Dear Friends,
Namaste from Nepal.
The 2009 Spring Mountaineering season has been very eventful as well as filled with tragedy and sorrow.
I am saddened to report that there were eleven fatalities on various peaks this season. Among them was our Lhakpa Nuru Sherpa climbing with Eco Everest Expedition 2009.
Please join me in praying for eternal peace for the departed and for strength to the bereaved families.
My son, Dawa Steven, Leader of Eco Everest Expedition 2009 and his Team Members returned to Kathmandu on 28 May - safe and in good health.
As you know Apa Sherpa, climbing leader of Eco Everest Expedition 2009 reached the summit of Mt. Everest for the 19th time - a new world record. He joined Eco Everest for his 18th summit of Mt. Everest in 2008. Apa said he is committed to support the efforts of Dawa Steven to bring awareness to the world community about Climate Change and to help remove old garbage from the slopes of Mt. Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest) - our sacred mountain.
This year Apa Sherpa joined Eco Everest Expedition 2009 to carry a “wake up call” to the world about the negative effects of Climate Change on the Himalaya. He carried the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) banner with the slogan “Stop Climate Change – Let the Himalayas Live” to the summit of Mt. Everest to draw international attention to Global Warming and Climate Change.
Eco Everest Expedition 2009 led by Dawa Steven brought down to base camp 6000 kilos of garbage for proper disposal. In addition wreckage parts of the Italian Army helicopter were also recovered from the edge of the Khumbu Icefall. The helicopter crashed at Camp 1 (6100m) on Mt. Everest during the Italian Everest Expedition in 1973. This probably demonstrates the movement of the Khumbu Icefall over the past 36 years.
Apa also installed a Bumpa (sacred vase) blessed by the Venerable Rinpoche of Tengboche Monastery containing 400 different sacred ingredients. The offering is to seek to reduce the negative impacts of environmental changes and restore the sanctity of the Himalayan beyul (sacred valleys).
Before leaving for the USA, Apa Sherpa said he was committed to return as Climbing Leader of Eco Everest Expedition every year to continue to support efforts to deal with Climate Change.
The other summits achieved by members and sherpas on expeditions handled by Asian Trekking in the Spring 2009 season are:
1. Eco Everest Expedition 2009 : 17 on the summit.
2. Atumas Taiwanese 7 Summit and Everest Expedition 2009 : 6 on the summit.
3. International Adventure Alternative Everest Expedition 2009 : 13 on the summit.
4. 7 Summit Club Everest Expedition 2009 : 21 on the summit.
5. Kazak Lhotse-Everest Expedition 2009 : One on the summit (Lhotse)
6. Indo Bangladesh Mt. Makalu Expedition : 10 on the summit.
The Second International Everest Day Celebrations was observed on the 29th of May this year amidst various functions and felicitations to climbers.
We are busy preparing for the Autumn 2009 mountaineering season and finalizing details for expeditions to Mt. Everest and other peaks.
The Imja Tsho Action Event 2009 is taking place in the Khumbu on 18 and 19 June 2009. The event, organized by the Sherwi Yondhen Tshokpa, a group formed to create a network between all the Sherpa students, is supported by iDEAS, an NGO set up by my son Dawa Steven. As part of the event, the Beat the GLOF Action Run is being held on 18 June. It starts at IMJA Lake, at the source of the biggest threat to the people of the Khumbu. The run route follows the possible path of the Outburst Flood. The runners will run on the paths and bridges that will one day be washed away.
Asian Trekking is sponsoring two nights (16/17 June) full camping services at Imja Tsho Base Camp for the participants and volunteers.
On the following day, 19 June, the Khumbu Festival will take place in Khumjung village. The theme of this Festival is to focus on the Mountain Communities Culture, heritage, and their crucial role in maintaining and protecting their mountain environment. This will be an occasion for the communities to show their solidarity in taking action to tackle the impacts of Climate Change. National and International experts will be invited to share their studies with the communities, and together to formulate plans of action that are realistic.
As part of this event students from schools in the Khumbu have participated in Letter Writing and Art Competitions on the impact of climate change on our mountains.
Please visit www.ideas-action.org for more details on this event and other programs that Dawa Steven is initiating.
As always - please do not hesitate to let me know if there is any way in which Asian Trekking and I can be of help.
With very best wishes,
Ang Tshering Sherpa
www.asian-trekking.com