NEPAL: Nepal Looking To Limit Age For Everest After 85-year-old Dies

Family and supporters Sunday honored an 85-year-old Nepali man who died trying to regain his title as the oldest person to climb Mount Everest, while officials stressed the need to limit the age for such a daunting physical challenge.

The death of Min Bahadur Sherchan has revived concerns about allowing elderly people to attempt to scale peaks where the conditions are harsh and oxygen level low.

Nepali law requires Everest climbers to be at least 16 but there’s no upper age limit.

It is very necessary to immediately bring that age limit law. If there had been a limit, the loss of life could have been prevented, said Ang Tshering, head of the Nepal Mountaineering Association.

The association is planning to push the government to limit the age of climbers to at least 76, he said.

Sherchan died Saturday evening at the Everest base camp. Another Nepali man, Shailendra Kumar Upadhyaya, died in 2011 at age 82 while attempting to scale Everest.

Hundreds of climbers have died on Everest alongside the more than 4,000 who’ve successfully summited the world’s highest mountain since 1953.

Bottled oxygen and better climbing equipment have helped reduce deaths significantly in recent decades, along with satellite communication equipment and better medical facilities.

Dinesh Bhattarai, who heads the Tourism Department, said that the government is seriously discussing an upper age limit.

Sherchan’s body was flown by helicopter to Kathmandu Sunday.

The cause of death was still unclear and the autopsy result will be available in a few days.

Sherchan had first scaled Everest in May 2008 when he was 76 – at the time becoming the oldest climber to reach the top.

But his record was broken in 2013 by 80-year-old Japanese Yuichiro Miura.

At a funeral ceremony held at the Thakali Service Society premises in Kathmandu, hundreds of family members, friends and supporters offered flowers and colorful scarfs while Buddhist monks chanted a hymn and burnt sandalwood incense.

A government minister and fellow climbers were also among those who paid their respects.

The body was later cremated.

Sherchan is survived by a wife, seven children, 17 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.



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TIBET: Hong Kong Woman Summits Mount Everest

From biking 2,000 kilometres across the Tibetan plateau to trekking Hong Kong’s hilly terrain, school teacher Ada Tsang Yin-hung had embarked on countless journeys to teach her pupils life lessons that went beyond the four walls of the classroom.

Former pupils recalled how Tsang had begun to inspire them to achieve lifelong goals long before she went down in history as Hong Kong’s first woman to conquer the world’s highest peak on Sunday.

Tommy Ng Chun-lun, who was one of the first batch of pupils Tsang taught in 2000 at CUHKFAA Chan Chun Ha Secondary School, said she was the main reason he was able to finish biking 2,000 kilometres across the Tibetan plateau in 2008.

We were in our early 20s at the time and the high altitude and scorching sun were really hard to adapt to, he recalled. We thought about all these other alternatives. We wanted to give up so badly.

I remember her telling us that we’d made this decision to bike 2,000 kilometres together so we needed to finish this together. We couldn’t just give up so easily.

Catharine Leung, another former pupil, said Tsang made up her mind to scale the 8,848-metre summit after seeing pupils become frustrated with seemingly impossible goals.

A lot of people asked her if she wanted to give up, but the thought never once crossed her mind Catharine Leung, former pupil of Ada Tsang

There were pupils who had dreams of becoming lawyers but they were failing in English, Leung said. She was telling her students to chase after their dreams, but she didn’t want to just talk the talk – she wanted to walk the talk.

Leung said she was overjoyed upon hearing Tsang’s history-making news, especially as she was able to witness her seven-year journey of hardships and training.

Tsang made her first attempt in 2014 but was forced to abandon her trek after an avalanche near the base camp killed 16 Nepali Sherpa guides, leading to the suspension of all expeditions that season.

The next year, the former life education teacher was caught up in an avalanche triggered by a 7.9-magnitude earthquake that killed 17 climbers. Tsang suffered a fractured skull and multiple serious injuries.

