Remember what mountaineering luminaries who converged
on Nepal for the golden jubilee of the triumph
on Everest exactly a year ago? Here's a brief
flashback of the concerns shown by two legendary
climbers - New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary, who
needs no introduction, and Reinhold Messner, who
has conquered all 8,000-meter-plus peaks on earth:
"There are more than 1,000 people setting up 500
tents at the Base Camp and knocking down beer
before making their assault on the mountain.
That simply belittles the charm of mountaineering."
Sir Edmund Hillary said at a function in the capital
on May 28. Messner, also a European parliamentarian,
echoed similar concern at another event on May
27 when he said, "Everest is full of climbers,
and hundreds are lining up. It's not a healthy
sign. There's no fun in mountaineering... There
must be a license restriction for climbers. "Saturday
is the 51st anniversary of the first ascent of
Mt Everest by Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, and
the first anniversary of the glittering golden
jubilee celebrations observed last year. But legendary
"Everesteers" expressed their deep concern over
the commercialization of Everest.
One year on, the mountaineering community and
the officialdom here are more concerned about
the thinning crowd on Everest and not on what
Hillary and Messner suggested. While the community
seems to have taken the luminaries' concerns seriously,
it is more worried about the competition in the
neighborhood. The slashing of mountaineering royalties
by the governments of neighboring countries has
also dealt a big blow to Nepal's last hope - mountain
tourism - in these most difficult of times.
But introducing license restrictions for mountaineers
and controlling the crowding of Everest might
divert the traffic to neighboring Tibet, India
and Pakistan, which charge much lower royalties.
So the government is apparently undecided on the
issue. "If we restrict licensing, then climbers
might choose other destinations," Shankar Pande,
chief of the mountaineering division, told the
Post on Friday. Consider this: only 13 expedition
teams - down from nearly two dozen last year -
climbed from the Nepali side of Everest this season
whereas there were 23 teams from the Tibetan side.
More mountaineers have diverted to India and Pakistan.
Nepal's South Asian neighbor, Pakistan, is currently
observing the golden jubilee of the first feat
on K-2, the second highest mountain, and Nanga
Parbat.Says Ang Tshering Sherpa, president of
Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA), in the
years to come, "the crowd could get thinner and
mountaineers could be diverted to neighboring
countries.
So the government should take steps to reduce
mountaineering royalties." Sherpa, who is also
the managing director of Asian Trekking, further
argues that Nepal, like Pakistan, could have gone
for an international media blitzkrieg because
2004, coincidentally, is also the golden jubilee
of the first ascent of the 8,202-meter-high Chhogyu
peak also in the Khumbu region. "Next year, it
is the golden jubilee of Makalu and Kanchenjunga,"
he said. "What's the government doing to attract
climbers to these peaks? he asked. "Absolutely
nothing, and mountaineers are heading towards
Tibet and India and Pakistan."His trekking firm,
for instance, handled three expedition teams heading
for Everest from the Nepalese side and eight teams
heading for the peak from the Tibetan side. On
the Nepali side, 166 climbers headed for Everest
this year, and all except one - American Nils
Antenaza who died - made it to the top.
OTHER NEWS
- World tour bicyclist found dead: Bicyclist
Laxman Sapkota, embarking on a world tour carrying
messages of peace and fraternity, died here
Thursday. He was 56. Sapkota had left Itahari
Wednesday on a bicycle with the national flag
and was found dead near a bus stand in Birtamod
Thursday evening. Spending Wednesday night at
Chautari hotel, he slept through the next day
in the open. His body was found face down under
a culvert at around 6 p.m. A resident of Morang
Tankesinwari-1, Sapkota had already visited
29 countries traversing more than 76,000 km
on bicycle, his papers revealed.
- 'Kathmanduites drinking highly
contaminated water': The water quality assessment
of 54 different sites in the Capital revealed
that 57 percent of the water samples are contaminated
with fecal coliforms - indicator bacteria for
fecal contamination in water. The assessment
was conducted out by Environment and Public
Health Organization (ENPHO).
- More airlines likely to fly to Nepal:
Two more international airlines - Philippines
Airlines and Thailand-based Phuket Air - have
expressed their interest to operate regular
flights to Kathmandu. According to sources,
Philippines Airlines has asked the government
for fifth freedom rights as per which it can
operate flights to other destinations from Nepal
also. "Philippines Airlines has proposed to
operate flights from Manila to Kathmandu via
Thailand, and from Kathmandu to Manila via Delhi,"
the sources said Similarly Phuket Air, a private
Thai airline is planning to operate regular
flights in the Bangkok-Kathmandu sector.
By Hari Shrestha, Resident Representative in
Kathmandu
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