25th June:

China plans Everest clean-up

China is planning a major clean-up operation for Mount Everest next year and may limit the number of climbers and other visitors, Tibet's environmental protection chief has been quoted as saying.

The clean-up and new measures are planned for the second half of 2009, Zhang Yongze told the official Xinhua News Agency.

China has already enacted some restrictions, including forbidding vehicles from driving directly to the base camp at 16,995ft (5,180m), Mr Zhang said.

That was necessary to preserve the fragile Himalayan environment and melting Rongbuk glacier at the base of Everest, which has retreated 490ft (150m) in the past decade, he added.

He said further management was needed, including possibly limiting visitor numbers, but gave no details.

"Our target is to keep even more people from abusing Mount Everest," Mr Zhang was quoted as saying.

No-one at the environmental protection bureau was immediately available to comment.

At 29,035ft (8,850m), the mountain is the tallest in the world. Everest, which lies on the Chinese-Nepali border, featured most recently as the backdrop for the Beijing Olympic torch relay, in which a team of Chinese and Tibetan climbers carried the torch to the summit and back down again.

Chinese authorities enraged climbers by convincing Nepal's government to join it in completely shutting down the mountain for several days during peak climbing season.

However, Mr Zhang described the Olympic expedition as a model of environmental responsibility, saying climbers, support crews and media had carted away large amounts of rubbish and relied on a pair of "environmental toilets" to avoid fouling the mountain.

Source: Environment News MSN

21st June:

A Climb For Sir ED Hillary

Yesterday NZ mountaineer Peter Hillary made a successful ascent of Mt McKinley, the highest mountain in North America, and the final in his “Seven Summits” series. He dedicated the climb to his father, Sir Edmund Hillary, who died 6 months ago on January 11, 2008. “After the last six months of incredible memorials and farewells to my father it provided me with an opportunity to go back to where it all started: in the mountains that inspired us both. Completing the Seven Summits has been my salute to my father.”

2003 is a year of much celebration in the Hillary family. On the 29th May, 50 years ago, Sir Edmund Hillary made the historic first ascent of Mt Everest. To commemorate his father’s achievement, Peter Hillary recently climbed to the summit.

Peter Hillary reached the summit of Mt McKinley in Alaska at 4 am, June 17 after a 6 hour climb in brutally cold conditions. Reporting via Iridium Satellite phone from his camp at 17,200 feet after the climb, Hillary estimates it was minus 40 degrees and blowing 30 knots on the summit.

 McKinley is the highest summit of North America, 6194 meters above sea level. McKinley (also known as Denali) is situated near the Arctic circle in Alaska and therefore experiences extremes of temperature.

The Seven Summits are the highest peaks on each of the seven Continents, and to complete them is a goal of many top mountaineers.

Hillary climbed the peaks in the following order:

1.Everest: 29,029ft Nepal/Tibet (1990, 2002)
2.Aconcagua: 22,840ft Argentina, South America (1991)
3.Vinson Massif: 16,067 Ellsworth Range, Antarctica (1992)
4.Carstenz Pyramid: 16,023 Indonesia, Oceania (1995)
5.Kilimanjaro: 19,339 Tanzania, Africa (2005)
6.Elbrus: 18,481 Russia, Europe (2006)
7.Mt McKinley: 20,320 Alaska, North America (2008)

Peter is due to return to his home in New Zealand later this month

Source: MountEverestNews.com

12th June:

Mallory Family Conquers Everest

The Mallory family finally have their feet planted on level ground again.

But last month they were on top of the world, 29,000 feet up and basking in the glory of reaching Mount Everest's summit together.

"I have one word to describe my first feeling up there: Incredulity," said Dan Mallory, who lives with his wife, Barbara, in Utopia, west of Barrie in Essa Township. "It means not believing something happened. And after having gone through what we did for so long, I couldn't believe at first that we'd actually made it to the top."

Dan, Barbara, sons, Alan and Adam, and daughter, Laura, embarked on their dream trip of climbing, and reaching the summit of Everest in early April. Their high-altitude 'family vacation' stemmed from Dan's dream of climbing the highest mountain in the seven continents. And at 29,028 feet, Everest is the highest of them all.

The family arrived home in Utopia early yesterday morning, and after a brief sleep, were up to tell their story.

Though they all started out together, it was Dan, Alan and Adam who reached the top first on May 26 at 8:15 a. m. Dan described a panoramic view of everything from the top, surrounded by blue sky and clouds. Then panic set in as Alan and Dan suddenly ran out of air. "Alan's oxygen ran out right after we summitted, so I lent him my spare bottle," Dan said. "Then shortly after I ran out of oxygen, too, and I was kneeling on the ground, waiting for our sherpa (guide) to hook me up with more."

"It was a really scary up there not having air," Alan said. "But climbing Everest was something I wanted to do in my life and it was great."

Laura Mallory reached the top the next day, held up by severe acute mountain sickness (AMS) symptoms.

"She had been bleeding internally," Dan said. "She was bringing up blood and had no energy."

"I was so sick. I fell at the camp and it took me five minutes to actually get up off the ground," said 20-year-old Laura, a nursing student at the University of Western Ontario. "I knew I wasn't ready to make it up that day, but when I finally did get there, it was incredible.

"You circle around, seeing the mountains all around you and I could see the little camps below, looking so small," she added. "It was an amazing feeling knowing a lot of people will never do that."

"I kept waiting and waiting to hear from Laura, and finally she called me and said 'Mom, I did it!,'" Barbara said, beaming. "I was so proud of her."

Laura is the youngest woman in Canada to reach the top of Mount Everest, a title she takes very seriously.

"It was pretty cool, actually, and knowing I would be gave me motivation to reach the top," Laura said. "It's something I can tell my kids some day, and I hope I will be a role model to other young women."

Unfortunately, Barbara Mallory didn't reach the top. A fall during her climb left her Achilles tendon torn in two places, forcing her to end her climb, seek medical attention and return to Barrie.

"I had a few days at base camp where I cried and cried," Barbara said. "It was very emotional being injured, not finishing the climb and being exhausted.

"I was mad at myself but I was so happy for my family for making it to the top," she added. "Besides, aside from my injury, my experience was still enjoyable."

Enjoyable wasn't the word Dan used to describe the many challenges and harsh, frigid and body-breaking conditions the family faced during the climb. Making it to the top was no easy feat.

"With all that we went through, I have a book worth of stories," Dan said. "We endured frostbite, snow blindness, severe diarrhoea and haemorrhoids, sun burns and dried, cracked lips and faces.

"We also developed the Khumbu cough and it's so severe that I dislocated a rib from coughing so much," Dan said. "And at the top of Everest, I took my gloves off to make a call and in a minute, both thumbs were frostbitten."

Climbing presented as many dangerous challenges as the weather. The real struggles started after reaching base camp at 17,000 feet, Dan said.

"After base camp, you had a five-to-seven- hour climb up a steep hill, dodging ice chunks everywhere," he said. "We were constantly using ladders to climb over huge, gaping crevasses.

"When we reached the Khumbu ice fall, it was quite treacherous, too, because it looked like Niagara Falls frozen in ice and we had to climb up it.

"The section above it, called the Western Cwm, was like a sauna when we reached it at 8 a. m.," he added. "It's deadly hot up there and it sucks the life right out of you."

Dan and Laura narrowly escaped tragedy during one part of the climb.

"We started up the Llotse Face, a steep part that was vertical climbing for a while," he said, "and Laura and I just missed getting hit by falling rocks. They were huge boulders that were falling at an incredible speed and if you were hit by one, it could take your head off."

But Dan said his largest challenge had nothing to do with weather or steep climbing conditions.

"The biggest struggle on the mountain for me was the desire to have something familiar around me," he said. "We were up there for such a long time with no comforts of home. I missed my family and my home."

Adam, who debated even making the trip at one point, said the good memories of his trip outweighed any home sickness.

"There were a lot of interesting points of the climb and I enjoyed most of it," Adam said. "I said after the previous climb I'd never go again, but then there I was at the top of Everest."

Source: www.thebarrieexaminer.com

7th June:

Japanese hopes to conquer Everest again at 80

A Japanese climber who last month conquered Mount Everest for the second time at the age of 75 said he hoped to do it again when he is 80.

Yuichiro Miura became the oldest man to scale Everest in 2003 at a relatively youthful 70, but was this year beaten to the honour by a 76-year-old Nepali.

He revealed on his way home from the world's highest peak that he still hopes to win back the title.

"If I don't give up training and even if I decline physically to some extent, there will still be possibilities for me.

"If possible, I want to challenge Qomolangma again from the Chinese side when I am 80," he said Friday, using the Tibetan name of Everest.

Miura originally planned to go through Tibet for the summit but changed plans and went to Nepal due to the recent unrest in the Chinese-ruled territory.

He reached the 8,848-metre (29,028-feet) summit on May 26, a day after 76-year-old Nepali climber Min Bahadur Sherchan became the oldest man to scale Everest. Sherchan was just weeks away from his 77th birthday.

Miura's 2003 record was first broken last year by retired Japanese schoolteacher Katsusuke Yanagisawa, then 71 and he had hoped to reclaim it this year.

But the adventure skier and climber remained upbeat.

"I cannot feel any greater, as I have stood on top twice at 70 and 75," he said.

"The blue sky seemed endless and it looked as if I could reach out to space," Miura described the scene from the top. "I enjoyed looking around to see the world and Earth for nearly one hour."

Everest has long been a love affair for Miura, who in 1975 became the first person to ski on the mountain. He descended nearly 2,400 metres (7,800 feet) from the 8,000-metre (26,000-foot) point.

Miura has undergone two heart operations to correct arrhythmia since his previous ascent.
Backed by tech-savvy supporters, Miura was in constant contact with a medical team in Tokyo who monitored his vital data sent to them from Everest and carried out electrocardiograms.

