Renowned Everest summiteers felicitated on Diamond Jubilee Year
TBN News Service—
Kathmandu: World renowned Everest summiteers were felicitated here at a grand ceremony organized to mark Diamond Jubilee of first ascent of Mount Everest.
Chairman of Interim Council of Ministers of the Government of Nepal Khilraj Regmi honoured different personalities and mountaineers in the function held at Narayanhity Palace Museum on May 29, 2013.
“On this day, late Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary created a milestone of being the first human beings on the top of the pinnacle of earth, Mount Everest. That historic success brought Nepal to the limelight of mountaineering tourism, opened a new era in the field of adventure activities, ” Regmi
said.
The government awarded Everest Diamond Jubilee medals to 40 record-setting Everest summiteers to mark the 60th anniversary of the first ascent of the world´s tallest mountain.
The summiteers felicitated included Reinhold Messner, the first person to climb Everest without oxygen, Furba Tashi Sherpa, the record 21-time summiteer and Ang Rita Sherpa who climbed the Everest ten times without oxygen among others.
Kami Sherpa, who climbed Everest three times within nine days, Arjun Vajpayee, the former youngest Everest summiteer of India and Frits Vrijlandt, president of Union of International Alpinist Association were also honoured.
Legendary mountaineer Reinhold Messner, the first man to reach the summit of the world’s highest mountain without supplementary oxygen, emphasized to preserve Himalayas for sustainable tourism development.
On the occasion, Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Ram Kumar Shrestha and Secretary at the Ministry Sushil Ghimire said that the government would focus on maintaining the pride of Everest implementing different plans and programmes.
Nepal started issuing identity cards for the summiteers of Mount Everest as part of the celebrations marking the Diamond Jubilee of the first human ascent to the world’s highest summit. The first batches of identity cards were distributed to seven summiteers.
The special issue of ‘ Nepal Parbat ‘ published by Nepal Mountaineering Association was launched on the occasion.
Amelia Rose Hillary, granddaughter of New Zealand mountaineer Edmund Hillary, was honored as goodwill ambassador of Nepal Tourism Board during the function.
Four days of ceremonies concluded on Wednesday laying garlands on statues of Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, the first climbers to reach the summit of Everest on May 29, 1953.
Earlier, Hillary’s granddaughter Amelia joined Italian mountaineer Reinhold Messner, Tenzing’s grandson Tashi Tenzing and the last surviving member of the 1953 expedition, Kancha Sherpa, in a horse-drawn chariot procession in the capital city of Nepal. Kancha Sherpa, now 81, worked as a porter on the expedition led by John Hunt in 1953.
According to government figures, more than 4,500 climbers have reached the summit of 8,848 meter high Mt. Everest. This season alone 540 people reached the summit, including a Japanese octogenarian, the first female amputee, the first women from Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, and the first armless man.
Likewise, Trekking Agencies´ Association of Nepal (TAAN) honoured different individuals on the occasion of TAAN Day and Diamond Jubilee celebration of the first ascent of Mt Everest amidst a function at Basantapur Durbar Square.
Similarly,New Zealand celebrated the 60th anniversary of the conquest of Mount Everest, the world’s tallest mountain, by Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay.
Queen Elizabeth II met Nepalese climber Jamling Norgay, son of Tenzing Norgay, during a reception to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the ascent of Everest in London .
