All news: 2013

Dima Ermakov and Denis Saveliev with a group afer breakfast went up from the Canada camp to Nido de Condores. It is an acclimatization outing...

Dear friends,

I wish you a Healthy, Prosperous and Happy New Year 2013!!!!

Asian Trekking's Celebration of 30th Anniversary:

Completing the year 2012, was a landmark for Asian Trekking. It marked the completion of our 30 year journey since being established in 1982.

To celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Asian Trekking in adventure tourism, we organised a tree plantation programme followed by a picnic on 30th Dec 2012 at Lakhuri Bhanjyang, above Kathmandu Valley. Among our 122 staffs (office and permanent field staff) most of them were present on the occasion.

On the occasion we felicitated, with certificates and rewards, our staffs who have been with us since the beginning in 1982. I feel proud to mention that these loyal and hard working staff are Suk Bahadur Ale (Sukre), Kali Bahadur Basnet (Kalu), Mingmar Tamang, Bhai Kaji Tamang (Maila Tamang) and Bala Bahadur Magar (Maila Magar). And, to my great surprise and honour, the field staff presented me with a mini stupa as a "token of love." It is because of our staffs' hard work, honesty, passion and dedication that Asian Trekking is where it is today.

An interaction program between office staff and field staffs were also held on that day. Various topics were discussed such as improvement in Asian Trekking’s services, welfare of the staffs, upgrading equipment to meet the existing requirement, required training for the climbing guide as well as trekking guides, cooks, kitchen boy etc. Though we completed 30 years, we are excitedly looking forward to the next 30 years.

Joint Tourism Coordination Meeting Between Nepal and China

On 17th and 18th December I attended the Sixth Meeting of the Joint Tourism Coordination Committee between the Government of Nepal and the People's Government of Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) which was held in Lhasa. I was a member of the Nepalese delegation, in the capacity Mountain and Adventure Tourism Expert.

The meeting was held in a very cordial and friendly atmosphere. The 17 member Nepalese delegation was headed by Mr. Mohan Krishna Sapkota, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation of the Government of Nepal and the Tibet Autonomous Region delegation was led by Mr. Yu Yun Gui, Director of Tibet Tourism Administration of the People’s Government of Tibet Autonomous Region.

The purpose of the meeting was to promote and expand cooperation in the areas of tourism and trade to the mutual benefits of both Nepal and Tibet Autonomous Region.

Meeting with China Tibet Mountaineering Association

Also, on 19th December 2012 I had a meeting with China Tibet Mountaineering Association (CTMA) general secretary including other authorities of CTMA over the Tibet Expedition.

We discussed about the cooperation of future expeditions and how to run the expeditions smoothly without disruptions, visa issues and border closures. We also discussed over the issues of rope fixing, route making and permit fees on Mt. Everest, Mt. Ch-oyu, Mt.. Shishapangma and other mountains inTibet. CTMA assured me that the future expedition will run smoothly. I firmly believe that our mutual cooperation and our frequent dialogue will bring fruitful results in the development of mountain tourism both in Nepal and Tibet Autonomous Region. I will continue to voice our concerns with the authorities for the betterment of mountaineering and tourism in the Himalayas.

First Aid and Medical Training:

Continuing our committment of safety in the mountains, this year again Asian Trekking organized first aid and medical training for the staff. A total of 40 staff participated in a two day training program.

The course focused on First Aid, Patient Stabilization, CPR, High Altitude Sickness and Response, etc.

Our sincere gratitude goes to Dr. Pranav Koirala, Dr. Kamal Thapa and Dr. Simant Thapa of the Mountain Medicine Society for conducting the training.

Maurice Herzog, French mountain climber, dies at 93:

I also have sad news to share. Legendary French mountaineer and author Maurice Herzog, died at the age of 93 on 13th the December 2012. Maurice and his climbing partner, Louis Lachenal ascended Annapurna I, the 10th-highest mountain in the world, on June 3, 1950. Doing so, they became the first person in history to successfully climb to the top of an eight thousand m peak.

Following this feat, Maurice wrote the hugely popular book, Annapurna, which has been translated into dozens of languages and estimated to have sold more than 20 million copies worldwide. First published in 1951, Maurice's book put Nepal on the world map ‘for the first time’ and greatly promoted Nepal as a mountaineering and tourism destination.

I am very proud to have known him as a close friend. His passing is a great loss, though his legacy survives in all the mountaineers and adventurers he inspired.