Miura's second son, Gouta, left the climbing party due to serious altitude sickness.

"When I heard Gouta was alive, it gave me power. I felt fitter than when I was 70," he said.

Source: AFP

4th June:

Special edition coins will commemorate Sir Ed’s 'lifetime of achievement'

The accomplishments of Sir Edmund Hillary are being commemorated in special edition coins issued by NZ Post.

The pure gold and silver coins, with the legend ‘A lifetime of achievement’, depict Sir Ed against a backdrop of the world’s highest peak, Mt Everest, which he climbed at the age of 33 with Sherpa Tenzing Norgay 55 years ago, on May 29 1953.

NZ Post general manager stamps and coins, Ivor Masters, says while it was becoming the first to reach the summit of Everest that brought Sir Ed to international attention, he’s equally renowned for his achievements in mountaineering and Antarctic expeditions. He was also known for his devotion to the Nepalese people through his founding of the Himalayan Trust and his support of the great outdoors.

He was also New Zealand’s ambassador to India.

“In striking these coins, NZ Post is proud to make an enduring contribution to honouring the memory of a man who, himself, made an indelible mark on the world,” says Mr Masters.

It won’t be the first time Sir Ed will have been honoured through our currency. In 1992, he became the only living New Zealander to appear on a banknote.

Mr Masters says it’s fitting that, following Sir Ed’s death on January 11 this year, he should appear on commemorative coins. The gold coin will have a nominal value of $10, but is expected to cost $520. It will weigh about a quarter of an ounce.

The silver coin (full size) will have a nominal value of $1 but is expected to sell for $89. It will weigh one ounce.

A limit of 1953 of the gold coins will be minted, marking the year Sir Edmund reached the top of Mt Everest.

A maximum of 10,000 of the silver coins will be made.

Source: www.times.co.nz

1st June:

'Super Sherpa' climbs to clean up Everest

The first time Apa Sherpa climbed Mount Everest it was just to get to the top. When he conquered the peak an eighteenth time just over a week ago, breaking his own record, he did it for the mountain.

"I'm not climbing for my record. I climbed this time to help," said Apa, 48, who was part of an expedition aiming to draw attention to the issue of global warming and to promote sustainable climbing practices.

"We were trying to clean up because we have only one Everest," he told AFP.

The expedition members, who have just returned to Kathmandu, made a point of bringing down their own waste -- excrement and all -- since nothing biodegrades in the icy climes of the 8,848-metre (29,028-feet) peak.

"I didn't know about ecology and global warming," said Apa, adding he now wants to educate people living in the mountains and other remote areas of Nepal about its effects.
"I understand now about global warming. This is dangerous so we have to tell the people about it."

Apa said he has seen first-hand the dangers that can be wrought by fragile, melting ice.
Two decades ago, fields in his village of Thame at the foot of the Himalayas were flooded when the icy barriers of a glacial lake broke. That seems to be happening more often, he said.

"This summer another lake broke and washed away all the bridges to Everest," he said.
In addition, climbers have been reporting the steady break-up of the Khumbu icefall, a treacherous maze of cliffs and crevasses that guard the southern approach to the peak.

The western-driven mountain tourism industry rests -- literally -- on the backs of indigenous sherpas like Apa, who work as support climbers to foreign climbing expeditions.

They haul gear, lay out rope, fix ladders and carry out other arduous tasks.
But guides like Apa have also done a great deal to protect the mountain from its ever increasing stream of visitors, initiating regular climbs since 1992 to clean up Everest -- a peak they revere and pray to before climbing.

"People who come from all over the world to climb Everest must concentrate on cleaning up Everest," said the climber, whose slight frame conceals what has been described as a body of almost superhuman stamina.

He bagged his first Everest summit in 1990, and has been making the climb into the "death zone" look like child's play ever since.

There are between 500 and 700 high-altitude climbing sherpas -- a term that refers to an ethnic group but now is used for all those who assist Himalayan expeditions.

It is dangerous work -- the mountain has claimed at least 200 lives -- and Apa's wife and three children constantly beg him to stop.

But Apa is a member of a select tribe of "Super Sherpas" -- especially skilled mountaineers who are in high demand and who have helped to bring respect to a people once regarded largely as porters by the colonial British.

The first to win recognition for the sherpas as being among the world's best climbers was Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, who conquered Everest with New Zealand mountaineer Edmund Hillary in 1953.

But last year, when Apa topped the mountain for a seventeenth time, he did it with an all-Sherpa group to make a documentary to raise money for schools in Nepal.

"It was so great standing on the top of the world with only Nepalis, only Sherpas," said Apa. "Otherwise it is always western people."

Now, he says he will only climb the mountain when it again brings the opportunity to do some good. When it comes to setting records, he said others are welcome to beat him.
"They can climb 20 times. I will be very happy for them," he said with a broad smile, adding that, anyway, "The best time is the first time."

Source: AFP

28th May:

A Policeman makes history in conquering Mount Everest

A Policeman has become the first person from Isle of Man to climb Mount Everest. Sergeant Phil Drowley, 40, of Douglas, reached the summit with his team during the early hours of Saturday morning.

Safely back in camp, Phil did not waste any time in calling his colleagues at police headquarters to let them know how he had got on.

Phil told the iomtoday: 'The view from the top of the planet is indescribable. I can say that the vista was truly awe-inspiring — and humbling at the same time.

'It was a surprisingly emotional experience and I was immensely proud to be the first person from the Isle of Man to achieve flying the Manx flag on top of the world.

'When I get back to my beloved homeland, I intend to return this very flag to the Chief Minister (Tony Brown] and I hope that it will find a home somewhere all the people can see it.'

Phil went through an acclimatisation process for some weeks in preparation for his attempt to reach the summit at 8,850 metres.
The very strenuous last leg started from camp four at 8pm Kathmandu time.

Phil said: 'This was a very early start for the summit push, but there were several other teams attempting to reach the summit the same day and we wanted to avoid being held back behind them.

'The ascent took nine gruelling hours, straight up with a vertical rise of around one kilometre. All this on a restricted flow of oxygen made for a difficult, but ultimately rewarding, climb.'

Inspector Helen Mason said: 'The force control room received an emotional call from Phil at 7.23am on Saturday. He had reached the summit of Everest at 5am Nepalese time.

'At the time of making the call he was at Camp South Col, in what he described as relative comfort. Phil has worked very hard to accomplish this feat and the constabulary is very proud of his achievement.

'Phil has exhibited dedication and determination throughout his quest and has been challenged both physically and emotionally.'

All sponsorship money raised by Phil will go to Ronald McDonald House and people can still sponsor him by contacting any police station.

Phil successfully completed his descent to base camp on Monday afternoon. And he has paid tribute to everyone back home for their support.

Speaking from base camp on Monday, he said: 'I really appreciate all of the support that I have received from the people of the Isle of Man, and in particular I'd like to thank Keith Kinrade and Kev Willson who made the extraordinary effort to trek into base camp with me — a seven-day hike through serious mountains.'

Phil and his two friends set out for base camp at the end of March after Phil was granted extended leave from his police duties in order to attempt Everest.

He also thanked everyone who had donated to Isle of Man Friends of Ronald McDonald House — for which he is raising money through the climb — as well as his training partner Dave Reilly, work colleagues, family and friends, and his trainer Andy Parker and partner Lorraine.

Phil, who was part of a team with Adventure Consultants, said: 'Our time on the summit was amazing, but amazingly short. The cold was extreme as the sun was only just rising.

'Of course, most accidents on the mountain happen on the descent, so our journey was incomplete until today (Monday] when we safely arrived back at base camp.'

During his time on the mountain — during the acclimatisation process— he met Sir Ranulph Fiennes at base camp, who had been attempting Everest in aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care's Delivering Choice Programme.

'It was with much sadness that one of my heroes was unable to summit on this attempt,' said Phil. Exhaustion forced Sir Ranulph to abandon his summit attempt on Saturday.

Phil is due to return home in a week's time and urged: 'It is not too late to make a small donation at any police station. They all have a box ready for anything that you can spare.'

Source: Isle Of Man Today

26th May:

Japanese skier Miura reaches summit of Mt. Everest at age 75

Japanese skier Yuichiro Miura, made it to the summit of Mount Everest on Monday morning, achieving the feat at the age of 75, overcoming two earlier heart operations.

Miura reached the summit at 7:33 a.m. on Monday (10:48 a.m. Japanese time). It was the first time in five years for Miura to reach the top of Mount Everest, and his second ascent since he turned 70.

"The conditions are severe enough to bring tears to your eyes and it's tough but I'm happy. And to top it off, the weather was perfect," the 75-year-old said.

Miura had been aiming to become the world's oldest person to climb the 8,848-meter-high peak, but a 76-year-old Nepalese climber, Min Bahadur Sherchan, made it to the summit on Sunday to claim the title.

Still, Miura is following his dreams, saying he wants to "challenge the limit of humans."

Miura has had an irregular pulse since childhood, and his heart condition, atrial fibrillation, became chronic as he aged. In 2003, he made it to the summit of Mount Everest at the age of 70 years and 7 months. He later underwent two heart operations, in December 2006 and June 2007.

A doctor accompanied him on the climb and took care of his health, monitoring his heart with electrocardiograms.

Miura underwent hard training to prepare for his climb, visiting the Himalayas four times since 2005. He set up a training room in Tokyo with oxygen levels similar to that experienced at an altitude of about 6,500 meters to simulate the harsh conditions on the mountain, and when he went outside, he would strap 4-5 kilogram weights to each of his legs and shoulder a backpack weighing about 20 kilograms. He reportedly has the physical strength of someone in their 40s or 50s.

"He does bold things, but he's got where he is now one step at a time," said Miura's 38-year-old son Gota Miura, who joined Miura for the climb.