She had lost two litres of blood from her injuries in that last attempt, Leung said. A lot of people asked her if she wanted to give up, but the thought never once crossed her mind. She said: As long as my body can handle it, I will try to do it.

Tsang made it to the mountain’s second camp, at least 6,000 metres above sea level, from the summit on Monday with fellow Hongkonger Elton Ng, a physiotherapist, and Zhang Jianguo, an amateur mountaineer from Jiangsu province.

They were on track to reach the base camp at 5,300 metres by Tuesday.

Tsang and Ng are among 10 Hongkongers to have made it to the top.

Ng said he dreamed of seeing the view from the top of Everest himself ever since he saw a picture of the mountain at the space museum when he was a teenager.

His colleague, Horlick Ho, said she was proud that he had achieved his lifelong dream.

I couldn’t stop crying once I heard the news, Ho said. It was his dream to climb Mount Everest for over 20 years. Now he’s proved to himself that he could finally make it.

We’re going to celebrate with a big dinner. He said he missed Hong Kong food.

TIBET: Hong Kong Woman Summits Mount Everest

From biking 2,000 kilometres across the Tibetan plateau to trekking Hong Kong’s hilly terrain, school teacher Ada Tsang Yin-hung had embarked on countless journeys to teach her pupils life lessons that went beyond the four walls of the classroom.

Former pupils recalled how Tsang had begun to inspire them to achieve lifelong goals long before she went down in history as Hong Kong’s first woman to conquer the world’s highest peak on Sunday.

Tommy Ng Chun-lun, who was one of the first batch of pupils Tsang taught in 2000 at CUHKFAA Chan Chun Ha Secondary School, said she was the main reason he was able to finish biking 2,000 kilometres across the Tibetan plateau in 2008.

We were in our early 20s at the time and the high altitude and scorching sun were really hard to adapt to, he recalled. We thought about all these other alternatives. We wanted to give up so badly.

I remember her telling us that we’d made this decision to bike 2,000 kilometres together so we needed to finish this together. We couldn’t just give up so easily.

Catharine Leung, another former pupil, said Tsang made up her mind to scale the 8,848-metre summit after seeing pupils become frustrated with seemingly impossible goals.

A lot of people asked her if she wanted to give up, but the thought never once crossed her mind Catharine Leung, former pupil of Ada Tsang

There were pupils who had dreams of becoming lawyers but they were failing in English, Leung said. She was telling her students to chase after their dreams, but she didn’t want to just talk the talk – she wanted to walk the talk.

Leung said she was overjoyed upon hearing Tsang’s history-making news, especially as she was able to witness her seven-year journey of hardships and training.

Tsang made her first attempt in 2014 but was forced to abandon her trek after an avalanche near the base camp killed 16 Nepali Sherpa guides, leading to the suspension of all expeditions that season.

The next year, the former life education teacher was caught up in an avalanche triggered by a 7.9-magnitude earthquake that killed 17 climbers. Tsang suffered a fractured skull and multiple serious injuries.

She had lost two litres of blood from her injuries in that last attempt, Leung said. A lot of people asked her if she wanted to give up, but the thought never once crossed her mind. She said: As long as my body can handle it, I will try to do it.

Tsang made it to the mountain’s second camp, at least 6,000 metres above sea level, from the summit on Monday with fellow Hongkonger Elton Ng, a physiotherapist, and Zhang Jianguo, an amateur mountaineer from Jiangsu province.

They were on track to reach the base camp at 5,300 metres by Tuesday.

Tsang and Ng are among 10 Hongkongers to have made it to the top.

Ng said he dreamed of seeing the view from the top of Everest himself ever since he saw a picture of the mountain at the space museum when he was a teenager.

His colleague, Horlick Ho, said she was proud that he had achieved his lifelong dream.

I couldn’t stop crying once I heard the news, Ho said. It was his dream to climb Mount Everest for over 20 years. Now he’s proved to himself that he could finally make it.

We’re going to celebrate with a big dinner. He said he missed Hong Kong food.

