Seventy-one mountaineering teams get expedition permit for spring climbing
KATHMANDU, April 17: The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Department of Tourism has so far issued expedition permits to 71 groups for climbing various mountains, including Sagarmatha (Mt Everest) in the spring season.
With Nepal and South Korea celebrating the golden jubilee of their bilateral relations next month, the government today decided to waive mountaineering royalty for a joint expedition attempting to climb Jugal mountains in Sindhupalchowk district.
KATHMANDU, Sept 26: An avalanche has occurred at the base camp of Mt Manaslu in Gorkha district.
According to the Director General of the Department of Tourism (DoT) Hom Prasad Luintel, an avalanche hit the base camp of Manaslu and 12 people have been injured in the incident. “Three of the injured persons are in serious condition while others are in normal condition.” He also said a foreign climber has gone missing while descending after summiting the mountain.
Three helicopters have been deployed from Kathmandu towards the disaster site for rescuing those affected by the avalanche. It is said the rescue choppers have not been able to land at the site due to bad weather. The helicopters have landed at Samagaun of Gorkha.
Mingma Sherpa, who went for rescue of the people injured in the avalanche, said that the rescue has become difficult due to inclement weather. He shared that a team of Sherpas is on standby along with three helicopters at Samagaun.
The avalanche occurred at the base camp of Mt Manaslu at Chumanubri Rural Municipality-1 of Gorkha district.
The foreigners who were on mountaineering expedition and their Nepali assistants are at the base camp. The climbers have gone to the base camp of Mt Manaslu from various companies including the Seven Summit Trek.
DoT's Mountaineering Section said 404 climbing teams of 38 expedition teams have taken permits for climbing Mt Manaslu in the autumn season. A total of 506 mountaineers belonging to 58 expedition teams have acquired permission for climbing 15 mountains and peaks including Mt Everest and Mt Manaslu this autumn season.
KATHMANDU: Khabarhub brings to you a glimpse of major developments of the day in Nepal, including politics, business/economy, sports, entertainment, and more. Spring climbing season begins This year’s spring mountaineering expedition, including to Mount Everest, has begun. Fixing ropes on the world’s highest peak by a group of Sherpa climbers has completed on Saturday, it […]
KATHMANDU: This year’s Spring mountaineering expedition, including to Mount Everest, has begun. Fixing ropes on the world’s highest peak by a group of Sherpa climbers has completed on Saturday, it has been said. As part of the rope fixing, mountaineer Kami Rita Sherpa, 52, scaled the world’s highest peak (8,848.86 meters) for a record 26th […]
MARCH 30: A diplomatic note from the Ukrainian embassy in Delhi to Nepal's government says numerous international sports federations have barred Russian athletes.
"Taking into consideration the above, the esteemed Nepalese side is kindly requested to ban Russian mountaineering teams until the end of [the] Russian invasion into Ukraine," the letter reads.
But officials in Nepal say they are continuing to issue permits to anyone abiding by the government's rules and regulations
"There has been no change in our policy so far," the director general of Nepal's tourism department, Taranath Adhikari, told the BBC.
"We believe our mountains are global assets and any countries' citizens willing to visit them for attainment of peace should be allowed to do so - as long as they do it within our legal provisions."
The Ukrainian embassy in Delhi says it made its request to the Nepalese embassy in the Indian capital on 21 March, but Nepalese embassy officials told the BBC they had received no communication on the issue.
For the spring climbing season, which usually lasts until the end of May, one Russian climber has received a permit to climb Annapurna I (8,091m) while eight others have been given permits for peaks below 6,500m.
"We have carried on with our usual policy. Moreover, the government has not said anything in this regard, so we have not taken any new decision," says Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA) president Santa Bir Lama.
Irina Galay, who describes herself as the first Ukrainian woman to ascend Everest and K2, the world's highest and second highest mountains, wrote on Instagram that Russians should not have the privilege of climbing "as long as war is continued".
"No peace, no climb. Hopefully soon we will have peace and climb."
Oleg Ivanchenko, a Ukrainian mountain guide, was planning to climb Mount Everest and Mount Lhotse this spring with two of his clients, but had to cancel after the Russian invasion.