During his climbs, Yuichiro Miura carries a photograph of his late father Keizo Miura, who died at the age of 101. At the age of 99, Keizo Miura skied down France's Mont Blanc mountain range.

"People can't avoid aging but if they train they can take on various challenges. I'm curious about myself," Yuichiro Miura said.

Source: Mainichi Japan

25th May:

76 year old man becomes oldest Everest climber

A 76-year-old Nepali man has become the oldest person to climb to the top of Mount Everest, a government official said on Sunday, beating a record set last year by a Japanese man.

Min Bahadur Sherchan reached the summit on Sunday along with four other Nepali climbers, said Ramesh Khatri Chhetri, a tourism ministry official.

"He is in good health and coming down the slopes of the mountain," Chhetri said. Sherchan breaks the record set last year by Katsusuke Yanagisawa, who was 71 at the time of his ascent.

Source: Reuters India

24th May

Sir Ranulph Fiennes turns back due to exhaustion

Exhaustion has forced Sir Ranulph Fiennes, OBE, to abandon his attempt to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

At 12.45am (Nepalese time) the Base Camp radio cracked into life with the news that Sir Ranulph was back at the South Col, having turned back due to exhaustion.

Sir Ranulph’s summit bid began at 7am Friday morning when the team left Camp 3 for Camp 4. The day began with a laborious, steep, trudge up a fixed line to the Yellow Band – where climbers then traverse over the Geneva Spur.

On reaching Camp 4, just after lunch, they rested for just a few hours before pushing on for the summit at 8.30pm last night.

Sir Ranulph has rested at Camp 4 and has now begun his descent back to Base Camp.

Source: www.everestchallenge.org.uk

22nd May

'Super Sherpa' climbs Everest for record-breaking 18th time

A 48-year-old Nepalese Sherpa broke his own world record this morning, 22nd May, by conquering Mount Everest for a breathtaking eighteenth time.

Appa Sherpa, who hails from a village at the base of the world's highest peak, topped out in the early hours of the morning, the head of Nepal's Mountaineering Association told AFP.

"Appa Sherpa summitted Everest at 5:45 am (0000 GMT) this morning. He has set the new world record as it is the eighteenth time he has got to the top," Ang Tsering Sherpa said.

"This is another proud moment for the whole mountaineering fraternity."

Appa Sherpa, known as one of Nepal's "Super Sherpas" -- hardened local climbers with almost superhuman stamina -- was among 37 climbers taking advantage of the good weather to reach the summit Thursday morning.

Twenty-seven others reached the peak Wednesday.

Appa's closest competition -- trailing at 15 ascents -- is 42-year-old Nepalese climber Chhewang Nima.

Appa Sherpa bagged his first Everest summit in 1990, and has been making the climb into the "death zone" look like child's play ever since.

The communities living around the mountain are essential for commercial expeditions.

They lay out kilometres of ropes and prepare camps, and Appa Sherpa -- who started climbing in 1987 -- was quickly recognised as someone who foreign expeditions wanted on their team.

This year he reached the summit with the Eco Everest expedition, an international team aiming to highlight the effects of global warming in the Himalayas as well as test ecologically sound mountaineering practices.

"He wasn't planning on trying for another summit, but he joined the Eco Everest expedition as he wanted to raise awareness about melting glaciers and the fragility of the mountain environment," Ang Tsering Sherpa said.

Since it was first climbed in 1953 by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, the 8,848-metre (29,028-foot) mountain has been conquered more than 3,000 times.

Last year 557 people -- 254 via Nepal and 303 via Tibet -- reached the highest point on earth, which was a record.

The numbers are expected to be lower this year because of a climbing ban Nepal imposed up to May 11 to allow a protest-free path for the Chinese Olympic torch, which was carried up the northern approach to the mountain from Tibet.

Source: AFP

21st May:

75 Year old Heads For Summit

A 75-year-old Japanese skier bidding to be the oldest person to climb Mount Everest has left base camp, aiming to reach the summit of the world's highest peak next week.

Yuichiro Miura, who left on Tuesday, hopes to reach the summit on Monday with a team that includes his son Gota, 38, weather conditions permitting.

They are approaching from Nepal after dropping plans to go via Tibet due to recent unrest.

A professional skier, the septuagenarian is no stranger to Himalayan adventures. He won international fame in 1970 when he became the first person to ski down the South Col of Mount Everest, using a parachute as a brake.

The descent was immortalised in 1975 in an Oscar-winning documentary film, The Man Who Skied Down Everest.

He set a record in 2003 as the oldest person to conquer the 8 848-metre peak at the age of 70, also from the Nepalese side.

But afterwards he had to undergo two heart operations.

If successful this time, Miura would again become Everest's oldest conqueror, breaking the record set last year by another Japanese man, Katsusuke Yanagisawa, who was 71 years and two months at the time.

Source: Pretoria News

8th May:

Nepal lifts ban on expedition to Everest

Nepal government on Thursday decided to lift the ban on expedition to Mount Everest after the Chinese Olympic torch team carried the flame to the summit.

Officials said climbers will be allowed to resume their expeditions to the Mount Everest from May 10.

"We have decided to reopen the Everest from Saturday for climbers, an official of the Tourism Ministry said.

Thirty-two expedition teams have received permission to scale the Everest this season, he said.

He said that the climbers can now begin their warming up exercises in and around camp three and move upwards from Saturday.

Nepal imposed a ban on Everest expeditions on May 1 to prevent pro-Tibet protests on Everest during the Olympic torch relay to the world's highest peak.

Nepal has also deployed dozens of army personnel with the order to shoot if any one tries to disturb the torch relay.

Chinese and Tibetan climbers on Thursday carried the Olympic flame to the summit of the Mount Everest, marking the zenith of glory for the controversy-hit Beijing Olympics torch relay.

Source: The Hindu India

8th May:

Olympic flame atop world's highest summit

Chinese mountaineers carried the Olympic flame to the peak of the world's highest mountain at around 9:10 a.m. (0110 GMT) on May 8, fulfilling the promise Beijing made in its Olympic bid.

The scaling of 8,844.43 meter Mt. Qomolangma, known as Mt. Everest in the West, which straddles Nepal and China's Tibet Autonomous Region, added to what has already been a historic Olympic Torch Relay and bonded mountaineering to the Olympics for the first time since its birth as a sport in 1786.

A collective triumph of mountaineers and technicians from various Chinese ethnic groups, the Mt. Qomolangma leg of the Torch Relay gave new meaning to the word "higher" in the Olympic motto and to Beijing's concept of a "High-tech Olympics."

Led by 45-year-old veteran alpinist and head coach Wang Yongfeng, the squad was composed of 36 members, including three females, some students and five coaches. The average age of the group was 30.2 and each member had climbed to an elevation of at least 6,000 meters before.

The ascent officially began when the team left Base Camp, which is 5,200 meters above sea level, for the 6,500 meter point 28 kilometres away, said a spokesman. Heavy snowfall on May 2 and 3 halted the climb.

After the weather turned favourable, the team continued on the remaining 20 kilometres to the summit, stopping at various camps along the way.

A total of 19 mountaineers were selected from among the squad to bring the Olympic flame from the Attack camp -- at the altitude of 8,300 meters -- to the summit of Mount Qomolangma.

The summit assault started at around 1:45 a.m. on May 8 and the team reached the peak at 9:10 a.m.

Training for the mission began 16 months ago. In November of 2006, over 70 climbers started training both in Beijing's Huairou County and in the Tibet Region; joint training was conducted in March of 2007.

Keeping the torch burning through bad weather, low pressure and high altitude was a tremendous technical achievement. In a test run on May 9, 2007, 17 Chinese climbers scaled Mt. Qomolangma with a flame protected in a high-tech torch, designed by a Chinese aerospace company, The success of the test run assured organizers that the Olympic torch would remain lit during the actual Torch Relay.

After the test run, the newly formed Chinese Mountaineering Team prepared themselves for the Olympic Torch Relay climb in Beijing, Yunnan Province and Tibet.

Source: The Official Website Of The Torch Relay

7th May:

Flame to reach Mt. Qomolangma summit on 8th May

A total of 19 mountaineers have been selected to bring the Olympic flame to the summit of Mount Qomolanga (known in the West as Mount Everest), the mountaineering headquarters announced at a press conference tonight.

They will likely reach the peak between 10:00-11:00 a.m. (2:00-3:00 a.m. GMT) on May 8.

Attack Team

Attack Team Leader: Nimaciren
Attack Team Secondary Group Leader: Luo Shen
Attack Team members: Da Qiong, Jiji, Cirenwangmu, Li Fuqing, Huang Chungui, Yuan Fudong, Luobuzhandui, Awangzhaxi, Xiaozhaxiciren and Pubudunzhu

Support Team

Support Team Leader: Ciluo
Support Team members: Wang Yongfeng, Cidanjiumei, Bianbazhaxi, Luoze, Yan Dongdong, Deqingouzhu

Source: The Official Website of the Torch Relay

6th May:

Everest season in doubt as weather delays Olympic torch

The main climbing season on Mount Everest gets under way this month, but China's Olympic torch relay and bad weather could keep scores of big-spending mountaineers from getting anywhere near the summit.

The upper reaches of the world's highest mountain have been sealed off to private expeditions as China attempts to take the Olympic flame to the summit -- in theory before Saturday.

But poor weather appears to be holding up the torch's ascent, meaning that everyday climbers waiting on the Nepalese side of the mountain could be left perilously short of time for their own journey into the "death zone."

Ang Tsering Sherpa, the president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association, told AFP that if the Chinese torch climb drags on after Saturday, other climbers "will not have enough time to get to the top."

"If you look at the records, expeditions usually summit between the 17th and 25th of May. It's going to be tight," he explained.

The spring season offers a brief window for attempts to scale the 8,848-metre (29,198-foot) peak, as jet stream winds at the summit drop briefly before the summer monsoon rolls in at the end of May.

