Page 2 - Mountaineers

More bodies found after sudden eruption of Indonesia's Mount Marapi

Rescuers searching the hazardous slopes of Indonesia's Mount Marapi volcano found the last body of climbers who were caught by a surprise weekend eruption, raising the number of confirmed dead to 23, officials said Wednesday. About 75 climbers started their way up the nearly 2,900-metre mountain in Agam district of West Sumatra province on Saturday and became stranded. Some 52 climbers were rescued after the initial eruption Sunday, and 11 others were initially confirmed dead. New eruptions on Monday and Tuesday spewed more hot ash as high as 800 metres into the air, reducing visibility and temporarily halting search and recovery operations, said Abdul Malik, chief of the Padang Search and Rescue Agency. The bodies of two climbers were located on Monday and nine more on Tuesday, the National Search and Rescue Agency said. West Sumatra's Police Chief Suharyono said the body of the last climber was found early Wednesday, just a few metres from the eruption site, bringing the death to

Nepal's Sherpa association felicitates over 100 veteran mountain climbers

Nepal's largest umbrella organisation of Sherpas has felicitated over 100 veteran mountain climbers who have scaled Mount Everest at least 10 times in a gala event here. Nepal honoured record-holding Sherpa guides and climbers on Monday to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the first ascent of Mount Everest by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. On May 29, 1953, Hillary, a beekeeper from New Zealand and his Sherpa guide Norgay scripted history by becoming the first human beings to scale the treacherous terrains of the world's highest mountain peak. Sherpa Tourism Entrepreneurs Association of Nepal (STEAN), the largest umbrella association of Sherpas in Nepal organised a gala event here on the occasion of the International Everest Day. Sherpa climbers, who scaled Mount Everest, the highest peak in the world at least ten times, were felicitated at the programme chaired by STEAN chairman Sangam Sherpa. Among those felicitated include Kami Rita Sherpa, who climbed Mt Everest for a recor

Climbers celebrate Mt Everest 70th anniversary amid melting glaciers

As the mountaineering community prepares to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the conquest of Mount Everest, there is growing concern about temperatures rising, glaciers and snow melting, and weather getting harsh and unpredictable on the world's tallest mountain. Since the 8,849-metre (29,032-foot) mountain peak was first scaled by New Zealander Edmund Hillary and his Sherpa guide Tenzing Norgay in 1953, thousands of climbers have reached the peak and hundreds of lost their lives. The deteriorating conditions on Everest are raising concerns for the mountaineering community and the people whose livelihoods depend on the flow of visitors. The Sherpa community, who grew up on the foothills of the snow-covered mountain they worship as the mother of the world, is the most startled. The effects of climate change are hitting not just the fishes of Antarctica, the whales or the penguins, but it's having a direct impact on the Himalayan mountains and the people there, said Ang Tshering, a

500 climbers scaled Everest during current expedition season: Nepal tourism

A total of 500 climbers have successfully scaled Mt Everest during the current expedition season to the world's highest peak, Nepal's tourism department said on Monday. Nepal's Tourism Board, which handles the permits for the expedition to the 8,848.86 metres-high Mt Everest and other mountains in the Himalayan nation, issued a record 478 permits to mountaineers from various nations, including India, for the climbing season that started on May 13. "A total of 478 mountaineers received expedition permits to climb Mt. Everest in this season. The 500 who reached the Everest Summit also include the Sherpa guides from different expeditions," the tourism department said. Permits are mandatory for every new person qualified to climb Mt Everest, but there is no such requisite needed for the Sherpa guides, who are permanently authorised. Officials said that so far 12 climbers, four Nepalese, one Indian and one Chinese died during their respective expeditions to Mt Everest. This season of t

Nepalese Sherpa guide sets world record, scales Mt Everest for 27th time

World-renowned Nepalese mountaineer Kami Rita Sherpa scaled Mt Everest for a record 27th time on Wednesday, beating his own record with the highest number of ascends on the world's highest peak. The 53-year-old record-holding mountain guide stood atop the 8,848.86 metres-high peak at 8:30 am on Wednesday, the Department of Tourism of Nepal said. He regained his title for the most climbs of Mount Everest, just three days after a fellow Sherpa guide equalled his previous record. Pasang Dawa Sherpa, 46, a fellow Sherpa guide, scaled the summit of Mount Everest on Sunday for the 26th time, equalling Kami Rita's previous record for the most ascents of the world's highest peak. A resident of Solukhumbu district in eastern Nepal, Kami Rita first reached Everest on May 13, 1994. Kami Rita, who works as a senior mountain guide at the Seven Summit Treks, reached the summit under an expedition organised by the Kathmandu-based commercial adventure operator. He summited Mt Everest for the 26t

