Latest news with #MtEverest
Time of India
3 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
16-year-old from Uttarakhand scripts history by scaling Mt Everest
Roorkee: A 16-year-old from Uttarakhand was this year's youngest climber to scale Mt Everest. Sachin Kumar, an NCC cadet from Uttarkashi who recently cleared his Class 12 exams, was part of an all-India expedition team of 10 student cadets, five of them women, selected from across the country. The team departed from Delhi on April 3 and successfully summited the world's highest peak on May 18. Also on the team was Subedar Ankur Rawat, 40, a resident of Roorkee and the expedition's coach, who conquered the peak for the second time, having first done so in 2016. Uttarakhand was represented by five climbers: besides Kumar and Rawat, the team included 21-year-old Virendra Singh Samant from Champawat and 22-year-old Mukul Bangwal from Pauri Garhwal, both BSc students, as well as Col Rajneesh Joshi, 45, a resident of Dehradun who served as the expedition's deputy group leader. "We were a total of 17 climbers who summited Mount Everest at 3am on May 18. We stayed there for more than one and a half hours," said Rawat from Nepal. Uttarakhand's directorate of sports said that the climbers from the state will be officially welcomed and felicitated upon their return. The team is currently in Nepal. Among the five from Uttarakhand, Sachin Kumar is a student at Rajkiya Adarsh Kirti Inter College, Uttarkashi, and hails from the village of Dhanari. Cadet Samant is from Padanga Badoli in Champawat and is pursuing his BSc third year at DAV Degree College, Dehradun. Bangwal, from Kaliyasaur village in Pauri, is a BSc third-year student at HNB University's Srinagar campus. Col Joshi, also from Dehradun, is currently the Principal of the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling. Coach Rawat serves in the Secunderabad-based Army Ordnance Corps. "These five are the pride of our state. On this occasion, we also appeal to all achievers to share their records and other details with us through their respective departments so that we can continue to update our state's records from time to time," said Dharmendra Prakash Bhatt, joint director, Uttarakhand sports directorate. Last year, the Army Adventure Wing initiated plans for a Mt Everest expedition team comprising NCC cadets. A total of 240 students with an NCC 'B' certificate were initially shortlisted. From these, 34 were selected, who then underwent a high-altitude expedition to Mt Abi Gamin in Chamoli in Sept–Oct as a selection test. Eighteen cadets were chosen from that group. This year, those 18 cadets were trained in Siachen, after which the final team of 10 (five boys and five girls) was selected for the Everest expedition. They were: Sachin Kumar (Uttarkashi), Mukul Bangwal (Pauri), Virendra Singh Samant (Champawat), Mohit Knathia (Jammu), Padma Namgail (Leh Ladakh), Kritika Sharma (Himachal, the youngest female NCC cadet at 18), Monika (Rajasthan), Abida Afreen (Leh), Pratima Rai (West Bengal), and Rifiness Warjri (Meghalaya). The 25-member team, which included group leader Col Amit Bisht, deputy leader Col Rajneesh Joshi, and coach Subedar Ankur Rawat, was flagged off by Union defence minister Rajnath Singh in Delhi on April 3.