Climbers usually wait for that window at base camp, and make short climbs to acclimatise and pre-position supplies such as tents, oxygen cylinders and gas to melt snow. But for now, they are forbidden from going above 6,500 metres.

China demanded that Nepal impose the restrictions to prevent the kind of protests that have dogged the flame's journey around the globe. On the Chinese side of the peak, private expeditions have been banned altogether.

Many groups used the relay to highlight a range of controversies swirling around China, including its rule of Tibet, alliance with Sudan's government and human rights record.

Sherpa said the uncertainty could be hugely damaging for Nepal as it struggles to emerge from a decade of civil war and political turmoil, and reassert itself as the world's ultimate mountaineering playground.

"If the ban is extended after May 10, it will have a huge impact on tourism," he said.
In all, 32 expeditions of between seven and 12 members each are hoping to tackle Everest this month. Some climbers have paid up to 70,000 dollars for their trip, and such cash is crucial for one of the world's poorest countries.

"The expeditions have already spent so much money, time and energy. If there is not enough time to climb, then it will be a huge waste and a tragedy for Nepalese mountaineering," Sherpa said.

Nepalese tourism ministry spokesman Prem Rai said the country can do nothing but wait -- and hope the Chinese torch team will be up and down the mountain as quickly as possible.

"We are depending on the weather and we are hopeful that the Chinese can make a quick summit," he said, hinting Nepal had little choice but to accommodate the demands of its massive northern neighbour and keep the summit off limits even if the Chinese torch expedition lasts well into May.

Nepal has already deployed troops on the mountain, and confiscated all satellite phones from base camp until the Chinese summit attempt is finished.

Climbers at base camp have been told they will have their Everest permits revoked if they talk to the media. Last month, an American climber was kicked out of Nepal after police found a pro-Tibet banner in his baggage.

Source: AFP

4th May:

China Cracks Down on "False" Everest Reports

As of today, May 4, the Olympic torch has not officially reached the summit. I reported a couple days ago that the PeakFreaks website had claimed that the torch had reached the summit of Mount Everest. Now Chinese authorities are saying, No way. They claim that the climbing team was simply continuing to fix ropes toward the summit. They also said false news reports were being given, some from climbers at base camp on the Nepalese south side of Everest, and that possible retaliatory action against these reports could include the “banning of climbers” as well as “a few more days of waiting at base camp.” EverestNews notes: “Published reports from a climber that the Chinese summited a couple of day ago and had trouble with the torch has some Chinese mad as heck….”

Part of the pact with the devil that Everest south side expeditions had this year was to agree to follow stringent rules established by Nepal, under pressure from China. These included a ban on cell and satellite phones, video and film cameras, and computers so that no reporting could take place. All outside communications to expedition websites has to be approved by Nepalese
authorities. This makes any sort of accurate reportage from Everest base camp very difficult, so lots of rumours are going to arise because we’re interested in this ascent of Everest.

The ban also included any language or reporting about China, Tibet, the current unrest between the two, and even mention of the word Tibet. Violation of the rules means expulsion from base camp as well as being banned from climbing the mountain, which already happened to American William Brant Holland, who sinned by having a “Free Tibet” flag in his pack.

It seems somewhat absurd that this level of secrecy surrounds what should be a joyous celebratory occasion—the Olympic torch atop the world. Is the Chinese government that insecure of itself that it stifles not only free speech and rational discussion, but also relegates the unifying symbol of the Olympic torch, which belongs to all nations of the earth, to being simply a tool for propaganda?

Source: About.com:Climbing

3rd May:

Snow might hamper Olympic torch ascent of Mt. Everest

Chinese mountaineers on a mission to carry the Olympic flame over Mt. Qomolangma might have to postpone their climbing due to heavy snow, a weather service official said Saturday.

The torch relay, ahead of the Games which start in Beijing on Aug. 8, will include a climb to the top of the world's highest mountain, which spans Nepal and the Chinese region of Tibet.

"The trail might get slippery with snow. If it keeps snowing, the thick cover of snow will make the climb difficult," said ZhangZhigang, an official with the Qomolangma weather service.

Beijing promised in its bidding reports seven years ago that the sacred fire of the Olympics will reach the peak. It will be the first time for the Olympic torch relay to be held on the 8844.43-meter mountain.

May and September are the most popular months for expeditions on Mt. Qomolangma.

Source: Beijing2008.cn

29th April:

BBC reporter kicked out from Nepal EBC; torch for Chinese eyes only

Climbers on Everest’s south side may be better aware of the torch's whereabouts than the journalists on the north side; by the orders they expect to get any day now that the entire Nepali side is to be closed.

BBC correspondent Jonah Fisher meanwhile reported from China on Saturday, “our organizers either do not want to say or do not know whether the Olympic torch has arrived at Everest yet."

Following a young American climber last week, a BBC reporter has now been kicked out from Nepal's side of Everest. Meanwhile, Chinese media insist that the torch arrived at the Rongbuk glacier base camp on Sunday, and climbers on the south side are now banned also from using their radios.

Himalayan forecasts announce a storm approaching; quite a few climbers secretly hope for it to blow the torch off the mountain.

Their cargo still stuck enroute to BC; on Makalu, some climbers barely manage to acclimatize with insufficient or borrowed gear. The Spaniards have launched a summit push on Dhaulagiri and Pustelnik’s team is inching up Annapurna.

The Nepalese authorities have imposed a complete communication ban on journalists from the south side base camp and upwards, including chats with mountaineers reports BBC. "Just a short while after arriving in Everest base camp we were politely but firmly told to leave by an official from Nepal's ministry of tourism," the news source reported. "We knew there were restrictions on video cameras and satellite phones but were now told even pre-recorded radio material on non-political subjects would not be allowed."

From the north side, a plume blowing off Everest top behind him, BBC correspondent Jonah Fisher made a video update gasping for breath, from 5000 meters near BC. To be granted access, the journalists, on their death-defying trip to EBC with military-escort passing Chinese riot police on the edge of the Everest national park, are left to interview only Chinese-conditioned Tibetans.

11 international and 19 Chinese journalists are taken on this three day trip from Beijing to Everest; some of the Chinese though were allowed to fly out to Tibet four days earlier to acclimatize. The BBC reporter had his pulse read by a Tibetan doctor, who first diagnosed him as being "sweaty in bed" and then concluded digestion problems advising, "that I should cut back on fruit."

The Chinese reportedly say they have no idea when the summit push will begin.

Source: MountEverest.net

28th April:

Olympic flame reaches Base Camp at Mt Everest

The Beijing Olympic flame has reached Base Camp of Mt Everest, the world's tallest mountain, in a much anticipated highlight of the longest relay in the Games' history.

The flame will reach the peak of Mt Everest, which is known as Mt. Qomolangma in China, next month.

Coverage of the activity will be open to invited media only. Eleven journalists from seven foreign media organizations, including CNN, BBC, Reuters and Kyodo, have been invited, the report said.

The journalists will settle at their media centre in a temple at 5,000 meters in the Tibet Autonomous Region tomorrow, the report added.

The Olympic torch was lit in Athens, Greece, before moving to Beijing. It has since made stops in Asia, Europe, the Americas, Africa and Oceania. It then returned to Asia and China before the torch will be used to ignite the Olympic cauldron at the opening ceremony on August 8.

The journey will cover 137,000 kilometres, the longest torch run in history, last 130 days and involve 22,000 torch-bearers around the world.

Source: Shanghai Daily

24th April:

China prevents foreign media from covering Everest torch ascent

Beijing abruptly shut the door Thursday on foreign media seeking to cover the Olympic torch's Mount Everest ascent, after journalists raised concerns over health and reporting curbs in restive Tibet.

Beijing Olympic organisers, who had set a sudden payment deadline for air tickets to the Tibetan capital Lhasa, on Thursday brusquely refused to accept the payments from major news agencies including Agence France-Presse.

The move came after reporters this week raised objections to sudden changes by Beijing to a long-planned media trip to Mount Everest base camp.

The changes, made in the wake of violent unrest in the Himalayan region, included a much-shortened trip to the Everest base camp and reduced reporting opportunities.

The invited journalists immediately raised concerns over the health impacts of moving quickly to base camp, which sits at 5,150 metres (16,900 feet) above sea level, without adequate time to acclimatise to the high altitude.

It was not immediately clear if the refusal to accept payment was part of any official government decision to keep reporters from the event.

Source: AFP

20th April:

Nepal warning to torch protesters

Nepal says it is prepared to use force - including gunfire - to prevent anti-Beijing protests during the Olympic torch relay up Mount Everest.

The torch is scheduled to be brought up the peak from the northern, Chinese Tibetan side in early May.

Nepal is determined to prevent protests which may damage relations with China, says the BBC's Charles Haviland in Kathmandu.

The torch has attracted protests in some cities on the relay route.

The Olympic Torch is not being taken anywhere near the Nepalese base camp.

But Nepal's military and police have been deployed in extra numbers on the southern flank of the mountain because of sensitivities over the torch.

Nepal does not want to alienate China, one of its two neighbours and a country it depends on for foreign aid and diplomatic support, reports our correspondent.

A home ministry spokesman, Mod Raj Dotel, told the BBC that extra members of the army and police were to build a special checkpoint well above Everest Base Camp, at an altitude of about 6,700m (22,000 feet), to monitor all teams climbing the mountain.

He said authorities would initially attempt to negotiate an end to any attempts to use violent means to pursue what he called "anti-Chinese activities".

But he said that if this failed, force could be used, including gunfire.

Mr Dotel said similar measures might even be taken at base camp, which is also accessible to amateur trekkers.

This season the government liaison officers who accompany each climbing team are members of the army or police.

No teams will be allowed to camp above 7,500m between 1 May and 10 May.

That means climbers, including the British adventurer Sir Ranulph Fiennes, will probably wait out the time at base camp, our correspondent says.

