Off the Wall trekking ~Welcome to our World of Expeditions~A different perspective~: The Cost of Celebrations

Why do we put so much emphasis on celebration auspicious mountaineering events?

Nepal is the home of the most formidable mountain range in the world with nearly a third of the country laying at an elevation of over 3500metres. Not only does the highest peak on earth, Everest, fall within the Nepalese territory but so do Kanchenjunga, Lhotse, Makalu, Cho Oyu, Dhaulagiri, Manaslu and Annapurna, eight of the fourteen 8000metre peaks of the world. These are the mountain jewels in Nepal’s crown.

Nepal has an extensive history of mountaineering with the early explorers being lured into the deep valleys and lofty peaks by the challenges of untrodden summits. Nepal is known around the world for the mountaineering opportunities that it offers, and has always offered those with an adventurous spirit. But undertaking a mountaineering expedition back then was a totally different experience to that of undertaking an expedition today.

Celebrating the first ascents of these lofty summits is as much about recognizing and celebrating the endeavours of the men who first stood on the peaks as it is about the mountains themselves. At the time mountaineers did not fully understand the effects that gaining altitude has on the human body, neither did they know what mountaineering challenges lay ahead of them, nobody had been there before, these early pioneers were literally going into the unknown. By today’s standards the equipment they used and the style that they adopted to reach the summits were rudimentary, however, they believed they had the best that was available at the time. Many men made the ultimate sacrifice in the pursuance of their dream and at the time many nations committed large sums of money in support of the adventure.

So why is it important in the 21^st century to celebrate these achievements? Apart from recognizing the contributions that these men made to the history of mountaineering, they also put Nepal on the map and for the first time in history Nepal became a household name. Not only is it important to celebrate the event but these expeditions are also part of Nepal’s modern history. Being the home to the Himalaya the young people and mountaineers of not only today but also in the future need to understand, remember and value these auspicious events and recognise that they have had a significant impact on the world and also on the Nepalese nation.

By holding such significant celebrations when important personalities are invited to Nepal the Nepal Mountaineering Association attracts media attention and is thus promoting Nepal, as a mountaineering destination. It is reminding the young mountaineers of their roots and the history of not only their sport but of their mountains.

Should we continue to hold these celebrations of first major mountaineering ascents?

Definitely!