NEPAL: Two More Die On Mount Everest Making At Least Five In Past Month

Two more climbers have died on Mount Everest, taking the death toll on the world's highest mountain in the past month to at least five amid mountaineers' safety concerns, officials said on Monday.

A 54-year-old Australian, Francesco Enrico Marchetti, died on the Tibetan side of Everest, while Vladimir Strba, 48, of Slovakia, perished near the Balcony in the south in Nepal, officials said.

Both climbers died on Sunday.

Marchetti died due to apparent altitude sickness about 8,300 metres (27,230 feet) above sea level while on his summit approach, said Navin Trital of the Expedition Himalaya company that coordinated logistics for the climber.

He fell sick and died while being brought down to a lower camp,Trital said in Kathmandu. He said he was unable to give details because of poor communications with the team.

Strba died at around 8,400 metres (27,500 feet) in the "death zone", on the Nepali side where the air is very thin, Tourism Department official Gyanendra Shrestha said on Monday.

He also said the exact circumstances leading to Strba's death were not clear.

An American climber died on Sunday, while contact has been lost with an Indian after he scaled the peak on Saturday.

On April 30, a famed Swiss climber fell to his death near Mount Everest while preparing to climb the world's highest mountain. An 85-year-old Nepali man died at base camp earlier this month while trying to set a record for the oldest climber.

This year's Everest expeditions have been confronted by bad weather and high winds.

There have been deaths on both sides. While few details are provided , it appears these were associated with altitude, not weather, American climber Alan Arnette said.

Nepal has cleared 371 climbers to Mount Everest in the current season, which ends this month.

Nearly 200 climbers went to Tibet, from where the 8,850 metre (29,035 feet) Everest Summit can also be climbed.

Nature Breeds Tourism

With 71.5 million tourists, tourism in the Hindu Kush Himalaya plays a potentially significant role in addressing poverty
Biodiversity is the basis for many tourism activities in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH).

Scenic landscapes, forests, lakes, mountains, and farmlands attract many tourists to the region. Iconic bird and animal species are also major attractions.

The snow leopard is a flagship mountain species found in the Karakoram, Hindu Kush, and Himalaya ranges spanning across Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Myanmar. Although an elusive animal, the snow leopard draws many tourists to these mountain ranges.

The naturally dammed lakes of Band-e-Amir National Park in Afghanistan attract tourists from all over the world to the country’s Bamyan Province.

In Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan, the prospect of trophy hunting markhor, a wild goat famed for its twisted horns, attracts many tourists each year.

In China’s Hongyuan Grassland in Sichuan Province, highland pastures showcase aspects of the nomadic Tibetan lifestyle to tourists.

As its name suggests, the Valley of Flowers in India’s Uttarakhand State attracts numerous tourists with its diversity of flowers, of which there are more than 500 species that include wild poppies, asters, and orchids, among others.

The one-horned rhinoceros in Chitwan National Park, Nepal, attracts more than 100,000 tourists every year.

In Bhutan’s Phobjika Valley, the black-necked crane festival, organized annually since 1998, plays an important role in attracting tourists to the country, particularly during the month of November.

Inle Lake, with its stilt houses, floating markets, and floating gardens, is an important tourist destination in Myanmar.

Biodiversity plays an integral role in the daily lives of indigenous peoples in the HKH. Biodiversity is a source of food, clothing, shelter, and medicine for many communities.

Interestingly, such traditional uses of biodiversity form the very essence of tourism in many places in the HKH.

The residents of Hunza Valley in Pakistan rely on organically grown local food, which is believed to contribute to their long life and good health.

Hunza apricots, in particular, are now popular among visitors to the valley, and a taste of the traditional apricot soup, Haneetze Duodo, is an essential culinary element in the Hunza Valley tour itinerary.

Almost two centuries ago, the Khasi tribe in Meghalaya, northeast India, learned to train the roots of rubber trees to build sturdy bridges that could survive many years in a wet and humid environment.

Some of these bridges continue to survive, and today, experiencing these ‘living’ bridges is a must for many tourists visiting Meghalaya.