Nepal has also brought in rules to stop summiteers carrying items such as including cameras and electronic devices beyond base camp before 10 May.

For the past six weeks Tibetan exiles in the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, have staged regular protests against Chinese rule of Tibet.

Each time police have broken up the demonstrations, usually arresting scores of people and sometimes using batons to beat them.

The Olympic torch relay attracted some high-profile protests as it passed through certain cities on its route - notably London, Paris and San Francisco.

However, it has also made peaceful progress through other cities including Bangkok in Thailand, Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, and the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires.

The torch is currently in a secret location in Malaysia, ahead of its relay through Kuala Lumpur on Monday.

Source: BBC News

17th April:

8th April:

Old climber alters Everest plan

A 75-year-old Japanese adventurer, bidding to regain his title as the oldest man to climb Everest, is to change his route up the mountain.

Yuichiro Miura had planned to attempt the climb from the Chinese side.

But because entry to Tibet has been restricted since unrest broke out there last month, he now aims to approach the summit from Nepal.

Mr Miura first held the record as the oldest person to climb Everest when he reached the top aged 70 in 2003.

Three years later, though, his record was broken - but he is now determined to regain it.
"We are here to climb and so we will," said Mr Miura in Kathmandu.

An application for the climb was submitted to the Nepalese government on Sunday, according to the adventurer's daughter, Emili Miura.

His son Gota Miura, aged 38, will be climbing with his father.

The permit application is likely to take several days because of the elections in Nepal this week.

Nepal will not allow the attempt on Everest until 10 May, following a request from China, which is concerned about possible protests over the Olympics at the summit.

The hope is for the expedition to reach the peak around 25 May.

China plans for the Olympic torch to be carried up to the top of the mountain.

Mr Miura is celebrated for having skied down Everest, using a parachute as a brake, in 1970 - an achievement later immortalised in an Oscar-winning documentary.

Source: BBC

3rd April:

Ministry of Tourism Everest 2008 south side regulations

More than 20 teams have now received climbing permits for Everest, the Nepal Ministry of Tourism wrote to ExplorersWeb this morning. About 10+ teams are still in the process.

Climbers have received written instructions (below), issued by the Nepal Government. It now seems clear that freedom of speech - not security as previously claimed - is the main worry on Everest this Olympic year.

No anti-China gear "that may harm bilateral relationship between Nepal and China" is allowed, electronics are to be stored with police in BC until May 10, and news about the expedition are to be screened by the Ministry of Tourism & Civil Aviation before allowed to be sent out.

Here goes the document, signed by climbers at receiving their permit:

"The Mininistry of Tourism in Nepal sent the following regulations for Conditions to be fulfilled by Team Leader of the expedition team for Mt. Everest, Lhotse and Nuptse:

1. The team shall not carry and exhibit any things like flags, banners, stickers, pamphlets or any audio visual devices that may harm bilateral relationship between Nepal and China.

Our team fully agrees to allow the liaison officer to check any things belonging to the team if he thinks suspicious. Likewise we fully agree to the fact that the liaison officer has the right to seize if found such materials and send back the team or any member of the team to Kathmandu.

The government may take action to those for violating/ breaching law of land relating to bilateral relations between Nepal & its friendly country.

2. The expedition team will manage the system of registering daily attendance of members and helpers of the team and report to the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation by the Liaison Officer.

3. The team will deposit all its electronic equipments for lock up in the Police post at the base camp and if necessary use the equipments available with the government units till 10th of May, 2008.

4. Any member or helper of the team shall not proceed above camp II before 10th of May, 2008.

5. The mountaineering expedition team must visit the Sagarmatha Pollution Committee (SPCC) office at Namche Bazaar prior to their departure to the base camps. The team must give list of the disposable and non-disposable goods to SPCC and allow them to inspect the goods, SPCC will give necessary information regarding the waste management system of expedition in the Khumbu region.

6. All the goods must be classified into three categories and described and recorded at SPCC
- Disposable in the Khumbu region, which can be incinerated and biodegraded : Toilet paper, cardboard boxes and paper waste, bamboo baskets and mats, cotton and jute bags, spoiled goods, dead bodies.
- Recycling materials: Tins, bottles, Jars and plastic containers, plastic and foil bags sheeting, reusable cooking gas cylinders, gas canisters.
- Re-exportable goods: Used oxygen bottles, used batteries, climbing equipment such as tents, personal gears, etc.

Disposable goods must be brought down from the base camps to Namche Bazaar and handed over to SPCC Recycling materials should be brought down to Kathmandu (after recording at SPCC) and to be handed over to Solid Waste Management Centre for Recycling.

The re-exportable goods like used oxygen bottles and batteries must be taken back from Nepal to their own countries respective of whether they are purchased in Nepal or elsewhere, and export certificate should be taken from Customs Office. The garbage deposit amount will be refunded only after submission of the above mentioned papers. And failure to do so may result in cancellation of expedition permit and banning the team and its members for further expeditions in Nepal.

7. Burning or burying any short of garbage at the base camp is strictly prohibited.

8. Painting on rocks is not allowed.

9. All the news regarding the expedition must be conveyed to the Ministry of Tourism & Civil Aviation first of all, and only then it can be sent to others. The satellite phone, V.H.G. and U.G.V. wireless sets, and any other communication equipment must not be used for commercial purpose, failure to do so may result in confiscation of equipment, cancellation of the expedition permit and additional penalty according to law.

10. SPCC can check and monitor sanitary condition of the base camp at any time.

11. Liaison Officer, appointed as representative of government are there to help the teams as well as to monitor all the rules and regulations. So, they must be with the teams all the times. Likewise we fully agree to the fact that the liaison officer has the right

12. At the base camps, which are situated in glacier, human wastes (toilets) must be collected in portable plastic drums or barrels and disposed at proper site below base camp. In the base camps teams make proper toilet pits, giving adequate consideration to sanitation and environment.

13. We will be fully committed to abide by the instruction given during the briefing programme and within the frame of permission letter.

We agree to abide by the terms and conditions mentioned above/Signature.

Source: MountEverest.net

2nd April:

Yesterdays news item: 'Cable Car to the summit of Mount Everest' was a spoof! It was April Fools Day!

1st April:

Cable Car to the summit of Mount Everest

The Government of Nepal are considering building a Cable Car Station at the foot of Mount Everest to take tourists to the summit and back.

Thousands of trekkers and tourists flood to Nepal every year to walk to Everest Base Camp to pay homage to Sagarmatha, the Nepali name for Mount Everest.

The cable car construction from the base of the mountain to the summit would cost £500 million and take 5 years to complete, employing many hundreds of local workers, but the government believe it would be a worth while venture and would soon pay for it self.

At the present time everything is down on paper and awaiting financial support from companies in the trekking and mountaineering business, and the go a head from the Abbot, Tengboche Rinpoche from the Tengboche monastery

It is said that the cable car would be heated and pressurised with 100% oxygen, allowing the tourists to reach the top of the world in comfort and without the need to spend weeks acclimatizing. However, you will not be able to get out of the cable car. As climbers know, doing so without the planning of acclimatization trips you would probably lead to death within minutes.

The cable car would travel towards the summit via the great South West Face and will pass the traditional camps used by climbers. The cable car will hold up to 20 people plus any emergency gear that may be needed. There would be two qualified staff present at all times, helping to point out sights and to give a detailed talk about Mount Everest itself.

There will be plenty of opportunity’s to take photographs and video footage, although the cable car will not actually stop until reaching the summit unless there is an emergency of some sort. The car will also have an unique rotating floor to ensure that all passengers get a 360 degree aerial view of Mount Everest and the surrounding mountains.

Engineers are planning for the cable car to travel from the foot to the summit within 4 hours, allowing 30 minutes on the summit before returning at a neck breaking stomach churning speed to the foot of Everest within an hour. There are plans to do two trips a day in the Spring time only. The cost will be $1,408 per person which officials say is excellent value for money.

For those worried as to the impact this Cable Car Station will have on the environment needn’t worry, the whole system will run on water power provided by the many glaciers that surround the area.

Government officials have said that they hope to make this dream a reality, allowing anyone from all walks of life to reach the top of the world, where as up to now, only the determined and experienced climber has succeeded.

So far there has been no response from any Mountaineering Clubs throughout the world, although officials say that there should not be no objections to this idea and that many clubs would try their best to back the project.

Mount Everest The British Story
www.everest1953.co.uk

28th March:

Sir Ranulph Fiennes: My wife thinks I’ll die on Mount Everest but I'm going anyway

Sir Ranulph Fiennes’s plan to climb Mount Everest, three years after his previous assault on the summit, could kill him, doctors and his wife believe.

The record-breaking explorer, who nearly died in 2005 when he collapsed 300 metres from his goal, admitted yesterday that he had not convinced his wife, Louise, that he was being responsible — but he was going anyway.

“My wife is not keen on the expedition at all,” he said. “I think she reckons that my health is not good enough to do it. I disagree. I think it is good enough. Louise has not been able to stop me from going.” The venture aims to raise £3 million for Marie Curie Cancer Care. Sir Ranulph’s first wife, sister and mother died of cancer within 18 months of each other.

Sir Ranulph, 64, had allowed his first wife, Ginny, to restrict his adventures to low-altitude expeditions, but today no one could deter him, he said. “I don’t like being driven by my wife, or by the memory of my late wife. They knew when they married me that I was an explorer. If they wanted to marry a person who stayed at home, then they should have married someone else.”

Heart specialists contacted by The Times confirmed that Mrs Fiennes’s fears are well-founded. Adam Fitzpatrick, a consultant cardiologist and a lecturer at Manchester University, said that Sir Ranulph’s history of heart attacks made him vulnerable to a fatal cardiac arrest. “Even with heart attacks when the situation is salvaged promptly there is usually damage to the heart muscle,” he said. “The tubes could all be in good shape, but where you have healthy tissue abutting scar tissue the electrical patterns around those areas can be abnormal.”