Asian Trekking and I express our heartfelt condolences to his family and pray for his peaceful eternal journey.

Thank you for your support:

Lastly, it is my pleasure to keep you all up to date as to our activities here in the Himalaya. If you have any questions please do let me know. I thank you for your support in the past and look forward to our cooperation in the future.

Ang Tshering Sherpa

Asian Trekking (P) Ltd

www.asian-trekking.com

Today our big group (12 climbers + 2 guides) reached the base camp Plaza de Mulas. Everything is OK. Guides: Dima Ermakov and Denis Saveliev.

As we reported, on January 10 the second in the history expedition to the summit of the highest volcano in Antarctica -Mount Sidley will start. This very remote from civilization mountain is part of the project seven highest volcanoes of continents. A group of the 7 Summits Club for Mount Sidley climb consist of  Vyacheslav Adrov and Vitali  Simonovic. Permanent guide of ALE David Hamilton goes with them. Multiple summiter of Mount Everest, he had (early in his career, in the first half of the 90) lots of climbs in the Caucasus.  Another partner and a client oa ALE - it will be a Canadian climber, doctor of geology Paul George Nicholson.  

Paul Nicholson - a Canadian geologist, constantly working in Saudi Arabia. He works in the oil industry - Saudi Aramco. In his spare time, he studied all the traces of volcanic activity in the Arabian Peninsula. Paul went on five continents for climb the highest volcanoes.  In case of success at Sidley, he will ascend to the Ojos del Salado, to become the third in the list "seven volcanoes" climbers after Mario Trimeri and Coco Popescu.

Paul sent us pictures from his ascent of Mount Giluve( Australian continent)

Date of ascents Paul Nicholson

Giluve, 14/09/2008
Damavand, 08/07/2007
Kilimanjaro, 17/11/2004
Orizaba, 16/11/2010
Elbrus, 17/08/2005

Additional objects:

Ararat, 29/08/2011

Nicholson

Photos from Giluve

Photo Gallery of Sidley 2011 (Alex Abramov)

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Hello! Now 9 p.m. by Chile time. Our team is, without loss, came to the South Pole. So, we are five. We are at the South Pole. Congratulations to all with Ortodox Christmas. Today we also will celebrate it. Hooray! Tomorrow we plan to fly to the Union Glacier. It is likely the 10th of January we'll be in Chile. Today the weather was really bad. We even got lost a bit in the blizzard. But we managed to find the pole. All is well. Goodbye!

Ian McKeever once held the record for completing the seven highest peaks in the world in the fastest time

An Irish mountaineer and charity fundraiser has died while climbing Mount Kilimanjaro inTanzania.

Ian McKeever, who was 42 and from Lough Dan in Wicklow, was leading a group of climbers when they were struck by lightning.

Mr McKeever was a leading member of the Kilimanjaro Achievers Team, a group of veteran climbers which led groups to the top of the mountain.

In 2007, the adventurer had scaled Mount Everest.

He is also the former holder of the record for completing the seven highest peaks in the world in the fastest time - 32 days fewer than the previous record.

In 2009, he was part of a team that attempted to row the South Atlantic Oceanin under 30 days, but the boat lost its rudder and they were forced to postpone the attempt.

More recently he had been attempting, along with African climbing guide friend Samuel Kinsonga, to break the record for the fastest ascent of Kilimanjaro, as part of their anti-racism Black and White Makes Sense Campaign.

Mr McKeever was the author of two books - Give Me Shelter and Give Me Heroes - and was working on a third book Give Me 28 Days.

On his Facebook page on Wednesday night, a statement said: "It is with deep regret, that we, Ian's family, fiancee Anna and friends, advise of his sudden death on Kilimanjaro, today, doing what he loved best."

Mr McKeever had been posting messages on the site during the ascent of the mountain.

His last post, on Tuesday, said: "Shira 2, 4,000m. Torrential rain all day. Spirits remain good even if drying clothes is proving impossible! We pray for dryer weather tomorrow - the big day. It's the Lava Tower."

It is understood none of the other climbers suffered serious injuries.

In a message of condolence, Irish Prime Minister (Taoiseach) Enda Kenny said: "I was very saddened to hear of the death of renowned adventurer Ian McKeever.

"I had come to know him over recent years and I admired him not only for his own achievements and charity work but also for his work with young people in challenging them to achieve their full potential.