The use of plants and animals in traditional medicine dates back many centuries to the practice of Ayurveda. In the high mountain regions of India, Nepal, Bhutan, and the Tibet Autonomous Region in China, this traditional medicinal practice is known as Sowa-Rigpa.

Many travelers visit the HKH to practice and learn these ancient medical techniques. For the slightly curious visitor, a tour of the National Institute of Traditional Medicine in Thimphu, Bhutan, could be most enlightening.

While it is biodiversity that attracts tourists, tourism itself can have a significant negative impact on biodiversity.

Tourism infrastructure, including buildings, campsites, roads, trails, and bridges are sometimes constructed in pristine areas by clearing vegetation and excavating land. These activities can potentially lead to biodiversity loss.

The practice of collecting wild plants and animals either by local communities to sell to tourists for food or souvenirs, or by the tourists themselves, is also likely to put pressure on biodiversity.

Mushroom, fern, bamboo shoot, fish, and wild honey are some natural products that, if not sustainably harvested, face the threat of resource depletion.

Tourism is also responsible for the introduction of many alien species ie, plants or animals that do not naturally occur in a given environment.

They may be intentionally introduced: for instance, new fish species may be introduced to a natural lake to promote fishing, or flowers and trees may be planted for ornamental, economic, or functional purposes.

They may be accidentally introduced:

The seeds or spores of some plants may be transported to new areas via vehicle tires or visitors’ luggage, clothes, and shoes.

Alien species that proliferate in these new environments, ie those species that become invasive, can outcompete local, naturally occurring species, resulting in ecological changes, including biodiversity loss.

Solid waste and its mismanagement are serious threats resulting from tourism in the HKH. Since the turn of the century, Mount Everest has gained notoriety for the waste that mountaineers have left behind after their expeditions.

Other tourist destinations in the HKH also face similar challenges not only from solid waste, but also from sewerage. Discharge from toxic solid wastes and inadequately treated sewerage can seep into the ground and pollute groundwater and other water bodies.

This affects not only biodiversity such as fish and aquatic plants, but also local residents—and tourists— who rely on groundwater for domestic or agricultural purposes.

Understanding that biodiversity is the basis for many tourism activities in the HKH is conducive to ensuring that this tourism base is maintained in the long term.

There are already proven conservation success stories interlinked with tourism. For example, revenue from tourism has contributed to reviving populations of markhors in Pakistan, rhinos in Nepal, and black-necked cranes in Bhutan.

National policies are in place in the HKH to conserve natural resources that form the basis for tourism. Moreover, global guidelines have also been developed to achieve sustainable tourism development.

The Convention on Biological Diversity’s Guidelines on Biodiversity and Tourism Development provide a framework to make tourism and biodiversity more mutually supportive.

The engagement of the private sector and local communities is especially necessary for the promotion of tourism based on the sustainable use of biodiversity.

Such an approach benefits both local communities that rely on natural resources for their livelihoods, in addition to tourism, as well as travelers who are now increasingly favoring tourism that is both environmentally and culturally friendly.

With nearly 71.5 million tourists visiting every year, tourism in the HKH plays a potentially significant role in addressing poverty through the creation of jobs, skills, and income for thousands of people.

Meanwhile, conservation and the sustainable use of biodiversity is essential for providing long term benefits to the region’s residents.

Climate Change Threatens Tourist Sites From Easter Island To Stonehenge,

Extreme weather is becoming one of the biggest risks to World Heritage icons like the Polynesian Easter Island or Britain's Stonehenge, posing a threat to tourism and economies alike, scientists and U.N. experts said on Thursday.

Developing countries such as Nepal, home to Mount Everest, and Uganda, where tourists travel to see mountain gorillas, may be particularly hard hit as they rely on income from tourism more than developed countries, the experts said in a report.

"For them it's a very important revenue and income. It's an economic driver to have a World Heritage site," Adam Markham, lead author of the report and deputy director of the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS),said

"If the attributes that attract tourists there in the first place are damaged by climate change, that could be a big blow to the tourism economies," he said in a phone interview.