The lack of oxygen and extreme cold were likely to cause the explorer’s heart to beat irregularly, causing a life-threatening attack, he said. “He is being a bit unwise. I would have thought that the risks were significantly greater than for a man who didn’t have his history.”

Sir Ranulph had a double heart bypass in 2003 after suffering a heart attack while sitting in an aircraft at Bristol airport. During the operation his heart had to be restarted 13 times. Nick Brooks, a consultant cardiologist at University Hospital of South Manchester, said that the risk depended on the damage to his heart: “In the best-case scenario it is risky but not dangerous, but in the worst-case scenario it is downright reckless.”

Sir Ranulph, who will be accompanied by a doctor, said that every married explorer had to overcome or defy their spouse’s concerns. He found the idea of retirement from exploration repellent, he said. “If I don’t have an expedition planned I’m like a ship without a rudder.”

Mrs Fiennes, 41, has previously expressed concern that her husband had survived through luck rather than judgment. Speaking about her husband’s previous attempt to climb Everest, she had nevertheless conceded that it would be unrealistic to expect him to give up exploring. “I wouldn’t have entertained a relationship with a man aged 60 expecting him to change,” she said.

If he succeeds, Sir Ranulph would be the first man to cross both ice caps via both Poles and to scale the world’s highest mountain. The expedition departs for Nepal next Wednesday.

Source: TimesOnline.co.uk


Mingma heads to mountain to raise funds for conflict-hit children

A renowned mountaineer Mingma Tseri Sherpa, who has already scaled Mount Everest 12 times, is making another attempt on the highest peak of the world – this time with a noble purpose in mind.

The first Nepali to have scaled the Mount K2 – the second highest peak in the world – Mingma has dedicated his latest attempt on Everest to help the children affected by decade long conflict in Nepal.

Inspired by the initiatives taken by a number of Nepalis living overseas who have formed Help Nepal Network (HeNN) to help in health and education sector in their motherland, Mingma approached the network to dedicate his Everest attempt to help children caught in conflict.

The HeNN along with the help of UK-based Bal Balika Trust has been constructing a school and hostel facility in Dhulikhel. Around five dozen children affected by conflict from around the country will be housed there with all the facilities.

According to Arun Singh Basnet, president of HeNN-Nepal, Mingma showed interest to shoulder the cause of children caught in conflict. "He will take HNN's banner atop the Mount Everest to collect funds to help in the construction of the hostel facility and help the HNN," said Basnet.

Mingma has left Kathmandu for Lukla on March 27.

The HeNN, formed in 1999, has been actively supporting the needy people of Nepal through health and education projects in various places in the country. It also mobilizes fund-raising to help during disaster relief. Details of the network activities can be found out through www.helpnepal.net

Apart from the hostel being constructed in Dhulikhel, the HeNN has also been running a Help Nepal Clinic in Sarlahi district serving the health needs of poor people of the region. It has constructed over two dozen schools and helped libraries besides running health camps from time to time.

Source: NepalNews.com

26th March:

David Tait Change Of Plain

Owing to the continuing social unrest in Tibet, the Chinese authorities have forced all North Side Everest expeditions to cancel their 2008 plans. The Chinese hope to carry the Olympic flame all the way to the summit of Everest as some sort of “gesture”, but will do so with little apparent concern for the lives of people they inconvenience. Their intense paranoia about the attempt being filmed and leaked [before they could announce it themselves] precluded the CTMA [Chinese Tibetan Mountain Authority] from issuing suitable permits. It is perhaps a broader recognition of the Government’s fear that provoked countrywide riots. The Chinese government basically handed the Tibetan separatists a publicity “slam-dunk”.

As a consequence of this I have been forced to switch my attention to the South or Nepalese side of the mountain. After several days of nervous confusion the Nepalese government authorised the 2008 climbing season, and permits have now been issued. It appeared for a moment that the Chinese government had succeeded in intimidating the Nepalese into closing their side too – happily this is not the case.

So, instead of travelling over the familiar Tibetan plateau, I will now be trekking though the unfamiliar Khumbu to Nepal’s Base Camp and hooking up with Kari Kobler’s Swiss expedition. Although the trek though the valleys of the Khumbu is a novelty to me, I wont be sending dispatches enroute, as the equipment is simply too heavy. My kit and communication equipment will travel by Yak and arrive with me on the 13th April [I hope!]. Dispatches will begin very soon after.

My heart goes out to many North side climbers who have had their dreams trashed. It wouldn’t surprise me if this Chinese heavy-handedness backfires spectacularly – I hope so.

Source: Davidtait.com

25th March:

Nepal has started granting preliminary Everest permits

"We have started to give preliminary permits for Everest from Monday (yesterday)," reads an email from the Nepal Ministry of Tourism to ExplorersWeb, ending “it is good news for Everest climbers."

Good news indeed, although it's still unclear what "preliminary" means exactly. Yet climbers take all they can get right now, and will at least be able to start their acclimatization trips. Also, the work with the icefall (managed by the Sagarmatha park) will hopefully be commenced.

The same Ministry spokesman told ExWeb already last week that mountaineering permits were slowly being granted, by two teams getting permit for Dhaulagiri & Ama Dablam.

Regarding Everest, the government was expected to decide "in a positive way" by the end of the week, after which the Ministry planned to issue permits albeit with "some instructions" to the mountaineers.

The instruction would permit all teams to climb up to camp 2 until May 1, then "rest" in BC between May 1-10, while starting May 11, the climb would be unrestricted.

Source: MountEverest.net

22nd March:

Everest climbing season threatened by Tibet turmoil

Expeditions to Mount Everest are being cancelled because of Chinese restrictions on access to Tibet as it prepares to put the Olympic torch on the summit and clamps down on unrest in the Himalayan region, an organiser said.

Russell Brice, a New Zealander and leading Himalayan expedition organiser, said he had called off plans to send clients up the Tibetan side of the world's highest peak and that other teams were also cancelling.

"I cancelled my expedition three days ago. I think most people on the north side are cancelling and some are trying to shift to the south side" of the mountain in Nepal, he told AFP from his office in the French Alps.

He said his 16 clients this year, who pay tens of thousands of dollars each to try to reach the top of the world, "have taken time off work, been training, got themselves mentally prepared -- so it's a huge blow for them."

Organisers hoping to send climbers up the north side of the 8,848-metre (29,028-feet) mountain have in recent months been grappling with uncertainty over whether the mountain will even be open.

Earlier this year, China said it would closely vet prospective foreign climbers applying for a permit.
China plans to send the Olympic torch to the summit of Everest in early May, and sources in the mountaineering community said Beijing was eager to keep pro-Tibet protestors away -- especially while the torch is in the area.

Brice said he was cancelling because he had not yet received his licence.

In addition, Tibet -- including access to the north side of the peak -- has been closed off indefinitely to foreigners following a wave of unrest there last week and amid a major security clampdown.

Brice said he had unable to guarantee to clients that they would be allowed in when the trek to base camp on the Tibetan side of the mountain is due to start early next month.

"It's very difficult to find out what's going on, to find out what is true and what is a rumour," he said.
"We can't blame the China Tibet Mountaineering Association because there are factors involved that are way beyond their control," he added.

Brice also said his company was also supposed to be fixing kilometres (miles) of ropes on the mountain this season for several other expeditions, including the Chinese Olympic torch climb.
"I was supposed to be laying out the ropes that will be used by expeditions including the Chinese one, but have not been given a permit," he said.

That huge logistics operation -- usually carried out by teams of hardened Nepali and Tibetan sherpas -- has also been called off, meaning Chinese authorities will have to arrange the roping of the mountain themselves.

He said other mountaineering agencies "might try and shift their expeditions to the south side, but other people are worried about overloading on the south side" in Nepal.

On the southern approach, expedition organisers are confused as while the Nepal government insists the restrictions do not apply to Nepal, the country is coming under Chinese pressure to keep the mountain clear and is also refusing to issue permits.

"Leaders and western guides from three expeditions are already here and we don't know what to tell them," said Ishwori Poudel, who runs an expedition firm and has 55 foreign climbers waiting to find out if they can attempt Everest.

First summitted in 1953 by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, Everest has since been summitted at least 3,000 times, and the mountain usually sees dozens of commercial expeditions annually that bring in millions of dollars to Nepal and Tibet.

Source: AFP

19th March:

British Team Cancels Everest Expedition

I have decided to postpone my expedition this year to Mount Everest following the chaos that has ensued since the Chinese authorities decided to close the north side of the mountain to all but their own climbers.

I have been on the phone every day to 'my man in Kathmandu' who was stationed at the offices of the Nepalese Ministry of Tourism throughout the last week, and the reports from him have been nothing but astonishing.

The lack of clarity notwithstanding, to my mind it is quite impossible to consider an expedition to Everest with any sort of restrictions in place.

One of these is a media blackout, with the Nepalese insisting that all satellite phones be handed in at Base Camp to a patrolling liaison officer! Call me old-fashioned, but I would rather enjoy my climbing trips, rather than feel browbeaten and humiliated.

There is a very strong feeling that although the Nepalese authorities have indicated that there will be no restrictions, the pressure on them will increase as the weeks go by and the news from Tibet becomes even more inflammatory. Who knows what will happen once everyone is sitting at base camp?

Gavin Bate

Source: www.adventurealternative.com

19th March:

No ban on climbing Himalayas including Everest

MoCTCA The Ministry of Culture, Tourism & Civil Aviation (MoCTCA) issuing a press statement on March 18, 2008 denied the claim that it has suspended the mountaineering expedition to Mt. Everest saying that the dissemination of false information quoting the ministry in this issue has drawn the attention of MoCTCA. MoCTCA in its press statement said that the Ministry has not banned climbing expedition on Mt. Everest and other Himalayan peaks and the policy related to mountaineering expeditions has remained same as previous.