Uttarakhand avalanche: Search for two mountaineers continues for 11th day

Search for the two mountaineers who continue to be missing after the October 4 avalanche in the district went on for the 11th day on Friday amid bad weather. Meanwhile, one more body recovered earlier was brought to the district hospital here to be handed over to the relatives after a post-mortem. Inclement weather at the avalanche site located at an altitude of 17,000 feet near Draupadi ka Danda-II peak has been hampering search and rescue efforts for nearly a week. Two mountaineers out of a team of 29 are still missing, Registrar of Nehru Institute of Mountaineering Vishal Ranjan said. Twenty-seven bodies have already been recovered and brought down, he said. Those who went missing after the avalanche are said to have fallen into a crevasse. However, the body of trainee mountaineer Sourav Biswas from West Bengal, which had been recovered earlier was brought to the ITBP camp at Matli and then to the district hospital here on Friday, he said. The body will be handed over to rel

Uttarkashi avalanche: 10 more bodies recovered, toll climbs to 26

Ten more bodies were recovered from the site of an avalanche here, taking the death toll to 26, the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering said on Friday. Two Cheetah helicopters took off from the Army helipad in Harsil to join the search operations, officials said. The avalanche occurred at a height of 17,000 feet on Tuesday when a team of the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) was returning after summiting Draupadi Ka Danda II peak. Three more bodies were recovered from the avalanche site late on Thursday evening and seven were found on Friday, taking the total number of bodies retrieved so far to 26, the NIM said. While 24 of these bodies are of trainee mountaineers, two are of their instructors, it said. According to the NIM, three trainees are still missing. Fifteen bodies were recovered on Thursday, the NIM said. Four of the bodies that were being brought to Matli were taken to the Harsil helipad due to bad weather. From there, they were sent to Uttarkashi in ambulances, .

10 bodies retrieved, 27 mountaineers missing after avalanche in Uttarkashi

Twenty-seven mountaineers remained missing on Wednesday after rescue workers brought 14 injured members of their team to safety, a day after an avalanche claimed 10 lives in Uttarkashi. The Uttarakhand Police said on Facebook that 10 bodies have been retrieved so far as a multi-agency search and rescue operation aided by IAF helicopters continued through the day to find those missing. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami did an aerial inspection of the area, which is at a height of 17,000 feet, that was hit by the avalanche on Tuesday and told reporters that 27 climbers are still missing. He said he prayed for their safety even as personnel of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and mountaineers from the Nehru Institute Of Mountaineering (NIM) are trying to find the missing climbers. "Out of 34, 27 are still missing, Dhami told reporters after the aerial survey along with Haridwar MP and former Union ...

Indian Mountaineering Foundation gets its first woman president

Harshwanti Bisht was elected to the coveted post on November 20, winning 60 out of a total of 107 votes

Meet Nirmal Purja, the man who is speed-climbing the world's highest peaks

Purja has had an illustrious career in mountaineering and is a multiple Guinness World Records holder for quickest ascents of Everest, Lhotse and Makalu

Sharp winds scuttle efforts to retrieve bodies of mountaineers

Indian Air Force helicopters on Wednesday undertook three sorties to retrieve bodies of five mountaineers lying near the Nanda Devi East Peak in Uttarakhand but high speed sharp winds hampered their efforts. Considering the tough terrain, the operation of retrieving the bodies might extend beyond a week, Pithoragarh District Magistrate V K Jogdande said. He said three sorties were undertaken from Pithoragarh to retrieve the bodies but the helicopters could not hover over and get down at the spot where five bodies were found. High speed sharp winds at the peak did not let the IAF helicopters with ITBP mountaineers on board get down, he said. "Besides the aerial operation, the administration will also try to reach the spot by the land route tomorrow to retrieve the bodies," he said. We are being joined by 35 State Disaster Response Force men tonight who will be divided into two groups. One will be sent to the spot by land route while the other will try to reach the spot by air," the