Tourism is one of the largest and fastest growing sectors, generating 9 percent of the world's gross domestic product (GDP) and providing one in 11 jobs, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the UCS said.

While badly managed tourism itself can be damaging to World Heritage sites, climate change multiplies the risk of the sites loosing attributes that make them attractive tourist destinations, they said.

"Some Easter Island statues are at risk of being lost to the sea because of coastal erosion," Markham said in a statement.

"Many of the world's most important coral reefs, including in the islands of New Caledonia in the western Pacific, have suffered unprecedented coral bleaching linked to climate change this year. Climate change could eventually even cause some World Heritage sites to lose their status."

The report analyzed 31 natural and cultural World Heritage sites in 29 countries, including the Colombian port city of Cartagena, Vietnamese town of Hoi An and the Galapagos Islands, that are under threat from extreme weather events like increasing temperatures, rising seas and droughts.

Preserving World Heritage sites was also important because forests and coastal habitats can help store carbon and protect against storms and floods, understand climate change impact and test resilience strategies, the report said.

To maintain the World Heritage sites it was essential to achieve a goal of keeping global average temperature rise to below 2 degrees Celsius, as agreed by world leaders in Paris in December, the experts said.

NEPAL: Nepali Soldier Wins World's Highest Marathon On Mount Everest

A Nepali soldier has won the world's highest marathon on Mount Everest.

Bed Bahadur Sunuwar was one of more than 150 local and foreign runners in the race, which began at Nepal's base camp.

The annual run marks the anniversary of the first summit of the peak by Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary in 1953.

The winner completed the race, which ended about 2,000 metres further down the slopes, in four hours and 10 seconds.

"The route is very challenging but amazing too. I feel proud to be the winner," the 29-year-old man said.

Around 30 local runners were joined by about 130 from around the world, including the UK, US, China and Australia. A Nepali man was also the winner in 2015.

This is the first climbing season on Everest after two seasons hit by disasters - an avalanche that killed 16 mountain guides in 2014, and a fatal earthquake in 2015.

The 2016 season has not been without tragedy though, with several deaths from altitude sickness during a particularly busy period on the peak. On Friday, officials announced they had found the body of an Indian climber on the upper slopes, taking the season's death toll to four.

NEPAL: Nepal Woos Chinese Tourists With Free Visas

Nepal will grant free visas to visitors from neighbouring China as the Himalayan nation seeks to rebuild its tourist industry after two devastating earthquakes in April 2015that killed nearly 9,000 people.

The first of Nepal's tremors struck during the peak of the tourist season, forcing thousands of visitors to flee early while thousands of others cancelled. China - the second-largest source of tourists to Nepal - was one of several countries that subsequently warned their citizens to stay away.

China lifted its Nepal warning on Friday, after the two countries' foreign ministers held talks in Beijing. "This will help increase the number of Chinese tourists and boost our economy," Sherdhan Rai, Nepal's minister for information and communications technology, said on Saturday.

Nepal has already turned to China to beat an acute fuel shortage following a blockade at India border crossings enforced by ethnic Madhesi groups. They complain that a constitution adopted in September has failed to address their grievances.

Nepal, home to eight of the world's 14 highest peaks including Mount Everest, received 800,000 tourists in 2014. Of those, 123,000 were Chinese, second only to 135,000 Indian visitors, who do not require a visa for Nepal.

Nationals from Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, the other members along with India and Nepal in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, also get a free visa every year.

Tourism accounts for 4 percent of Nepal's economy. On Friday, eight months after the twin earthquakes, Nepal gave the green light for its National Reconstruction Agency to begin work and appointed a chief.

NEPAL: Tourism Industry Affected By Fuel Shortage And Ethinic Protests

Just when Nepal was recovering from the devastating earthquake that killed thousands, flattened communities and chased away foreign tourists, protests by ethnic groups and severe fuel shortages are again keeping visitors away from the nation known for the world's highest peaks.