"He was extremely passionate about what he did and driven in his belief that everybody can achieve their potential during their lifetime.

"Ian said to me once that there was no place he would rather be than in the mountains."

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-20896985

Site of the project:

http://www.kilimanjaroachievers.com/Team.html

Seven Summits record

“My Dad phoned my Mum from the hospital yesterday to convey the very sad news. He said that he was fine but he was thrown into the air by a bolt of lightning, so I’m anxious to hear from him again.”

Mr McKeever had climbed Kilimanjaro several times, often leading groups of youngsters, and was on this occasion leading a large team of mostly Irish climbers raising money for charity.

The attempt on the 19,340ft mountain,Africa’s tallest, began on December 30 and immediately ran into unseasonal bad weather.

On Mr McKeever’s Kilimanjaro Achievers Facebook page, colleagues wrote that the group was above 13,000ft but that conditions had been terrible throughout the climb.

“Torrential rain all day,” they wrote on Wednesday. “Spirits remain good even if drying clothes is proving impossible! We pray for dryer weather tomorrow – the big day.”

They were due to ascend to the Lava Tower, a key point of acclimatisation at 15,000ft, before descending slightly to sleep before pushing higher towards the summit, which they aimed to reach late on Friday.

The storm is understood to have worsened as the group was climbing towards theLavaToweron Wednesday.

Mr McKeever died later that evening.

Among those taking part in the climb was a school group from Ballinamore in north-westernIreland, with four students and a teacher, Aoife Ni Mhaille.

Padraig Leyden, head of St Felims College, said he had a brief conversation with Miss Ni Mhaille.

“It was very frightening and very severe,” Mr Leyden told The Daily Telegraph. “The group hid behind rocks for the entirety. I do not know whether they witnessed what happened.

“They were taken off the mountain and were brought to a local hospital for checks. All the students are physically fine, but naturally very upset about what’s occurred.”

Tributes poured in for Mr McKeever and his achievements during a decade-long mountaineering career in which he set a world record for the fastest successful summiting of the highest peaks on all seven continents, finishing the feat in 156 days in 2007.

Pat Falvey, renowned Irish explorer, said Mr McKeever “followed his dreams with conviction and inspired others”.

“It was a freak accident and a complete fluke,” he told the Irish Independent. “I have lost two friends in lightning strikes, including one on theHimalayas— but they are very rare on Kilimanjaro.”

Taoiseach Enda Kenny said: “Ian said to me once that there was no place he would rather be than in the mountains.

“I would like to extend my sympathies to his fiancee Anna and his family, friends and fellow adventurers.”

Hello! This Artem Rostovtsev, from the slopes of Kilimanjaro. We are now in the camp of Mandara. Today, the entire group met inAfricaand we have started a program Climbing Kilimanjaro.

Hello! This is Alex Abramov from Antarctica. Today we managed to get out from the Union Glacier base and to start our route. So, we are now on the way to the South Pole!  We feel great, everything is OK, excellent, we all are alive and well. Today, we made 8 kilometers. It was just the first day, we had to use our work. So, tomorrow we have to go for 12 kilometers. Goodbye!

Season opened, as usual, on November 15. The number of tourists, climbers once again increased, by 10 percent. This occurred despite a significant increase in the cost of permits. Weather was good at first, but in December spoiled. Most climbers returned home without the summit, because of the strong winds

Many climbers asked for help from rescuers during the first period of the season. Mainly these were minor incidents.

The most significant rescue was in early December. Eliana Caamano, a girl-guide, hired by the U.S. company Mountain Trip, tried to climb to the top with a disabled Afghan war, 29-year-old American, Neil Duncan

 Eliana and Neil did not reached the summit because of bad weather and fatigue. On the descent they were hit by a snowstorm, gave a signal for help and stay for a night in the region of Independencia. A group of four young rescuers went to meet them. They went half night, and it was not in vain. Neil lost his sight (snow blindness), was in very poor condition. Only the use of artificial oxygen and medication has helped him gain strength for further fight for life.

The next day a large group came up for the rescue, it was about 25 people went out from the camp Plaza de Mulas. By the joint efforts they managed lowered Eliana and Neil to the Nido de Condores camp. From there, a helicopter was able to pick them up to Horcones.