Times of Oman
3 days ago
- General
- Times of Oman
Embassy of Nepal hosts tourism promotion event to mark Sagarmatha Day
Muscat: The Embassy of Nepal in Muscat hosted a tourism promotion event on 29 May 2025 to mark Sagarmatha Day, commemorating the first ascent of Mt. Everest by Tenzing Norgay Sherpa and Sir Edmund Hillary on 29 May 1953. This year's event also coincided with Republic Day of Nepal, adding further significance to the celebration. The event was graced by Guest of Honour Dr. Jamal bin Hasan Al-Moosawi, Secretary General of the National Museum of the Sultanate of Oman, and Ambassador Abdullah al Riyami, Director General of the Cultural Cooperation Department, Foreign Ministry of Oman. The event was attended by Ambassadors, Diplomats, a Sagarmatha Climber, prominent business leaders and media professionals, making the evening a rich gathering of diplomatic and cultural exchange. The ceremony formally began with the lighting of the traditional Panas lamp by Dornath Aryal, Ambassador of Nepal to the Sultanate of Oman. In his welcome address, Ambassador Aryal highlighted the symbolic, ecological and geopolitical significance of Sagarmatha. Ambassador Aryal also highlighted Nepal's initiation in climate dialogue through the first edition of the Sagarmatha Sambaad (Everest Dialogue), held in Kathmandu from 16 to 18 May 2025. Centered on the theme 'Climate Change, Mountains and the Future of Humanity,' the international conference welcomed many national and international delegates, and concluded with the issuance of a 25-point 'Sagarmatha Call for Action.' Ambassador Aryal concluded his remarks with a warm invitation for all attendees to visit Nepal, praising its stunning natural beauty and rich cultural heritage. Ms. Nadhira Al Harthy, Sagarmatha summiteer, shared inspiring and engaging presentation of her Everest expedition. Ms. Al Harthy also recounted her experience as a panelist during the recent Sagarmatha Sambaad. The programme featured a video showcasing Nepal's breathtaking landscapes, including the Himalayan range and diverse cultural heritage. As part of the celebration, Ambassador Aryal honoured Ms. Nadhira Al Harthy with traditional shawl and felicitated Master Shiva Kochale, a 13-year-old teen who reached the Sagarmatha Base Camp in April 2025. As a token of appreciation, the Ambassador presented souvenirs and photo frame of Sagarmatha to the Guest of Honour and all the participants were also handed over beautiful photo frame of Sagarmatha. The evening was conducted by. Bishesh Kumar Sah, Second Secretary at the Embassy, who welcomed guests and guided the programme with warmth and poise. A ppt was played during the dinner depicting the natural beauty and diverse culture of Nepal. Earlier on Saturday morning and afternoon, the Embassy of Nepal held a flag hoisting ceremony and a brief event to observe Republic Day. During the event, the Ambassador congratulated and highlighted the importance of the Republic Day of Nepal.
Otago Daily Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
‘Their story is part of my story'
Ajax Banstola, 11, shows a photo taken soon after Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary achieved their stunning summit. PHOTO: SAM HENDERSON The extraordinary achievement of two pioneering mountaineers highlights the value of friendship and connection. Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, of Nepal, and Sir Edmund Hillary, of New Zealand, scaled Sagarmatha (Mt Everest) on this day 72 years ago, becoming the first to stand on its 8848m summit. Ajax Banstola, 11, said the story was ''one of the coolest adventures in history''. Hillary and Norgay began their final push for the summit at 6.30am on May 29, 1953. Backed by an expedition of more than 400 people led by Colonel John Hunt, they set off from base camp on the long journey to the top. ''Their resilience, teamwork, the effort is honestly legendary, but a thing we should all remember is they did it together, not alone. It would be really hard alone,'' Ajax said. ''They did it together as friends.'' Ajax has a personal connection to both Nepal and New Zealand. ''I was born in Pokhara, a lovely city [in Nepal] and I came here when I was 3 years old, really small. ''But my dad and my mum, they always share stories about how or what I did when I was small.'' The city sits near the Annapurna mountain range, which contains some of the world's highest peaks. The tale of Norgay and Hillary resonates with Ajax because of his connection to both countries. ''To me, Sagarmatha Everest Day is more than just remembering a climb. ''It is about two amazing people, one from Nepal, where I was born, and one from New Zealand, where I now live. ''It is like their story is part of my story too.'' Ajax said Norgay was a true mountain expert. Hillary, a beekeeper from Auckland, also showed guts and skill, he said. For Ajax the best part was they respected each other. ''They came from totally different worlds, but they worked together like champions. ''That is what makes this story so special.''