"I know some people say mountains are sacred and it is not a place for politics, but we expect support from Russian mountaineers as well, and they can protest - or at least not climb, and stay in Russia," he says.
No Ukrainian climbers are now expected this spring.
"We had around 35 climbers from Ukraine coming in for different mountains including Everest but all of them have cancelled," says Mingma Sherpa, chairman of Seven Summit Treks, a mountaineering and trekking operator in Nepal.
"We have seen cancellations from Russians as well as other European climbers because of the war."
Nepal's department of tourism has so far issued permits for 18 expedition teams to climb mountains above 6,000m this spring season.
Of the 135 climbers in these teams, only one is from Russia.
More permits may be issued before mountaineers usually begin their final ascent in May, so the total number could change. However, expedition operators say the war has caused a significant decline in business.
Last year, in the spring and autumn climbing seasons, 49 Russians and 19 Ukrainians were registered on Nepalese mountains higher than 8,000m, according to the Himalayan Database, which records data related to mountaineering in the Nepalese Himalayas.
Out of them, 14 Russian and six Ukrainian climbers were on Everest.
A record number of more than 400 foreign climbers were given permits for Everest alone in 2021. But permits have been issued for only three Everest expedition of 16 climbers this spring season, which is traditionally busier than the autumn.
Officials with the Expedition Operators' Association of Nepal say they are neutral while dealing with mountaineers.
"We are professional operators, and we serve our clients irrespective of their nationalities," says association president Dambar Parajuli.
With inputs from BBC.
Actress Deeya Pun, who is preparing to climb Mount Everest, the highest peak of the world, was bid farewell by the team of movie Mantra by handing over her national flag and movie poster in the capital on Tuesday.
Director, producer and other actors of Mantra bid farewell to actress Pun, the lead actress of the film. She is leaving to climb Mount Everest on Wednesday.
Actress Pun will reach atop Mt. Everest on April 6 if the weather becomes favourable. She is scheduled to return to Kathmandu by the end of May.
World-renowned climbers Nirmal Purja and Mingma Sherpa will accompany the actress. She is climbing the mountain through Elite Exped.
Actress Pun, who started mountaineering by climbing Mount Aconcagua, a 6,961-meter high mountain in Argentina, has also climbed 8,163-metre Mount Manaslu.
Kathmandu, April 30 . Eight hundred and twenty-four climbers belonging to 100 mountaineering expedition teams have taken permission to climb 27 mountain peaks, including Sagarmatha (Mt Everest), the world’s highest peak, in this Spring climbing season, the Department of Tourism has stated. Among these climbers, 377 climbers of 39 teams have taken permission to climb […]
KATHMANDU, Sep 1: Nepal on Tuesday started issuing permits for climbing Himalayan mountains inside the country in the fall season by allowing two teams to scale Mt. Manaslu, the world's eighth tallest peak at 8,163 meters.
Two groups comprising a combined 25 members received the first permits for the fall season that begins in September, the Department of Tourism said in a press statement.
One group has 15 members, with ten male and five female climbers, while the other has 10 male members, according to the department.
Most mountaineers usually visit Nepal to summit the Himalayan mountains in the spring, but a few of them also try their luck in the fall.
Imagine Nepal Trek and Expedition, an expedition company in Nepal, is organizing the climb for the 15-member team.
Company director Mingma Gyalje Sherpa told Xinhua that a Chinese climber would lead the expedition team.
"There are two climbers from China and other climbers from different countries," Sherpa said. "The Chinese climber who is leading the team had climbed Mt. Lhotse in the spring season but stayed in Nepal due to flight restrictions amid the second wave of COVID-19 in Nepal."
He added that the team would start moving toward Mt. Manaslu after all expedition members have quarantined for ten days in Kathmandu, Nepal's capital.
The Department of Tourism issued permits for eight teams representing 58 climbers to climb five peaks in the fall season last year. In the spring season this year, a total of 633 climbers and their supporting staff scaled six mountains, including Mt. Qomolangma, the world's tallest at 8848.86 meters, according to the department.
KATHMANDU, April 17: The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Department of Tourism has so far issued expedition permits to 71 groups for climbing various mountains, including Sagarmatha (Mt Everest) for this spring season.
