arrivals during the month of February 2007 shot up by
62.6 percent in comparison with the figures of the same month of 2006.
A total of 25,656
tourists came to the Himalayan country in February this year, while the
number of visitors of the same month of 2006 stood at 15,776, the
Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA) has stated.
The growth, with not a
single market declining, was outstanding not only from the Asian
countries but also substantially from Europe and USA.
According to the
Ministry, the potential Indian market showed an overwhelming increase of
54.8% followed by remarkable upsurge from all the SAARC (South Asian
Association for Regional Cooperation) countries, including Bangladesh by
60.5%.
Among other Asian
markets, arrivals from China swelled by 281.6%, South Korea by 88.8% and
Japan by 69.5%. The East Asian markets also showed an upward trend.
Arrivals from Thailand increased by 110%, Malaysia by 8.4%, Singapore by
59.2% and Taiwan by 29.2%. The East Asian countries have become the
major generating markets with about 28% share.
The remarkable growth
in European market was contributed by increases in arrivals from France
(68.6%), Germany (23.4%), United Kingdom (88.3%) as well as improvement
in arrivals from Belgium (46.8%), Italy (26.1%), the Netherlands
(40.4%), among others. Similarly in addition to the rise in Australian
visitors (35.2%), the American visitors number swelled by 53.1%.
The significant growth
in the number of tourists from South Korea, China and Bangladesh took
place due to increased direct air connections. "With the vastly improved
situation in the country, the rising confidence of international travel
trade and consumers has paved the way for more travelers to visit
Nepal," an NTB press release states.
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