Globe and Mail
26-05-2025
- Globe and Mail
Summitting the twin peaks of human achievement
People who attempt to climb Mt. Everest often try to wrap romance and meaning around what is essentially a pointless exercise. Jon Krakauer wrote in the best-seller Into Thin Air about seeking in the suffering 'something like a state of grace.' Early explorers were more prosaic. George Mallory, who died near the peak, had a simple reason for trying to climb Everest: 'Because it's there.' A generation later, Edmund Hillary was low-key after determination brought him and Tenzing Norgay to the top, telling others on the team, 'well, we knocked the bastard off.' This month a group of former special forces soldiers from Britain set out for the mountain with some of the old brusqueness, aiming for speed of ascending more than transcendence. Their goal was audacious: to be away from London only seven days, lightning fast for a trip that can take months. They pulled it off, reaching the summit early Wednesday and cutting by two-thirds the record for a door-to-door ascent. It was a triumph of human ingenuity, though one that comes with asterisks. Better gear has made modern Everest expeditions much faster than the days of Mallory and Hillary. But they still involve weeks of acclimatization to prepare for the Death Zone – above 8,000 metres – where the body begins to break down. Most fatalities on the mountain occur in this area. Controversially, the British team's preparation included breathing xenon gas, an anesthetic, in what their medical adviser believed was a way to counter the effects of altitude. The approach has divided the mountaineering community and raises a host of questions. On a philosophical level, there's the risk that this could turn the sublime – the awe, wonder and danger – of Everest into something mundane. The value of a journey lies in more than the destination, and an epic quest should be a triumph of both determination and intellect. Still, one concern that can be set aside immediately is the idea that these men somehow cheated. Few climbers follow the example of legendary Austrian mountaineer Reinhold Messner. He believed that adventure had to involve danger and exposure, so he used 'as little equipment as possible.' This culminated in a 1980 solo ascent of Everest without oxygen tanks, a feat he called 'endless torture' that left him physically and emotionally wrecked. Most climbers see no reason to spurn advances in technology, clothing and gear that make their passion both faster and safer. Better weather forecasts, for example, help narrow down the least risky moment for a summit attempt. For the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation, though, xenon is too dangerous to be used casually. Experts within the medical and climbing communities differ on whether xenon is even effective in this context. There's a chance that people get into trouble in the Death Zone, believing incorrectly they are protected from the most dangerous forms of altitude sickness. It may also be unnecessary. On Friday a climber claimed a different speed record, getting from sea level to summit in only four days. He did not use xenon. The British team counters criticism by saying that xenon was just part of its preparation, which also included months of sleeping in low-oxygen tents. They argue that people can still take longer journeys, if they choose, but that shortening the time on the mountain minimizes risk by leaving climbers less susceptible to rockfall and other dangers. Speedy ascents also reduce the amount of garbage and human waste produced by climbers. Though that effect could be negated if this approach opens up the mountain to more visitors, putting pressure on heavily used routes. However, beyond the concerns, it's worth recognizing that this team follows in the footsteps of amateur adventurers whose daring pushed the limits of human potential. The Montgolfier brothers pioneered hot-air ballooning in the 18th century, never dreaming that two hundred years later cheap commercial flights would connect continents. Breathing pure oxygen restricted how deeply early divers could go. But eventually researchers discovered gas blends that let humans descend hundreds of metres. Determination and intellect are the twin peaks of human achievement. Paired with a willingness to take risk, they are why people now soar like birds and swim like fish. They let humans exist in hostile terrain, right to the top of the world.
Time of India
25-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
Lohardaga army man scales Mt Everest
1 2 3 Gumla: Bahadur Pahan, an Army subedar of the 3 Bihar Regiment and Lohardaga resident, scaled the world's highest peak, Mt Everest, on May 23. Talking to TOI on Sunday from the base camp upon his return, an elated Bahadur said, "I summit the peak at 3.5 am on May 23. My 15-year-long dream to summit the peak has now come true." Bahadur unfurled a flag bearing the logo of the Jharkhand govt along with the National Flag and his regiment's flag. "Since I hail from Jharkhand, I unfurled a flg with our govt logo to motivate the youths of Jharkhand to achieve big in their fields of choice," he said. A resident of Kakargarh village in Kuru block of Lohardaga, Bahadur said he joined the armed forces in 2002. After serving the nation in different places, he joined the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering in Uttarkashi in Nov 2023. "In 2024, I, along with seven others from the Army, was selected for the expedition after scaling 11 peaks. Of 8 members, seven reached the summit. I'm the first from the Bihar Regiment to scale the world's highest peak," he said. Bahadur also said, "In the regiment, I would hear about mountaineers scaling the Everest. Some 15 years ago, I decided to accomplish this feat someday. I also wanted to motivate the youths to take up mountaineering." Before taking up the challenging task, Bahadur, a member of a tribal priest family, had made himself technically, mentally and physically fit. He also underwent one-year training at the High Altitude Warfare School in Gulmarg and Sommarg in Jammu & Kashmir. He also worked as the school's instructor from 2010 to 2013. Congratulating Bahadur, Lohardaga DC Waghmare Prasad Krishna said, "It's a matter of great pride for the district as well as the state. I wish him greater achievements in his career." MP Sukhdeo Bhagat also said, "Bahadur ji has really done a great wonder. He has made the entire tribal community proud ." Kakargarh mukhiya Chemni Toppo said, "Bahadur ji had made our panchayat great by his great accomplishment. Now, Kakargarh will become famous in the state."