Issuing the press statement, Spokesperson of MoCTCA, Joint Secretary Mr. Prem Kumar Rai has requested all media to contact spokesperson of the ministry for the fact before disseminating the information concerning with the Ministry.

Source: WelcomeNepal.com

18th March:

Confusion over Everest climbing as Nepal government denies ban

In the face of growing criticism within the country, the Nepalese government denied it has banned mountaineering expeditions from attempting to climb Mount Everest in the early part of May, official reports said Tuesday.

The denial follows media reports that the Nepalese government was banning expeditions from reaching the summit of the world's highest peak between May 1 and May 10 on the request of the Chinese government.

'This is just a baseless rumour, the government has not received any kind of request from the Chinese government concerning this,' the official English language daily Rising Nepal quoted Tourism Ministry spokesman Prem Rai as saying.

The newspaper also quoted the Nepal Mountaineering Association as saying the organisation had not received any circular from the government confirming the ban.

However, dozens of tourism-related organisations demonstrated at the Mountaineering Division of the Ministry of Tourism in Kathmandu earlier this week demanding the government make clear its decision.

The organisations had alleged that the government was not registering new requests seeking permission to climb the peak during May.

But government officials said this might have resulted due to lack of manpower at ministries due to preparation for elections in April.

'The confusion might have sprung up as Everest expeditions have not yet been approved because of elections,' the chief executive officer of the Nepal Tourism Board, Prachanda Man Shrestha, said.

'According to the rule we need one government official accompanying the expedition and appointment of liaison officers requires permission from the election commission and this is resulting in delays,' Shrestha said.

Media reports in the Nepalese capital Kathmandu said the Nepalese government had received requests from the Chinese government to stop all expeditions from reaching the summit during the period to facilitate Olympic torch.

China has already said it will not allow any expeditions from the northern side of the mountain in Tibet during the first 10 days in May.

May is considered the best time to climb the mountain before monsoon rains hit Nepal in early June, making it virtually impossible for climbers to reach the peak.

Spring climbing season runs from earlier April to the end of May, with the majority of the expeditions attempting the peak during the second half of May.

Source: Monsters and Critics News

14th March:

Nepal agrees to China Everest ban

Nepal has agreed to a Chinese request to temporarily block access to Mount Everest, amid fears Tibetan activists may stage a protest at the peak.

Climbers will be banned from going beyond Everest's base camp until 10 May, Nepal's tourism minister said.

Beijing is thought to be concerned that a protest may coincide with plans to take the Olympic torch up the mountain.

Tibetans have stepped up agitation against Chinese rule as Beijing gets ready to host the Olympics in August.

Buddhist monks have been demonstrating in and around Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet region.

Many Tibetans believe their region ought to be independent, though China has long claimed the mountainous territory as its own.

Meanwhile police in the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, have used force to break up a gathering of Tibetan refugees for the second time this week.

Tibetan eyewitnesses say that nuns were among those beaten with sticks.

Nepalese Tourism Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung told Reuters news agency that climbers would not be allowed beyond Mount Everest's base camp until 10 May.
He said the move was in response to a request from China.

"This is to prevent some people who could infiltrate and cause trouble during the time when they take the torch to the top."

No exact date has been set for the Olympic torch's journey to Mount Everest but reports say it is likely to be in late April or early May.

May is widely regarded as the best time of year to climb the peak, the world's highest at 8,848 metres (29,028 ft).

Mount Everest straddles the border between Nepal and China and can be scaled by a northern and a southern route. The more popular southern route passes through Nepal, while the northern ascent goes through China's Tibet region.

China was reported earlier this week to have restricted access along the northern route, amid fears that pro-Tibetan activists may disrupt the Olympic torch's journey.

Last year, five US mountaineers, including an ethnic Tibetan, unfurled banners on Everest calling for Tibetan independence.

Source: BBC News

11th March:

Chinese closing Everest for climbing in spring 2008

"Rumours circulating in our national and international media that Mt. Everest will be closed to climb from the Tibet side are false. China will also not limit the number of expeditions in 2008," Ang Tshering Sherpa stated last year, following a meeting with CMA & CTMA attended by high level delegates from Beijing and Lhasa.

This morning however, the President of the Nepal Mountaineering Association got the pictured notice sent Monday by CTMA to Everest north side expedition leaders. The mountain will be closed, and according to another reliable source, no group visas to enter will be issued until May 10.

Considering the need for acclimatization and infrastructure, climbing Everest north side this spring will be short of impossible. This is a serious blow to Everest climbers and related personnel, many of whom got the notice only one week before their Everest approach is due to begin.

Reportedly, Chinese officials also attempted to convince Nepalese authorities to close the icefall on the south side of Everest this spring until May 10, and try not to have summits during the period. Nepal has reportedly rejected this request.

The situation shows serious contempt for the sport of mountaineering by Chinese Olympic officials. Reportedly, the worry is that "Free Tibet" groups would take the opportunity to voice their cause.

Not only Everest, but also Cho Oyu will be closed during this period. Hundreds of climbers are now scrambling to evaluate their situation.

In many cases, permit, porter, staff and infrastructure fees have already been paid. Those who can afford it, choose to reroute to Everest south side - putting a dangerous strain on this side of the peak, with close to 70 permits reportedly issued there already this season.

Protests are now being put forward by mountaineers to Chinese officials. "I don't blame CMA/CTMA in Lhasa," a western organizer told ExWeb over phone from KTM this morning, "Beijing is taking over."

Source: MountEverest.net

27th February:

75th anniversary of the first ever flight over Everest

A string of celebrations will be held to mark the 75th anniversary of the first ever flight over Mount Everest - an unforgettable expedition that involved two Yeovil-built aeroplanes.

South Somerset District Council, the Yeovil branch of the Royal Aeronautical Society, AgustaWestland and Aerosystems International have joined forces to organise a free event in celebration of the achievement, which put Yeovil on the map for its aeronautical excellence.

The event, which will include a talk from Lord Selkirk, son of one of the pilots who flew over Mount Everest, will reveal stories about the expedition and will showcase some of the first photographs and film footage ever taken over the Himalayas.

The talk will be held at the Aerosystems International offices on Thursday, April 3 - the exact anniversary of the flight - from 6.45pm to 9pm and free tickets are available now.

The Museum of South Somerset is also running a special exhibition on the flight, showing how its achievements led to AgustaWestland gaining an international reputation as a manufacturer of high-altitude equipment.

The council's portfolio holder for health and well-being, Cllr Sylvia Seal, said: "We are very pleased to be working with the local aviation industry to celebrate this significant point in our heritage, by organising this important event and through the fascinating display at the museum.

"I urge residents to come along to both celebrations to find out how Yeovil's technical innovation has made its mark on history."

Fred Ballam, AgustaWestland's company archivist, added: "To make the high-altitude flights possible Westland modified two aircraft by fitting highly supercharged engines which were test flown in 1933.

"We also pioneered some important technical developments in oxygen systems - these were the forerunners of oxygen systems that were then used by the mountaineers who first climbed Everest 20 years later."

For a free ticket for the celebration event contact David Hill on 01935-462855, Nicky Donovan on 01935-443196 or Fred Ballam on 01935-703779.

Source: Yeovil News

Torch can stay alight atop Everest

Chinese scientists have expressed full confidence that the Olympic relay torch can scale Mount Everest without sputtering out, a newspaper said on Wednesday.

The torch relay, ahead of the Games which start in Beijing on August 8, will include a climb to the top of the world's highest mountain, which spans Nepal and the Chinese region of Tibet.

China has upgraded path and road surfaces to make it easier on the bearers of the Olympic flame.

Beijing scientists said they had finished tests to ensure the torch can stay alight in the tough, oxygen-sparse conditions that leave even experienced climbers struggling.

"We are fully confident that the Olympic Games torch can certainly be alight on Everest peak, and everyone will be able to see a bright flame," Ma Lin, the head of the Beijing government's science committee said, according to Wednesday's Beijing News.

Ferocious winds and temperatures of minus 30 degrees Celsius (minus 22 Fahrenheit) at the summit presented special difficulties in designing the torch, Ma said. But they had been overcome.

The torch relay is scheduled to climb Everest in May, with the precise date to be decided by the weather.

Source: UK EuroSport

25th February:

If you're going to Mount Everest, don't forget to pack a gun

A decade after Jon Krakauer's best seller "Into Thin Air" chronicled how crass commercialism was breeding tragedy on the world's tallest peak, little seems to have changed. And if we're to believe Michael Kodas, author of the new "High Crimes: The Fate of Everest in an Age of Greed," things may actually be getting worse.

It's no longer just unscrupulous guides charging $65,000 to lead inexperienced, macho clients to the summit. Now, Kodas informs us, an uncontrolled criminal element has assailed the mountain Tibetans reverently call Chomolungma — the Goddess mother of the World. Prostitution, narcotics, physical assault, extortion and theft of indispensable oxygen tanks — if it's not the brutal wind and minus 30-degree Fahrenheit temperatures at the top of the world that get you, hundreds of your fellow conniving climbers will.

Kodas, a photographer for The Hartford Courant, was part of a team at the Courant that won a Pulitzer Prize in 1999 for breaking news reporting. He skilfully recounts in clear and unpretentious prose the tragic death of Nils Antezana.

Everything about the Washington, D.C., physician's 2004 climb seemed ill-conceived, from his choice of a dishonest and reckless guide widely denounced by the Everest community to the mere hubris of attempting the 29,035-foot peak at the advanced age of 69, with a limited climbing resume.

But none of those sins compare to the callous indifference shown by his guide, Gustavo Lisi, and the dozens of climbers who filed past the delirious Antezana on their descent through the oxygen-starved "Death Zone," leaving the good doctor to fall into a frigid coma with little more than an encouraging pat on the back.