The comeback that the damaged tourism industry had hoped would begin in October, normally the high season for visitors, has failed to materialize, in part because of protests and other troubles that began in August.

"We have already had at least 40 per cent cancellations from tourists who had planned to visit Nepal in autumn season, and that number is expected to be much, much more," said Hari Man Lama of Kathmandu-based Incentive Tours, who added that it would take at least a year for the industry to recover.
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Mount Everest reopens to climbers for first time since Nepal earthquake

This time of year at the tourist hub of Thamel in Kathmandu, people usually walk shoulder to shoulder along the narrow alley lined with stores for trekking gear, souvenirs, cafes and restaurants. Yet today, there is only a thin presence of visitors.

Those who have made it to Nepal are having difficulty getting around because of the fuel shortages.

Canadian tourist Darren Flach, from Calgary, had plans to trek the Mount Annapurna circuit, a picturesque trail surrounding the world's 10th-highest mountain. But now he is thinking of shortening his vacation.

"I did not imagine it was going to be so tough. I am planning to return, the sooner the better," Flach said, adding that he was just going to cycle around Kathmandu because taxis were asking too much money.

"I have come before to Nepal during this season, and I can tell you there is lot less people this year," he said.

The poor Himalayan country is expected to receive far fewer than the 790,000 tourists it saw last year. Tourist money is one of the main sources of foreign currency for Nepal, and which is necessary to import everything from oil and cars to clothes.

The April earthquake that killed 8,900 people -- including 19 Mount Everest climbers -- and destroyed hundreds of thousands of houses across much of Nepal was the worst but not the only disaster to hit the country and its tourist industry.

Sixteen Nepalese guides were killed in avalanche in April 2014, and that October, a freak storm swept through a popular trekking route and killed 42 people, including foreign hikers.

While the country has much rebuilding ahead, its latest problems are political.

Since August, Madhesi ethnic groups in southern Nepal have been blocking highways to protest the country's newly adopted constitution. They have blocked a border crossing with India that is normally the entry point for most of Nepal's fuel and other supplies.

India, which has close ties to the Madhesis, denies Nepal's accusation that it has imposed a blockade.

The fuel shortage has left long lines at service stations and created a black market for gasoline. Much of the country's bus service has been cancelled, and those buses still operating are so packed some passengers must travel on the rooftops.

To ease the crisis, the government this week announced a one-time sale of 15 litres (4 gallons) per vehicle. But Tuesday marked the beginning of the two-week Dasain festival, a time when Nepalis travel to their home villages to be with family. At the main bus station in Kathmandu, hundreds of people lined up hoping to get tickets on the few buses that were leaving.

Taxi fares, meanwhile, have increased manifold. Norwegian couple Tom Omdal and Elise Skogheim paid $30 for what would normally be a $6 trip from the Kathmandu airport to their hotel.

"The situation is more serious than what I had expected. It is insane. I did not think it was so bad," said Skogheim, 26, from Oslo.

It's not just transport that has been affected. Many restaurants in Thamel have closed because they ran out of cooking gas.

"We did not even get eggs with our breakfast," Omdal said, sipping his coffee and eating a ham and cheese sandwich at the popular New Orleans Restaurant in Thamel.

The restaurant, one of Kathmandu's best-known, was serving only a small number of items, none of which required much cooking. And while the place would ordinarily be packed with customers, on this morning the crowd was as sparse as the menu.

Prajun Giri, who runs a trekking gear shop selling thick jackets, boots, lights and rucksacks, said his business is no better.

"Because of the political troubles, blockade and shortages, the number of tourists have really gone down this year. And those who have come here are not going trekking, so not many people are buying from our shop," he said.

Nepal's newly installed government says it is determined to resolve the problem. It's been negotiating with the Madhesi and other ethnic minorities whose demands include more autonomy and a redrawing of state boundaries.

"The first priority of the new government is to resolve the protests and then fully restore the fuel supply," said Foreign Minister Kamal Thapa.