At the end of the year there was a bad case with a Japanese mountain climber. At Plaza de Mulas Rangers suddenly noticed that 34-year-old Minoru Kawada does not come out of the tent third day. Opening it, they found a Japanese climber unconscious. He was urgently transported to the hospital inMendoza, but doctors do not guarantee that he can be saved. So far, he's in a coma.

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Colorado man among two mountaineers killed on Argentina climb

By Kirk Mitchell
The Denver Post

An avid climber and adventurer, Eric Nourse traveled to Alaska in 2006 to tackle Denali. (Photo courtesy of Candee Nourse)
When planning how to summit 22,841-foot Mount Aconcagua in Argentina, Greeley resident Eric Nourse, as usual, chose the riskiest route.

On Saturday, the decision had terrible consequences. He and longtime friend David Reinhart of Lake Oswego, Ore., died, likely from complications of altitude sickness. Only Eric's twin brother, Greg Nourse of Portland, Ore., survived.

"He never wanted to die. He's just a large risk- taker," Greg Nourse said of his brother.

Greg Nourse spoke Tuesday via Reinhart's satellite phone from Mendoza, Argentina, where Eric Nourse's body was taken for an autopsy.

Reinhart met the Nourse brothers at a fraternity at Oregon State University in the late 1980s. They shared a taste for extreme adventure, and for the next 23 years they often traveled together to the Alps, Denali or the Andes in South America.

Eric Nourse, 41, had a Greeley flooring business. Whenever he could, he was in the wilderness: kayaking, rafting, scuba diving, skiing, snowboarding, fly fishing, mountain biking, hiking, hunting elk.

The twins and Reinhart would plan big trips for months. In 2004, the Nourse brothers rode motorcycles through Mexico, Guatemala and Belize for two months. They climbed Denali twice.

Eric Nourse was full of life, said his wife, Candee Nourse.

"He could climb a tree like a monkey. There was something that was not quite human about him," she said.

Candee Nourse said she never worried previously about her husband going into danger because he was never worried, but this time was different. It wasn't that the South American peak was a technically difficult climb.

"He said, 'It's the weather. It gets brutal, and it takes lives,' " she said.

The three friends reached the "high camp" tents at 19,200 feet in elevation on Mount Aconcagua by Thursday. They considered going on the Polish Traverse but decided to take the more challenging route up the face of the Polish Glacier.

At 4 a.m. Friday, the three embarked for the summit with Eric Nourse leading the way under a full moon.

The glacier was almost all ice with little snow for traction, and it was much steeper than they had anticipated. They had not carried enough ice screws and snow pickets along for the longer ice climbs.

"It was more taxing and time- consuming," Greg Nourse said.

They didn't reach 22,000 feet in elevation until after dark. Reinhart was suffering from altitude sickness and couldn't go any farther.

Eric Nourse said he was going to summit the mountain in the moonlight, find the less challenging trail down the mountain and get help.

Greg Nourse said his brother climbed another 600 feet and searched for the trail down.

Climber Eric Nourse sets off on his 2006 Denali climb in Alaska with gear in tow. (Photo courtesy of Candee Nourse, The Denver Post)
When he couldn't find the trail, he climbed down the steep north face of the mountain.
"It was basically a sheer cliff," Greg Nourse said.

The decision slowed Eric Nourse considerably. The next morning, 10 hours after his brother had left, Greg Nourse strapped his friend to an ice wall and climbed the mountain to find the easier trail down.

He waited near the summit for 2½ hours before the first climber of the day reached the peak so he could ask how to get down the mountain. While there, he called Reinhart's wife, Char, who set into motion an emergency response in Argentina.

"It was a really emotional phone call. She knew we were in trouble," he said.

Six hours later, Greg Nourse made it back down to the high camp. His brother limped into camp 90 minutes later, exhausted. Argentine EMTs advised Eric Nourse to climb down the mountain and not sleep. The oxygen content in his blood was dangerously low. Porters offered to carry their equipment down the mountain for them. But Greg Nourse said his brother felt that would have been admitting defeat.

"Eric wouldn't have any part of that. We carried our gear up the mountain, and after a little catnap he would carry it back down. He was never concerned about dying," Greg Nourse said.

Minutes after Eric Nourse went to sleep in his tent, emergency workers tried to rouse him. His heart rate dropped. When it stopped, they tried to resuscitate him.

But he was dead.

It took another 2½ days before porters reached Reinhart's body on the glacier. Reinhart had somehow climbed another 150 feet up the mountain before collapsing.