Kodas interweaves this dramatic tale with the gripping account of his own struggle with summit fever.

The villain this time is Romanian-born George Dijmarescu, a psychopath bully in the hastily organized Connecticut Everest Expedition in which both partook. Tragedy is avoided, but only barely, Kodas writes, as Dijmarescu knocks unconscious his sherpa wife, cuts backdoor deals to steal valuable sponsorship money and generally preys on his team mates.

Kodas' absorbing description of the narrow moral compass governing human interaction at the top of the world is bound to shock both armchair adventurers and seasoned mountaineers. But in his journalist's zest for self-criticism and balance, he may have missed an opportunity to indict this despicable behaviour even further.

For example, he laments the Chinese government's recent decision to pave a road up to its base camp on the Tibetan side of the mountain, a move that will surely speed the arrival of more climbers and modern amenities, but shies away from offering any solutions.

Maybe he should have listened more closely to Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man on Everest, whose half-century of building schools for Himalayan children is referenced throughout the book as an example lost on today's generation of thrill-seeking climbers.

On the 50th anniversary of his pioneering 1953 ascent, Hillary, who died last month, suggested that climbing on Everest should be temporarily banned, to give the mountain a much-needed rest and clean up the heaps of garbage that have earned base camp the nickname "the world's highest landfill." As Kodas' account makes clear, drastic action is needed urgently if more deaths — there have been 59 since the 1996 disaster chronicled by Krakauer — and environmental havoc are to be avoided.

Source: Asbury Park Press

23rd February:

Everest man’s views from top

A mountaineer from Weymouth will be sharing his experiences of the world's summit at a charity evening.

James Kerr, from Nottington, is holding a photographic slide talk about his adventures scaling Mount Everest and two other Himalayan peaks.

The evening will raise funds for The Honeypot Charity for vulnerable children and young carers, for whom Mr Kerr is also running the London Marathon.

Mr Kerr, 38, says he was a self-confessed armchair mountaineer' until two-and-a-half years ago, when he gave up his job at an advertising agency to tackle the heights of Nepal and Tibet.

He said: "I used to read all the books and was fascinated by mountaineering as a whole, but I never thought I would climb Everest.

"Then I handed in my notice one day to go off and climb Abu Dablam and the guys I met there made me realise it was possible. I then climbed Cho Oyu, which gave me exposure of going above 8,000 feet and going into the death zone', as they call it.

"While I was doing that I found a group of people that were going to climb Everest and the following year I went along with them."

Mr Kerr conquered Everest in May last year and he will be talking about the importance of preparation in commercial mountaineering.

He said: "There are a lot of people on the mountain who shouldn't be there, but if you do your homework and put yourself in a position with experienced people it's climbable by everyone - as long as you have a lot of good luck."

Mr Kerr said he was astonished that he was one of the few people to scale the world's highest peak on his first attempt.

He said: "Everest isn't actually a technically difficult mountain to climb.

"It's relatively easy, but it's extremely hard physically and very demanding mentally.

"I certainly never thought I would be able to climb it on my first attempt. I know a few people who have tried six or seven times. It was extremely lucky and I think that will come across in the talk."

Mr Kerr's talk Living on Cloud Nine' will take place at Weymouth Sports Club, Dorchester Road, at 7.30pm on March 5. Tickets cost £5 and can be bought in advance by contacting James or Eli on 01305 815120 or emailing elibarber01@gmail.com

Source: Daily Echo Dorset

21st February:

Everest receives 40,000 tourists in 2007

Mount Qomolangma (Everest), the world's highest peak, recorded more than 40,200 tourists in 2007, said tourism authorities in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region.

Local tourism authorities attributed the tourist boom, which brought revenue of 26 million yuan (around 3.6 million U.S. dollars) to the local region, mainly to improved roads in the high-altitude region.

Tourist numbers for 2006 were not released.

An official with the Tibet Autonomous Region Tourism Bureau said that it was expected that more tourists would come to the area this year along with the ascent of the Beijing Olympic torch to Mount Qomolangma as one of the highlights during its worldwide relay.

The bureau has recently debuted new tourist routes for those who travel on foot or behind the wheel.

Mount Qomolangma, known in the west as Mount Everest, has become one of the most popular routes for backpackers and mountaineers.

The central government and Tibet's regional government have stepped up preservation of the vulnerable environment in the nature reserve of the Mount Qomolangma.

Source: Xinhua News Agency

15th February:

All women team to scale Everest

A team of ten Nepalese women, between the age of 17 to 31 years, is planning to scale Mount Everest this season.

The United Nations World Food Programme and the United Nations Development Programme in Nepal has pledged support for the First Inclusive Women Sagarmatha Expedition 2008.

The expedition is one of its kind ever since Mt. Everest was conquered by Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary in May 1953.

The expedition would accrue a total expenditure of over 200,000 US dollars and the two UN organisations have together raised nearly one-quarter of the cost for the expedition.

''As climbers and mountaineers, the FIWSE 2008 team is also very concerned about the effects of global climate change on Nepalese people and their livelihoods, and its impacts on one of the Nepal's greatest resources-- the Himalayas,'' said Da Gombu Sherpa, the team leader.

''When the expedition members were younger, several of the expedition members received support from WFP feeding programmes and we are proud that they have grown into strong adults ready to take on one of the greatest challenges on earth, to climb Mount Everest,'' said WFP Country Representative Richard Ragan.

UNDP country representative Anne-Isabelle Degryse-Blateau said they expected this team to bring back updated information of the major changes, which have been observed in the past years, from the bottom to the top of the Sagarmatha.

Source: Daily News Analysis India

13th February:

Royal family to honour Sir Edmund

The royal family's memorial service for Sir Edmund Hillary will be held in Windsor Castle's St George's Chapel on April 2.

Details of the service, which several hundred New Zealanders will be able to attend, were revealed yesterday. As well as invited guests and members of Sir Edmund's family, it is understood several places for the 11am service will be available in a ballot for members of the public.

No members of the royal family came to New Zealand for the state funeral of Sir Edmund, whose historic first ascent of Mount Everest coincided with the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

Sir Edmund was a Knight of the Royal Garter, one of the Queen's personally selected order of up to 24 Knights.

According to protocol, a memorial is held during Evensong at Windsor Castle after the death of a Garter Knight.

Prime Minister Helen Clark is expected to attend the service. She has previously announced that the Government expected to help cover the costs for Sir Edmund's family to travel to the memorial.

Source: New Zealand Herald

11th February:

Climbers plan green trip up Everest

Mountaineers from four countries will try to climb Mount Everest in April, hoping their feat will raise global awareness on the impact of climate change in the Himalayas, organizers said on Monday.

Various studies show the average temperature of the Himalayan region has risen between 0.15 and 0.6 degrees Celsius per decade from 1975.

Glaciers are shrinking fast due to climate change, experts say, threatening the source of Asia's nine major river systems, relied upon by millions of people from Afghanistan to Myanmar.

Mountain communities are also affected by the increased risk of glacial lakes flooding.
A team of 18 climbers from Belgium, Nepal, South Korea and Spain hope to raise money by climbing the world's highest mountain to fund further research and monitoring of glacial melting and to help develop local communities.

"Melting of glaciers is not just threatening the lives of the climbers but the whole community who live below," Dawa Steven Sherpa, the expedition leader, told reporters at a press conference in Kathmandu.

The climbers also plan to clear away some of the tonnes of gas cans, oxygen cylinders, plastic, old ropes and other garbage strewn on the mountain by previous climbers.

Source: Reuters India

9th February:

Everest Climber Honoured

Scout Leader Carrie Gibson, who climbed Mount Everest last year, has been honoured as Citizen of the Year by local Freemasons.

Carrie became only the fifth Scottish woman and the fourteenth British woman to conquer Everest when she reached the summit on 16 May 2007.

Carrie (35), who works at James Watt College in Greenock, was part of the Scottish Scouts Seven Summits Expedition that tackled the world’s highest peak.

Now her efforts in reaching the summit and her contribution to the Scouting movement in Inverclyde have been recognised by the Provincial Grand Lodge of Renfrewshire West who have made Carrie their Inverclyde Citizen of the Year.

The award has been made annually since 2003 in recognition of a significant contribution to the community within Inverclyde. It can be given to any individual or group for a specific achievement or long-standing contributions that have been made to benefit the community.

Carrie said: “I am very humbled to receive this award. The last year has been an incredible experience and I am delighted at the profile it has given Scouting in Inverclyde.”

Greenock District Scout Commissioner David McCallum added: “All 1,000 or so of our young people and adult leaders here in Greenock District, are immensely proud of Carrie who achieved this great goal during our centenary year. Carrie is a ‘real’ hero to many, we salute her. My personal thanks to local Freemasons for recognising Carrie and Inverclyde Scouting in this way ’’

Carrie was given her presentation at the annual dinner of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Renfrewshire West, the body that oversees Freemasonry in Inverclyde.

Alex Galbraith, Provincial Grand Master of Renfrewshire West, said: “Carrie is a great role model and an inspiration for members of all voluntary organisations and the people of Inverclyde.

“Her magnificent achievement together with her selfless contribution to youth work should be recognised and we were delighted to honour her in this way.

“Not only is she the fifth Scottish woman to climb Everest, she is now the first woman to win our Citizenship Award – so that is another achievement for her.”

Carrie trains regularly at Lady Octavia Sports Centre, Greenock, and can be seen running around Inverkip and Greenock. Her Scouting life began in 1988 when she became a member of the 1st Inverkip Venture Scout Unit. She gained her Queen Scout Award, working on Community/Conservation projects with the Rangers at Cornalees Bridge Centre, and sailing as a representative of Greenock District Scouting on board the Sail Training Association’s ships. She has been a Scout leader for 15 years, District Scout Leader for three years and a member of the Greenock Gang Show.

Source: www.inverclydenow.com 

8th February:

22nd January: